#could never see this hag having abs

[snakeoid]

low effort neuvillette body headcanon

[threebooksoneplot]

Okay but why don't the Cullens just wear full face makeup to go out in the sun? Eddie boy could just get a Ulta membership and not worry about it ╮⁠(⁠.⁠ ⁠❛⁠ ⁠ᴗ⁠ ⁠❛⁠.⁠)⁠╭

see and that seems so realistic, right?! but I remember that stephenie meyer once said that the cullens can't wear makeup because their skin??? isn't good for makeup to stick to?? or something?? idk man I looked for like an hour on the twilight lexicon site to try and find the receipts for this but unless g can find the source I've got no proof for you 😔—shannon

I can't find a source for smeyer saying this—I suspect it's a widely-adopted @panlight headcanon doing its best to explain stephenie's millionth plothole (or perhaps smeyer was simply too mormon to apply Whore's Paint to her virtuous khaki-wearing characters. never mind that alice apparently has a counter full of products—those are just for Hag Bella, obviously.) it's ok though. edward may not have worn makeup, but they sure caked it onto rpattz from head to abs —G

[shadowshrike]

Ascended Astarion Appreciation Post

I'm not going to do a true analysis here because I feel like all the individual lines of spawn/ascended/neutral Astartion and how broad the interpretations of them can be depending on the context of your playthrough have already been discussed ad nauseam by the fandom. The stellar voice work only adds to the ability for a player to feel a connection with whatever narrative they like best. However, I want to throw my personal experience with his storyline into the ring because I feel it's rather unusual.

For my style of play, I initially only brought Astarion along on my 'clever evil' run. I had no knowledge of his storyline before I started and didn't do any metagaming to win his approval; I just brought him along because the 2 minutes I saw of him in my main run made him seem like a good fit for a Tav with selfish choices. This was a custom bard playthrough where I made everyone love me by being a great con artist, killed the few who might make my rise to power more difficult (like the Nightsong), and lightly manipulated our companions into giving me their protection while I only took on minor risk. Naturally, Astarion played well with this character. He was entertained by having a partner to 'play' with, one who didn't get put off by cruel comments or his lust for power and was good at pretending to be manipulated by the questionably charismatic vampire.

I expected the power lust and loss of humanity toward the end of his story. What I did not expect was that by doing an Ascended playthrough first, I would ruin my desire to reload for the Spawn ending later. After all, aren't you supposed to want to do the "Good" thing when your default gameplay style is Good-aligned?

What solidified it for me were two things. First, his response to the Gur. His reaction suggested to me that he was probably a power-hungry noble before he was turned, one who paid the consequences for his cruelty, jumped at the chance for an escape through Cazador when faced with the consequences of that cruelty, and then spent the next 200 years being tortured horrifically for it. From everything I gleaned through his half-retelling, his story was much like the victims of hags or devils. I felt bad for the disproportionate horror of his fate, but there was an odd sort of justice in it as well, one that had long descended into pure evil thanks to the creature he fell victim to.

The second thing that turned me from doing a full playthrough just to see the Spawn ending was, oddly enough, the confession where he explains he's been manipulating you and has accidentally developed feelings. Now, this is partly because I may have accidentally skipped part of the animation, but when I decided to reciprocate the 'heartfelt feelings' as part of my character's manipulation, his answering smirk seemed to say, "Gotcha. So all I have to do is act vulnerable, weak, and like I would be nicer if someone just loved me for once in my life, and they'll protect me forever. I can do that."

After that point, I could never take any statement he made about redemption seriously, especially not if he was particularly blunt about it. The nail-on-the-head speeches I'd seen from him on the spawn path seemed exactly that - too perfect. Like it was exactly what a good character would want to hear, and something a rather poor manipulator but one who specializes in making people feel loved (which Astarion is) would fall back on. That's not to say the words don't ring with truth - they really do thanks to the beautiful voice work - but in the context of his relationship with power and dependence, every word felt like falling back on old habits to manage his fears. Ones he may not even be aware of, truthfully.

Do I think that was the intent by the writers? Absolutely not. But the more I pressed on in the story and he never reverted to that overly sweet act after he realized my character was actually more interested in giggling with him over how to obtain absolute power, the more it felt like the whole 'poor victim' act, although absolutely rooted in some truth, was truly an act to him.

He was terrified, would always be terrified, and had no problem doing whatever he needed to do in order to keep that terror at bay. His desperation made him easy to manipulate. He begged for both the tadpole's powers and Raphael's deal, staying true to a character that would always take the risk as long as it didn't threaten his vanity like the astral tadpole did. He was clearly incapable of forming a healthy relationship with anyone and had no interest in actually working on himself. Still, he was a master at adjusting his behaviors just enough to make himself safer in his new 'goodish' environment by acting like he had come to appreciate goodness. Not that he was ever completely heartless, even on a selfish/evil run, but it became clear that he mostly wanted goodness for himself. He didn't want a lack of chains in the world. He wanted to be the one holding them.

Ascending him was the obvious choice in an evil run. I would both be giving him the one thing he truly wanted and putting him forever in my debt...at least until his annoyance at having a debt outweighed his fear of being alone.

Becoming his spawn, on the other hand, was a hard choice. And probably the most satisfying narrative choice I made in all my playthroughs, good or evil.

For context, I had refused to use any tadpole powers in this run, giving it to him instead, so he could deal with the risk while being pleased by being handed more power. I didn't want to sacrifice anything personally while I was busy putting everyone in my debt. But here I was faced with a dilemma - did I have confidence that my character could still manipulate this vampire driven by fear enough to take the world if I let him turn me into a spawn so I could be immortal? Would the good and evil armies I'd raised to my name be enough to stop Astarion if he started to lose his utter devotion to me and made me a mindless thrall? If I said no or suddenly cast doubt on him, he'd certainly be enraged, given my prior support of him and his fear of rejection. Was the danger of angering him on top of losing that ascended vampire power worth my mortal freedoms? How long would that freedom even last if I said no, assuming he truly did end up exactly like Cazador, who would likely have just taken it from me in a rage?

Interestingly, this choice was made for me by the insight check that some people hate so much. When I saw he thought my character was still above him, that I had to degrade myself to be with him, I realized the man's leash hadn't gone anywhere. I could use him to get me the world. Yes, he would continue trying to manipulate me with empty promises, but I would continue manipulating him in turn by appealing to his petty vanity and insecurities. And together, we could have everything he ever lusted after with the only cost being a soul he was more than willing to lose.

I think the perfect cap to this was the ending. A romanced Ascended Astarion's ending was easily the most satisfying ending part of all the little character moments of all my playthroughs. The evil power fantasy was perfect. With the choices I made, it implied he was 100% as much my thrall as I was his (less literally in his case), leaving the corruption of his character beyond pure power lust open to interpretation. Add to that the satisfaction of his new unique dialogs near that end, and I was blown away. His confidence, for once, did not seem fake, though it was still informed by the fears that had driven him from the beginning. It was not his most healed or kind self (and how could he be either of those in any ending after 200 years of torture unless he was lying?), but his most free self, enjoying everything he ever wanted in a blaze of glory, relishing in his control, and fully giving himself to the newfound passions given by his second life.

Is he evil, selfish, and controlling? Absolutely. Will some hero inevitably take him out down the line when he gets a little too crazy with his powers? Probably. But such is the beauty and fun of the evil power fantasy.

It's unfortunate that playing this route, I can't enjoy how he is chained by the spawn route. I can understand what it is trying to do. Promoting the power of forgiveness, love, and support to allow someone to be their best self. It aims to apply human healing patterns to a supernatural creature in a cathartic way, one that has been successful for a great many people. But for me, it just doesn't land.

On runs where I care about his fate on a personal level, I hate to see him forced into a life where he loses all the things that have brought him joy, either now or when his lover dies. I don't want my choices 'for his own good' to mandate he forever sacrifices his own wants and needs. I hate how he tells you that you made the right choice after things have calmed down if you refuse to help him because what other option does he have? You've stripped him of hope outside of your protection. Without a cure, he's helpless at the feet of the Good heroes surrounding him who could end him in an instant if he's anything other than grateful and fawning for how much you've saved him. After the other route, that fate feels like dying a second slow death for a character so desperate for freedom and power, no matter how self-destructive it is. And since he basically says you did the 'right thing' when you have a high relationship no matter what end you choose with him, Good or Evil or in-between, it loses its power to me as a narrative anchor to any feel-good moments.

Personally, I like Astarion most as a character who is able to fulfill his base desires, ugliness and all. I think he's written in a way where he's well-suited to be both a victim and an awful person. I like the unique narrative of him being someone who is a bit of a monster and most fulfilled by being his worst self rather than seeking redemption, but appreciate that most people feel more fulfilled by a route where he's humanized and gets to heal through romance or a supportive friend.

I encourage everyone to find their own favorite variation of him. To me, he is one of the messiest characters who can have wildly different 'truths' depending on the context of your playthrough and your interpretations of his lines. Since he's a known liar and manipulator (and an unfathomably old one at that by human standards), there are a million and one different headcanons you can use to fill in the blanks on what he really means, who he really is, and what he really wants or needs.

I hope everyone out there enjoys whatever version of Astarion they like best. For me, I think I just might have to try a different variation on an evil playthrough. I want to see what other contexts I can get for his Ascension story and whether any of them hit as many satisfying narrative notes as my first.

[kellinrk800]

toko fukawa comphet no i don’t take criticism

nobody will even see this because my account just. doesnt get traction but here have a ramble abt toko’s backstory and how much i firmly believe her attraction was comphet.

spoilers for thh, sdr2 and udg

tw// ab/se, n/glect, severe bullying

toko was severely neglected and unwanted when she was a child. she grew up with two mothers and one father due to both sleeping with the same man and neither wanting their child which caused her to be mistreated. once she was locked in a closet and forced to stay there for three days without food. clearly, she grew up in a household completely devoid of healthy love. genocide jack’s development was likely a response to cope with the traumatic experiences.

her time in elementary was no different. in third grade, she was used as a scapegoat for stolen money and her classmates tied her to the jungle gym with a garden hose as punishment.

her first real “love” was with a boy who she had been friends with since elementary but when she finally confessed through a letter, she found it pinned to the bulletin board to mock her. this was genocide jack’s first kill, leading me to believe that her murders were actually a form of protection.

on one occasion (and most likely more considering her difficult relationship with understanding rejection) she was ghosted halfway through on a date after spending three days and nights planning it so that she would not mess it up. she later found out that the boy only asked her out because he lost a bet.

the most likely only healthy representation of love she ever has was through media, which is arguably extremely heteronormativity and the actual healthiness of how relationships are presented in media is debatable.

she internalised all of these things happening to her and believed she deserved them somehow, building her inferiority complex. she began to assume that people only expected bad of her and self victimises herself almost on instinct despite her nature to express opinions without care for others most of the time. her self esteem is extremely low and she often worries about being considered an “old hag” in ultra despair girls.

toko fell in love with the idea of love, not an actual person. at some point she turned to novels and writing as a way to express her emotions and she used that passion to create works of art through her novels and created a toxic idolisation of the perfect relationship with nothing but media, her family’s relationships and her past experiences to go off.

she began to let herself get hurt and internalise it which ended up building her inferiority complex even further to the point of becoming unhealthily infatuated with anyone she saw fit as a stand in for the dreamy perfect people that made her books succeed.

time and time again genocide jack and toko were mistreated in their relationships, causing their system to suffer greatly. jack began to kill anyone toko saw fit as a perfect romantic interest to protect them both, but this most likely caused her own mental health to decline as well, leading to the aggressive, startling and manic personality we saw in the games.

toko began to both idolise and fear falling in love. while she knew they would most likely be killed and she would have to cope with knowing that the police could come knocking any day if they put the pieces together, she also still purposed her life around being in a perfect relationship because it was now causing her to gain traction through her novels.

this only furthered her unhealthy infatuation with relationships. she became determined to find a man who fit her description of the perfect man and would not mislead, use, mock or hurt toko in hopes that he would not be killed and she would finally achieve her dream.

enter byakuya togami. blonde, blue eyed, rich, cold and most importantly, entirely unattainable. he was an ideal stand in, especially considering the circumstances of the killing game (jack’s unique killing style would immediately be found out). she was able to fantasise from afar without ever really getting as severely hurt as she had in the past because he simply did not care to provide her his attention.

jack had two options. kill byakuya and get executed, or suck it up. clearly you can tell which option she chose. in addition, she had all of her memories from prior to the game which most likely slightly numbed her thirst for blood. by the end of ultra despair girls, she has grown a respect for toko, a softness for komaru and even calmed jack down to the point where it’s suggested that she no longer uses her skills to murder but instead fight despair.

in fact, near the end, toko is acutely aware of what is happening despite the fact jack was fronting (they don’t usually share memories, only emotions), suggesting they may have slightly integrated but i don’t really want to make assumptions considering i do not have did and am not educated enough to speak confidently about did.

ironically, the killing game was actually good for both of their mental health’s. i’ll only be talking about toko but in ultra despair girls she was emotionally stronger and more mature. she believed she finally had a purpose other than romance and that she could fight against all odds. she even credits makoto for her newfound courage. she criticises cowards and those that remind her of her past self. she is willing to challenge her fears.

komaru had an amazingly powerful and positive effect on them both. her softness, optimism and empathy help toko’s character develop even further. when komaru tries to give in to despair, toko encourages her to face her fears. toko, who was before extremely afraid and uncomfortable with being touched, is now willing to comfort and even hug komaru. she claims she’s finally found a true friend (that’s actually human, can’t forget kameko the stinkbug) and that she found hope in her.

komaru admires toko and doesnt really mind her split personality, instead just considering it “a bit strange”, which is a noticeable difference from how she was treated by everyone else for it. toko is protective of komaru during chapter two due to her suspicion of shirokuma. later, they even sleep in the same bed.

however, when toko risks komaru’s life for byakuya, they get into an argument in which toko accuses komaru of manipulating her with terms such as “friends”, which leads to komaru showing that she really does trust her.

later, this arguably resolved after servant forces jack and toko to fight against komaru for byakuya. they fight back against servant and komaru forgives her because they are friends, which makes toko extremely happy, so much that she blushed and admits she has never had a real friend before. she thanks komaru genuinely for the first time and they try to become real friends.

toko swears she will help komaru with anything she can’t do by herself, just like komaru would do for her.

toko even stays by her side to the point of rejecting the opportunity of going to future foundation to stay with komaru :)

in the end of danganronpa goodbye despair, which is set after ultra despair girls, kyoko reminds byakuya that someone is waiting for him and he jokes that she shouldn’t remind him of “something so horrifying”. and honestly i think the fact he was able to joke about it shows that perhaps toko and byakuya found a somewhat healthy relationship as friends, acquaintances, or even just bearing eachother’s presence.

a notable addition that didn’t really fit anywhere else is toko’s scrapped execution. “first kiss prank” is the title and it consists of byakuya running towards her before toko gets hit by a roller. that says enough about her biggest fears and how badly her past memories affected her.

in conclusion, toko fukawa’s obsession with byakuya was comphet due to pressure from the media and her toxic ideals. the fact she was able to form a healthy relationship with komaru is hhh and i could talk about them for hours. tokomaru is the second closest thing we have to inmedia stated canon (fuck kodaka’s statement me and the homies hate kodaka’s statement about naegiri /j)

sources: toko fukawa’s fandom wiki, genocide jack’s fandom wiki, free time events, transcripts

[spiltscribbles]

Here’s a prompt from the tag! “ Giving them your dessert when you eat out because it’s their favorite.” bc I have a feeling Remis would be the type to end up eating Sirius’ dessert instead of his bc he doesn’t know what to order but Sirius knows his taste dkfjsjaha

~Notes: Oh no baby! I read this wrong, thinking it was Person A ordering for them instead because Person B didn’t know what they wanted.... And well this came out-- I can totally write a different prompt though to match this one! Just LMK! <3 <3

.-

Send Me A Prompt  |  Reblogs are like the tastiest dessert!!

.-

Remus pads softly into his and Sirius’s room, a mug of steaming Darjeeling in hand and clad only in a his robe as he gazes longingly at the sleeping form of his partner for nearing on three years now. 

The early morning sun pans across the wide expanse of Sirius’s shoulders, and dips into the planes and valleys of his muscular torso and angular face. Lying there, with his dark hair fanning the pillow and the blanket slung lazily around his hips, he looks like some sort of fallen angel. Beautiful and remote and impossible to touch by sullied hands that aren’t half as sacred. It makes his heart thud an uneven staccato when he remembers that he’s his— Sirius chose Remus, Sirius loves Remus— Maybe even nearly as much as Remus has always loved him.

How remarkable of a revelation indeed.

Gingerly, Remus sets down his tea and crawls back into bed with Sirius, insides thrilling when the dark haired boy subconsciously snakes his arms around him and curves around Remus’s body like so many times before, so often that Remus reckons it’s become by rote, an ingrained response to whenever they’re in close proximity to one another.

With a quiet laugh, Remus stretches around, begins peppering Sirius’s chest and abs and the space surrounding his cock with tender kisses, slowly rousing him to wakening the way Sirius always appreciates after a night of patrols for the Auror’s academy. And as usual, it doesn’t take long at all for Sirius to begin moaning out appreciative sighs, thrusting languorously for the warmth of his mouth, making Remus chuckle as he tugs down his pants, and kisses the length of him, peering up to watch as Sirius’s gorgeous, gray eyes flutter open.

“Wh— Moony?” He says in a peculiarly squeaky voice that Remus can’t ever remember slipping out of his mouth. 

“Yes— Problem, Paddy?”

Another discontent, borderline terrified noise rumbles in his throat, and before Remus could even ask what’s got his boyfriend acting like he’s touched in the head, the door to their flat flings open none too gently, and it’s an irate looking James who storms into the bedroom— fists clenched and jaw set as he glares daggers into the face of his practical brother.

“You’re dead Potter!” Is all he shouts before madness ensues— Madness that’s James’s flying fists for Sirius’s face, Peter’s choked laughter flowing in from the other room, and a Lily who looks stuck between horrified and amused

And Remus is so fucking bewildered as he slides off of his boyfriend to avoid any untoward hits accidentally aimed his way.

“Lily?” he presses expectantly, but is totally unsurprised when all she replies with is a bout of uninhibited cackles.

.-

Fifteen minutes, a magically healed split lip, and a physically restrained pair of animagi later, finds the ragtag group of friends surrounding the kitchen Island while a terse James and enraged Sirius are explaining what had happened the previous night. Namely, them getting hexed by a sour faced old bint with a Guinness in hand, after Sirius had driven his motorbike through her rosebushes.

“You guys got bested by a drunk hag!” Peter guffaws for the third time in a singular minute, clutching at his stomach while his body wracks with a continuous stream of  laughter

“I will singe your bollocks off Wormtail,” Sirius seethes from Remus’s left— Except no, it’s not Sirius. It’s James, his best mate James who’s now inhabiting the body of his lover. And God how strange of a fucking turn of events. It’s seriously unnerving. He’s just standing their, all too familiar arms crossed against his chest and thick brows furrowed. And God, Remus really wishes he wouldn’t do that— worry on his bottom lip mid snarl. It’s such a quintessentially Sirius thing to do. a look Remus knows well. One that Remus would always coax away with a gentle kiss and a hand carding through his hair and— 

“Oof!”

He glances over to where Sirius— wearing James’s face— is glowering at him with pure irritation after having elbow checked him. “Eyes front and center Lupin!”

Remus flushes, glancing over at Lily since she out of everyone here could understand his plight. But of course she’s only snickering to herself in her cup of coffee, the trader. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Just because ’s my body doesn’t mean you get to give another bloke the come hither eyes!” Sirius fumes, a sneer caught on his features that Remus never thought the face of the easy going James Potter could ever conjure. “Crikey, it’s plenty that you decided to give him a full on show already.”

“How was I to know this would happen!” Remus sputters the same time James defends that they even barely started, which of course made Peter fall over on his chair with pure delight and Lily walking over to the kettle so she can hide her own laughter.

“Lucky you,” Sirius snipes back, glaring darkly at James and snatching Remus’s hand to interlock with his— erm James’s?— own on his lap.

Remus is so totally fucked.

.-

Graciously, Professor McGonagall— who told the graduating Gryffindor  class of 78 to always reach out if they ever needed help with a strangely wet glint in her eyes— Replies to the pleading missive Remus had sent almost immediately, giving Remus the proper instructions to reverse the jinx and wishing him and Lily the best for the impending tribulations about to befall them.

“She’s totally loving this,” James mumbles moodily as Lily massages his head. And Merlin, is that a strange sight— Lily not only deigning to touch Sirius at all, but look at him sympathetically on top of that. Remus has to constantly remind himself of the body swap before his ridiculous envy begins carving at his insides when James only looks appreciatively back up at her, a gentle, open expression painted over his face that is ordinarily reserved for Remus and Remus alone.

“God this is weird,” Lily tells him, slowly inching away and sitting besides Remus instead. “I usually can’t stand even the sight of Black, and now I’ve got to treat him like the bloke I’m in love with.”

“That’s not what you said this morning Evans,” Sirius goads from Remus’s other end, suddenly reverting back to looking like the James of fifth year— when he was still too cocky for his own good and still didn’t understand how much it made Lily want to hex him to hell for it. “I actually think I recall a lot of back robs and straddling action this morning.”

Lily casts him a look that would absolutely scorch lesser beings, and Remus reasons that his own glower is emulating the same energy because Sirius quickly presses their foreheads together and squeezes Remus’s hand between both of his own in silent repentance. “I knocked her off once i realized it wasn’t you love.”

“Didn’t even bother to aim for the bed you absolute sod.”

“It was fight or flight while you had your grubby little hands all over me Evans!” Sirius airily sniffs.

“Oh I’ll show you grubby little hands!” Lily seethes, pouncing forwards right when Sirius hides behind Remus’s back.

“Children,” Remus intones, beyond over it. “Did you all not realize the massive problem with this little mishap.”

“You mean besides dealing with James’s pitiful little knob.” Sirius asks, faux owlish.

“You touch my knob Black and I swear to God I’ll shave off all your hair.” James snipes, which really isn’t all that fair considering how Sirius doesn’t even care about his perfect locks half as much as Remus does.

“Bloody hell! That’s brilliant!” Peter squawks from the loveseat, absolutely glowing. “James, you think you can get Moony’s name tattooed on his arse.”

James’s face goes sly, Remus’s favorite smirk toying the edges of his lips and his stormy eyes glinting with mirth that Remus only ever sees on his boyfriend’s face before a prank or while Remus is undressing in front of him. 

“What did I say about that look Moony!” Sirius shouts, scathing and skewering him with a look James only ever  employed as Head Boy  on the third year students stupid enough to get caught while trying to pull off a prank.

“Erm— Ahem.” Remus adjusts himself in his seat, not meeting anyone’s eyes. “Yes well, that is rather besides the point.”

“So what is the point, Rem,” Lily asks smugly, and Remus absolutely hates how much she’s enjoying this. She should be suffering just as much as him for the sake of Circe.

“Well didn’t you have that lunch date set up with your older sister and her husband for today?” Remus points out, a mutinous little part of him preening at how her face goes a sickly sort of pale at the reminder. Finally someone is as ill over this as he is.

“Oh bloody shite! You’re right! And Professor McGonagall said that this incantation can only be done at night, the same time as it was originally cast!”

“We’re not in school anymore Evans, you can just call her McGonagall. Or Minnie if you’re so inclined.”

“Shut the fuck up Black!” Lily shrieks, and Remus can’t help but unfavorably liken her to a banshee. “I promised Petunia that I’d see her before she leaves on holiday tomorrow! And she bloody hates Black!”

“nasty harpy.”

“What are we going to do!”

“Erm— Well maybe you can explain to her the switch up?” Peter offers, always meek in the face of Lily’s wrath.

“She already thinks I’m a freak for being a witch Peter! I can’t bring James looking like that and expect her to be fine with it!”

“Most people would consider James having upgraded,” Sirius argues.

“The tattoo will be bright pink I reckon,” James muses loudly to himself, pretending not to have heard Sirius. “A nice contrast to your pasty white arse don’t you think Padfoot?”

Sirius bares his teeth at him and Remus feels an impending migraine while Lily continues to lament the idiocy of their boyfriends.

.-

Remus idly contemplates how normal his life could’ve been if he had fought harder with the sorting hat to be placed into Ravenclaw. It would be a much less wonderful existence, to be sure, but it’d be so blessedly normal. Remus would probably have gone steady with that Hufflepuff prefect, Andre, and they would probably still be together. And Andre didn’t have a best friend who he got into insane and improbable situations with, so Remus definitely wouldn’t have been forced to do this. To be forced to go to lunch with his best friend’s wizard hating sister and her pug faced husband and not look longingly over the table at the face of his other best friend where the love of his life is inhabiting his body.

Jesus, is Remus’s life confusing as fuck.

“I need to take a pis— Oof, I mean. I have to use the gents,” Sirius declares as everyone’s entrees are being served, giving a pointed glance to Remus. And he supposes he should talk to him about that, how incredibly obvious Sirius can be when he’s flustered and isn’t trying to show it.

Five minutes after his boyfriend, Remus leaves to meet him in the first open stall, finally feeling less wrong footed for the first time today when Sirius takes him into his unfamiliar arms.

“I’m going to stab my eyes out with a fork Moony!” He hisses, and it’s odd how alien his face— James’s face— is to him. How Remus has never spent the time to memorize the precise slope of his nose, or the shape to his lips. How Remus can’t understand what it means when he squints his left eye or when he flares his nostrils with a slight curl to his mouth. But Remus does recognize the way Sirius has always grabbed his hips in that desperate way when he’s fed up, and how he always presses his nose to the curls behind Remus’s ear when he needs to be grounded. And it’s a bit awkward now that they’re the same height instead of Sirius needing to stoop slightly, and how Sirius now smells like that pricy cologne that James has always sprits with gusto. But it’s familiar enough to make Remus’s shoulders relax from the tension sown through them all day, and breathe out with relief with how the pair of them still understand one another with an innate sort of knowing.

Gingerly, Remus wraps his arms around Sirius’s now less defined torso, and they stand their, tangled into one another amidst the hush settling over  them.

“Oi! You berks!” James hisses from the doorway all too soon, clambering inside and stomping his feet. “I swear to Merlin if you pricks are fucking inside there!”

“Don’t worry Jamie, I’d never put my Moons through the indignity of dealing with that after he’s had me,” Sirius jeers, preening when James replies by throwing something hard against the doorway.

“C’mon you idiot,” Remus sighs, tugging on a lowly chuckling Sirius as they meet James by the exit of the loo.

“I’ve had three different birds sliding their numbers into my trousers on my way here alone,” James complains, shuffling foot to foot and looking more awkward than Sirius ever has. “It’s obscene.”

“It’s the life of the beautiful,” Sirius corrects as Remus swaths his hand away from his arse. 

“I’d rather not have Petunia getting a heart attack when she sees her sister’s boyfriend copping a feel of another bloke,” he chides before looping his arm through James’s and begins strolling back to the table.

.-

The rest of the lunch is thankfully uneventful, but as stilted as expected, filled with Sirius needing to be kicked in the shin every time he starts gazing absentmindedly at Remus, and Lily flickering her eyes over to James disappointedly while he pouts at her with Sirius’s best puppy dog eyes. And Every time Petunia starts eyeing them all as if they’re all fucking each other behind the scenes, Remus clumsily changes the topic to the weather or how lovely her engagement ring is or asking Vernon about bloody drills— Even if all he wants to do is reach across the table and hold Sirius’s hand.

But thankfully, it all seems to be going along decently enough— That is until the waiter comes around to take their orders and spends a little too long leering at Remus, asking if he’d like a cinnamon roll on the house.

“He’d like a slice of the chocolate fudge cake and he has a boyfriend that probably wouldn’t appreciate the extra service.” Sirius growls out, specs gone askew and dark knuckles paling from where he’s clutching his spoon vindictively.

The waiter only smiles at him, shrugging in that what can you do kind of way before dashing off to place the orders in with the kitchen.

“Hmm,” Petunia levels him with a glance, unimpressed looking. “So James.”

It takes a beat too long for Sirius to respond and Remus silently curses his every damn star. 

“Erm, yes Petunia.”

“How long have you been fucking my sister’s friend behind her back?”

Lily goes shellshocked and James looks ill while Remus sinks lower in his seat, trying to force Sirius to get it together through his eye contact alone.

“Hah— Wow, you’ve been watching those silly Muggle dramas have you Petunia.” Sirius says in a mangled tone of voice, but of course that’s the precise wrong thing to have said.

With matching red faces and spluttering words of indignation— a few curses thrown in for good measure— Petunia and her husband rise from their seats and make a hasty retreat to their car towards the back of the building.

“Oh Christ,” Lily groans, jumping up to sprint after them— but not without swinging a perfectly aimed cuff to the back of Sirius’s porcupine head. “I’ll hex you once you’re out of my boyfriend’s sodding body Black!”

“I understand Evans!” He calls after her before swinging his head over to James and Remus with a mischievous grin. “We tried didn’t we?”

“You just couldn’t keep your bloody jealous  temper in check,” James scolds with no real heat.

“Oi! And what about you lusting over Lily so blatantly you tosser! It was revolting.”

“Yeah, well maybe you’ll remember that next time you’re gazing at Moony’s arse out in public you mongrel.”

Exhausted, Remus just rises and tells them to stay behind and make sure Lily’s alright. “I need a bath and some quiet.”

“Can I join,” Sirius pouts. “I miss you.”

“Only once you’re my  Sirius again,” Remus instructs, brooking no arguments before he finds a safe place to apparate, telling himself that he deserves an entire bottle of that cheap merlot they bought last weekend.

[closedafterdark]

Author-Nim if request are open may I request a scenario where mommy Irene takes you as a plus one to a party. Irene had to go somewhere and she left you alone. Suddenly, Jennie walks up to you and starts flirting with you and she ends up touching your crotch. Next thing you know Irene comes from behind and whispers in your ear “I bet you think your acting real cute letting Jennie put her hands over you” she takes you outside and fucks you in front of Jennie

Tonight is the annual celebration dinner for Red Velvet Company. An entire hotel was rented out, much to the annoyance of customers who booked hotel rooms in advance. A sea of upper high class people filled the ballroom, drinking rather expensive wine and talking about golf.

You sighed, standing next to the h’dourves table as you sipped the terrible tasting wine. You felt out of place, black suit and tie dinners were never your forte. Not to mention you were only a guest here, a plus one to your girlfriend and CEO of the company, Bae Joohyun.

“Why the sad face?”

The lovingly soft voice causes you to turn around. You smiled as you saw your girlfriend standing before you. She wore a beautiful red, strapless dress that complimented her milky white skin. Her hair was neatly parted in the middle, not a single bang on her forehead out of place. You were always mesmerized by how beautiful she looked, often times feeling inferior to the beauty that called you her own. She smiled as she saw you admiring her and gives you a soft kiss on the lips.

“Mind telling me why my loving boyfriend is standing next to appetizers by himself?” Joohyun softly asks. She was never one to raise her voice when it was just the two of you.

“I’m sorry, honey. You know I’m never good with these kinds of things” you said.

“I understand. To tell you the truth, I don’t really care for them either” she said, pouting at you. “I’m sorry I had to drag you along to this”

“Babe, don’t be sorry. If anything it should be me who’s apologizing. I’m bringing down the whole mood”

Her large glassy orbs shined brightly, staring at you as her beautiful smile melted all of your troubles away. You both stared at each other, as you bring her hand and caress her cheek softly, pinching it. She laughs and licks her lips, planting her extremely soft lips against yours. The two of you don’t care that it was a public area, exchanging in a passionate and tender kiss. Joohyun moans as your hands caress her exposed back and make their way down to her extremely soft bottom. She pulls you even closer, her tiny right hand making a fist as she hits your chest for caressing her ass while you two were in public.

You both pull away from each other after several minutes, smiling as you push your forehead onto hers softly. Both of you try to catch your breath as you look lovingly into each other’s eyes.

“I love you” Joohyun said.

“I love you too, wife” you replied. You recently started calling Joohyun that, causing her to always giggle as she felt so loved by you. You gave her several more kisses before squeezing her butt softly once more.

She hit your chest as she asked for one more kiss and told you she was going to go to the restroom to freshen up.

You smiled, watching her walk away as her cute butt could be seen through her dress.

“Quite the show you put on just now”

You turned around and saw a woman slightly taller than Joohyun looking at you, her cat eyes seductively alluring. She had nice hips and equally nicer thighs, her outfit a bit more revealing than what others wore. You were happy to see someone else who was familiar to you.

“Hi, Jen. What’s up?”

“Joohyun’s pretty hot” she said, approaching you slowly. “But what’s such a handsome guy like you doing with an old hag like her”

“That’s not cool to talk about my girlfriend that way, Jen”

“I’m just saying” she said as she grabs the knot of your tie and fixes it. “You need a younger pussy to satisfy you”

“Oh yeah?” you asked.

“Yeah” she replied in a dangerously seductive tone. Jennie’s accent always came out whenever she spoke naughtily. “I have a little something planned for you tonight”

“And what might that be?” you said, both of your faces close together as you inhaled Jennie’s intoxicating scent.

Jennie smiles as she plants a kiss on your lips before grabbing the back of your head and whispers into your ear. Your eyes widen as words leave her mouth and begin to process in your brain.

Jennie smiles as she takes your lips once more, her hands roaming your back as you smack her ass hard. She yelps in surprise, causing her to bite your lower lip. You break the connection between you two as Jennie sees your expression.

“I take it you accept my proposition?”

You nod, still stunned. Jennie grins as she takes your hand in hers and brings you outside the ballroom area. She leads you past the various security members assigned to the event until you both find a private bathroom with two stalls.

The moment you lock the door, Jennie captures your lips once more. Her kisses were more aggressive than Joohyun’s, sloppy and full of lust. She takes control by sliding her tongue inside your lips. Your hands find their way back onto her waist, as they naughtily roam every part of her body. You found Jennie’s hips were much wider than Joohyun’s, as your hands return back to their previous location in the ballroom: her bottom. You unbutton her extremely short shorts and massage them, causing Jennie to moan as your cold hands contrast her warm skin.

Jennie’s hands are now around your neck, kissing you hungrily before they find the buttons of your shirt and begin to remove them. When she finally unbuttons the last one, her kisses plant a trail onto your neck as you see your body be marked by her bright red lips. You remove your shirt and tie as she continues to kiss your chest until she finds her way to your abs. She looks at you with lust, smirking as she drops to her knees and finds your bulge in front of her face.

Jennie bites on your tip through the cloth fabric, causing you to moan as she unbuttons your slacks, already having unbuckled them in the ballroom. With one swift motion, she pulls your slacks and boxers down as your throbbing erection hits her cheek. She giggles, as she grasps ahold of your base and licks your tip. You let out a soft moan as you leaned your head back. Jennie’s hands were cold, which felt wonderful on your warm cock. You felt shivers down your spine as you looked down at your former booty call, pure joy and excitement seen on her face as she lathers your cock generously with her spit.

She strokes you in a delightful rhythm, getting aroused from hearing your cock be wet with her spit as well as your moans of satisfaction. She continues as her mouth kisses your balls, making sure they were sloppy before taking each individually in her warm and wet mouth. You let out a longer moan, as she sucked your balls one at a time. Her suction of them was your favorite thing she did to you, hearing the beautiful sound of them being released from her mouth with a loud pop. She moaned as she cupped your scrotum.

“These balls feel so heavy... and all of it just for me” she said.

You wanted to scream as Jennie’s mouth returned to your balls, taking both of them inside her mouth simultaneously. You started to feel lightheaded, forgetting about Joohyun as you watched an old flame give you oral that kept you up at night sometimes. She releases your sack, both of you gasping for air.

She smiles, kissing your tip as she only takes a few seconds to rest before dragging her tongue from the underside of your scrotum to your cock tip. Jennie knew what you liked, flattening her tongue as much as possible while she drew long licks. After several times of doing so, she reaches the tip. Giving you another kiss and licking up your leaking precum, she parts her lips and takes you inside her mouth.

“Holy fuck...” you moan as your cock enters Jennie’s comforting mouth. Her tongue seamlessly glides your underside as she teases you by only taking you halfway before retreating until only your tip is inside her. She looks at you and smiles with her eyes until she pushes her head down and begins slurping on your cock. You smile as inch by inch of you enters Jennie’s slutty mouth.

As you watch her, you notice the differences in techniques between her and Joohyun. Jennie forms an air tight seal on your cock, as her lips contain your shaft. She pools as much spit as possible to warm and wetten your cock. Joohyun preferred deepthroating, wanting you to facefuck her until you came in her mouth. Jennie loved teasing you, methodical in her actions of swiping her tongue across your tip and shaft. She never left your balls unattended, massaging them whenever she sucked your cock or taking them in her mouth whenever she stroked you. Joohyun never was the first to initiate ball play unless you convinced her to do so. Jennie’s blowjobs were imprinted in your memory, you missed the feeling of her mouth on you even though you were happy with Joohyun.

You failed at suppressing the loud moan that escaped your lips.

Jennie’s soft hands leave your balls and grip your thighs harshly as she began to suck your cock at a faster pace. She took you deeper into her mouth, her previously tight seal on you opening up as you felt her spit fall onto your base and balls, staining the floor. The sounds of Jennie gargling on your cock filled the restroom as you look at Jennie’s beautiful brown eyes and see her welling with excitement. She hums through a mouth full of cock, jamming you as far into her throat as she could.

You reached down and caressed her softly, she felt both of your hands on the side of her head as you rapidly force her head up and down your cock. You both maintain eye contact, as you fuck Jennie’s mouth. You loved hearing Jennie gag for you, her eyes spilling out tears of pleasure as her spit clings to her slutty mouth and chin, dripping onto her chest. Her hands remained on your thighs, digging into your skin. You feel yourself reaching a euphoric high as Jennie’s moaned loudly through your cock.

“So this is what you wanted to do...” you heard a woman’s voice say as one of the stalls open. You saw your girlfriend, a sweaty panting mess as her fingers were still inside her.

“N-noona, I...”

You were about to withdraw your cock from Jennie’s mouth as she hits your thigh and forces you to deepthroat her. You moaned as your hands instinctively grip her head and push her deeper.

“Shh. Don’t worry, baby. I’m not mad. In fact... why don’t I join and show this little slut here how mommy takes good care of you” Joohyun said as she gets on her knees next to Jennie.

“Oh, please” Jennie shot back as she regretfully withdrew her mouth from you.

“Daddy likes when his little girl is bad”

[baekterflyeffect]

something unforgettable / one

a vacation trip to a small island shouldn’t have meant something more than a way to clear your head from the stress and busyness of the polluted city. it all changed when you met a surfer that was so keen and persuasive to each you how to surf. not only he was able to make you surf in a short amount of time, he also was able to let your heart be freed to the oceans for him to catch.

characters: byun baekhyun x you au(s): surfer!au, summer fling!au genre(s): romance, fluff, slight angst, slight slice of life. a/n: a quick three-shots fic for @kamikoy :) + also this chapter is unedited, expect grammatical errors.

something unforgettable masterlist

A smile stretched on your lips as you felt the soft sand on your bare feet, feeling content with where you are now; a small island that you couldn’t remember what it’s called. The visit to the island hadn’t been planned thoroughly, all you knew was that your savings are enough to last you a month in this island. You were blessed that you found a good stay-in with reasonable price.

The life in the city have been too rough for you. Too demanding that you decided to resign from your work. Your parents are certainly not happy with your decision, telling you that you just wasted a good promotion as you have been working with the company for three years. But you badly need an escape, badly need to know that your life actually worth something more than just work and money. 

You heaved out a heavy sigh, gazing at the sky that was painted with hues of orange that indicated the sun is going down; a sight that you aren’t able to get if you were in the city as the tall buildings covered it. 

Shifting your eyes to gaze at the sea, you couldn’t help but to spot a guy. He was clad in a swimming suit, the clothing hugging his body that showed his muscle and it lets your mind wonder how it would look like uncovered. It amazed you when he goes through the waves of the water with his surfboard, surfacing above it right before your eyes. You knew you’re mesmerized by him in an instance.

His black hair sticking to his face and soon his eyes catch yours, making your cheeks heated. He gave you a slight smirk but it was washed away literally when a big wave hits him making him stumble off his surfboard. You couldn’t help but to laugh at it, your feet unconsciously bringing you close towards the beach until the small wave of water hits your ankle. The man that you had been staring at surfaced, his arms was placed on his surfboard and you are able to get a clear sight of his arm muscles underneath his swim suit. 

You assumed he was crinkling his eyes and scrunching his nose at you when he spotted you again, making you smile at him. Soon, you find him standing right in front of you, his surfboard placed by his side. Letting you able to see beads of water falling down from his hair to his face, you never want to wipe someone’s face dry so badly in your life. 

“Hey,” you started slowly as you look up to find his eyes, realizing that his eyes hold way too many stars for you to count, “sorry for shamelessly looking at you.” Said you accompanied with a sheepish smile. He just laughed, sounding so out of breath that you found it attractive. 

“It’s fine, it’s not everyday that a beautiful  girl caught staring at me.” He was playful with his words, by now you know that you were blushing because of him. 

“That is a lie, with how attractive you are people must have been looking at you.” You stated, you didn’t meant for a hint of jealousy to show, but you realized it did when he raised an eyebrow at you. 

“Well, don’t be jealous, sweetheart. As I said, not everyday a beautiful girl stared at me. If you get the hint.” He said nonchalantly. 

Oh. Now you get the hint. He was not implying that nobody stared at him; but he was implying that you were beautiful. Nobody ever called you beautiful, sure, more often than not people called you pretty. But never beautiful. 

“Shut up.” You managed to say, pursing your lips at him due to embarrassment. He just laughed, again sounding so out of breath. 

“Anyways, my name is Baekhyun. You are?” 

Baekhyun. You tried to call out to his name, and the way his name rolled out your tongue sounded perfect. Telling him your name, you couldn’t help but to feel your blood rushing to your cheeks at what he said. “Beautiful girl with a beautiful name. Fitting.” 

There was a comfortable silence after the short introductory as Baekhyun was running his fingers through his hair, brushing the fringe off his face to let you see his forehead. God must have took their time in sculpting Baekhyun, because his face structure is perfect. It was sharp, yet it still have some soft edges due to his full cheeks that reminded you of a mochi.

“So,” he started, giving you a toothy grin, “I know it’s too soon but time is not limitless in here. Care to have dinner with me?” His last sentence hits you, as if he was saying that you could be leaving anytime soon because he knew you were not from here. You nodded your head, agreeing to his offer.

“But, isn’t it uncomfortable to have dinner while being… wet?” 

He was laughing again, and you are not going to complain about it with how his laugh is a music to your ears. “I have spare clothes and I usually wash up after I get my dinner. I can change my pants later at the restaurant.” Baekhyun said as he took his surfboard with him, walking ahead of you to palm tree where he put his belongings. You hadn’t noticed it. 

You sighed exasperatedly when Baekhyun nonchalantly took off his swim suit, you knew for most guys they did not care about going shirtless out in the open, moreover the both of you are on a beach. Halting your complain, you only let your mouth set ajar at the sight of his bare upper body. Baekhyun, is in no shape of being ripped like most guys you knew. He sure does have muscles adorning his body and his chest, his fucking chest is not letting you shift away your gaze. 

The faint hint of his abs are the one who gave it away. You have always preferred a healthy guy with a good body, and Baekhyun is definitely one with his broad shoulders and small waist. Hourglass figure, you thought to yourself. 

“Done staring?” Baekhyun said. You noticed he took out something that glimmered under the setting sky, realizing it was a wristwatch when he slipped it to his wrist, gently clasping it there. Noticing how beautiful and slender his fingers are when he wrapped it around its wrist to fix the position of the watch. 

You once again blushed, being caught staring, no, ogling at some guy’s body has never been a part of your life. You didn’t even noticed that he now was wearing a tight fit t-shirt that let his pectoralis shown underneath it. Fuck breathing, really. 

“Shut up, please, let me enjoy what I have given.” 

Baekhyun shook his head as he laughed at you, making you smile at him. He guided you to what he claimed to be favorite restaurant, being able to see why as you were greeted by the wooden interior and lights decorating the pillars. It was also an open restaurant, letting people who eat there enjoy the breeze of the sea. 

He chose a table where it was located next to a wooden railing, letting you able to see the calming sea. You assumed he knew most people who lived here seeing how comfortable he was with one of the waiters. Tuning out their conversations after you told him what you were going to order, focusing on the calming sight of the waves hitting the shore.

“Proper introduction?” Baekhyun said to catch your attention, you turn your head to look at him who now have his elbow propped on the table, his chin resting on his palm. 

“Sure. You first.” 

“Let’s see,” Baekhyun pursed his lips slightly as if he was thinking hard, “my name is Byun Baekhyun. I turned thirty three months ago, and I love surfing.” 

Your eyes widened when he told you his age, you clearly did not expect him to be in his thirties with how young he looked. Even worse, you assumed him to be in his early twenty’s before. He looked at you with an amused smile, knowing you didn’t expect him to be thirty. 

“You looked shocked, how old are you?” He questioned.

“Mm, I’m turning twenty seven this year, right before the new year strikes. And I love the beach, I guess?” 

You realized you were being vague with your personal life, thinking it was not an important detail to be said so early. He nodded his head at you. “Only three years younger than me, I love hanging out with old people.” 

“Are you saying I am old?!” You squeaked. 

“Well, I am old.” 

“Okay, you are right. You are old. A hag.” He faked an offended face, putting his palm where his heart was located.

“That hurts.” 

You just laugh at his behavior. Soon the food you both ordered come, the scent of it filling up your nostrills in a good way. Baekhyun ushered you to try the food, his eyes not leaving you until you gulp down the food. 

“How is it?” He asked, eyes glimmered in expecations. 

“I can see why this restaurant is your favorite.” You gave him a satisfied smile with two thumbs up. He just grin, content with your words.

The dinner was eventful, filled with you learning more about his quirks, and him learning about you. He was a total gentleman when he walked you to the place you rent, not forgetting to get your number before he left. A promise of spending time together more in the future leave his lips, and you couldn’t wait to spend more time together with him. Soon. 

[illwork4anime]

18 please!

Do any of your stories have alternative versions? (plotlines that you abandoned, AUs of your own work, different characterisations?) Tell us about them.

Yes! So I will use my WIP Done with Love

ORIGINS

ORIGINALLY THIS STORY WAS NOT SUPPOSED TO HAVE ShikaSaku. 

IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE ONLY ITASAKU. LOOK HOW FAR WE HAVE FALLEN BECAUSE I FELL HARD FOR SHIKA.

Literally never considered the pairing until this. 

This story started with the Itasaku oneshot that is the prologue. Then I wrote a drabble that was just the hospital scene, but a little different. It had Kurenais daughter coming in wounded. Sakura saves her and goes to the waitingroom to find Shika a mess. It's the end of her shift so she takes him out for a drink. The end.

Then I decided, no I want to write a proper story. So I combined them, with Shikamaru only there because of his big brain AND THATS IT. NOTHING ELSE. So I added...They talk. Shika owes her one bigtime. Asuma would have haunted him forever if she died. So, Sakura says - I know how you are going to help me out. Help me train and I am going to get Sasuke back all on my own. Work with me on a strategy. The start of the chapter was a flash forward to an event I can tell because its a spoiler! Basically, Sakura is captured and trying to escape. This helped add some suspense to the exposition and make a boring capture time more interesting by breaking it up. 

BUT then I decided to redo it completely. Because I fell in love with shikasaku as a later pairing. 

Also - all those Kakashi moments - ACCIDENTAL. I wrote that healing scene in the library on a whim and now here we are. Originally, just supposed to be Shika and Itachi.

DELETED/REFACTORED SCENE

One additional diversion was the scene in the art gallery. That originally didn’t have the genjutsu at all. It was an argument outside in a part. But I wanted to make it relevant to her training, so I put it in the gallery. In the alternate scene, it started because Sakura confronted Shikamaru about how he had kissed Ino before and wanted to know what kind of kiss it was. Here it is in DRAFT FORM:

“Oh, Sai!” Ino’s voice shatters through the moment. Ino bounds up behind Sai, throwing her arms around him in greeting.

“So this is where you’ve been hiding from me.” She says sweetly.

“Beautiful, I was not hiding, I assure you.” He says, face looking phonier than before. Why did Ino get a nice nickname, while Sakura got stuck with Hag? Ino beams at him for it.

“I missed you, silly. Let’s go to the movies Friday, so you can make it up to me.” Ino says sweetly.

Sai turns to Sakura, “What do you think, Sakura? Shall we go?”

Ino glares at her, as if she’s invited herself while Sakura puts her hands up in surrender.

“Um, actually Sai, I have training with Shikamaru on Friday night. I won’t be able to go.” Sakura lies.

“Is that what you’re calling it,” Ino grumbles under her breath.

“Apologies, Ino. We will have to try another time.” He says to her.

“She won’t mind if we go without her,” She says sweetly, then grinds out in a threatening tone, “Right, Sakura?”

“Right.” Sakura squeaks.

“According to my reading, the Hag is socially obligated to agree in this situation, though her true feelings could be to the contrary. It would be perceived as a slight to go without her.” Sai responds, looking rather proud at his insight.

Sakura cringes as Ino’s intensified glare.

“Then why don’t you just bring Shikamaru along, Sakura.” Ino offers, “Then we can have a double date.”

Again, the way Ino says it give Sakura no room to disagree, but she does anyway.

“I’m not going on a double date.” She says firmly.

“Forehead, let’s just talk for a second over there.” Ino says, grabbing her arm too tightly and dragging her out of hearing distance.

“Don’t ruin this for me, Sakura. I’m super close to sealing the deal on Sai and I’m not about to give that up because you made some phony sisterhood pact to yourself to swear off men forever.” She whispers furiously.

“It’s not about my completely legitimate pact. I have way bigger things to worry about right now than going on a fake date.” Sakura hisses back. Danzo’s disappointed expression rises up in her memory, along with his gentle reminder of her deadline. She shakes her head, “And don’t kid yourself, Ino. Sai has no idea you’re even interested in him.”

“Then you understand why I need this!” Ino argues back.

“Even if I wanted to, I’d never get Shikamaru to agree to this.” Sakura says, trying a different angle.

“Ha!” Ino lets out a shrill laugh, “That’s what you’re worried about.”

Sakura glares, “Yes. The last place he’d want to spend a Friday night is fourth-wheeling a date with you and Sai.” She’s not sure that’s strictly true, but is hoping his lazy, reclusive track record works to her advantage.

“Fourth-wheeling isn’t a thing, and you know it.” Ino disagrees, “And he’d go if you asked him. He’d show up in civilian clothes with his hair down if you asked him to.”

“Yeah, right.” Sakura scoffs, but blushes at the image that pops in her head of him running a hand through his loose hair. She shakes her head and says with more bite than she means to, “It doesn’t matter who asks. The answer will be no.”

“Then you’d better convince him.” She says, jabbing a finger in Sakura’s shoulder. “You still owe me from the time I pretended to be your lover to get that stalker fan boy to stop bothering you.”

“Hey, I didn’t ask you do to that!” Sakura protests.

“See, I did it out of the goodness of my heart, so now’s your chance to repay me, because that’s what girlfriends do.” She smiles with a shrug and turns back to Sai to answer without waiting for Sakura to respond.

“Sai, she’s in!” She giggles, skipping back over to him, “See you Friday, Forehead!”

_____

Even though he said it wouldn’t, Shikamaru’s waiting for her outside the theater out of uniform that Friday. His black pants look pretty much the same, but his well-toned arms are on full display in a mesh tee-shirt and a long green vest that brushes his thighs. It probably has the Nara clan symbol on the back.

“Look at you, Muscles,” She teases him, glancing pointedly at his exposed arms. He lets out an annoyed huff, but his cheeks go pink, “I thought you weren’t wearing your civilian clothes tonight.”

“It would have been more troublesome to stick out that to just change,” He sulks. She can’t keep the smile off her face.

“Ino and Sai here yet?” She looks around but doesn’t see them.

“Not yet.” He’s still blushing and looks to the side when he says, “You look nice too.”

She lets out a surprised, “Oh, thanks,” looking down at the outfit she found in the back of her closet. It had been hard to find something that was fancy enough to say ‘date’ for Ino but casual enough to say ‘friends’ for Shikamaru. The simple cream tank top, with a more generous neckline than she was used to, tucked into a plain red skirt did the trick.

“Forehead, Shikamaru!” Ino calls, jogging up with her arm looped through Sai’s.

“Here we go,” Shikamaru mumbles, pushing off the wall he’s leaning against.

“Hey, none of that attitude,” She scolds. If she was taking a night off, it was going to be worth it, dammit, “We are here to have fun. Even if it kills us,”

“It just might,” he breaths out as Ino bounds up to them.

“You actually showed up. I honestly didn’t think you would,” Ino says with an obnoxious laugh. She eyes Ino’s crop top and short purple skirt and suddenly feels like her neckline isn’t so racy after all. Sai’s outfit is just as bad, also in a black crop top with low riding pants.

“Why am I the only one not wearing a crop top?” Sakura says pulling at the bottom half of her shirt.

“Hey,” Shikamaru says sharply, gesturing to his shirt, “This is not a crop top.”

“Might has well be,” She jokes, poking his abs through a hole in the mesh.

“Stop that,” he complains, grabbing onto her hand.

“This is going to be so fun!” Ino says, looping her arm through Sakura’s and dragging them inside. Shikamaru doesn’t let go of her hand until Ino pushes him and Sai into the line for tickets.

“Why can’t you just get your own stuff, Ino?” Shikamaru grumbles. “What a drag.”

“You’d know why if you ever bothered to go on dates, Shikamaru.” She answers, sticking her tongue out at him. He flushes pink and glances shyly at Sakura.

“Beautiful is right. Traditionally men are the ones to pay for date activities,” Sai says, no doubt trying to be helpful.

“She’s totally taking advantage of you, man,” Shikamaru says, shaking his head and turning to walk up to the counter.

“I don’t understand,” Sai says, following behind him. “A date is still an equal exchange. Don’t men usually receive payment in the form of sexual favors at the end of the night?”

Sakura hears Shikamaru let out a strangled groan. He grabs Sai by the back of the head and starts whispering something urgently to him.

She can’t help but laugh at Shikamaru’s reaction.

“Isn’t he the cutest?” Ino gushes. “He’s like a lost little puppy.”

“He’s something.” Is all Sakura can think to answer.

Ino’s eyes turn mischievous and swing to Sakura. “So you got Shikamaru to come. Who was right again?”

Of course, Ino wanted to get in her I-told-you-so about it being relatively easy to get Shikamaru to come.

She tries to make it sound more trouble than it was. “Yeah, well you don’t know what I had to promise to get him to come here, Ino-pig.”

“Oh my, Forehead!” Ino lets out a scandalized giggle. Sakura’s face heats, realizing Ino took it sexually. “On the contrary, I want to know every saucy detail.”

“It’s nothing like that!” Sakura says, but Ino is unphased.

“Just as long as it’s nothing naughty in the theater. It’s all fun and games until you’re halfway through a hand job and a worker shines a flashlight on you with your hand down some guy’s pants in front of a theater full of judgy middle-aged women who clearly don’t understand the concept of spontaneous romance.”

“That’s so specific,” Sakura says suspiciously. “Please tell me that didn’t actually happen to you.”

“Yes, well,” Ino waves of her comment, “Learn from my mistakes Sakura. But more importantly, don’t mentally scar me by getting freaky with my teammate while I’m 2 seats down.”

“I should say the same to you!” Sakura says, blushing further, but Ino doesn’t make any promises.

Shikamaru and Sai return. Shikamaru looks more disgruntled than ever.

“That was the most troublesome conversation I’ve ever had.” He grumbles under his breath to her, low enough for Sai and Ino to miss. But as Ino passes, he says, “You owe me two times now for that.”

Sakura flushes. Although Sakura knows he means 2 weekends, Ino doesn’t. She wiggles her eyebrows and Sakura wants to sink into the floor from embarrassment.

He hands her a ticket with ‘Illusion of Silence’ written on the front, and she asks, “What are we seeing? A horror movie?”

“It was that or a sappy romcom. Just remember I chose the lesser of two evils.” He says and takes her hand again, leading her to the theater. It feels a little strange to be holding hands, but she doesn’t say anything. The trailers haven’t started yet, so they have no trouble finding their seats. The theater is mostly empty anyway, probably not a good sign for the movie quality.

She sits down between Shikamaru and Sai.

“Sakura, how is what you pass off as sketching going?” Sai asks.

Pass off. She suppresses the urge to smack him across the head. That kind of thing was frowned upon in these types of establishments.

“Terrible. I think Kurenai-sensei gave up on me.”

Kurenai had barely kept from laughing at Sakura when she’d shown her sketch book. It was pitiful, and while there had been a small improvement in Sakura’s visual genjutsu, Kurenai had decided to move on to a different topic. She still had to keep up the activity, but just not as her main focus.

Now they were working on non-visual genjutsu. Sakura found this a lot easier for some reason. Inducing pain, sounds, tastes, smells, all of that was just chemicals moving around the body. She understood those. She’d dealt with those before.

While she’d been extremely glad for the change in topic, she couldn’t manage to look forward to her lessons anymore. It was hard not to look at Kurenai differently after learning about her secret affair with Kakashi. It was a difficult feeling to explain, but every time she remembered it, her chest grew heavy, like something had reached inside her chest and squeezed a fist around her heart. She grits her teeth just thinking about it.

“I told you giving up was the best option,” Sai says sweetly, “No reason to waste your time improving a hopeless skill.”

“Shut up, Sai. A student is only as good as their teacher and you were absolutely no help.” She grumbles.

“Hey, don’t blame Sai because you can only draw stick figures. Some people just aren’t born to be artists like he was,” Ino defends, sending a starry eyed look at Sai and resting a hand to Sai’s arm. Then she pulls him into a conversation about what his ‘artistic genius’ has be working on lately.

“Is it really going that bad?” Shikamaru asks referring to her genjutsu training. His eyebrows are drawn in with concern.

“I don’t know.” She grumbles. She doesn’t want to admit it, but from Kurenai’s reactions, she felt it was going that badly. She wasn’t improving as fast as she should be. It seemed like something on a fundamental level just wasn’t clicking. “I try to do what Kurenai is instructing, but it just doesn’t seem to be working. We are so different that sometimes its hard to understand what she wants from me. Plus, it doesn’t help that genjutsu is so subjective.”

“Why don’t we work on it together next week. It might help to get a fresh perspective.”

“Really? That would be amazing,” She says with a smile.

“Of course.” He takes her hand again, rubbing a thumb across the back.

“I don’t know what I’d do without you, Shikamaru.” She says, squeezing his hand back.

“Let’s not find out,” he jokes, try to be nonchalant but he’s beaming from the comment.

Sakura lets out a yawn, “Let’s not.”

“You’re not going to fall asleep on me, are you?” He teases.

“No, I’m fine.” Sakura lies. She’d had practice with Team Guy this morning at 6am but had stayed up until 2am doing research. Physically, she was running out of steam fast. As the lights dim, she finds it harder and harder to keep her eyes open.

Shikamaru shakes her awake. Sometime during the opening credits, she fell asleep on his shoulder.

“Oh, sorry,” She says, groggily. Then whispers, “What did I miss?”

“Everything,” he answers with a smirk.

“What?” She hisses, “Why didn’t you wake me up?”

He shrugs, “You needed the rest. The point was to relax tonight, right?”

“I guess,” she grumbles.

“The movie sucked anyway,” he says standing.

“That was so scary!” Ino gushes to Sai. “I’m so glad you were here with me, Sai. I felt much safer.”

“It was not really that scary, Beautiful. No reason to be afraid of pictures.” He says confused. Ino huffs.

As they leave, Ino insists on a walk in the park across the street, but within minutes, she’s slipped off with Sai. The suggestive wink tells Sakura everything she needs to know about her plans.

Even just being friends with her, this was uncomfortable. Shikamaru actually was interested at some point. She wondered what he thought of all this.

“How is this not extremely weird for you?” Sakura asks.

“What do you mean?”

“Well didn’t you and Ino date a while back?” She explains and Shikamaru looks at her like she’s grown a second head.

“Tsh, no. Definitely not.”

“Well, you liked her though, right?”

He’s pouting, and reluctantly says, “Years ago, maybe. It wasn’t a big deal though.”

“But you guys kissed.” She counters. That seemed like a pretty big deal to her.

He stiffens and goes bright red, “Can Ino not keep her mouth shut about anything?”

“See, it is weird,” she says. But he doubles down.

“No, it’s not.” He disagrees crossing his arms, “That barely counts.”

But now she’s picturing the worst. A grating feeling rises in her chest at the thought of Shikamaru and Ino kissing and she has a strange compulsion to ask just what counts as barely counting.

“Barely counts how?” She says. She’s not able to look him in the eyes, so she trains her gaze on an ice cream cart across the park.

“I dunno, it just does.” He shrugs.

“Because it wasn’t good?” She offers. She hopes it wasn’t good.

“No, it was good,” He says defensively.

“That’s not what she said…” Sakura says skeptically, peaking at him out of the corner of her eye.

“Whatever,” Shikamaru grumbles. He’s scowling, “I can kiss just fine. She’s just trying to cover up that she’s the one who initiated the whole thing in the first place.”

“She did?” This surprises her and somehow it makes a difference.

“I don’t want to talk about this anymore.” Shikamaru states, picking up his pace. She strides right along undeterred.

“Well did you, like, want to kiss her?”

“I guess. Why does it matter?”

“Because!” She can’t seem to put the why into words. It’s just a queasy feeling turning her stomach. Even though it’s not the full truth, she offers the explanation, “You made out with your teammate, that’s a big deal.”

He stops short and turns to fully face her.

“It isn’t a big deal and we didn’t make out, okay.” He clarifies.

“Then what was it?”

“Just a kiss, Sakura”

“Well yeah, but was it a long, passionate kind -,”

“So troublesome,” he grumbles into the sky.

“Or just a quick -,”

She’s cut off by a warm pressure on her lips and her mind goes blank. As soon as she realizes what’s happening, it’s over.

Shikamaru pulls back a few inches, hands still cupping her face and searches her expression for her reaction. He kissed her.

“That’s all it was.” He murmurs, eyes dark and voice low. Her breath catches in her throat, the queasy feeling in her stomach grows magnitudes greater.

“Obviously I’d do things a little differently now,” He murmurs and his eyes flash, daring her to ask just how.

She should say something, but she couldn’t even if she wanted to. Her mind has snagged on the previous moment. The only additional thing she can seem to process is the warmth of his hands on her cheeks and his calming scent of pine and earth. She’s completely rooted in place by the heat in his chocolate brown eyes. It stokes something inside her. Maybe it is curiosity because she wonders what she would feel if just leans forward those few inches.

They bounce between her eyes and her lips, battling between waiting for her reaction and what she can only think to describe as desire. It only takes a few more moments for the latter to win.

He leans forward to capture her lips again, lingering longer this time. Its careful or rather experimental, testing her for a response she can’t seem to give. Again, he pulls back, studying her face. Again, from the moment his lips touched hers, her mind is just wiped blank, unable or unwilling to process it. Whatever he finds in her expression is enough.

His hand slides to the back of her neck and he kisses her again, deeper. Her eyes slide shut without conscious thought. She feels his other hand ghost down her side, stopping at her waist and pulling her closer. Her hands go to his chest to brace herself.

The pressure has him pulling back, checking over her face. He’s looking to see if she’s asked him to stop, she realizes, and a gentle warmth settles in her stomach. This time, his lips brush softly against hers, begging her to return the pressure and its so sweet, so unsure, that she reacts without thinking, relaxing into him. He pulls her closer, tension she hadn’t noticed draining from him and sighs against her mouth.

Finally, her thoughts are coming back to her, returning each slow, tender press of his lips against hers. The queasiness in her stomach settles into a gentle warmth and she relaxes into him. This is nice, she decides. It’s comfortable. Not great, not terrible.

It different than she’s ever felt before. Her heart isn’t beating out of her chest, she’s doesn’t feel butterflies in her stomach and she isn’t so caught up that needing air is secondary to feeling him against her.

Fine. Just fine.

Suddenly she thinks, shouldn’t it be better than just fine? Shouldn’t she be lit up inside, butterflies in her stomach, reluctant to separate even for air? The warmth in her freezes over.

“Stop,” She gasps, pressing against his chest. He steps back, and the distance seems to return more of her mind to her. The ball of ice in her stomach grows colder.

What was she doing? This was Shikamaru. Her closest friend, and she needed him like she needed air. She couldn’t do this. She couldn’t get wrapped up in romance again and have everything between them fall apart. Because it would fall apart. That’s what love did to people or at least to her.

“That was a mistake” She finally decides. It was a mistake and they could forget about it and move on like it never happened. But Shikamaru’s face falls. He looks scared, she thinks.

“Don’t say that,” he begs, but she just shakes her head wrapping her arms around herself.

“I can’t do this,” Then looks into his eyes which are breaking in front of her.

“You don’t have feelings for me,” he tries.

But that’s not right. She felt something for him. He was so important to her and she’d be lying if she hadn’t found him attractive, but it didn’t quite feel like love. At least not how she’d loved Sasuke.

Even if it did, she didn’t want that anymore. Love only led to heartbreak and loss and she couldn’t lose him. Shikamaru was her only refuge in her storm of a life and she didn’t know how she’d stay afloat without him.  

Words are pouring from her mouth, and she’s not even sure they make sense, but she can’t stop them.

“I-I don’t know how I feel. I just – I can’t lose you and if we do that, eventually we’ll screw everything up and I’ll lose you. I just can’t, Shikamaru. I can’t. I need you.”

Hope shines in his eyes. It’s a rejection, but not for the reason he feared. “You won’t lose me.”

“I will.” She insists. Now she’s the one that’s scared. She torn between needing the comfort of his embrace and wanting to keep him at arm’s length. She settles with taking a step closer and grabbing the opening of his vest. “You’re the most important person in my life. I don’t want anything to change between us.”

How can she explain it to him? How can she make him understand?

“Nothing will,” He whispers, hand coming to her face again. But she can see the gears turning in his head. He’s looking at her like a shogi piece now, something to outmaneuver, outthink to the outcome he wants. Anger flares up in her.

He strokes a thumb against her face, eyes settling again on her mouth.

“Don’t,” She snaps, turning her face from his palm. She needed to leave. They just needed some time apart and he’d realize he was just caught up in the moment or something at they’d put this behind them.

“I can’t. I just need a minute.” She says disengaging from him and striding off.

“Wait, Sakura!” he calls, but she doesn’t. He swears under his breath.

She needed to put some distance between them, she needed to time to think, but she if she left alone, he’d just follow her. Ino and Sai approach then, Ino clinging to Sai’s arm. She doesn’t want to talk with Ino, doesn’t want her judgy questions, so she strides up to her next best option.

“Sai, we’re getting ice cream,” She says, dragging him toward the stand across the part.

“Sounds enjoyable,” He says with a smile, not at all minding the interruption.

Ino on the other hand lets out an annoyed, “Hey!” but doesn’t fight her past that. Sakura and Sai are out of earshot before she has a chance.

Ino crosses her arms, icily looking Shikamaru up and down.

“You are really screwing this up, aren’t you?” Ino says with a smirk.

Shikamaru scoffs going red and snaps, “Like you’re doing any better.”

To which Ino lets out an indignant “Hmph!”

 -

Sakura stops in front of the ice cream cart and gets them both a chocolate cone. Eating her feelings sounded wonderful right now.

“Shall we make some small talk now?” Sai asks with a smile. She groans.

“You don’t ask to make small talk, Sai. You just do it.” She explains, taking a lick of her chocolate ice cream. Its cold and sweet, but in a different way than Shikamaru had tasted.

Shit. Stop. That wasn’t allowed.

“Okay, so what are you doing after this?” He asks and it sounds like a pick-up line he probably read from a book on interacting with females. She rolls her eyes. Still, she’s thankful for the distraction and reminds herself this is still better than Ino.

“I’ll probably go back to the archives tonight and finish reading a few documents” She answers, talking another taste of her ice cream. Sai steps in front of her and she stops short.

“Did you not find the message I hid for you?” He says looking worried.

“What message?” She asks, confused.

“The one on the picture I gave you.” He says with a frown. Right, the picture of his brother. Is he talking about the numbers and symbol he signed in the corner? “You should go straight home tonight, Sakura.”

“Why would I do that?” she asks, growing annoyed that he won’t just get to the point.

“I cannot divulge that information.” He says robotically. She freezes.

“What did you just say?” she asks him to repeat.

“I cannot divulge that information.” He repeats and his eyes look urgent. It’s the phrase he uses when he’s close to triggering his seal. The message was about Danzo.

“Sai, what’s the message? What do you mean?” She grabs in shirt and pulls him to her, but he can’t answer.

“I cannot divulge -,”

“I get it!” She snaps at him. She has to ask it differently and her mind is racing a mile a minute over the possibilities.

“You said I shouldn’t go to the archives, right?” She tries, going back over his words.

“Yes, you should just stay home tonight.” He repeats.

“So, the message has something to do with the archives?”

“I cannot divulge -,” he begins.

“So, I’m right? You can’t tell me because I’m right.” She deduces quickly. “The message is about the archives. Is it a clue? Can I find it in the archives?”

“I cannot divulge that information.” He says, but this time seems to fight against it. “Don’t go there, Hag. You shouldn’t -,”

“Stop calling me Hag!” She bites out, unable to sensor herself, “I don’t care what I should or shouldn’t do. I’m going.” She releases his shirt and starts down the road.

“Wait!” He grabs her arm, “Listen, you shouldn’t -,”

“Was it important? Your message?” She interrupts.

“Yes,” he says, “but -,”

“Then I’m going to find it!” She says pulling her arm from his grasp and shoving her ice cream cone into it instead. She’s determined and sprints down the path. Sai had finally given her a clue about Danzo, and she’s not going to let this piece of information slip away.

“It’s not safe!” he calls, but she’s already disappeared into the night.

Reading this, I feel like this was better...hahaha oh well.

[setoandjewel]

So this snuck up on me. I didn’t even realise it was a Hug a Tiny Day, the time between this and HAG Day was too quick!! But anyway, I’m stealing my last year’s thing so I can at least post something cool today and then follow it up later. I hope you enjoy the abundance of hugs (more below the cut) and reblogs are always loved over here!!!!!!

A Compilation of Hugs!

Varying Perspectives - 12 (Risk)

"No one’s killing anyone." Jack says, smiling bright 

He cups her form and hugs her tight

"Even though you're scared of my size,

She looks straight up into his baby blue eyes.

"Can you stay with me?"

---

Varying Perspectives - 13 (Shelter)

"I-I'm fine, let's just go inside, you don't have to- HEY!" Pepper found herself cupped to Daniel's chest, face pressed against the fabric of his shirt. She prepared her vocal chords to yell at him, but she realised that she'd stopped shivering. His hands were providing her with some amount of warmth. As Daniel continued through the rain, Pepper relaxed into him, barely hearing his heart over the pounding water, feeling of his fingers laying gently on her back, and his chest expanding and contracting. 

She felt safe with her giant.

Varying Perspectives - 18 (Close)

"Where are you going Oon." he slurs almost drunkenly, still half asleep, and pulls the tiny right up to his chest. Oona's stiff as a board at first, these actions so unusual and intimate that she doesn't know what to make of it. But eventually, the curl of the giant’s hand, the heat that seems to cradle her, and the soft sounds of breathing, their source now inches away from her cheek, pull her into sleep's gentle embrace.

---

Stranger Danger

Ajax watched as his new friend was practically snatched from him, Gabriel left with the 'room' spinning as the hand squeezed him tight into his chest and fingers became unyielding forms that pinned and smothered him against his giant. The moment he was set free he was given a thorough inspection, limbs swiped over by the warm pads of fingers to check for injury, before Seto turned his back and kissed his little boy once on the head.

"I'm so sorry, Gabriel. I wasn't thinking, and I didn't even notice and you could've been hurt, and I was panicking and looking for you and, I'm /so/ /so/ glad that you're okay and I found you. I'm so /sorry/ I left you, cap." The torrent of apologies only ceased with a sigh of burden, the child is given a much softer hug where he draped his arms partway over his father's quivering shoulder, fingers at his back only supporting his weight.

---

Leaving the Nest

"Seto...we need you to be here. I-I-I need you, a,a,and if you're gone...

"It w-won't be the same."

Seto can't just leave her hanging half out a window, her tears wetting his nose until he pulls away; the space left quickly filled by his gentle grasp curling around her shaking back. His palm coming beneath her legs and holding her weight inside a cup as he wipes the tears with the back of his finger, murmuring quiet apologies to her. Because it hurt to see her crying, not knowing how to truly comfort her when he was the cause of her pain. The giant's hands curled closer, leaving her curled in a loose ball inside his warm grasp, arms wrapped about his digits as she leans her head into the pad of his thumb.

"Shh, shh. I'm here, Jewel.”

---

Safety

"When I beat him, and I /will/ beat him/, it's over." Seto emphasised with a shake of the fingertip he held, smiling as Jewel came close enough for a hug and kiss to her cheek, feeling his whole body relax into her embrace as his back was gently petted. Even though being human wasn't the best feeling for the sorcerer, he was always happy to have his wife surround him like the sunlight itself.

"Then I'll be here until that happens, sugar cube."

---

No Words

"Thank you.."

He breathed, eyes full of something real that the Anhemite had never seen before, wide and swimming as the giant watched /his son/. Then a smile broke out, and before she knew it Jewel was snatched up and pressed against him tightly, Seto wanting her as close as possible. He didn't hesitate to lean down and kiss her either, smothering every part of her in affection he never wanted his wife to forget, leaving Jewel frozen and blushing furiously in his fingertips.

At that, Seto settled down and put them both back onto the stand, the image of Jewel gently wrangling their sleeping son into his cradle was all he could see.

---

Under the Knight Sky: Stars

A hand eclipsed his lower half, pinning and simultaneously smothering the human in warmth, while he was moved into the centre of a /real/ hug, where arms that could wrap another giant in them comfortably chose to press around a human and hold them tight. Gabriel felt like he was at the centre of the universe when he was there in Seto's arms, listening to the voice as it spoke multitudes in so few sentences.

"Don't be scared, cap. A love like Theresa's was special, and I know that prayer was not only for me. You are their captain, you are my captain, and I think that they are somewhere among the stars. Watching. And I know that they would be proud of who you have become."

Gabriel was set free to lie upon Seto's steadily lowering chest, arms still outstretched to complete the hug he could never truly complete without some kind of sorcery, eyes finding the twinkling heavens opened before him. Reflected in the two pairs of eyes, so vastly different, and yet this was the one thing that could never change.

---

There for You (FRITZ belongs solely to @blametheeditor)

There was a pause as Seto shifted and reached forward, scooping all of Fritz and his sleeping bag into his hands without asking, not because he forgot, but because it felt right, and one doesn’t question something that feels right. And some things are always the same.

Everyone needs a friend after having a nightmare. And he could only assume Fritz needed more before being encouraged to sleep.

Fritz held up his hands to the older, trying to tell him to stop, that he was perfectly fine, to go back to sleep, but it was clear he wasn’t. And didn’t until it wasn’t possible for Fritz to do much because he was held against Seto’s chest protectively, surrounded on one side by warmth radiating from his hands, the other a crisp singlet that smelled of strange flowers.

“Would you like to talk?”

“N-N-N-N-N-N-”

“Alright. Just lean against me, it will be okay. You’re alive, you’re safe, they can’t hurt you here.”

---

Pipsqueak (ALEX belongs solely to @blametheeditor​)

“Did you have a nightmare?”

“No...I h-h-h-h-aven’t been ab-b-ble to sleep.”

“Ah, is it the dark?”

“I miss my d-d-dad. E-E-E-Even though w-we aren’t...close, I still can’t sleep w-w-without knowing he’s /n-n-near/ me.” Alex chokes out, rubbing at the stubborn tears that continue to fall in front of a stranger who only watches him with a concerned gaze. And it’s not until a single gentle touch that the boy begins sobbing.  

“Oh, Pipsqueak, come here.”

Alex gasps as the hand seems to spring against him, grasping him and his sleeping bag in his fingers to bring to his chest. Digits not flat against him but cupped behind his back like protective arms resting over him. A fingertip offered for the boy to hold close for comfort as Seto murmurs calming words.

---

Under Scott’s Wing (SCOTT belongs solely to @blametheeditor​...and doesn’t like getting caught up in hugs)

That was until shiny black shoes appeared in the doorway, replaced by knees that sent earthquakes through the guard's already weakening legs, a catastrophic hand swallowing up his charge /whole/ and sending Scott diving for his Gabriel who /couldn't be hurt/ just /fuck off/ giant he's only a-

"Hey there, don't hurt yourself."

A voice rumbled overhead, as Scott found himself /shoved/ onto his feet by something that /burnt/ his skin with its heat, that was the only explanation. Except...fire didn't have a pulse he could still feel pumping against him. Fire didn't swallow up innocent little /kids/ like that.

Why was Scott close to crying from shock? He /knew/ he could hear Gabriel, but not above the pounding of his heart in his head, throbbing like a bruise from those old cartoons. There was no /way/ the kid was alive, he'd seen him mercilessly crushed with his own two eyes, felt the small hand slip out of his own as he was /taken/ by those powerful extensions of /bone/ and muscle.

"I'm sorry, my name's Seto, I'm Gabriel's dad. Are you S-"

And that’s all for now!! Well....there’s something else coming imma post w/ everyone in America tomorrow. 

[falseroar]

Silver and Peppermint (Part 6)

((Part 6 of a fantasy AU, where Monster Hunter Abe and his reluctant partner, the DA, are trying to track down a murderous werewolf. With one suspect more than helpful and the other on his way to the hospital, Abe and the DA have just one person connected to the victims left to talk to.

Links to Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 7, and the Epilogue.))

With these questions in mind, Abe and his District Attorney went to Garroway’s house, an older building in a still upscale neighborhood. The wiry, gray-haired woman met them at the door, her deep-set eyes knowing even as she feigned surprise at the sight of the DA and the hunter on her doorstep.

“Please, come in,” she said and ushered them into a living room, modest at first glance until you noticed the paintings on the walls were originals, the furniture of a quality that wore its age well while still being comfortable enough that Abe doubted he would be able to get back up again if he sat down.

Which is why he paced around the room before taking up a stand where he could see the faces of his partner and the theater owner. She tilted her head at his behavior but said nothing, as she no doubt dealt with stranger personalities on a weekly if not daily basis.

“While I don’t begrudge your visit, I had hoped to see you again at the theater, Y/N, not in my own home under these circumstances,” Garroway said, her eyes flickering toward the hunter.

“I don’t have much time for entertainment these days,” the District Attorney answered. “I suppose you’re aware of the recent string of murders in the city?”

“Yes, unfortunately. Alex Haywood was a firm supporter of the theater, as were the other victims. He had access to reserved seats for any show if he just asked, because there are so many shows we wouldn’t be able to put on without the help of donors like him.” Garroway sighed, her eyes dropping to her hands. “I’ll admit the news hit me hard. I haven’t been out in days, and my poor assistant has been run ragged between staying on top of things at the theater and keeping me updated. You know how some of our actors can be…temperamental.”

The District Attorney gave a nod but said, “Did your financial connections to Haywood ever extend beyond donations? After all, I know there were some talks of renovating the theater in the near future.”

“Oh, there’s always talks, but I’m afraid we hadn’t moved so far as to start looking at contractors. I admit Alex’s company would have been one of our considerations, although he may not have been able to make the time for us. The downside of booming business, I suppose.”

“I’m not sure ‘booming’ would be the right word,” the District Attorney answered. “Abe here and I recently came into possession of some financial documents that might suggest otherwise. Perhaps he spread himself a little thin?”

The District Attorney’s expression did not change, but Abe knew they had to be watching the old woman just as closely as he did. Maybe they were just as disappointed as he felt when she did not react at all to that news besides a little, curious, “Hm. Perhaps.”

“Do you know anything about how Haywood and the others died?” Abe asked, if only to get some kind of reaction out of the woman.

In turn, she fixed him with the same, even stare and said, “I know that it was murder, and after the police came by last night, I now know I am being watched. I would thank you for thinking of my safety, but you’re not with the police, are you? Just who are you, exactly?”

“Name’s Abe Lincoln, monster hunter,” Abe answered without hesitation. At this point he was used to ignoring the attorney’s reaction whenever he introduced himself, but the small turn at the corner of the theater owner’s lips put him on the defensive. “I’ve had years of experience with the worst this world has to offer, monsters that infest more than just the space under your bed or the back of your closet. I’ve dirtied my hands more times than I count stopping things your nightmares would turn and run at the sight of, so you should know that when I’m called in on a case this isn’t your run of the mill Jack the Ripper situation going on.”

“Oh, what a nice little speech. I should write that down,” Garroway said, a hint of a laugh in her voice. “You can’t seriously be suggesting that something supernatural is at work here. The city’s walls are warded, no troll or hag or what have you is going to come waltzing in. Not without raising some serious questions about how safe our people are, questions that shouldn’t be rooted on some baseless rumors. Isn’t that right, Y/N?”

“The Mayor saw fit to call in an expert,” they answered, no hint in their tone of voice or in their expression to give away what was going on behind those eyes. “And Franklin seemed convinced that he needed protection from something that was not human. Do you know why that might be?”

“Franklin? Bless his heart, he’s always been…susceptible to fits of fear and paranoia. Why, after our rendition of Carmilla, he took it in his head to wear a bulb of garlic on a key chain next to a crucifix! A useful habit to have if you find yourself cooking often, I suppose, but I somehow doubt he had anything to fear vampire-wise. Surely you’re not basing your entire investigation on that?”

“We have evidence that a werewolf was at all four crime scenes,” Abe answered. “Believe me, I know the signs of a werewolf when I see them.”

There it was again. That little sound, a small “hm,” a tiny tone that suggested a laugh maybe, or just an ounce of disbelief at his words.

He knew he would regret it, but he couldn’t stop the word from slipping out. “What?”

“Oh, nothing, nothing. I just find it interesting that of course a hunter is going to find evidence that some beast was at work here. After all, if it was just some bad egg at work, the city wouldn’t need you, now would it?”

Abe bristled, but it was the District Attorney who spoke up first.

“I’ve seen the bodies. I’ve seen what this thing has done, what it’s capable of. This is more than just some ‘bad egg,’ Ms. Garroway.”

“Of course, I didn’t mean to sound disrespectful in that regard,” she answered with a placating gesture in the attorney’s direction.  “But humans are capable of some truly terrible things on their own, as I’m sure you’re well aware, Y/N. I just fear that this hunter’s narrow-minded outlook will steer the investigation in the wrong direction entirely.”

Abe felt the heat rising to his face as he stepped forward, ready and willing to remind her that she was still a suspect in this whole thing, but he barely got the words, “Now look here—” out before there was a knock at the front door and the sound of it opening followed by a vaguely familiar voice calling out.

“Ms. Garroway? It’s Luke, I finished those errands for you this morning and I wanted to drop these off before I—”

The man stopped mid sentence when he spotted the three occupants of the living room, his surprise almost comparable to Abe’s own when he recognized the barista from the coffee shop—or rather, the fake from earlier.

The “barista” dropped the dry cleaning he had flung over one shoulder and turned to run, but Abe was faster and soon had him pinned to the wall of the hallway with his face pressed against the wood paneling and his visible eye rolling around in panic.

“What is the meaning of this?!” Garroway yelled, proving that she was more than capable of projecting her voice when she needed to. Her hand grabbed at Abe’s shoulder, but he ignored it as she said, “That is my assistant you’re manhandling! Let him go, right now!”

“Step back, please,” the District Attorney said behind her, and Abe felt the theater owner back off even as the attorney continued, “Abe, explain. Now.”

“This piece of scum was the one in the coffee shop this morning,” he said, pressing harder when Luke tried to struggle. “He’s the one who pretended to work there and gave me who knows what to drink.”

Abe lowered his voice and added into the assistant’s ear, “I don’t take kindly to poisoning. Lost a partner that way, and I can tell you it’s not a good way to go.”

“You can’t prove that was me,” the assistant said, his voice slurred thanks to the wall against his face. “I’ve never seen you before in my life! I’ve been running errands for Ms. Garroway all morning, I swear.”

“Abe, move aside,” the District Attorney said, their stare warning him not to argue. When the assistant started to move, they pressed one hand to the back of his head and said, “I didn’t say you could move. This is a serious accusation, one worth following up with the police. I’m going to search you now, do you understand?”

He muttered something under his breath, but with Abe ready and willing to step in if he resisted, the District Attorney was able to check inside the bags he had dropped alongside the dry cleaning before patting him down.

Only to stop at his waist, where they pulled a small bottle out of his pocket.

“Care to explain what’s in this?” they asked.

“Medicine,” he answered without hesitation. “I’ve had a lot of trouble sleeping lately, my doctor said it would help.”

“No label, so we’ll have to get someone to verify that,” the District Attorney said. They popped the lid off and made a small ‘tsk’-ing sound before saying, “I’m guessing your doctor didn’t suggest you use this all at once, as I can only imagine that would get you more than just one night of sleep.”

“That’s why I had it on me, so I wouldn’t forget to go to the pharmacy for a refill,” Luke answered.

“So I’m sure your doctor or your pharmacist would be willing to confirm that when I talk to them later,” the District Attorney said as they slipped the empty bottle into their pocket.

“That’s my medicine, you can’t just take it!” Luke turned to scowl at both of them. “I don’t even know what you two are talking about, and I’m not going to the police!”

“While I disagree wholeheartedly that Luke had anything to do with this nonsense,” Garroway said, giving Abe an evil stare, “If you insist on taking him in, I’m sure the police would be more than willing to look into this when they have real matters to deal with. And I will make sure the press is aware of this behavior.”

“As I said, these are serious accusations,” the District Attorney answered with a terrible calm as they studied Garroway. “I will need a statement from you, concerning Luke’s duties as your assistant and what you know of his movements this morning.”

“…Of course,” Garroway said, and even the District Attorney seemed surprised by her sudden change of tone. “I will be more than happy to share the chores I had him complete, and I am sure that everyone from the dry cleaner to the shop assistant will confirm his whereabouts. I am sure you have this ‘tainted coffee’ on hand to compare against Luke’s medicine?”

The District Attorney hesitated and Abe thought of the empty cup he tossed into the bin, its contents long dried up on the sidewalk outside of the Mayor’s office.

A cruel smile began to form around Garroway’s mouth. “Oh. Well, what about witnesses? You say this happened in a coffee shop, there must have been someone around to see this charade.”

Abe cleared his throat, but neither answered.

“I see. Then this should be a short visit, more than enough time to make some calls afterward. Do lead, Y/N, Abe. Luke, I promise I won’t count this against your hours if you remembered to pick up the burgundy ribbon from the shop the costume designer’s been begging for.”

“Of course, ma’am, it’s in the bag with the rolls of fabric he ordered.”

“Lovely. Well? I don’t have all day here. There’s a new show starting in two weeks, we have things to do.”

The District Attorney clapped a hand on Luke’s shoulder and said, “As you wish.”

Except there was no way in hell Abe was about to let these two leave on their terms. He wasn’t sure what came over him, whether it was the tone of Garroway’s voice or the sneer on the face of the assistant when he caught his eye, but Abe’s mouth always had a tendency of running away and leaving the rest of him to catch up.

“Hold on a second there,” Abe said, his hand already digging in a pocket of his great coat, past the rummage sale worth of odds and ends that he found useful on the job until he came across something he picked up special for dealing with cases like this one. “I want those hands where I can see them.”

The District Attorney tensed at the sight of the silver handcuffs he pulled out of his pocket with a flourish, but before they could say anything, he had already slapped them on the wrists of the assistant.

Luke immediately screamed and dropped to the floor, his body curling in on the cuffs.

“Get those off!” Garroway screamed, almost matching the noise coming from the young man. She grabbed the collar of the stunned District Attorney and shook them when they failed to move. “Get them off him, right now!”

“Stop thrashing,” Abe growled, already trying to use his key to unlock the cuffs but struggling to get it in the lock. “I said, DON’T MOVE!”

The second the cuffs were off, Luke had both hands buried against his chest under his shaking arms and he sat there rocking back and forth on the ground, tears still streaming from his eyes.

“What did you do to him?” Garroway asked, her voice low and accusing as she moved between the two of them. “What was that?”

“Just silver,” Abe said, holding the handcuffs up for inspection. “Partner, call this in. We’re going to need more than just the two of us to bring him in.”

“I don’t…” The District Attorney stared at Luke and the hand cuffs, their expression confused.

“Did you hear me? Call the station or I’ll do it!” Abe didn’t mean for the command to come out as harsh as it did, or expect them to flinch away when he moved closer.

This wasn’t what he expected either, and as he went to the phone he could hear Garroway’s voice speaking to the District Attorney, the disbelief and condescension in her tone at the very hint of the accusation.

“You know this isn’t right, Y/N,” he could hear her say as he waited to be taken off hold long enough to explain what was going on. “I’ve known Luke for years, he’s not some monster. But of course, he would find a werewolf just when it suits him. There’s no way Luke could have been involved in the murders, we have dozens of witnesses who will stand for him while you waste your time with this hunter.”

“…We have to check every lead, Ms. Garroway. I’m sure you will still be willing to accompany Luke to the station?”

“And after that to the press,” she said, but Abe couldn’t hear the rest of her words, only the biting tone as he told the officers what to bring.

Luke showed no signs of resisting when the dozen officers arrived and walked him out, but that was no guarantee he wouldn’t try something halfway to the station. Abe watched them walk him out to the vehicle with Garroway walking in step and evidently ready to ride in the back with him, yammering all the way about wanting to make sure nothing happened to her assistant like he wasn’t the most dangerous thing in this vehicle.

Halfway down the steps, the District Attorney stopped short, letting the rest of the group go ahead.

“You okay there?” Abe asked when he noticed they weren’t following. “Come on, you should be there for the questioning.”

“Something about this doesn’t feel right,” they said softly.

“Look, he wasn’t on our radar. It happens. But working for Garroway would explain how he knew the other victims, and he could have used her connections and said whatever he needed to get into each of the houses.”

“But why? What’s the motive?” they asked.

“What motive? He’s a werewolf, that’s all the motivation he needs!”

Yeah, he probably shouldn’t have shouted that in the middle of the street. Every single officer there shot him a dirty look while the whispers started in the crowd already gathered to watch the spectacle, but none of them gave him the stare that the District Attorney did before they turned to one of the officers in charge and began asking him about Franklin and sending a guard detail to the hospital to keep an eye on him.

“Y/N,” Abe said, and when they ignored him, “Partner, I—”

“Not your partner,” they interrupted, turning on him in an instant once the officer agreed. “You go with them, question Luke and Garroway, see what you can get out of them. I’m going to stay here and see what I can find, compare everything back at my office to see what we missed. Because we’ve missed something, Abe, and I want to know what that is before this goes any farther.”

“…Sure,” Abe said, biting back what he wanted to say. He understood the DA’s frustration, the need for all the little pieces to fit together nice and neat even if he didn’t agree with it. They would see soon enough that the case was over. They could all go home, once the wolf was taken care of.

((Thank you for reading!

Here’s the link to Part 7.

Tagging: @silver-owl413 @skyewardlight @withjust-a-bite @blackaquokat @catgirlwarrior @neverisadork @luna1350 @oh-so-creepy @purpstraw @weirdfoxalley @95fangirl @lilalovesinternet-l @thepoolofthedead @a-bit-dapper @randomartdudette @geekymushroom @cactipresident @hotcocoachia @purple-anxiety-blog @shyinspiredartist @avispate ))

[kinktae]

Too Tempting || 3

[!] *SEQUEL OF MY FIC “TEMPTING”*

Y/N is an angel and a good one at that. She steers clear of the seven deadly sins, especially lust. She is out performing her duties when she runs into a demon. Luckily for her, that demon, Taehyung, doesn’t seem to buy into that whole “Angels and Demons are sworn enemies” idea. But unluckily for her, Taehyung just so happens to be the very embodiment of sin. Especially lust.

Or, “For someone who is meant to be so pure, you sure are dirty, angel.”

pairing: demon!taehyung x angel!reader

genre: fantasy, smut, angst

word count: 4,624

warnings: hella references to Tempting, graveyard scene, lots of underlying themes of death

A/N: Angels/demons use this is fic are in a supernatural sense. More focus on angels and demons as immortal creatures even though I might reference some “biblical” terms. Oh and this is a dream I had!

CHAPTERS: 01 | 02 | 03 +

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CHAPTER THREE 

Grace and I packed our bags and bid Guyi farewell soon after Taehyung's unexplained disappearance. We were heading back home for the weekend as Halloween was tomorrow on Sunday.

We were 30 minutes into our drive when I finally told Grace about my all night encounter with the infamous Kim Taehyung.

"What?! What the fuck do you mean he spent the night?" She squawked in disbelief, body now fully turned to face me from her spot in the passenger seat.

Grace, incredibly, had failed her driver's test a whopping four times. She claimed it was due to the fact that every instructor had conspired to fail her, but I experienced Grace's driving first hand and could confirm she was just that bad of a driver.

I gripped the steering wheel in between my hands, my eyes focused on the road.

"There's no need to be vulgar, Grace." I sighed.

Grace scoffed in exasperation, "Oh, spare me the lecture. How the hell did Kim fucking Taehyung end up at our dorm... Y/N did you fuck–”

"Stop it right there. I already know what you're about to ask and the answer is no." I laughed, grimacing slightly.

Grace let out a small chuckle under her breath.

"So, how did he end up on our couch?" She pressed once more.

"I found him drunk and sprawled out in a bush on my way back from the library." I explained, causing Grace to snort.

I glanced at her as she looked at me dubiously, as if I had just told her a joke.

"I'm serious." I told her pointedly.

"Wait, really?" She blinked, her smile suddenly gone. I nodded, causing her to let out a choice word that would cause my mother to squirm.

"That's... kind of sad." She mumbled, turning to face the road.

"He's kind of sad, honestly. Yes, he was drunk and slightly irritating, but... I don’t know. I couldn't help but feel for him." I frowned, thinking back on the way he woke crying before he eventually fell back to sleep.

"I wonder if that's how he copes." Grace ponders. "By drinking, I mean. If I lost my mom and sister... man, that would really fuck me up."

I nodded. I could think about it for hours, but there was no way that I could fully wrap my head around the fact that within a matter of hours, Taehyung had lost his entire family. Mourning a single family member was hard enough but to lose your mother, father and little sister? God.

I felt goosebumps crawl over the skin of my outstretched arms.

For a second, silence ringed out between the two of us. I could hear a faint buzz seep through the car as I merged onto the highway.

"Well... I don't know about you but I'm not about to spend another hour and a half in somber silence." Grace declared, turning my car's radio on.

The familiar tune of a pop song began, causing Grace to move in her seat as she started to sing along.

My eyes stayed glued to the winding road, thoughts slowly finding their way back to Taehyung.

There was so much I didn't understand about him and despite Guyi's warnings fresh in my mind, I couldn't help but feel uneasy knowing that he had slipped in and out of my life without getting to do more for him. When I had first met him sober at the party, he had carried himself well, he was confident and every word was smooth– calculated almost.

And then to have seen him at his most vulnerable state... it was just a jarring contrast and it wasn't sitting well with me.

I just couldn't buy the narrative that Taehyung was someone people were supposed to stay away from. I wonder if by everyone shunning him, it had turned him exactly into the person they all assumed he was.

"Y/N?" Grace's voice called out beside me.

I blinked harshly at the sound as I was snapped out of my thoughts. All background noise, the music, the road, Grace's singing, everything happening around me had faded away as I lost myself in my thoughts.

"Are you okay?" She asked, her voice sounding concerned as she took in my solemn state.

I glanced at her momentarily as I took a hand off of my steering wheel, reaching for the radio.

"Yeah." I assured her with a tight smile.

Pressing multiple times at the volume button, I let the music fill up the entirety of my car, allowing the meaninglessness of the lyrics and the repetitiveness of the melody to fill my head so that the unrelenting thoughts of Taehyung couldn't.

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“Hola mamá.” Grace spoke into her phone. “Yeah, we’re almost home.”

The car ride turned out to be slightly less unbearable once Grace began her dramatic karaoke session where she acted out every song in a way that had me clutching at my abs from how hard I was laughing.

Grace was the kind of a person who was perfect to go to when you needed to take your mind off things; she was full of energy and unpredictable but it was that spontaneity that I had learned to find comfort in.

I grew up in routine. Every morning I would wake up at the same time, sit down to have breakfast with my parents, head off to school, come back home to do homework, and then go to bed. Everyday was consistent and repeated so I was grateful for the small specks of irregularly Grace brought into my life.

We were nearly at Grace’s house now; we had decided on the drive back home that she would be dropped off before I myself would reunite with my own parents.

“Oh, I see you guys!” She mused into the phone, eyes set off in the distance.

Sure enough, just as I turned the corner, Grace’s mother and little sister came into view, the both of them standing along the sidewalk that framed their house.

I watched as Grace unbuckled her seatbelt, rolled down her window and stuck her body out of it to wave and shout at them.

We were in a residential area and I wasn’t driving fast by any means, but instinctively, I gripped onto the back of Grace’s shirt, just in case she accidentally fell out.

“Gracie!”

The two of us laughed at the sight of Grace’s little sister Charity jumping up and down ecstatically as she waved back.

Reaching her house, I hadn’t even put my car into park before Grace hopped out of the car.

“Charlie! Ah, I missed your booger face so much!” Grace sighed dramatically, bending over to pick up the beaming six year old.

“I don’t have a booger face,” Charity laughed as she wrapped her arms around her older sister’s neck, “you have a booger face!”

Unbuckling my seat belt, I let myself out of the car, walking over to the three smiling girls.

“Y/N! You came too!” Charity cheered once she spotted me, squirming in Grace’s grip to be let down.

Grace complied with a light hearted chuckle, and I extended my arms out to meet the happy child that was running towards me.

I let out a small groan at the impact but wrapped the small child in my arms regardless.

“I missed you, peanut.” I hummed before pulling back from the hug.

From my position crouched on sidewalk, I looked over to see Grace embracing her mother tightly. A small smile found my lips as I watched the two reunite.

Grace was incredibly close to her mother. Before Charity arrived, it was just the two of them, and despite the fact that they looked nearly nothing alike, they couldn’t be more similar.

“It’s good to see you again, Ms. Wilson.” I greeted once I made eye contact with her.

She rolled her eyes.

“Y/N, I’ve known you for how many fucking years now and you still greet me like that? You make me feel like some decrepit old hag. I’m not even forty.” Grace’s mother quipped back.

I smiled sheepishly, “Sorry, sorry. Hi, Jane.”

If my mother were to hear how casually I addressed Ms. Wilson, she would probably have a heart attack. I myself still wasn’t entirely comfortable with speaking to an adult so informally, but Ms. Wilson did have a point. Talking to Grace’s mother was just like talking to another Grace.

“Missed you kids.” Jane grinned, moving a hand up to ruffle Grace’s hair. Grace let out a noise of discontent as she shoved her mother’s hand away from her thick locks.

“Are you spending the night or heading back to yours?” Jane asked, directing her question at me.

“No, uh, I’m actually meeting up with my parents at the cemetery after this.” I informed her causing Grace to raise an eyebrow.

“They’re at the cemetery? I thought that was a Sunday thing.” Grace questioned, referring to how my parents never went on Saturdays, which was today.

“It is. But tomorrow is Halloween so...”

“Mmm, yeah I hear you. Back when I was younger my friends and I used to hang out in the cemetery at Halloween, trying to find ghosts and shit.” Jane nodded.

Grace hummed, “I never knew that. That sounds like something I would do.”

At her daughter’s words Jane shrugged, “Probably because it was something your dad convinced me to do.”

Immediately, my eyes flickered towards Grace, watching the way she physically flinched at the mention of her father.

From what she’s told me, Grace has only ever met her father twice; once a couple days after she was born at the hospital, and the second time being at her seventh birthday party. I was there that day but I must have been in the backyard or otherwise occupied when it occurred.

The story goes that a man by the name of Jake Alvarez showed up at the door, shouting about needing to see his daughter. Jane’s father opened the door and spoke to the man before the cops were ultimately called. Grace only got a glimpse of the man but from what she remembers, she was the spitting image of him. While she had gotten her mother’s light eyes, her dark hair and skin had clearly come from him.

Her father was fined and incarcerated for a year for violating his restraining order.

Grace told me she tried to ask her mother about the incident but she brushed it off, saying that he was drunk and she need not worry about him. Grace always had a feeling that her dad would pop up every once and a while after that, but if he did, her mother did a brilliant job of protecting Grace from him as she never saw his face again.

The last time Grace made an effort to see what her dad was up to was a couple years ago and she found out that he was once again in jail, this time for several accounts of theft and for assaulting a police officer. She stopped checking in on him after that.

She wouldn’t say it outwardly, but her father was definitely a sore point in her life.

Sensing the tense shift in atmosphere, I cleared my throat.

“So, Charity, what are you going to be for Halloween?” I began suddenly, turning towards the small girl, eager to change the subject.

Charity was the product of Jane and her current boyfriend, Rafael, who were still together and extremely happy.

“A fairy princess.” Charity smiled shyly, arms tucked behind her back. Grace seized the moment to move towards my car to grab her bag out from the backseat.

“A fairy princess?! Do you have your costume yet? I wanna see!” Grace enthused, flashing me a grateful smile as she grabbed her bag and shut the door behind her.

At the idea of getting to put her costume on, Charity’s eyes lit up.

“Mommy, can I show Gracie and Y/N my costume?” The child begged, eyes wide and pleading.

“I think Y/N might have to go soon, sweetheart. Maybe next time.” Jane responded causing Charity to let out a deflated ‘awe.’

“I’ll be back tomorrow afternoon. You can show me then!” I comforted her, taking one of her full cheeks in between my thumb and pointer fingers. She resembled Grace in that aspect.

“Also, did you forget about me already? I’m staying so you can still show me.” Grace teased with a pout causing Charity to giggle with glee.

“Are you leaving?” Grace asked, turning towards me.

I nodded, “Yeah. I’ll be back tomorrow around seven to pick you up and drive us back to the university. Call me tonight?”

Grace promised that she would and opened her arms to engulf me in a hug farewell.

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The first time I came to this cemetery, I was around ten years old. Its a hard pill to swallow, the idea that buried under the ground were hundreds of people that once roamed the earth just as I was doing currently, walking over to where I saw my parents standing.

Death was a concept that never sat well with me; I wasn’t particularly fond of cemeteries either but this one was familiar enough that I didn’t mind walking alone through it.

I did my best to avoid stepping too close to any graves as I walked, the sound of the wet grass crunching under my feet.

I could see parents clearly now as I approached them. They were exactly where I expected them to be; my mother placing flowers by the grave’s headstone and my father standing, looking down at it solemnly.

Reaching them, I took a place besides my father, his hands tucked neatly into the pockets of his slacks. At the sound of my arrival, he glanced over at me in brief surprise before he recognized who I was.

“Hello, father.” I greeted him softly, causing him to send me a nod.

My father wasn’t usually this silent, but these moments usually left him closed off and in his head. 

I didn’t really mind though. He and I were never particularly close. He was a brilliant businessman and a great provider for our family, but I always felt as if we never bonded in the way a father and daughter should. But again, I was comfortable with occasion nods and his stern heeds of warning whenever he deemed it necessary as I grew up and began my life as an adult.

I turned towards my preoccupied mother who was fumbling to keep the yellow flowers she had brought to decorate the headstone in the position she wanted them.

The stone itself was slick with raindrops, remnants of the light shower that had fallen down the entirety of my car ride here.

I pressed my lips together as my eyes fell onto the name that was engraved into the slab of marble. The name of the brother I never got to meet.

Park Jimin.

My mother had finally grown content with the flowers’ placement and pushed herself back onto her feet.

At the sight of me, she let out a small noise of surprise, unaware that I had arrived.

“Oh, button! I didn’t see you. How was your drive back?” She spoke, moving to reach for my hand.

One of the things I liked the most about my mother was her tendency to give almost anyone a nickname. It was one of the softer displays of her character. She had a nickname for both Grace and I. Grace was “Sparky” because of her firecracker personality, and I was called button because she insisted that, as a child, I was “as cute as a button.”

I departed from the hug after pressing a kiss to my mother’s cheek.

“Long but bearable.” I told her, recalling my best friend’s resounding energy throughout the enter car ride.

“How is Sparky? You said she was struggling in her English class last time right?” She recalled.

For a moment, my mother and I spoke of school and other such formalities.

Sometimes I wondered what a relationship like Grace and her mother’s must be like. Grace once told me she saw her mother as more of a best friend than an actual parental figure which didn’t make sense to me.

My mother was kind and loved me but I never got the sense that my relationship with my parents surpassed anything other than a child and her guardians. I wasn’t in any place to complain though; they had given me a family, something I might not have gotten considering the fact that my biological one had given me up.

Words couldn’t describe how grateful I was for the life my parents had given me. I was born into a life of financial stability and security, my childhood consisting of the best nannies and private tutors. There wasn’t any material thing that I lacked.

I turned towards the grave.

“Those flowers are beautiful.” I noted earnestly, causing my mother to look at them.

“Daffodils. There have been some growing at the park we used to take you to when you were younger for a while now and I thought they were lovely, so I went out and got some.” She told me causing me to nod.

My mother let out a sigh, staring down at her son’s grave.

“He and you were a lot alike. You two would’ve gotten along wonderfully.” She spoke softly.

Jimin was the biological son of my parents. He died from cancer a couple years before I was even born. From my understanding, he was around the age I was now when he died; it was his death that lead my parents to adoption and eventually, me. So in a way, I owed the life I had to him.

I clasped my hands together, praying that where he was he was happy and at peace.

“We’re going out to Poppy’s for lunch. Would you care to join us?” My father spoke suddenly, causing me to let out an apology.

“Grace and I ate right before we left and I’m not very hungry. I think I might head home to unpack if that’s alright?”

“Of course. We’ll see you back home then.” My mother nodded causing me to smile at her.

All three of us turned and began to walk away from the grave, speaking briefly with one another as we began to head towards our cars.

A cool gust of wind emerged from out of nowhere as we walked and I let out a squeak as I held onto my skirt to prevent it from riding up with the breeze.

“It’s October now. Too cold to be wearing skirts, Y/N.” My mother chided as she watched me struggle with said article of clothing.

“I know, I forgot how-”

My words were cut short as I turned towards my mother, only for a mop of blond hair to capture my attention. I paused my steps, squinting at the figure in the distance.

Despite the person being far, he looked distinctly familiar and I squinted at it.

Was that... Taehyung?

“Is everything alright?” My father’s voice called out, and I turned towards the sound only to see that my parents had stopped walking and were now staring at me in concern.

I felt myself blush.

“Y-Yes, I just,” I turned back to look at the darkly clothed figure, “I think I know that boy.”

My father let out a low hum, and I suddenly realized I needed to clarify my statement.

I shifted uneasily, “He goes to my university. He... borrowed something from me and... it’ll just be a moment. I’ll see you both back at the house?”

An uncomfortable feeling settled at the pit of my stomach. Nothing that I had said was a lie. I just didn’t need my parents knowing that Taehyung was supposedly everything that I needed to be wary of. They had made it a point to warn me of the dangers of college and, while boys were mentioned, I didn’t want to worry them with things that could just very well be rumors.

I watched as my parents glanced at Taehyung’s distant silhouette in slight apprehension.

“Alright. Don’t take too long.” My father spoke sternly, causing me to nod eagerly.

Waving my parents goodbye, I began to make my way toward, who I hoped, was Taehyung, my heart in my throat.

I smoothed out my skirt and hair as I walked.

I wasn’t sure what I was going to say to him. Would he even remember me? I know alcohol consumption interfered with memory but surely he remembered enough for him not to be alarmed when he woke up in a strange dorm. He left so suddenly, I just wanted to make sure he was alright now...

“Taehyung!” I called out before I could think to stop myself otherwise.

At the sound of my voice, the blond boy turned around, the sight of his face confirming him as, in fact, being Taehyung.

Just as I was about to wave at him, a sudden thought entered my mind, causing me to stop walking.

Taehyung was at the cemetery.

The cemetery.

He was visiting the graves of his mother, father and sister, and here I was, about to pester him about a drunken night he had spent throwing up in my dorm. I felt embarrassment wash over me.

My stomach did flips as Taehyung stayed facing me, staring at me solemnly. I couldn’t quite read his expression from this distance but his eyes were dark and held mine unapologetically.

For several moments, I stood frozen to my spot, unsure of what to do.

To my relief, Taehyung finally looked away, turning back to face the graves he was standing in front of.

I let out a breathe, bringing a hand to press against stomach which now could finally settle. I let my eyes settle onto my feet, shame nipping at me.

God, what on earth was I thinking? Why can’t I just leave this poor kid alone?

As much as I wanted to fight the idea that I should stay away from Taehyung, I had yet to consider that perhaps Taehyung wanted to be left alone. Maybe he liked that fact that people weren’t constantly trying to pry into his life and I was just an annoying reoccurring factor that he wanted no part of.

“Angel?”

The voice nearly made me jump out of skin, a small scream leaving my mouth. I snapped my head up to see an amused looking Taehyung standing in front of me.

I was so consumed in my thoughts that I hadn’t heard him walk over.

“Damn, do I scare you that much?” He mused, a devilish smirk overtaking his face.

“No.” I responded automatically.

Yes.

Another breeze fell over the cemetery and I watched as Taehyung’s hair moved with it.

“What are you doing here?” He asked.

Suddenly, I realized how odd it must look that I had run into him three times in a row.

“I’m not stalking you, by the way!” I blurted out embarrassingly, my cheeks growing red the instant the words fell out of my mouth.

Taehyung raised an eyebrow.

“I didn’t say you were.” He stated simply.

“Right, well, uh, just in case you thought I was. I’m not.” I repeated lamely, intertwining my hands together.

He smirked, “Noted. So other than not stalking me...”

“Oh, um... my brother...”

It felt wrong to bring up Jimin as I had never even met him, especially when Taehyung was here visiting his entire family.

Taehyung’s expression softened, “I’m sorry to hear that.”

I nodded politely, feeling uncomfortable.

“I'm sorry about your family, too.”

I had said the words automatically, a direct reflection of the sorrow I felt towards the fact that he had lost his family, but it didn’t occur to me at that moment that Taehyung hadn’t been the one to tell me, and I watched in regret as Taehyung’s expression hardened.

Panic spread throughout my body and I began to ramble uncontrollably.

“Ah! I’m sorry! I heard from a friend! I know it’s none of my business! I just wanted to tell you that I’m really, really sorry. And I know you don’t know me and I don’t know you, but if you ever need to talk to anyone–”

“Angel.” His voice cooed gently, causing the words to die out in my throat.

God, he wouldn’t stop with that nickname.

“I don’t need you to be nice to me just because you feel bad for me. You have no reason to feel bad for me, trust me.” Taehyung smiled darkly.

All the blood in my face drained.

I met his gaze, feeling shame wash over me as I realized he had overheard the conversation Guyi and I had right before he left our dorm.

A shiver ran over me, and I wasn’t sure if it was because of the now increasingly cold air or because of Taehyung’s words.

“I’m–”

"If you’re about to apologize, don’t.” He told me.

I shut my mouth promptly, unsure of what to say. I held Taehyung’s gaze for a moment and my heart sank as he turned from me and began to walk away.

Oh God, what did I just do?

I stared at his back as he walked further and further away from me.

“Taehyung!” The words left my mouth before I could convince myself out of it.

Taehyung paused mid-step, his head tilting over his shoulder as if to tell me he was listening.

I swallowed the lump in my throat, tugging at the sleeves of my shirt.

“I don’t think you’re as bad as they all say you are.”

Taehyung turned around, staring at me in interest. I felt my face heat up as his intense gaze fixated on me.

“W-What I mean is... I don’t think you’re a bad person. That’s why I want to help you. Not because I pity you but because I genuinely believe you’re a good person. Even if you’ve made mistakes.”

The confession was meant to come out grander and more confidently than it actually did, but I tried my best to hold my ground and show him that I was being sincere.

Embarrassingly, Taehyung didn’t respond. 

Shifting from foot to foot, I felt my nerve begin to unravel.

“So... yeah...” I murmured, wishing he’d just forget everything I had just said and turned around now.

“What are you doing tomorrow for Halloween?”

His question caught me off guard, and I gawked at him silently before realizing that he was awaiting a response.

“Uh, nothing?”

Grace would be with her mother taking Charity out trick or treating, and while I was invited, I declined to rest and do some homework instead.

“Go out with me.” Taehyung offered suddenly.

I nearly choked on my own spit, “W-What?”

“Do you know that club downtown called Obmil?” He continued, as if he hadn’t just said something outrageous. “They’re having a two for the price of one special on drinks.”

I shook my head. Taehyung wanted to go out clubbing with me? Sure, I had taken care of him all last night but he didn’t know me. Why would he want to spent his Halloween with me?

“I don’t...”

To my surprise, Taehyung flashed me a soft smile, one that I hadn’t seen him wear before, “You want to be friends with me? Then let’s have some fun. I’ll pay for everything, as a thank you for taking care of me last night.”

I blushed.

So he did remember.

“Come out with me, angel.” He pleaded, his voice dripping in honey.

I should say no. My parents would throw a fit if they knew I was invited out to a club by some guy. They wouldn’t even let me out of the house, for that matter. I didn’t even drink for heaven’s sake!

Taehyung’s gaze never left mine as I tried to think of the right way to turn him down.

His eyes, although dark, held mine gently and I felt my cheeks grow warm as I noticed the small indent of a dimple on the side of his mouth.

“Okay.” I grinned.

[thecursedvaultchild]

Catching a Chaser

This is a modified version of an rp @slytherin-puffskein and I did. Enjoy!

---

Another Quidditch practice. So boring.

Summer Charn yawned and stretched out on the bleachers. There weren't many people around to watch the Slytherin team practice, so she had plenty of space to herself. But she was so disinterested, she wasn't even aware of what they were doing anymore.

All she did know was that Keeper, whatever Avery, he was attractive. The wind kept blowing his shirt up and sweat glistened in his dark hair... Oh man.

Once again, Laurent had begged Summer to witness his Quidditch practise. He had recently received the role of captain, so he dearly wished for his friend to see him in action at least one time. Luckily, she accepted, pretending that she couldn't wait to see him order around other players... but frankly, he was fairly sure she only accepted so that she could admire their Keeper.

Right, Avery is attractive, but Quidditch is ten times more interesting! Lau would repeatedly try to convince himself, even though his gaze did flick to the handsome seventh-year a time or two.

"Ok, Conner, make sure to swing your bat properly! And Jackson, for the last time, get your head out of that!"

Sometimes, he would take the time to look at Summer from his broom and smile at her... but he was way too far away for her to notice the glint in his eyes. If she could see it, she would have immediately known one thing: King was planning something.

She chuckled as Lau's bossy voice flooded the stadium and broke her out of her stare. Is that what I sound like as a prefect? Merlin, I hope not. I love him but he's enjoying being captain waaay too much. But whatever, good for him becoming captain. Gave him something to worry about that wasn't pranking Snape.

Avery perfectly caught and hit back the Quaffle, his muscles in his arms rippled as he did do. She was definitely going to go up to Avery after practice. Tell him he was a good Keeper and maybe he could help keep her busy?

Merlin, Lau was certain Avery knew that Summer was staring at him... because he was entirely showing off. Never had he played that good, or looked that handsome. He probably gave himself that rough, sweaty look on purpose in order to attract Summer's gaze. I cannot judge him. I would do the same with a cute guy. However...

"Avery! Focus on the Quaffle, not girls!"

And he snickered at that, before focusing on one of their Chasers. Smith, an absolute, terrible prat. Why did the past captain even let him in the team? He was about as talented on a broom as Lau was in Transfiguration, which meant: not at all. Plus, he was an asshole, and Lau often caught him staring at Summer's ass in the most perverted way. Summer would be a much better Chaser.

So he was going to take care of Smith.

Summer was still staring at Avery. I need to learn his first name. How come I only know people's surnames? Not that there's anything wrong with the name Avery of course. And holy smokes, he was doing really good at playing. Not that she cared much but why date a bad Quidditch player when there were people like Avery?

She laughed at the captain's stern command, lazily twiddling her fingers. "Just providing moral support! GO SNAKES!"

Smith sucks. That's the third time he's missed a pass. I could do better than that. But very quickly her gaze was pulled from the prat back Avery as he completely removed his sweat-soaked shirt, abs and muscles in perfect view. Too bad he couldn't do that during an actual game, that'd make things more entertaining.

Summer wasn't the only one to see Avery remove his shirt. Lau did too, and he actually froze for a few seconds, his gaze fixed on these lovely abs. Luckily, Avery wasn't seeing that: his attention was either on the Quaffle (good) or on Summer (bad, as he should focus on the Quaffle only).

As he finally gathered back his focus, he managed to hear Smith's shrill, almost strangled voice. Dear Merlin, why is allowed to talk. His knuckles gripped on his broom hardly, though, as he understood what the Chaster was saying: "Captain's a flipping fag".

That was enough to strength Lau's objective to drag that man down. He snapped his fingers, gesturing at Smith.

"Smith, go and try to make a goal. Avery, do your best to stop him."

She stiffened, hearing what that thickheaded Smith had just said about the captain. Lau. Her strawberry child. Oh, Smith is going to pay for that later. I think I can make an exception to my hex rule to give him a nice little curse. Once there's less witnesses.

Her eyes narrowed and she stared at Avery, leaning forward in her seat, eager to see him take down that sick son of a hag. For once she was interested in their practice. Come on, Avery. Don't let him anywhere NEAR the goal. Prove you're an amazingly hot, er, an amazingly good Quidditch Keeper.

Smith scoffed, puffing his chest out and pushing a few hair strands away from his face in a visible attempt to attract that cute girl on the bleachers' attention. At that sight, Avery rolled his eyes, and bit back a scathing comment. Meanwhile, Lau had released a Snitch in order to train... or well, pretend to train. He had something in mind, and he was going to deliver. For now, though, he only needed to lay low and pray to Merlin he will be fast enough.

"Alright, Avery, here I come ! You're going down!"

The Keeper, however, looked less than impressed, and only stared with a raised eyebrow as Smith charged forward, Quaffle tucked under his arm.

And...

CRASH!

Suddenly, both Smith and King were on the ground.

"GALLOPING GARGOYLES!"

Summer practically Apparated with how fast she had moved from the stands to the pitch ground. She hauled Lau off Smith, frantically checking him for injuries.

"Lau. Lau! LAU! Are you okay?!" She licked her thumb then used it to wipe the streak of dirt off his face, ignoring the groans of Smith next to them.

"Ah! I'm fine, Sum, I'm fine!" the redhead giggled.

Luckily, he had landed on Smith, which... had made the fall feel a lot less worst. Just like I planned. Calmly, he wiped the dirt off his Quidditch robes, acting as if he had only tripped down. Why was he being so calm? The answer was simple: right next to him, Smith was still sprawled on the ground, whining and clutching at his leg.

"My leg! You floppin' idiot, I'm sure my ankle is twisted, now!"

"What a pity," Avery mumbled, landing next to the Chaser.

"Oh? I'm so sorry, Smith," Lau purred, putting on his most innocent and worried face. "I was chasing for the Snitch, and I accidentally knocked you off..."

"Idiot! I can't train, now! Or even play, next match is in a week!"

What a relief Lau was okay and Smith was hurting. Summer couldn't help the sneer from crossing her face. "Good. You're so bad at Chasing, Smith, you couldn't catch your own nose if it shoved down your throat."

Avery and a few other players went "Ooh," and one said, "Oh snap," and vindictive pleasure flooded her. She felt no regrets of any kind for saying it. She was not on the team and not obligated to help maintain team cooperation. Plus, he totally deserved it. She was still going to curse him later.

"Also, detention, Smith."

"WHAT?!"

"You heard me. I heard Filch was complaining about all the trophies needing a good polish. Maybe you can even stare at the Quidditch Cup and fantasize about you ever being a half as good a player as King."

Her eyes caught Avery's and she smirked just a little.

Look at her, destroying people. While Summer's prefect status might be deadly for Lau's pranking schemes, it also turned out to come extremely handy during situations like this. As Smith was too busy trying to work out a coherent sentence, Lau turned to the first player he saw, which happened fyi be another Chaser.

"Take Smith to the Hospital Wing and come back as quick as possible. We can't waste a single minute of practice."

The Chaser nodded and hauled Smith up, basically dragging him away. Needless to say, Smith wasn't one of the most well-liked players. After a few seconds of silence, Avery finally broke it.

"But Lau, how are we going to play now that Smith's gone? Our other Chasers are good, yes, but I don't think we'll be able to handle a match with only two of them."

"Well, Charn can take his place for the time being." Lau simply replied, shrugging.

"Wait, whAT?!"

She was snapped out of her internal gloating of victory by those dreaded words. Charn can take his place for the time being. Summer whipped around to face him.

"Excuse me??? Oh Captain, not my Captain, I. Don't. Play."

Quidditch jocks may be a weakness of hers but she prided herself on not being one of them. Why suffer on a broomstick in whatever weather nature decided to throw at you when you could be inside, next to a warm fire, with a cat in your lap and a book in your hands? Oh Merlin, please let Avery still like me. It's not like I try to hide my dislike of Quidditch.

..........he was really, really hot though. And being on the team—just for a little while—would let her spend more time around him without needing to come up with an excuse. Oh man, he was still shirtless. She bit her lip, arms crossed.

"C'mon, Sum! I see you during flying classes, you have potential, whether you like it or not"

And he was saying the truth. Whenever he would see Summer on a broom, he would immediately marvel over how perfect her posture was. No possible flaw in sight, only absolute perfection! With some serious training, Laurent was certain that Summer could become an amazing Chaser.

He knew, however, that she won't be convinced with the simple 'your technique is perfect' argument. No, he needed to dig deeper... and he knew exactly where to. He spun to Avery, a glint in his eyes.

"Ave, would you mind handing Summer a broom and teach her a thing or two?"

She couldn't breathe for a moment. Quickly getting herself together, she gives Avery a dazzling smile, eyes flitting over his abs. "Could you excuse us for a just a second? I'll be right back."

And she drags Lau away from the team, out of earshot. "You crashed into Smith on purpose." Her voice is a faint hiss. "Look, I came to those tryouts because you begged and pleaded me to but I didn't make the team. I don't want to be on the team. Why are you doing this? Slytherin will lose the cup because of me. I don't play."

"C'moooon, Sum! I'm like 80% certain you sabotaged yourself during these tryouts. You're good, I'm sure you can bring the other teams down with us!"

A smile was etched on his face, and it wasn't going to fade away easily. Quickly, he grabbed Summer's hands, holding them tightly and giving her his best Puffskein eyes, sticking out his bottom lip.

"Pleasepleaseplease, Summer! Just imagine the two of us playing together! It would be soooo amazing! So what if I crashed into Smith on purpose? He insulted me! Everyone hates him! And everyone likes you! I'm only doing what is best for the team." Yeah, sure.

I would kill for this idiot. Aaaaaand I guess I'll play Quidditch for him too. Why, why, why did he have to pull out the cute Puffkein look? It was nearly impossible to resist its full force.

"Ugh, fine. I'll play." She glanced at shirtless Avery, pursing her lips together. "But aren't you worried I'll be a distraction? Like you said, focus on the Quaffle, not the girls." She raised an eyebrow, a silver curl falling in front of her face.

She'd play but not without a little squabble. She didn't care about Quidditch but it meant a lot to Lau. Along with that stupid Quidditch Cup. She never saw the appeal when it was more fun to cast spells and duel.

"You'll play?" Lau exclaimed, stepping closer to his friend and holding her hands even tighter. "You will? Aw, yes!"

Sparkles passed through his brown eyes, proving pure, unfiltered joy that could in no way be destroyed. Summer was going to be a backup player, and that was all Laurent King needed.

Even if it had to come with some flirting. "Eh, Avery's a better player when he's got motivation. If a cute girl can make him more efficient, then so be it" he proceeded to pat her shoulder, and turned to the other players. "OI! WE GOT A BACKUP PLAYER!"

Aww that face. He's so delighted. I can't take this away from him. No way.

"All right, Captain. You've got me."

She faintly rolled her eyes but smiled at the cheers, walking towards them with Lau. Getting closer, she crossed her arms and pulled her sweater off, making sure Avery could see, and started loosely tying her hair back.

"Well, someone get me a broom. I'm not flying the piece of trash belonging to Smith."

A grin was given Avery's way. He stood there with his own grin, sweet gleaming on him, hair tousled. She wanted to run her fingers through it. I've got a date, I know it.

One of the Beaters was quick to get Summer a broom, surely hoping to get at least a smile from her. Lau had to hold back a giggle. Sorry, kiddo, but Summer seems entirely focused on Avery right now. And frankly, who could blame her? He was seriously hot, it would have been impossible for Summer to not flirt with him in any way. The Keeper was quick to grab the Quaffle that has been resting on the ground ever since Smith's fall, and he handed it to Summer.

"Make sure to show me everything you've got," he said with a smirk.

Lau had to hold back a sigh. I need to put up with this, I will put up with this, you can do it, man. Plus, they sort of looked like a cute match. Laurent grabbed his broom, and quickly raised in the air. "Come on now, let's go!"

***

I'm dead.

Lau did not mess around as captain when it came to practice. He pushed her just as fiercely as he pushed the rest of the team. And she hated to admit it, but he was right. She had potential. After Avery had her undivided attention for twenty minutes, teaching her things about playing Quidditch that weren't covered in Flying class, she had done pretty good. She was fast and maneuverable and hadn't dropped the Quaffle too many times. And she had managed a few goals against Avery (but she was pretty sure that was him letting her. Or her smile was distracting enough. Who knew.)

But wow, Lau was incredible. Actually paying attention, she could see why he was made captain. He was the quickest on his broom, had a sharp eye, and was good at getting the group focused and amiable together. It was truly... Impressive.

Summer dragged behind the others as they left the pitch. Avery going with them after she promised to see him in two hours outside the common room. She yanked her socks off and just let her feet sink in the grass, idly bouncing the Quaffle.

As soon as he slipped into the lockers, Laurent immediately got rid of his Quidditch clothing in order to take a well deserved shower, along with other players. While that at first the thought of public showers had rubbed him in the wrong way, he was now perfectly used to it, and that for two reasons: one, hot guys, and second, with his reputation of being a reckless person no one bothered to question his multiple scars and blamed them on his numerous shenanigans.

Once he was finally done, he threw on his uniform and ruffled his hair a little in a poor attempt to dry them. Patting Avery and other players' shoulders, he wished them a good day before walking back to the pitch, barefooted. It wasn't long until he found Summer, and he walked up to her, hands sank into his pants' pockets.

"So? What did you think of it?"

"I'm gonna die. I'm not a jock."

She stretched out her sour muscles, not particularly caring if Lau saw her stomach or not as she did so. Merlin, did she hurt.

"I do think I'm better than Smith. BUT don't get your hopes up of permanently replacing him. I'm still not interested in Quidditch. I am interested in Avery though... Mmm."

She couldn't stop looking at him. Honestly, how come she hadn't noticed him sooner in her life? Smart, strong, deadly handsome. He was a keeper. Sum snorted at herself.

"But what did you think, Cap? You're the actual Quidditch expert."

Actual Quidditch expert. He couldn't help but blush. "I think that you were great, Summer. Sure, you did a few mistakes every beginner would make, but it's just like I thought: you have potential."

And she can either choose to explore it, or not. Laurent would never force her to play Quidditch for him, and would let her go if she wanted to pursue other activities, but... he secretly hoped she will stay at least as a backup player for scenarios during which a Chaser gets hurt.

"Sooo... will you play for the next match ? I doubt Smith will be fully healed, and you have amazing comradeship with other players. Especially Avery. Meanwhile, Smith can't even bother to greet them."

"Thanks. And I have to hand it to you, Lau. You're good. Snape was right for recognizing your briliance for once and making you captain. Just please don't become Egwu. And don't let him know. I already can't stand him pestering Charlie to try and go pro. He's an idiot for not seeing that Charlie is only into Quidditch because he can fly. Like a flipping dragon."

Running a hand through her hair, she sighed. "Yeah, I'll play next match. Shoot, Egwu will totally see. I'm just going to avoid him like dragonpox for the next month."

Oh, Avery. Yeah, she could tolerate being sweaty if it meant more time with Avery. I can't wait for tonight.

"Ha! Good luck with avoiding Egwu. He's terrible when he has something in mind... he can, and will find you."

He had no idea if that would really happen, of course, but he just loved to tease his friend, as well as Prefect. It was sort of his own way to get back at her for all the detentions she had given him.

"You're gonna be an amazing player, Charn. Here's to more victories.~"

"I'm a dead woman walking then."

She shook her head, nudging him. Dorky jock.

"Thanks, King. More victories indeed." She kissed his cheek. "Now I've got a date in two hours!" And she took off running for the castle.

Fin.

[btsismy6thkink]

Close Proximity: Chapter 2

Chapter 1

Moving in had been a process and a half for you, the only person who had time to help you was Jungkook your best friend and colleague and according to the stupid rules Chanyeol had given you this wasn't a possibility. You had been up and down the stairs with boxes and bags 50 times now, sure there was an elevator but you didn't want to hag it in case someone needed it as well as being flat out scared it would stop working. You walked into the apartment with your last box of things, after putting down the box with the rest of the stuff you felt as if you needed to reward yourself for your hard work, and seeing as no one else seemed to be around, moving the stuff from the hallway to the bedroom wasn't rude or selfish of you. 

You moved your way into the kitchen, first opening the fridge, then the freezer, then the fridge before finally deciding on drinking one of the cold pepsi’s which were just sitting there begging you to drink them. You grabbed a can, moving to the living room before falling ungracefully on the couch, you took a deep breath before finally putting the can to your mouth, “YAH! FILTHY GIRL ARE YOU SERIOUS? YOUR STUFF IS ALL OVER THE PLACE HOW AB…..IS THAT MY PEPSI!” You couldn't answer right away, normally you would have but you ended up staring at Chanyeol in disbelief, he had come from his room… meaning he had been there to help you all day but he hadn't even offered. You didn't even want the pepsi anymore granted you hadn't eaten all day so you really needed the sugar. You lifted yourself from the couch not bothering to give him a smart reply, you moved over to him and as you did his face went from angry to pissed, and simply for that reason alone you put the cold pepsi to his chest, letting it go as he grabbed onto it. “Okay” you answered tiredly, you had work in an hour anyway so you should probably hurry and get your stuff into your room. One box after another was moved into your bedroom, it took exactly 52 minutes and 30 seconds to put them all into your new home. You sighed out of exhaustion and annoyance, before finally taking off the hoodie you had been baking in all day revealing your work uniform. You took a quick glance in the mirror before walking out of the bedroom, past Chanyeol’s bedroom and hurried to work. 

The walk to the 7/11 you worked at wasn't bad, frankly it was the most relaxing thing which has happened all day. You put on an automatic smile as you walked through the doors, just the thought of seeing your best friend helped a whole lot with the crappy day you had, had. “Bear!” you hated that nickname and yet today, it was welcoming and full of love, maybe it always was but you never appreciated it. You watched as your best friend ran towards you, wrapping his way too strong around around you in a ironically bear hug. “Hey kookie” you sighed with a tired smile but hugged him back none the less, “i’m sorry i couldn't help you today? then we could have gone to work together” you patted his back before pulling away from him, keeping a smile on your face you decided nodding was the best answer. “Lets get to work Kookie, the best buy dates don't check themselves.” 

 ★⭐︎★ ⭐︎★⭐︎★ ⭐︎★⭐︎★ ⭐︎★⭐︎★ ⭐︎★⭐︎★ ⭐︎★⭐︎★ ⭐︎★⭐︎★ ⭐︎★⭐︎★ ⭐︎★⭐︎★ 

Back in the Apartment

 ★⭐︎★ ⭐︎★⭐︎★ ⭐︎★⭐︎★ ⭐︎★⭐︎★ ⭐︎★⭐︎★ ⭐︎★⭐︎★ ⭐︎★⭐︎★ ⭐︎★⭐︎★ ⭐︎★⭐︎★ 

A weird laugh had been ringing through the apartment for the past 30 minutes and Chanyeol was about done with it. He thought he filthy girl had left but maybe he was wrong, he hurried out of the bedroom and into the living room which was a public space, but seeing Kezz and a strange guy did annoy him. The guy looked shocked to see Chanyeol, but he stood up quickly, bowing in respect before introducing himself. “I’m Mark, Kezz’s school friend” he looked up at Chanyeol with a huge smile oblivious to the reason Chanyeol had even appeared. “You don’t need to be so formal? he’s a roommate” Kezz laughed at Mark’s silliness before gesturing for him to sit back down so they could continue their studying and he did as he was gestured to. Chanyeol moved himself to the kitchen but jumped a little as he met the eyes of Changkyun which were burning with some kind of emotion he couldn't distinguish. “God, no one follows the rules”, he poured two glasses of water, still looking incredibly angry or pissed off. “Yeah, maybe it was a too controlling rule anyway” Changkyun shifted his gaze to Chanyeol as he heard the words and his eyes became rather small and judgemental. “Commit to your rules man, it’s a good rule or was if the girls would respect it.” Changkyun moved into the living room putting down the two glasses of water in front of Mark and Kezz, Kezz was the only one who looked up, she smiled brightly at him but Changkyun didn't notice, he was too busy giving Mark the death glare. Chanyeol stood in the doorway, just looking at the scene before him and he had to admit it, he was amused. He let out a small laugh before grabbing a pepsi and walking back into his room.    

 ★⭐︎★ ⭐︎★⭐︎★ ⭐︎★⭐︎★ ⭐︎★⭐︎★ ⭐︎★⭐︎★ ⭐︎★⭐︎★ ⭐︎★⭐︎★ ⭐︎★⭐︎★ ⭐︎★⭐︎★ 

Back in the 7/11 

 ★⭐︎★ ⭐︎★⭐︎★ ⭐︎★⭐︎★ ⭐︎★⭐︎★ ⭐︎★⭐︎★ ⭐︎★⭐︎★ ⭐︎★⭐��★ ⭐︎★⭐︎★ ⭐︎★⭐︎★ 

After approximately 9 hours of cleaning, checking people’s bottles of soju and anju out and taking all the stuff which had just hid the best by date your shift was finally over, and both you and Jungkook had never been happier. Jungkook had been worrying about you the entire shift, asking you to sit down, to let him do all the work but you being you, you just couldn't justify not doing your part. “Noona, do you want me to follow you home? i will gladly do it?” he smiled while handing over the imaginary key of responsibility to the next people who had a shift. You shook your head, picking up the out of date food which was still safe to consume, “It’s fine kookie, i think i need some alone time anyway” you patted his shoulder before leaving the store and walking back home in a rather slow pace. 

You walked into the apartment, 10 minutes later than you usually would, sighing deeply you took of your shoes and headed to your bedroom which unlucky for you was right next to Chanyeol's and his door was open meaning he could see you coming back home. You shoved up in his line of view and suddenly he was filling up the doorframe, “i said no guests didn't i? i want as much peace and quiet as possible”. You looked towards him, not bothering to look at his face so here you were just staring at his chest because it was in eye height. “I didn't bring any guests?” “No, but Kezz did so tell her to stop, he was noisy as fuck and i couldn't concentrate on writing.” You sighed deeply, dropping your back of food, looking up at him finally and he sure didn't look pleased but neither did you. “LISTEN YOU SPOILED BRAT, I’M LEGALLY LIVING HERE, PAYING THE RENT YOU TOLD ME TO PAY, HELL I’M FOLLOWING YOUR STUPID RULES BREAKING MY BACK OVER IT TOO, SO IF YOU WANT TO TELL HER SOMETHING DO IT BUT BRINGING FRIENDS OVER SHOULDN'T BE A GODDAMN PROBLEM!” You didn't take your eyes off him once, and he looked shocked but that quickly went to angry instead and it scared you. “I CAN’T TELL HER BECAUSE I LIKE HER SHE’S NICE AND CALMING AND YOU ARE A PEST WHO GETS ON MY LAST NERVE AND IF YOU JUST DISAPPEARED IT WOULD BE A FUCKING PARTY!” It wasn't even the harshest thing he could have said but it took you by surprise, plus the cocktail of you being tired and hungry didn't help. You removed your eyes from him, sighing deeply, ignoring the tears which were rolling down your puffy cheeks before running into your bedroom, closing the door not even smacking it even if you wanted to, you threw yourself on the bed, burying your head in your pillow before continuing on with your crying. 

Around 15 minutes later you heard a knock on the door, and a soft sigh. “y/n i’m sorry, i didn't mean to break the rule but it was for school. Also i’m sorry i looked through your stuff but i just wanted to make sure your bed was made before you got back since i couldn't help you move in.” You hadn't noticed but it was nice that you didn't have to do it yourself, it even made you stop crying. “Thank you Kezz, it’s fine.” you noticed a small sigh of relief through the door. “Goodnight y/n.”

[worldofwritingthings]

Wings of Valor

Prologue

"Bring forth the prisoner!"

A set of huge doors opened wide as two soldiers dragged a man in chains towards the center of the room. The murmuring of the crowd was an appalling roar throughout the auditorium, filled with remarks of disapproval, laughter, and snarling. The guards threw him in the middle of the room - an open, circular area where he could see, among the crowd, five people sitting on a wooden tribune at the end of the room: these renowned individuals were known as the Magisters.

The men and women in charge of passing judgement remained unfazed at the sight of said prisoner; the hatred they felt grew exponentially as one of the soldiers removed the hood from the prisoner's head, revealing a middle aged man wearing a leather restraint mask that covered his mouth. His violet eyes looked at the tribune and turned his head elsewhere sharply just as his heart began to throb in anger. He took a deep breath and hung his head low in an attempt to keep himself from lashing out at them. It didn't work in his favor though.

"Well, well, well," the first of the Magisters spoke bitterly and rose from his seat. He was an old man, not near the age of two hundred years, whom bared the colors of the Roşu Army on his robes and the charm of the Lux Federation. The room fell silent as he continued, "Look what the Avians have brought us - a filthy rat. And a big one, no less."

The prisoner turned his head to the first Magister and snarled. He then tried to pry his mask off, to which the guards grabbed his arms and lifted him on his feet with arduous effort on their part. This made said Magister smile at the display in front of him, his chin rising while his mouth remained mildly agape for a few seconds before closing it.

"I think the rat wants to say a word," he said, turning his head from the prisoner towards his colleagues. "Wouldn't you all agree?"

"Yes," one of them said. It was a middle-aged woman, her skin marked with bright runes and completely hairless. The expression on her face was a combination of disappointment and bias as she glanced at the prisoner in the eyes without a single blink. She waved her hand in front of her and commanded, "Let him speak."

The mask disappeared from the prisoner's mouth and he was dropped again on the floor. He licked his lips a few times, hissing slightly at the taste of iron embedded on his tongue through the cuts that the mask made; he then looked back at the Magisters and spoke, "You are wasting your time with this nonsensical method of interrogation. There's no way you'll make me talk."

"Oh, I disagree with that," the first Magister said, sitting back down to his chair and glaring at him. "We have all the time in the world we need to hear the lies that shall come out of your mouth, filthy rat."

The second Magister stood up from her chair and rang a bell, a gesture symbolizing the start of a trial. She addressed the present crowd as she spoke loudly, "People of the Luna District, we gather here today to pass judgement on Frederic Casi, former Baron and Sage of the Solis Enclave, now a traitor of the Federation. The following crimes committed by his treason are murder, espionage, pillaging, conspiracy, trafficking, evasion of arrest, racketeering, among others. The Council will now hear the prisoner's defense on the charges that have been imposed on him."

"What, you mean like beg for my life?" Frederic said, disgust laced in his voice. "Ha! I never begged to anyone in my life and I won't start now. You wretched hags and codgers can stick it all the way up your bottoms and like it."

The crowd roared in protest at the insult they heard, forcing the guards to summon a stave around the empty space as few Mages attempted to reach the man in shackles, some with their wands, staffs or knives at hand. The Magisters frowned in utter disapproval at said man's remark and the reaction of the denizens as the Alban Royal Guard dragged them back through the railings by force, a method that did little to no effect pacify the masses.

"ORDER! ORDER!!" A third Magister spoke, his frail body rising slowly from his chair as he banged his staff on the floor with tremendous force that sent a message of obedience. The crowd, while returning to their provided spaces, regained their composure as he continued shouting, "ANY FURTHER VIOLENT OUTBURST WILL NOT BE TOLERATED IN THE PRESENCE OF THIS COUNCIL! DESIST THIS INSTANT!”

As the auditorium fell silent by the Magister’s words, Frederic barked a fit of laughter, earning the attention of everyone attending there. He looked up again and spoke between snickers, “You-You really have lost your sense of resilience, eh? Ah, typical of the Magisters: give them power over the denizens, and they’ll soften right up! AH HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA~!!!”

“SILENCE!” A fourth Magister commanded, teleporting and giving Frederic a hard slap on the face as a warning to obey their command. Her eyeless face glimmered under the sunlight as she spoke, “Our resilience has never wavered us in times of peace and in times of war, and it will certainly not start now. Especially after your attempted insurgency against the Federation.”

“Oh, my sweet pea, that is where you’re wrong,” Frederic said. He stood up from the ground and turned towards the crowd, hands and feet still shackled together, as he spoke loudly, “You can all think that your precious Council can offer safety for you and your families; you can all think that they are capable to maintain peace with their neighbors for another century or two; you can all think that they can ward off any threat of invasion by the blessing of the Ancient Ones. But I can tell you all that you are wrong.” Another laugh escaped from his mouth as he continued, ”You are all insignificant worms who worship meaningless beings in the hopes of gaining blissful pleasure! YOU SHOULD ALL BE WIPED OUT LIKE THE DOGS YOUR KIND IS!! YOU AND YOUR PITIFUL DEMOCRATIC WAYS!!!”

Everyone remained in terrified silence as Frederic began to succumb slowly into madness, his knees trembling with every cackle leaving his throat until they could hold him no more and forced him to sit down on the floor. The Magisters interchanged glances with one another, their facial expressions presenting signs of worry as Frederic kept going, “WHY SHOULD THE MASSES BE GIVEN THE RIGHT TO CHOOSE THEIR OWN LEADERS WHEREAS AN INDIVIDUAL CAN OBTAIN IMMENSE POWER FOR THEMSELF?! THE BEST WAY TO RULE OVER A POPULACE IS THROUGH FEAR AND WAR! NOT SOLIDARITY AND PEACE!”

The first Magister had enough of this affront and spoke, “And for that, you chose to betray not only our people but us too, as well as our allies? ALL OF THIS FOR POWER?!”

“We should’ve known better than to trust you after all these years, Frederic,” the fourth Magister spoke, teleporting back to the tribune in a blink of an eye. Her face grimaced as she remarked, “Only a fool would pursue such madness the world doesn’t ever need.”

Frederic glared at the Magister, his laughter replaced with a growl as he continued, “A FOOL SUCH AS YOURSELF WOULD NEVER UNDERSTAND THE TRUE MECHANIZATIONS OF THIS WORLD! WHAT IT TRULY WANTS AND NEEDS! THAT POWER COULD HAVE BEEN USED FOR GREATER PURPOSES AND YOU ALL SQUANDER IT AWAY WITH EMPATHY!! I WILL NOT STAND FOR IT ANY LONGER!!!”

The final Magister sighed deeply, taking into account the motive that drove him to rebel against his people and the aftermath that incurred once the coup was thwarted off. Her eyes glimmered in bright blue as she glanced at her colleagues, discussing the sentence of the accused through telepathy. Moments later, she stood up from her seat and directed her eyes to meet the prisoner’s as she spoke in profound voice, “Frederic Casi, for your crimes against the people of the Lux Federation and of the Central Abyss as a whole, this Council hereby sentences you to death.” She rang the same bell, signaling the masses that the verdict has been given. She addressed the guards and spoke, “Take him away to the Inanis District this instant.”

The guards obeyed her command and began to drag the prisoner outside the auditorium once more. Before they left, however, Frederic spoke, “You may kill me now but let me tell you one thing that I’m certain of: this doesn’t end with my insurgency. This is the beginning of your downfall.” He then began to laugh more loudly as he kept saying, “SAVOR THIS SMALL VICTORY WHILE YOU STILL CAN! MANY THINGS HAVE BEEN SET INTO MOTION IN CASE I FAILED MY PART!! YOU SHALL ALL SEE THE ERROR OF YOUR WAYS!!! HAHAHAHA!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAAA~!!!!”

As soon as he finished talking, the guards opened the doors and dragged him out of the building, never to be seen ever again as the giant doors slipped closed once more. The auditorium had an unnerving silence as the Magisters, upon hearing those words, tried to make sense of what the prisoner spoke of.

And pondered what it all meant for them.

(Translations: Roşu = Red; Luna = Moon; Solis = Sun; Lux = Light; Alb/Alban = White; Inanis = Void)

Tag List: @romanthewriter @sixstepsaway @ninjamidnight @faireladypenumbra @somewhat-honest-abe (Sorry for the long wait; please tell me if you wish to be tagged on the chapters.)

[yumapii]

[Character Story] Nito Senri [4/9]

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

{ i’m back on this T T sorry for the delay, i really can’t juggle too much when an event is happening. i better do as much as i can before the next event orz  }

Aw geez, his timing is the wooooooooorst!

[scene: yuma-yana’s room]

Senri:

(Aw geez, his timing is the wooooooooorst!)

Takaomi:

That package…

Yuma:

I’m sorry, Shishimaru.

Senri:

!

// Standing up with surprising speed, Yumapi faced Shishimaru and lowered his head. //

Yuma:

I mistook it for a package from my Grandma and just opened it, I’m sorry.

Takaomi:

It’s no big deal. That old hag never sends anything good anyway.

Senri:

(Huh? He’s just forgiving him like that? Unexpected.)

Yuma:

Your mother… sounds like a fun person. She’d even send a photo.

Takaomi:

A photo?

// Ignoring the surprise in his expression, I wave around the photo between my fingers. //

Takaomi:

That’s-

Senri:

Fufu, Pudgy-maru.(1)

Takaomi:

?!

Why’d you look at that without permission, you bastards.

Yuma:

I’m-I’m sorry.

Takaomi:

Wipe it from your memory!

Yuma:

Understood.

Senri:

There’s no way I can forget such a cute picture of Pudgy-omi.(2) Fufu.

Takaomi:

I’ll hit it out of you!

Senri:

Wah, don’t grab me! I’m anti-violence!

Takaomi:

Shut up! Having you, of all people, see that picture makes me wanna hurl, stupid rabbit. You better clench your teeth.

Yuma:

Guys, please wait… !

Senri & Takaomi:

Woah!

// Yumapi threw himself at us, sending Shishimaru and I flopping down, pinned underneath him. //

Takaomi:

Yuma, you ass! That was super dangerous!

Senri:

Owowow, Yumapi using violence…  

// Yumapi squirmed a few steps back, and then he knelt on the floor with his head hanging down. //

Yuma:

It was my fault for opening the box without making sure it was mine, so it’s not right that the two of you are fighting.

Please, don’t hit each other. I’ll do anything, whether it’s grovelling or being a slave for a day.

Takaomi:

What?

Senri:

I get the grovelling but… a slave?

Yuma:

I always hear Yanagi-senpai apologise to girls with that.

[flashback:

Yanagi:

Oh please don’t sulk. I’m sorry, my beautiful sweetheart. As apology, I want to be your slave for today.]

Senri:

Hanabusa-senpai…

Takaomi:

That guy’s a serious idiot.

But anyway I’m over it. The shitty rabbit is still shit but whatever.

// He might have had his objections but looking at Yumapi’s blank face, there was nothing he could do but accept the ceasefire. //

[the next day]

[scene: canteen]

Senri:

Morning~

Touji:

Good morning. Lively even in the early hours, you’re hired!(3)  

Senri:

Hahaha, I have no idea what you mean but thanks, Hari.

Yuma:

Nito, were things okay between you and Shishimaru after that?

Senri:

Nope, impossible, I took a big hit in the abs.

Yuma:

You fought?!

Senri:

No, from laughing! Everytime I see his face I remember Pudgy-omi and I start laughing from the cuteness.  

Touji:

What is Pudgy-omi?

Senri:

The photo of Shishimaru as a child that his mum sent was the best. Isn’t that right, Yumapi?

Yuma:

What do you mean?

Senri:

Eh?

Yuma:

?

Senri:

(No-No way…

He really “wiped it from his memory”. Is that even possible? Probably not. Which means, woah, Yumapi actually has some serious acting skills, doesn’t he?)

Yuma:

Nito?

Senri:

Ah what I meant was, being sent a whole bunch of gum? Isn’t that kind of childish? Isn’t that hilarious?

Touji:

I see. Yes, being sent snacks does make one smile. Shishimaru-kun must surely have a good relationship with his mother. My own mother, as well, liberally spends on sending me a lot of supportive goods to encourage me in my studies. Recently she even sent some glazed ginseng from China!  

Senri:

(That’s Mdm Harimiya for you. It’s a bit over the top but…)  

That’s nice, something like that.

--

(1), (2) senri combines the word for chubby with takaomi’s first and last name

(3) according to everything i could find about this word 採用 is about appointment, employment, recruitment etc. so i’m supposing touji is just complimenting senri. given that senri himself says in the next line that he doesn’t really get it, i just left it as a literal translation and presumably it’s a bit of a verbal tick on touji’s part. 

[dougmeet]

Time! Let's log off, Becky, and get out of here. Hey, I got eight hits on that last batch of "help wanted" ads. I was right in the middle of chatting with Stuart, the clown from Pittsburg who thinks we're going to get married. Did he get that check you sent him last week to help with the wedding expenses? Yeah. Just give it a few days, let the money show up in his account, and Bam! I'll get him to send it right back to me. You know, I'll make up some emergency expense that suddenly came up that I had to cover. Fool won't know what hit him. What did you tell this one? Oh, this one? I told him that I am putting myself through nursing school, modeling underwear for catalogues. That one's almost too easy. The guy probably had never had a real date in his life. Yeah, but he's still going to wonder why I bailed on him in the chat. You know the rules. Never stay wired for more than thirty minutes. I've already sniffed another open network near the motel. We can log on there later and finish up. OK, but I still want to call him. I don't want him to start getting suspicious or something before I've hit him up for the green. But use the prepaid phone and keep it short. I don't want him to have anything to connect back to us. Chill, Abs. I know the drill. Well don't screw up. I'm like Paris baby. Orange ain't my color. So, who are you supposed to be today, Niece? I'm a sixty-three-year-old woman named Brenda, recently retired from school teaching, and I've settled in New Mexico. Yeah? I can see that. You already got the divorce and the cat. That could totally be you in about thirty years. That's cute, Lang. I wonder what that says about you, though. You play better females than I do. She's got a point, Howie. Remember that mope from Nigeria last month? I think he was in love with you. Any leads on our "work at home" scams out west? Yeah. There's several new job listings on one of the resume websites this morning. It's the usual pitch. "Wanted: international company seeks payment processor." These guys claim they're from Ireland, and they need someone to process payments to avoid making customs fees. You thinking it's our "coffee shop bandits?" Fits their "M.O." The "coffee shop bandits"….that's what we've been calling them for weeks now. We've tracked them to a series of coffee shops, hotels, laundromats, and other locations in the Southwest. They use public wi-fi hotspots to connect to the internet wirelessly. Their scams cover a whole range of internet fraud with one common link - they all depend on counterfeit checks and money orders. The payment processing clerk con is one of their favorites. They target people who want or need to work from home - retirees, single moms with kids, even people with disabilities. Once the person accepts the job as a payment processor, they're asked to open a checking account for the overseas business. In a few days a series of checks arrive from their customers. The new employee is told to deposit these checks, and once they've cleared, to wire ninety percent of the money to their employer. The clerk is told they can keep ten percent of the payments as their salary. When they check their available balance, the money is there. But actually it can take weeks for a check to clear or be discovered as counterfeit. But the ATM said that the funds were available. Yes, it did. At the time it was in there but in five or six days… If the person withdraws money during this period, then they become responsible for covering the bank's loss. But I've spent some of the money… We've seen victims lose tens of thousands of dollars on this type of scam. This job posting is nearly identical to the one we saw last week. Hey, if it's working, why change? There are thousands of new people who look at these "help wanted" postings every day. Where did you tell him you lived? Truth or Consequences. Priceless. OK, so what else we got on these guys, Derek? Well, first of all, they're not guys. Remember that last trace that we ran? An inspector went to the scene. Ran into a dead end. They got their room with a stolen credit card…fake names on the registration. But he spotted an ATM across the street, and we managed to get these photos. But these photos, they don't give us a whole lot to go on. You underestimate me. Another phone was used at three of the bandit’s locations. And this phone, it's not a prepaid cell phone. It's registered to a Becky Meyers of Key Largo, Florida. NCIC says she got a list of arrests for all kinds of petty stuff - everything from shoplifting to bad checks. OK, I'm impressed. Any idea who her friend is, Sherlock? Hey, man, I had to leave something for you guys to do, right? You're not calling one of the punks on that phone, are you? No, dope. I'm calling Mikey. I need to get some refills on those checks. Your boyfriend gives me the creeps. Whatever. You don't like any of my men. Besides, he's better than anybody we know with Photoshop. Look how legit these things look. I told you to stop flashing those! You're going to blow this whole deal! I'm going to blow this whole deal? There wouldn't be a deal if it wasn't for me! This sweet ride…my deal! Hardly! You and your boyfriend would still be passing bad checks for beer money at the Piggly Wiggly if it wasn't for me! Still, you've got to admit, Mikey's got good hands…and mad skills on that printer. So what did you turn up on Becky Meyers? Hey, I'll check you a little later. Thanks. According to her parole officer, her printer is a local loser named Michael Friedman. They've been an item since high school. He spends most of his time playing those multi-player games online, printing counterfeit checks, just as a way for him to keep the lights on. So who's playing "Thelma" to her "Louise?" Our best bet is another high school friend, Abbey Seals. She was a computer science major at FSU until she dropped out last year. Miami cops busted her on a DUI a few months back, Becky Meyers in the car. Almost violated her parole, but the judge cut her a break. So this Abbey Seals may have helped take their bad check racket high-tech? Looks like it. Trouble is, her PO says she's skipped. Hasn't check in in three months. That fits the timeline to our scams. But we stills can't actually connect them to any of the frauds, or any of the victims' wire transfers. Which brings us back to Brenda, from Truth or Consequences. Alright, do it. I'm on it. Oh, damn it! Stupid freaking woman! God! What is it? It's that woman from New Mexico, the teacher. Now she can't figure out how to send a simple wire transfer. She deposited those checks like two weeks ago. If she doesn't send the money soon, the bank's going to tip her off, and the whole thing is going to fall apart. How can one woman be so dense? Did she email you? No, we're chatting on IM. Oh wait, get this. She didn’t trust the guy at the wire service. Good god! Stupid broad took the money out in cash! Well, how much? Ninety percent. Almost thirty thousand dollars. You're kidding. Now what? Well, she's wants to meet in person so she can deliver it. Doesn't she think the company is located in Ireland? Yes, but remember? She thinks we have an office in Forth Worth. Yeah, OK, OK. No way in hell do we ever meet anyone in person. That's the rule, remember? Yes. Well we have to think of something else. Are you kidding me? Stupid hag could barely open the account. She's never going to brainstorm a wire transfer. And besides, the bank is going to call her any day now and tip her off. The money's going to walk. Then it walks. We never meet anyone in person. Time! What? Bull! Log off. No, No! What am I going to tell her? Come on. It's thirty grand! Tell her you'll call her later. Now log off, Becky. I mean it! They just logged off. She said she was going to call me on the phone. Do you think they bought it? I don't know. They've been playing it really safe. They might now be willing to risk a meeting in person. We better hope that they're getting greedy. If they keep using these web-based email services to open networks, limiting their access time, we're never going to be able to connect them to any of these "work at home" scams. Come on. Yeah. UC phone. Hold on, hold on, hold on. Caller ID says, "unknown." It's her. Yeah, trace that call. OK? Go. Hello? Hi there, Brenda? Oh, hello, dear. Hey listen, I was thinking that you really shouldn't come all the way to Forth Worth, especially carrying all that cash on you. We're concerned about our liability, because our insurance wouldn't cover it if anything happened to you. Oh, I just don't trust those wire services, dear. My father tried to wire money to my Uncle Benjamin once when he was having twin girls. And he tried to wire it to Tulsa, Oklahoma, but it went to another Benjamin in Kansas City. They didn't even have the same last name. Kansas City is nowhere near Tulsa. Yeah, I know where Tulsa is, Brenda. Hey, listen, my partner and I, we're going to be in your area. We're going to be looking at some land that we're considering. Why don't you at least let us meet you halfway there, you know, to save you some trouble. Oh, it's no problem, dear, to drive to Fort Worth. I have a half sister in Irving. I've been dying to see her miniatures collection. No, no, no, Brenda, really, I insist. Listen, Friday, let's meet at… You know what? Why don't we meet at Alamogordo. Do you know where Alamogordo is? Oh, certainly, dear. Everyone knows where Alamogordo is. That's where they tested the first atomic bombs in the 1940's. It was part of the Manhattan Project. That's a funny name, actually, as it was here in New Mexico and nowhere near New York. Well, that was really fascinating, Brenda. Well, listen, OK, Friday it is. I'll call you on your cell phone when we get there, like right around lunchtime. Of course, I'll bring you a receipt. Alright, well listen, Friday it is. I've got to go, Brenda. OK? Alright. Bye bye. Harmless. We'll meet her in the middle of nowhere, in and out, ten minutes, we're done. Less if I could get her to shut up for five seconds. Cake. I still don't like it. What if she's a cop? I swear, you must think I'm mental. Listen, I'll go in there, and I'll talk to her. You wait, out in the car. If something smells funny, we'll walk. Can't tie us to the phone calls, or the checks. Thank you. Did you get it? Yep. It's the same signature as the phone used to call the other victims. I'd like to see their lawyer explain that one. We're still going to need them to show up for the transfer in order to pick them up. I mean, by the time they do this trace, they could be a hundred miles from here. No problem, we'll pick them up on Friday. Aren't you kind of forgetting something? What? They're expecting a sixty-three-year-old named Brenda. It's after one. Look sharp, everyone. Possible suspect vehicle - white Ford Mustang, late model. We couldn't make the tags off the ATM photo. Location two, clear. Niece, they called you again? No, it's been forty-five minutes. She said they were running late. They'll be here. Our suspect is approaching, east side of the street. No sign of her partner. Bingo. Becky, dear. Brenda, I wasn't sure that was you. Sorry we're running late. It took a little longer to tour the property. Oh, that's fine, dear. I've just been sitting here enjoying my tea, and reading up on the history of this wonderful little town. Did you know that Robert Oppenheimer was almost convicted of being a traitor and a spy? Can you imagine? You look a lot younger than I expected. Oh, you're sweet, dear. OK, OK, Thelma's getting nervous. I don't think she's buying Niece's makeup. Find Louise, fast! I got her. She's parked just down from the war wagon - white Mustang in that alley. I'm on it, Lang. Watch my back. Everyone else cover Niece. Wait for my signal. I have the money right here. I put it in this bag. I didn't want to attract attention, you know. It's under my needle point. No, that's OK, Granny. You keep it. I'm giving you a raise. Federal Agent! You're under arrest! No! No, no, no! This is complete crap! It didn't touch that money. Police! Police! Freeze! Hands up! Hands up! Clear the door, folks, please clear the door. Thank you. Listen, everybody, thanks for your help. I need everybody outside. There's nothing else to see here. Thank you very much. Get up. Howie, she's all yours. Have a nice day. Did you have any trouble with her friend? Nah. She's already trying to pin the entire scam on Becky and her boyfriend. Yeah, she didn't take the bait. She's got several phony checks in her purse. Well, we're still going through the car, but so far, we've got lots of fake checks, prepaid cell phones, and your little friend Derek is going to have a field day with the laptops. Oh yeah, we got a whole lot of love letters from Mikey the printer. Can't wait to send in the Miami team. Did you recover any of the victims' moneys? Not a whole lot. About eight grand on them. Whole lot of neat toys and shwag from the shopping sprees though. Yeah, well at least they're off the street. Yeah, this time they're all looking at ten to twenty for mail fraud. You know, I've got to tell you. You look…ridiculous. I told you you weren't going to pass for sixty-three. What's the matter with you? Thanks to some solid police work and the efforts of the Technical Services Division, these two high-tech crooks are behind bars. Unfortunately, there are hundreds more of them out there, operating these scams from around the world. Remember, on the internet, these crooks can pretend to be anyone that they want. Often, they construct elaborate fronts to make them seem legitimate - fake websites, phony pictures, even references that can vouch for them. We refer to this as "the anonymity of the internet." But don't be fooled. There are very few legitimate jobs that allow you to work from your home, and none that involve processing checks or money orders. To avoid falling into these traps, remember these important tips. Number one: Never accept a check or money order for payment for any items if the check is greater than the amount owed to you. These so-called "overpayment scams" seem like a ticket to easy money, but usually leave the victim with an overdrawn account and empty pockets. Number two: Just because your ATM or bank statement says "funds available" doesn't mean that the check has actually cleared. By law, banks must make funds available to you in a few days. After that you can access the funds, but the check may not clear for weeks. Until the check does clear, you're legally responsible for the deposit, as well as any funds that you withdraw. Number three: Many lottery or sweepstakes frauds involve counterfeit checks. You receive a check for a portion of your winnings and are told to deposit it. You're then instructed to use a portion of these moneys to pay for taxes or fees, with a promise of even bigger winnings to come. Don't buy it. It may seem like easy money, but it will cost you big in the end. And lastly, don't forget your good common sense. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. There are no "get rich quick" schemes, and you can be sure that no one needs your help to transfer millions of dollars into or out of their country. Cops call these types of scams "419 fraud." They've been around for years, only now they've been updated for the information age. Play it safe, and log off on these fake check scams. For more information on how to avoid counterfeit check fraud, visit our website at www.fakechecks.org.

External Link: Behind the Badge: The U.S. Postal Inspection Service,   Transcripción en español