#forgotten!memory sans

[thenocturnenarrator]

TIME ZONES BE BLESSED! ITS STILL USO BDAY I DIDNT MISS IT XDD

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO HEALER INK AND NOTE INK! WOOOOOOOO (and all other inks)

I don’t think Sketch would like Healer’s found family XDDDD

[soupkeychain]

Bro never gets a break

Go read For the Forgotten ones and Spilled Ink on ao3, they’re really good (make sure to mind the tags tho)

[the-local-eldritch-microwave]

Day 21: The unknown. unknown? or just forgotten? .. what's the difference?

Notes down below:

aah cramps hit m like a truck this morning and all my motivation to draw was just zapped away just like that T-T, but i told myself i wouldn't be late for any day and i couldn't miss a red one so i put my feelings to the paper(or screen) and this came out!

simple but alright :]

also I headcanon that he will liter his sketchbooks with sticky note's and smaller papers filled with even more sketches and reminders, but there just as unorganized as everything else is in his life but every now and then he'll find a note along the lines of "remember" or "don't forget" and it will bother him until he forgets about it again.

[kosmicfeelings]

and all of a sudden I’m remembering the nights I played outside of the apartment in San Diego

[inupibaldspot]

Let’s Give it One More Try

pairing: gojo satoru x reader

Note ₊˚⊹♡ : you and gojo are getting a divorce :((

Your fingers tighten at the edge of the papers and then slammed it onto a fancy desk, designed by a famous architect; a name you had forgotten. I mean… if you were to remember every designer of the furniture inside the house, your brain would probably explode.

Your lawyer beside you shivers as he suddenly feels the air around him grow cold, at a very rapid pace. His eyes wander to see the air conditioning still working, and his eyes the trail towards his side. He gulps as he takes on his clients appearance, you.

Your face was cold and actions were merciless. “These are my part of the agreement.” You spat viciously.

“Dealing with these is a hassle so let’s get over this quickly.” Your eyes trail to your lawyer, who quickly straightens under your gaze as he nods in agreement. “But I slept well without you. The morning is also very peaceful; I didn’t have my ears bleeding while I ate my breakfast.”

“Thank god you’ve been eating well. Back when we first met I remember you’d never eat properly.” To your dismay, Gojo beams at you full of affection with makes your resolve waver. “I almost fainted when you told me you forget to eat then-“

“— I said we’ll keep this short, Gojo-san.” You says as you lean back, crossing your hands. There was a brief second where you could see Gojo’s eyes half-opens and his eye brows furrowed slightly,a thing he does when he feels hurt.

You bite your lips before you give in and sigh. “I haven’t skipped a meal.…”

Your face twitches with annoyance when you see your now ex-husband with still a melted look, eyes slightly dazed and flowers blooming in the background as he focuses on only you. You are annoyed because satoru makes you waver.

Your lawyer clears his throat as he hands over another stack of paper over. “My client wants to do a 50-50 and—“

“Are you crazy?” Gojo’s lawyer jumps out of his seats as his face pulls into a frown. “You want 50 percent of THE Gojo Satoru’s property?”

“Yeah!” Gojo also jumps out of his seat, a nerve pops on his forehead in annoying. “How could you ever think of that?!”

Your lawyer smalls at the sudden outburst.

“That’s too much!”

“That’s too little! Take all of it, babe.”

“Huh?” The duo sitting at the other side of the table looks at each other at confusion as they give slow dumb blinks. His lawyer clears his throat. “No gojo-san, what your saying is your going to give the entirety of Gojo estate to your now ex-wife.”

“Yup.” Gojo gives his answer a bit too quickly.

“That’s fucking dumb.”

“Woah— you’re my lawyer! You can’t be saying that.” Gojo shouts back as his lawyer massages his temple taking a seat.

“Take it all babe.” Gojo turns to you and smiles, it was a simple boyish smile, taking on the look of a man who was simply and all in love. “Become the head of the Gojo clan.” He adds with a laugh.

But you didn’t take that lightly as your eyebrow furrowed. “Are you making fun of me?”

“Of course not.” Gojo leans back, on arms over his seat and other on his lap, legs spread apart. Your ex-husband was so attractive. “Just—“

He tilts his head as his smile is softening. “Just before all this…let’s give it one more try.” His voice was strained taking on a tone one would make when they beg. “But this time, I promise I’ll be by your side. Let’s live alone in an apartment, just two of us?”

Your breath hitched.

You knew what Gojo was implying. Being wed to Gojo Satoru meant you were always under watchful eyes. Every breath you take, every step, every strand of hair that was messed up would be judged; and you collapsed under the pressure of those watching eyes.

And now Gojo was proposing you what you’ve always wanted. Memories made by newly wed lovers in a small yet affordable apartment where we could just cook and dine amongst ourselves, take afternoon naps on the sofa on lazy sundays and breathy soft kisses as he could pick you and place you on the counter top.

That’s was all you wanted.

“I realized how you were feeling about everything…”Gojo’s voice was unusually soft, and raspy as if he was struggling to speak. “so I actually wanted to surprise you with an apartment but…”

But before that you slammed the divorce paper on his face.

“Please y/n… just one final chance.” His slightly teary blue eyes looking into yours, makes your breathing stop. “Can you let me be yours again…?”

You swallow, the busy world now contains simply two of you in your vision as fingers play nervously with eachother as your finally open your mouth to speak.

“—“

Note ₊˚⊹♡ : so now the question is do you say yes or no? ✧

Reblogs, like and comment are appreciated! Love this work? Check out other here

[vaspider]

Simply put, there is a ton of fascist-chic cosplay involved. Once an officer joins the Grays, they get a special uniform designed by their tech overlords. The Grays will also donate heavily to police charities and “merge the Gray and police social networks.” Then, in a show of force, they’ll march through the city together. “A huge win would be a Gray Pride parade with 50,000 Grays,” said Srinivasan. “That would start to say: ‘Whose streets? Our streets!’ You have the A.I. Flying Spaghetti Monster. You have the Bitcoin parade. You have the drones flying overhead in formation.... You have bubbling genetic experiments on beakers.… You have the police at the Gray Pride parade. They’re flying the Anduril drones …”

Everyone would be welcome at the Gray Pride march—everyone, that is, except the Blues. Srinivasan defines the Blue political tribe as the liberal voters he implies are responsible for the city’s problems. Blues will be banned from the Gray-controlled zones, said Balaji, unlike Republicans (“Reds”). “Reds should be welcomed there, and people should wear their tribal colors,” said Srinivasan, who compared his color-coded apartheid system to the Bloods vs. Crips gang rivalry. “No Blues should be welcomed there.”

While the Blues would be excluded, they would not be forgotten. Srinivasan imagines public screenings of anti-Blue propaganda films: “In addition to celebrating Gray and celebrating Red, you should have movies shown about Blue abuses.… There should be lots of stories about what Blues are doing that is bad.”

Balaji goes on—and on. The Grays will rename city streets after tech figures and erect public monuments to memorialize the alleged horrors of progressive Democratic governance. Corporate logos and signs will fill the skyline to signify Gray dominance of the city. “Ethnically cleanse,” he said at one point, summing up his idea for a city purged of Blues (this, he says, will prevent Blues from ethnically cleansing the Grays first).

[theysaidhush]

heyy i happened to see you asking for threesome related hard thoughts and i suddenly thought about brat taming with poly woosan uwu like imagine how teasing and mean they would beee <333

Woosan fucking some sense into your bratty mind (why is this so hot 🥵)

San is such a sweetheart but I feel like Wooyoung’s corrupting him ugh 🥵. Anyway here some mean Woosan for you fyp

Feedback are well appreciated 👀

"What a naughty girl, thinking she could get away with this."

San roamed his hands through your hair, gently massaging your skull before making sure the tie around your head was covering your vision.

"Hey, stop being so nice to her." Wooyoung tsked, grabbing your hair and pulling them roughly, the sweet touch of San long forgotten and replaced by a sting you were very much familiar with.

"I-I didn’t do anything…"

"Good girls don’t lie." Wooyoung sing songed before getting on top of you, straddling your thighs as you were laying flat on your stomach. "What should we do with this thing, huh ?"

He shook your head mindlessly, making you whimper at the sensation, before slowly starting to grind his clothed dick on your ass. He admired the red stripes on your skin, grinning at the memory of San spanking you again and again as soon as you all came home. He might act nice, but his lover wasn’t merciful.

"Ah, I’m not your thing, fuck you." You loved teasing them. Seeing this dangerous glint in their eyes, feeling their hands roughly manhandling you.

But as soon as those words came out of your mouth, you gagged on the dick that was pushed inside of it, tears feeling your eyes and broke whimpers stuck in your throat. "Ah~. Now, kitten, good girls don’t say b-bad words. Ah fuck your mouth feels so good around my dick..." San groaned, stroking your cheek before grabbing your jaw, making you open your mouth wider.

As Wooyoung got his dick out of his boxers, adjusting your body so your ass was at the perfect height for him to fuck, he smirked, entering your tight and leaking hole in one push, making you moan and wiggle under him, choking and spitting around your boyfriend’s cock. "This mouth is only good at sucking dick, isn’t it ? You’re so fucked."

San grabbed a fistful of your hair and pushed your head down his length, giggling at the sight in front of him. Your hands were roaming around the bed, trying to get a grip on something as Wooyoung was being relentless on you, slamming his dick in you in an almost painful way. You were so pretty. "Yeah, let’s fuck some sense into you."

[jupitercomet]

The Difference a Minute Can Make

summary - Jake broke your heart when he left you behind. All that remained of him were the memories of when you were in love—and the phone number he never picks up. Now he's back, ready to claim his title. And you think that that's all he wants, that he's completely forgotten about everything you were together, until he tries to fight for you too. But, this time, will you finally be worth more to him than the glory?

warnings - DARK THEMES, boxer au, violence, language, Jake is 6′5″ because I said so, my nonexistent knowledge of boxing, will I ever stop making Neil the villain of Jake’s story?, crass insults between men, physical assault (not descriptive), mild gore, mentions of blood, mentions of injury, panic attack, Jake having his jtldm!Bradley moment, no use of y/n

this series is 18+, minors please do not interact

word count - 4.8k

one new voicemail masterlist

It’s almost as if your run in with Jake at the butterfly pavilion altered the trajectory of time and space because, after it, you started seeing Jake almost everywhere. The grocery store, the gas station, even somewhat obscure department stores in the mall. You’d almost think he was following you if he didn’t look equally as surprised every time. And, in a weird way, you guess it makes sense, the two of you always had unusually similar lifestyle habits.

It was always the same, your gazes would meet, Jake’s eyes would widen almost comically, and then he would either give you a small wave or, worse, attempt painstaking small talk. And then the whole exchange would end in forced smiles and awkward goodbyes. Maybe Jake was good at that.

Weirdly, Jake’s sudden appearance in your life caused your voicemails to kick back up to their daily occurrence. After cutting down to sparing voicemails every couple days, you’d fallen back into leaving him voicemails on every walk home from work by the third time you ran into him. It felt a little strange to be talking to him about him, but this influx of Jake in your life was throwing you off and you didn’t know how to feel about it.

“Oh my gosh, Bradley, my favorite waitress is here!”

The door of Knockouts opens and two regulars make their way inside before much more of the wind can. It’s slightly chilly for fall in San Diego—not terrible weather, but windy. You’d never liked the wind much, it seemed to always make things worse than they already were.

The couple move to their usual booth—the back left, near the widow—and you grab two menus. You were honestly surprised when they came back about a week and a half ago and the woman could still recognize you. Since then, they stopped by semi regularly—sometimes to dine in, sometimes to take out. They were always nice to you and the man tipped well. You like them.

“Toots, stop shoving your phone in my face, I can’t even see what you’re tryin’ to show me,” The man (you call him Grumpy because he is) grunts.

The woman (Shoes, because, the first time she came in, she helped you find a really good deal on shoes) looks like she’s about to speak before she sees you and perks up. “Hi!”

“Hi,” you smile politely, passing them the menus. “Can I get you guys your usual drinks?”

Shoes lets out a gasp, and you worry you’ve said something wrong, but Grumpy answers for her. “Yeah.”

You nod, heading back to the kitchen to get one water and one oreo milkshake.

“Bradley, she knows our drink orders! I told you she liked us!”

The door of the kitchen swings closed and you maneuver your way through the hustle and bustle of people and kitchenware as you make your way to the milkshake blender in the back. It looks like someone is making a peanut butter milkshake. You have the time, so you pour it into a glass before moving to clean out the machine. Malory comes up behind you and smiles gratefully.

“Thank you,” she balances the milkshake on her tray. “I swear, that scar guy is so weird.”

“He’s back?” You look up from the oreo mix.

Grumpy and Shoes weren’t the only sudden regulars spending their nights at Knockouts. An older man with a large, alarming scar on his cheek, who was always dressed in leather jackets and tight jeans, started stopping by too. He was usually a part of the evening rush but sometimes he’d show up in the afternoon. He was strange though, and none of the girls liked him, you included.

“Yeah, I’m this close to talking to Freddie about him, but it’s not like he’d do anything,” Malory shrugs. “A customer’s a customer.”

You nod sympathetically.

Malory leaves the kitchen after that and you try to shake the strange man out of your head as you finish getting a glass of water and the oreo milkshake ready. Jake preferred smoothies, he always said that milkshakes were “So overrated that any schmuck could see it” and that they were just  “Big Milk’s way of covertly infiltrating the life of the average consumer, angel”. You smile slightly at the thought.

You know Jake didn’t actually care that strongly about milkshakes. He only said it so much because it made you laugh. And maybe that’s why it was so hard to let go of him. How do you move on from a man who pretended to hate milkshakes for you?

Clearing your throat, you weave your way back out the kitchen doors and back to the farthest booth to the left, closest to the window.

“Sorry about that,” you apologize as you set down their drinks, but Shoes waves it off. “Are you ready to order? Or would you like some more time?”

“We’re ready,” Shoes smiles brightly. “Also, can I just say that I love your hair!”

“Oh, um, thank you,” you look down, flustered.

“Yeah, it’s so—”

“We’ll take three cheeseburgers.” Grumpy cuts in bluntly, not looking up from his menu.

You blink in mild surprise, hesitantly shooting a glance to Shoes to see if she’s offended by her partner’s—boyfriend’s? You honestly can’t tell—sudden interruption. Weirdly, she’s only smiling at him softly. She turns to you and her smile widens, though it somehow seems slightly less genuine. “Please,” she adds.

You scrawl the order down quickly, nodding. “I’ll have those right out for you.”

You turn, walking away from the table and, again, you can catch the beginning of their conversation.

“You know, I love your hair too, Bradley. You don’t have to be jealous.” You can hear the playful teasing in her voice.

“...I’m not even going to respond to that.”

Hiding your small smile of amusement, you head back to the kitchen, but something catches your arm before you can give your ticket to the chef. You recognize the feeling of Freddie’s pudgy fingers against your bicep. Freddie is who you imagine Augustus Gloop would be if he never got sucked up the chocolate tube. You’d never say that to anyone—you knew it was mean—but that’s what you thought when you first met him. He was round and pink and always sweaty, a girthy man fit tightly into yellow-stained khakis. Oddly, he’d never been that sleazy, you and the other waitresses had all voiced to each other how surprising that was. Though you suppose that, in order to be sexually attracted to you, he’d have to view you as a human being first. He was bossy and didn’t have an understanding bone in his body, he was the kind of guy you just agreed with if you knew what was best for you. He was also the most paranoid man you’d ever met. 

Freddie’s fingers feel clammy against your skin, stubby nails digging into you. “Which table is yours?”

“Table six,” you point.

“Mm,” Freddie nods, keeping his eyes on Grumpy and Shoes as he takes a step closer to you. His breath is hot against your face. “You know ‘em?”

“I mean, yeah, they’re—”

“Good.” He drops your arm suddenly and starts muttering. You watch him warily. “That’s good.”

“Alright,” Javy drops his gloves with a sigh, shaking his head. “I’m not sparring with you if you’re gonna be in your own head the whole time.”

Jake furrows his brows. “What do you mean?”

“I’ve been leaving my face completely uncovered for the past two minutes and you haven’t gone for a head shot once.”

Jake swallows. Maybe he had been in his own head. But it’s not his fault that he keeps running into you everywhere and it’s distracting him. What’s worse is that, even when he’s not running into you, even when you’re not even there, he’s still somehow seeing you. You’ve somehow made home in his brain and now, everywhere he goes, he’s reminded of you.

Since he moved back to San Diego, you’ve basically been putting him through the ringer. First, you suddenly stopped sending him voicemails, there’s nothing waiting for Jake everyday after 6:00, and it made him go crazy. He basically stopped sleeping, staying up all night wondering if this was really it and you’ve really moved on from him. Then he sees you, he sees how much he hurt you, but he also sees how much you’ve grown from it. Then he’s breaking down in front of drunk women because all he can think about is you. He can’t stop wishing that he didn’t ruin things with you the way he did. He can’t stop wishing that you give him anything more than a forced smile whenever the two of you run into each other in public.

Jake almost feels like this borders on obsession, but he knows that it’s not. He wants it to be obsession because otherwise it’s something else and that’s much scarier. But the thought of not having you at all is even worse.

“Sounds like Cowboy Ken doll isn’t shaping up to be so good in the big leagues.” A quiet chuckle rips Jake from his thoughts and he turns his head to see two of Maverick’s boxers laughing under their breath.

“Sorry,” Jake speaks up, ignoring Javy’s warning look. “I know you aren’t laughing like you’re tough shit when you’re too much of a pussy to say it to my face. Or did you need to practice a little before you said it like a big boy?”

The man, who Jake vaguely recalls as Omaha, snickers in disbelief. “Damn. You kiss your momma with that mouth, Hangman?”

Javy freezes. Jake’s jaw clenches. And then his expression transforms into a smirk, his tongue tracing his front teeth slowly.

“Nah. But yours doesn’t seem to mind.”

“The fuck did you just say to me?!” Omaha’s friend grabs him before he can lunge at Jake and Javy mirrors the action.

Jake just laughs though. “That’s all it took? You wanna talk shit about me and you can’t even handle someone sayin’ they fucked your mom? Javy, are you seeing this shit? I didn’t even have to try.”

“Would you cut it out?” Javy glares at him. “You’ve made your point, now shut the fuck up.”

The air is tense, neither man content with backing down, and everyone else in the gym can sense it. It was really only a matter of time before Maverick came strolling out of his office. He checks the time on his expensive watch boredly, as if seeing two men on the brink of a fight isn’t anything new for him. Given his occupation, Jake knows it isn’t.

“There a problem, boys?” He looks up at the four men, two on the elevated boxing ring and two on the ground below.

“Nothing more than shit-talking, Maverick,” the man holding back Omaha takes the initiative to explain.

Maverick snorts. “Well, then figure it out, yeah? You’re boxers for fucks sake.”

The four men look between each other and—slowly—Jake and Omaha are released. Javy sighs heavily when Omaha moves to put his own wraps and gloves on and gives Jake a knowing look.

“Stay out of your own head, dumbass.” He warns.

Jake smirks. “Oh, that shouldn’t be a problem.”

And when Omaha’s finally ready and they go to touch gloves before the first round, Jake smirks again.

“When you go home tonight, crying like a little bitch, tell your mom I said that I’m sorry about what I did to your face.”

You check again that you have everything contained in your purse before sliding on your jacket.

“Mal?” You call out and Malory pops out from behind the counter. “I think I’m gonna head out. Are you alright here by yourself?”

“I’m fine, Betty should be showing up for her shift any second,” Malory waves you off. You both know you have a bit of a walk and you’d be walking in the dark if you stay any longer.

You nod. “Only if you’re sure,” you check again and she just nods her head. “I’ll see you, then.”

You can hear her shout goodbye as you open Knockouts front door and step outside. The wind’s picked up, blowing at the strings of your zip-up and you wrap your arms around yourself a little tighter. You hate the wind.

Though your fingers are cold—and so are your ears—you can’t help but reach for your phone. Taking a deep breath, you press on the familiar contact and wait to go to its inevitable voicemail

“Hey, Jake. I’ve, um, I’ve been thinking about this all day, so sorry if it seems like it’s coming out of nowhere. But I just have to say it.

I don’t know if it’s just because I know you’re in San Diego now but I just feel… I don’t know, I guess I thought I could do all this without you. I mean I had to. You left. But— But maybe I don’t want to.

I don’t want to do this without you, Jake, and I don’t know what to do because I don’t think you want me— God, I’m sorry, I need to stop crying on my walks home. This is getting ridiculous. I’m sorry. But I made so much progress, Jake, I really did. I promise. And I—

Oh, I’m sorry, I don’t know where that is—

No, I— I really don’t know where that is. But maybe someone else can help you two—”

Harley barks suddenly and Jake looks down at him. “What? You want to go outside?”

“I’m actually on the phone right now—”

Harley’s barks get louder and he circles Jake’s legs, whining. “What? Would you stop? I can’t hear.”

“Please don’t—”

“Harley!” Jake furrows his brows at the doberman when another loud bark overtakes your quiet voice. “What is with you?” 

The dog isn’t even looking at him and Jake follows his gaze to the iPhone 6 in his hand.

“Wait, what—”

The voicemail ends with what sounds like the beginning of your scream and Harley won’t stop barking. Jake can feel his own panic rising as his dog continues barking, and whining, and pawing at his furniture, never once taking his eyes off Jake’s phone.

“Look, I’ll go check on her, okay? Is that what you want?” He leads Harley to the backyard, not wanting the dog to destroy his house while he’s gone. “I know where she is, she said she was walking home. I’ll check on her.”

Though Jake was trying to reassure his dog—as if Harley could understand him—there’s a sinking feeling in his stomach. He’s trying to tell himself that your scream was just you slipping and falling, that you’re probably halfway home by now. 

Jake grabs his motorcycle keys.

He doesn’t know the exact route you took to get home, but there were only so many ways to get to your apartment from Knockouts quickly. He picks the one with the least amount of busy streets—you’d always been smart enough to figure that stuff out—and finds himself scanning every sidewalk and crosswalk for you. He’s getting closer and closer to Knockouts with every intersection and still hasn’t seen a person who so much as looks like you. Jake can’t explain it, but he feels almost suffocated by dread. 

He’s about a block away from Knockouts when he finally spots you. At first he doesn’t even realize it's you, until it hits him so suddenly he almost crashes his bike.

“Angel? Shit!”

Jake parks haphazardly—he might not have even turned his bike off—and he scrambles to the alley hidden by the large Denny’s. 

In his life, Jake has seen many people look bloodied and battered. Hell, this morning, he found pleasure in the blood and bruises he inflicted on Omaha. He’s seen people spit out teeth and choke on bloodied spit and, never once, has it fazed him. 

But when Jake finally gets a look at you, his heart plummets to his stomach. There’s blood dripping from your right temple and your face is covered in scratches. Your clothes are ripped and wrinkled and dirty. Jake already knows you have even more injuries that he just can’t see yet. Without thinking, he takes a step forward and you flinch.

“Hey, hey,” Jake crouches down, whispering softly as he gives you some space. “It’s okay. It’s just me, sweetheart. You’re okay, I’m not gonna hurt you.”

You’re looking at him, but you don’t seem to see him, and Jake tries to catch your eye with a comforting smile. “It’s just me, angel. It’s okay.”

It takes several minutes, but after a few blinks, there’s mild clarity in your eyes. You swallow thickly. “J-Jake?”

“Yeah, angel, just me. Can I take you home, sweetheart?”

Under any other circumstance, being in Jake’s house, on his couch, in his arms would be awkward. Painful even. But now, as he holds your shaky body with equally shaky hands, you wonder if you even have room for those emotions. 

You feel numb. Empty and weightless. You don’t hate the feeling, in fact it’s cutting you off from the pain of your physical injuries. It’s like your body knows it’ll be too much if it lets you feel anything. Vaguely, you wonder if you’re going into shock. But, fighting through all of that, is one gnawing question that you can’t seem to shake.

“How did— How did you know I needed you?” You turn your nose to Jake’s pulse point. When you breathe in, you’re soothed by the smell of his cologne. He hasn’t changed it since you were dating, a rich mix of cashmere and mahogany, and it’s still a familiar scent. You want to drown in it. 

“I, um,” you can feel him swallow. “I was listening to your voicemail.”

His words—their meaning—hit you and you pull away from him slowly, betrayal evident in your features. “You’ve… You’ve been listening to my voicemails? And you never said anything?”

Jake can only look at you guiltily. 

“No…” You shake your head slowly, getting off of him and moving to the other side of the couch. “You let me think— This whole time—”

“I know, okay? I know. I’m awful and horrible and you have every right to be mad at me, I know,” Jake pleads with you, holding his arms out, his voice as soft as his movements like you’re some sort of frightened, feral animal he’s trying to rescue. “But I’m begging you, angel, be mad at me later. I’m being so selfish, I know that, but I can’t— I— Not right now. I gotta hold you right now. Please.”

His own eyes are misty, his voice breaking as he opens himself up to you. Though you’re mad at him, though you’re hurt beyond belief, you need him just as much. It feels like everything is catching up to you, the confusion and pain and heart-stopping terror. And after all of it, after everything, you just need Jake.

When you throw yourself to his chest, Jake relaxes with relief. He’s holding you on just the border of too tightly, one hand gripping your waist and the other holding the back of your head. He holds you like if he lets go, even for a second, you’ll be right back in that dark alley. Like the only way he’ll know you’re truly safe—truly alive—is if he can feel you between his fingers. You’re not much better though, the dam finally breaking as you sob violently into his chest.

“Thank you, angel,” he breathes and his voice sounds thick. You realize that he’s crying too when you feel drops of his tears in your hair. “God, I would never forgive myself if anything happened to you. Seein’ you like that, I thought— Angel, I’ve never been so scared in my life.”

If Jake’s grip on you is almost too tight, yours is well past it, your body shaking and trembling as it finally processes what just happened.

“I don’t wanna be alone. Don’t leave me alone.” Your voice doesn’t sound like your own, desperate and pleading.

“Never, angel,” he promises, rocking you both soothingly. “Never, never.”

“I can’t— I— I can’t—” He sounds like he’s underwater and you can’t stop choking out begs through your sharp intakes of breath. “Please don’t leave me. I don’t want you to leave me.”

“I’m not leaving you, angel,”Jake assures you, rubbing the back of your head softly. 

“Please—” You can’t seem to fight past the images of large men, rough hands, dark allies that clog your throat and you feel trapped. Only able to breathe in, breathe in, breathe in.

“Hey, let’s breathe yeah? You and me? Can you follow my breaths?” Jake mimics sucking on a straw, taking deep breaths as you look at him with wide, panicked eyes. Jake only smiles gently, taking another over exaggerated breath. “It’s okay. Just try to breathe with me, angel. You’re safe.”

You do your best to mirror him, pushing through the harsh collapsing and inflating of your chest as you try to even out your breaths. It takes a few minutes—and a fair amount of coaxing from Jake—but finally the adrenaline lessons its weight on your chest and exhaustion takes its place.

Jake seems to realize your panic attack has passed, softly brushing his thumb over your cheekbone. “There she is. There’s my pretty girl.”

You swallow, too tired to do anything but look at him. 

“I have to clean you up, is that alright, sweetheart?”

You’re not sure how quickly it happens—you’re so exhausted—but you find yourself in Jake’s bathroom, standing in your undergarments as Jake tests the temperature of the shower. He’s stripped down to his boxers as well, your clothes a crumpled pile on the floor. You can’t look at them. You want to throw them out and never look at them again.

Under the brighter lights of his bathroom, Jake must be able to see you more clearly and he straightens so as not to view you at an angle. You watch as his jaw sets as he takes in your injuries, the blood and dirt clinging to your skin and hair. You feel naked under his gaze—you basically are—and you want to shrink into yourself and just disappear. 

Jake purses his lips. “Do you wanna check if it’s too hot?”

You shake your head.

“Would you be willing to get in for me then?”

You take a step forward and Jake places a supporting hand on your back. The water feels nice against your skin—comforting. You think you want to cry again.

“Here,” Jake gently places one of your hands on his hip. “If I start hurting you, just squeeze, okay? Can you do that?”

You nod.

He presses a tender kiss to your forehead.

Neither of you say anything as Jake washes you of the grime covering your skin. He’s gentle, almost feather light, as he cleans you with unscented soap and a smooth washcloth. It occurs to you that Jake’s probably gone through this routine a thousand times. You wonder if it’s any different for him now that it’s you.

“I’m all done, angel.” His voice is a whisper that can barely be heard over the sound of the running water. “Do you wanna stay in here for a bit or get out now?”

It takes a moment for you to speak. “Get out please.”

The water turns off and Jake wraps you up in a fluffy towel before carrying you to his bedroom. You should be more helpful, you know you should. At the very least, you should be able to change yourself out of your sopping wet bra and underwear. But you’re so tired. You only have the energy to stand there, staring at the floor as Jake quickly puts on a pair of sweatpants.

He seems to understand your exhaustion, peeling the towel off you without a word once he’s come back with an old t-shirt and pair of boxers. Though it’s something you’re all too aware he’s seen before, Jake keeps his eyes trained on your face as he takes off your wet clothes and replaces them with his soft, dry ones.

“I know you’re tired, angel. Let’s get you to bed, yeah?” Jake pushes back the duvet for you. “I’ll… I’ll be on the couch if you need anything.”

When his words register, your eyes widen in panic and you grab his wrist frantically. “No! You said you wouldn’t leave me! You promised! You—”

“Hey, hey, okay,” Jake shushes you lightly. “I’m not going anywhere, I just didn’t think—” He stops himself, seemingly shaking off the thought. “I won’t go anywhere.”

It’s only when you’re positive he’s not leaving you that you allow Jake to coax you into his bed. The bedding is warm, and soft, and smells like him—or maybe that’s just his clothes you’re wearing. Still, you can’t seem to force yourself to sleep. You feel almost sick, fatigued maybe, but you’re too afraid to close your eyes.

Jake tenses in surprise when you suddenly cling to him again, but it only takes him a second to relax. 

“I’m so proud of you, angel.” He traces your hairline with kisses, being extra tender with the injured skin above your temple.

“Tried— Tried to do what you taught me but—” You shake your head, tears spilling over onto your cheeks once again. “I thought they were mugging me, so I just tried to give my purse to them— But they didn’t want it!”

Jake furrows his brow, keeping his voice soft as he strokes your back. “What did they want, angel?”

“They kept telling me to tell Rooster to ‘leave it alone if he knows what’s good for him’. And I kept telling them that I don’t know a Rooster, but they wouldn’t listen!” You look at him desperately, your fingers clinging to his bicep. “They wouldn’t listen, Jake! I don’t— I don’t know—”

“Hey, you didn’t do anything wrong, okay? You didn’t do anything wrong. You were real smart, telling them you were on the phone. You did so, so good.” You feel the words spoken quietly into the top of your head and Jake’s grip on you tightens. “Just, maybe I take you to and from work for a bit, yeah?”

Without even hesitating, you nod against his bare chest.

“Yeah, it’ll be okay. We’re okay.” And then he says it again, a bit more like he means it. “We’re okay. Try to get some sleep, angel.”

It’s probably the longest you’ve ever been comfortable in Jake’s grip. Even when you were together, you couldn’t help but second guess yourself if you touched him for too long. Embarrassingly, you feared you weren’t doing it right. But now, the thought of not being in his arms fills you with such a debilitating panic that it outweighs any of your insecurities. 

Because you need to be consumed by cashmere and mahogany, olive green, and soft sheets so there’s no room for you to be consumed by anything else. You need to focus on the feeling of Jake’s fingers dancing across your skin so that your eyes can finally flutter closed. You’re so tired.

Jake waits for your breath to even out. And then he waits a couple minutes longer. And then he waits for a little under an hour because he needs to. Finally his brain seems to register that you’re okay, that you’re safe. The fact that there was even a second that you weren’t makes him sick.

There’s a pawing at the patio door and a soft, muffled whine and Jake cranes his neck to see Harley standing at the sliding glass. With everything that had happened, Jake had yet to let him back in.

Positive that you’re asleep, Jake gently separates himself from you, padding over to the door quietly. Harley seems to understand the situation, because he steps inside the bedroom just as quietly and only looks at your sleeping body and then back at Jake.

“She’s alright, buddy,” Jake assures the dog with a soft scratch of his head. “'Cause of you she’s alright. Now I gotta do something, so you keep your mom safe, okay?”

Jake waits for Harley to settle at the foot of the bed before stepping out and sliding the glass door closed. He unlocks his phone and clicks on a contact he hasn’t had to for almost two years.

“Hello?”

“Rooster,” Jake grits out. “What the fuck did you do?”

join my Jake Seresin taglist here or follow my library @jupitercometgold

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[itstheghostofmypast]

Meow (Chp-3)

Choi San x (f)Reader

Summary: He had spent an entire millennia in solitude, waiting for her to come back to him, bearing this curse that was a constant reminder of his ignorance, his mistake, and his guilt. He had forgotten how fate had always been cruel to him, punishing him for all he had done, and so be it, meeting her in the 21st century should have brought him joy- there was only one problem, his love for her may not have decreased a drop, but she may love Poofy more than she ever loved him.

Genre: Angst

Word Count: 4.3k

Est Read Time: 21 min

Warnings: death of a major character, war, PTSD.

Rating: nc-17

Networks: @cromernet @k-labels

Masterlist I Chp-2

"Bullshit"

Sighing for the nineteenth time, Wooyoung growled, glancing at Jongho who just shook his head letting out a dry chuckle, walking "Stubborn as ever."

"You really think I’d buy this crap?" Yunho sat up, rubbing the back of his neck, "Where the heck is he anyway? You guys give me poofy- I  MEAN SAN and I'll let you all go."

"It's almost time." Wooyoung sighed, staring out the penthouse window, watching the sun sink over the horizon, its streaks of orange slowly fading, "Yunho, you may not believe us, but you need to understand that San doesn't mean to harm her. He didn't back then as well." Yunho stood up, walking over to the glass wall, amazed at the view, how exactly did a few hooligans like them afford a penthouse in one of the most expensive places in the city?

"How do you even afford this place" he turned to look at Wooyoung, though he saw nothing in his eye view, "Wooyoung?"

A little chirp caught his ears, eyes flickering down to spot a red fox staring up at him, its fluffy tail swishing side to side at the back, "What the -"

"He's growing weaker." Jongho interrupted him, walking into the room, Yunho turned to look at Jongho who threw something at him.

His muscle memory reacting, with quick reflexes he caught the item, before opening his palm and staring at the keys, the keychain in particular, the golden retriever shining in all its glory. A gift, more like his graduation gift, he remembers when she gave it to him, once he graduated from the police academy.

“Lock the door on your way out, I’m going to my room”, Jongho mumbled, eying the way he had been standing there, staring at the keychain, he could smell traces of her on him, hell, all of them could smell her scent on him, and even if Seonghwa was not going to admit it out loud, all of them could see why San had decided to trigger her memories without consulting with them first. He was scared, and unlike last time, he was not going to risk losing her, not again, but this rashness would bring nothing but the worst, and as much as Jongho loved his brother, he knew the others, nor him, could physically or mentally endure for any longer, and knowing San had been using magic almost every night just meant his condition was worse than theirs combined, which would explain the man’s calm behaviour when Yunho had socked him in the face- it wasn’t guilt the only factor that had forced him to accept the beating, but his depleting health as well.

“Wait!” Yunho called down, speeding walking after the man who went down the corridor, finally stopping at the door at the end of the hallway, he was about to close the door when Yunho stopped him with his foot, “Finish, the story, what happened next, I-

“I don’t have enough time Yunho, I- I don’t want you to see me like this… you need to remember, just think, it’ll come to you…hopefully.” With that, he closed the door before Yunho could even ask what he even meant by that, he was about to knock on the wood until he heard a low animalist growl, a cry if you could call it. Something at the back of his mind nagged him to open the door, to see what was on the other side, and perhaps he would have, but when he heard his phone’s ringtone, his body went on auto, moving towards the sound. Luckily he had found it at the console table, next to a sticky note and coupon, picking up the coupon he looked at the deal, ‘buy one kitty-kat cupcake  and get a beverage of your choice for free’, he stared at the neon sticky note, the knot in his stomach tightening at the feeling of unease settling in,

‘A thank you gift, for letting Sannie go. PS- really missed you, Yuyu – Love Woo.’

.

“Where have you been?” Mingi asked, not looking away from his phone, “Captain almost lost a kidney when he found out you took a sick leave.”

Sighing as he got into the elevator the taller man glanced at his friend before shaking his head, “Yeah, I felt…under the weather.” He said before walking out onto their floor, Mingi followed after, noticing how Hongjoong’s door was closed, he must be having a meeting. He sat down at his desk, right across Yunho’s, usually his friend would be radiating the same energy as a golden retriever, hence the nickname, and the uncanny keychain of his, but tonight he just looked a bit too glum. Clearing his throat he eyed the man, who was busy cleaning out his desk drawer, slamming file upon file on the table.

“You okay there, buddy?” he asked, turning on his monitor, though his eyes never left the brunette’s mumbling form.

“No, Mingi, because I just realized I’m in love.” He sighed, stopping his little sissy fit as he looked at Mingi, who looked like he was about to implode at the revelation.

“What?”

“Never mind.” Huffing he got up, pulling on his jacket, “Don’t tell the captain I came, although knowing him he’s already seen me, if he asks, tell him I have diarrhea or something.” With that he walked away, not even waiting for Mingi when he pressed the elevator button, instead choosing to go down the emergency staircase, it was all getting a bit too loud, his thoughts, the people, the constant ringing of the phone, to top it all off, he had realized how he had not received a single text from her all day, not even a reply to his good morning, so what exactly was he chasing after- when did this become a chase anyway? Were they not just friends, best friends at max?

 Slamming the car door shut he sighed, leaning back against the headrest, Yunho was not one to lose composure, in fact, he rarely lost his cool, but the thought of her- this pestering lingering thought of losing her was bothering him, on top of that today’s events had begun to haunt him, he had seen and gone through hell today; first, he encountered a naked man in her apartment, then he took said man to his place of work which was filled with creeps he called his brothers, a man spoke in his head, he got flung across the room by another man and finally he witnessed someone morph into an animal- the worst part of the situation was that no one was ever going to believe him. Not even her, in fact, she would just laugh at him and how on a normal day he would love to hear the sound of that, he would not appreciate it being directed at him when he was so overstimulated by his feelings and the situation at hand. Picking up his phone he stared at the time, 8.09 pm, she should’ve been home by now, yet, he had received not a text from her, nothing at all. What if something had happened to her? What if that man had done something to her? But they did keep on saying how they never wanted to hurt her, especially the man, San, he was persistent that his intentions with her were pure and- Officer Jeong, since when did we pay mind to emotions over rationality?

He was almost about to go into cop mode until his phone tinged, a familiar tune – a special tune- he had set only for her. Pulling out his phone he stared at the notification, tapping the screen for the message to open,

“Heyy, sorry I was busy today. How was your day? Mine was shit- I want a whole year off. We should definitely go on a vacation- like somewhere warm? Tropical? Though it should be somewhere we can take Poofy, I’d like my beloved boys to get along. Speaking of getting along, my poor baby has a swollen eye, idk, who hit him, or maybe it was another cat? Anyway, enough about us. I hope Gotham is a bit safer tonight thanks to you my knock-off Batman. Again, I’m sorry I couldn’t reply today. Stay safe, Yuyu.”

Sighing he locked the screen and tossed the phone to the passenger seat, of course, she’d apologise to him, of course, she’d take the blame and beat around the bush, of course, she’d make his heart clench, but what was worse that he may have not been losing his mind. Poofy and swollen eye, memories of today flashing before his eyes, how he had punched Poofy, knowing very well the man would have a black eye. Moreover, she had called him Yuyu, she was the only one to ever call him that, yet tonight, someone else had called him that too, the fox guy, and not once did he ever mention his name to anyone there, especially not his nickname. So, the real question is, if it were true, and the whole past life scenario was true then why couldn't he remember? Why couldn't she remember? He kept jumping from one train of thought to another, no longer driving home but to the only place that made him feel safe, he didn't care what time it was, or the gravity of the information that was brought down upon him today.

He wasn't even sure when he had reached the door, until his knuckles knocked on the wood, echoing in the quiet of the night. He knew everyone was asleep, he knew it was late, he knew she was asleep, but he couldn't wait, he couldn't think straight when something at the back of his mind kept bothering him, the question he was too afraid to find the answer of; am I... going to lose her in this life too?

The persistent knocking didn't stop until the door swung open, revealing a tired, dishevelled woman, staring up at him through sleep-deprived eyes, her bedhead hair just adding to her appeal, suddenly the dread that had been simmering within him began to settle down, replaced by a wave of admiration, wanting nothing more than to be surrounded by her.

“May I come in?” he whispered, watching her glare at him.

“It's midnight.”

The statement meant nothing, it held no malice or anger and wasn’t even a warning, but for him, he knew what it meant, she was upset and she wanted him to know, of course she was, he never responded to her goodnight note, for which he knew he was going to pay later, but perhaps he wanted to hear her yell at him too, just till it lasts.

“I know, I’m sorry…I- I’ll make us my midnight special dish?”

Reluctantly, she moved to let him in, locking the door once he was inside, sighing when he strolled inside like he owned the place, technically he did, he was often found here, if not at the precinct, which would explain why her neighbours assumed the two had something going on, until she had clarified to the old lady next door that the two were in fact just very good friends, though she chose not to truly believe her.

“Wake me up once your apology is ready.” Mumbling she stomped into her room, earning a sigh from him, as she slammed the door shut. Poofy snapped awake, his head snapping in every direction, eyes wide and glowing in the dark, looking for her, how did he not notice her leave? Were his senses getting duller or was he getting weaker? Was this because of the overuse of his powers or because he was injured? Truth be told he hadn’t even seen Yunho when he pounced on him, after deflecting the knife he almost lost all focus, the fatigue getting too much- that would explain how Yunho had found him in the first place. He had slipped away before she woke up,  

“It’s okay baby, I’m here.” She whispered, fingers brushing over his fur causing him to purr, muzzling into her palm as she chuckled, leaning closer to peck the top of his head, scrunching her nose at the scent, “Did I give you a bath with my shampoo last time? You smell like my shampoo- damn I should be more careful, sorry baby.” Snuggling deeper inside her blanket she pulled him closer like a teddy bear, he let her do as she pleased, enjoying the attention. Truth be told he smelt like her shampoo because that’s what he used, Jongho had told him to change it but he didn’t follow, he wanted to be enveloped by her scent all the time, it helped calm down his nerves, relaxed him and considering how he was always on edge, he really needed the stimulant.

Yunho sighed, ripping open a packet of instant ramen, and placing it aside, watching the water boil. He had chopped all the vegetables and even fried the chicken tenders for her, sliced them up nicely to decorate her bowl later. They had invented this dish back in their fun days at college, way before Poofy had entered their lives, when he had her undivided attention and affection, though who was he to hold her accountable for playing with his feelings when it was him who had led her own then let go of her whenever things got a bit too serious for him, to afraid to ruin their friendship.

“And now you place the tenders like this,” she smiled in triumph, garnishing his bowl and hers, before coming over to the small table and placing the tray down. He sat there legs crossed on the heated floor, looking at her in the small open kitchen, smiling at the thought of what their domestic lives would comprise together. Turning back to stare at the table in front of him, she had called him over to her dorm at 2 am, their child psychology exam waiting for them at 7 am, yet, he was here, ready for a late-night snack with her, one she had just invented instead of studying.

“Hmm?”  he looked down at the bowl she placed in front of him, smiling at how he had received the bigger one. ‘A big serving for the lanky growing boy.’ She’d always say, much to his pleasure.

“I’m telling you, once we have this and go to sleep, tomorrow will go great.”

“Oh?” he cocked a brow, before reaching for her glass, pouring her some soda, “Because we’ll remember everything for the exam?”

“Nah girl, that we might fail tomorrow, but we’ll have our tummies full of yummy food.” With that she began eating not even looking up at him when he choked on his spit, laughing louder than anyone would want at 2 am, sure, leave it up to Jeong Yunho to get you kicked out of the girl’s dorms for laughing too loud.

Indeed, the two did fail the exam the next morning, but the memories they had created were far better than any result.

 Poofy was almost asleep, blinking slowly at her drowsy form, until they heard a pot fall in the kitchen, followed by a masculine apology- shit, who was that. He didn’t even wait for her to answer and ran out at full speed, making a sharp turn to the kitchen, bouncing off the wall, ready to pounce on the intruder, he couldn’t transform into his beast form, especially since that day, he couldn’t even morph back into a human till sunrise, but that wasn’t going to scare him. With a hiss the cat pounced into the kitchen, landing on the tiles right in front of the intruder- Yunho?

Yunho’s ears caught the bell chiming across the hall, he could hear the quick padding of the cat’s soft paws, and he prayed to God that it was just a normal cat and not who he feared, but once again fate was not on his side, for as soon as his eyes landed on the cat’s swollen eye, he knew for a fact this was his doing. Sighing he placed a bowl of milk in front of the cat, who looked at it then Yunho, only to smack it away and hiss at him.

“Look, I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you last time buddy, but, I- I can’t just- I need some time okay?” he sighed before picking up the tray of food, turning to walking out the door but the cat stopped him, standing in front of him growling.

“You don’t understand San, I can’t let her go…I love her.” With that he walked over the frozen cat, who was staring blankly at nothing, too stunned by his words to even process what was happening, the only thing that had brought him back to reality was the sounds of her muffled laughter, causing him to turn and look down the hallway, noticing how her bedroom door was closed- she never closed the door, it was always left ajar so he could come and go as he pleased, yet here he was staring at her door with blurry eyes, feeling more nauseous than he did that day.

.

Yunho walked towards the main door, glancing at the ball of fur curled up on the far end of the couch, sighing to himself, a part of him telling him what he was doing was perfectly fine, he had no reason to believe or help out these people, but something deep down begged at him to stop, to not give into his ways and listen to the good that resided with him. With one more glance he closed the door, leaving both sleeping parties alone in the cold of the apartment, while he had tucked her in, he left the cat there, cold as ever, leaving at the early hours of the day.

His ear turned to the door once it closed, sitting up he stared at the turned-off TV, staring at his feline reflection, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath once he heard the subtle chirping of the birds from outside, waiting for the curse to lift, welcoming the gentle, warm light of the sun. At one point in his life, he loved the night, the way the stars would shine above him, watching him perform his duty wholeheartedly, keeping the valley safe and quiet. Moreover, he loved how the moon had witnessed the first time he declared his love for her, the moon had witnessed when she had shied away from the kiss, coyly mumbling how they were not wed, thus they could not perform such an act of intimacy. The moon had watched her favourite soldier proudly, watching him with great intent as he held himself back, trying not to fall onto his knees in front of her, to cry in joy at her innocence and pure heart, he truly wondered what he had done to deserve to call someone like her his own.

Unfortunately, as much as the moon had witnessed her favourite being an exemplary creature, she had also been there to bear the sight of her favourite turning into a beast, of him letting envy wrap him in her green cloak, watching him push away the one he claimed to love, the one who had given him her everything, body and soul, yet, the moon still gave him time to make amends, to try to heal the wounds he had caused, much to her displeasure, he had not, both pride and envy being his companions, letting him destroy the plan destiny had laid down for him, leading to an eventual demise of everything and everyone he had loved, holding onto her limp form as she stared up at him with a broken resolve, too afraid to ask for anything, too afraid to beg him, but not afraid of death that was awaiting her, even though he begged her to stay. The moon had witnessed how he broke down over her, watching how even after what he had done, she had saved him once more, only this time, it had cost her life, proving to the stars that their choice of candidate was not wrong, and it was not a human characteristic to deceive or lie, but a trait brought with pure love, one that he had felt for her, but accepted the little green dot that begun to spread upon the canvas of his heart. The moon had watched him cling onto her lifeless form before he lost all control, his brothers lost all control and did the one thing a guardian is not supposed to do, ‘harm a human’, for the moon had witnessed these fools let their emotions take over, watching them disobey her and end the fleets sent to fight them, watching them tear them down, her final straw perhaps was when her exemplary soldier’s claw’s dig into the neck of the emperor, his teeth bearing the blood of his four sons the beast had ripped apart before his eyes, eyes as black as the moonless sky, resembling the hole that lay in his chest, a cavity which was once occupied by his warm, romantic heart. The moon watched him snarl out in disgust, one last question before the head of the emperor was flung across the royal hall, his body falling limp on the ground,

‘Do you still think your daughter’s life was worth nothing?”

That was all it took for the moon to take back her blessing, perhaps the stars were on the same page, angered by this act of blasphemy, turning what was once a blessing into a curse, one that would shackle them down, bringing their egos and pride to its knees, watching them slowly succumb to their end, until they had not only made amends but had repented to fate itself, earning her favour.

He stared at the reflection, sighing as his feet pressed against the soft carpet, glad that the moon was no longer out to taunt him and mock him, but she was replaced by her brother, showing him some form of mercy for a few hours. He made his way to her bedroom, San stared at her, watching her sleep in bliss, her steady breathing almost lulling him to sleep as well, welcoming him. It had been so long since he had held her in his arms since he had laid next to her, felt her close to him- not like a feline, but all his manly glory. What if he just slipped in for a minute or two? Would she notice? Would she wake up?

Standing above her, he leaned closer, his knuckles caressing her warm cheek, watching as she nuzzled into her pillow, mumbling something about Poofy- ah yes, she still loved Poofy, this was another issue, only Yunho being in love with her just added more to his plate. How was he going to handle all of this? At this point, he knew that time was not on his side and even though he would willingly succumb to death, if it meant that she would remain happy and safe, even if it were with Yunho, he could not let his brothers suffer because of him- how were his actions justifiable, if they had partaken in the war, it was only because they had lost their brothers as well, which was only caused by the ripple effect of San’s own action’s, his prejudice and disdain. Leaning closer he pressed his lips to her forehead, whispering the usual spell, making sure the enchantment was well recited to keep her safe and out of harm’s way.

“How I wish I could hold you once more, my love.” He whispered, before pulling back and going across the room to open the window, staring up at the pastel colours of the sunrise, taking a deep breath he turned to glance at her one last time, “I beg you, do not forget me, for as much as I am in pain right now, the thought of my memories leaving your essence will rip me apart worse than death could possibly intend to, even at his peak.” With that he hopped out onto the emergency staircase, slowly making his way downstairs as he thought about doing that one thing he did not do the last time he was in trouble, ‘ask his brothers for help’.

.

Bonus:

‘In love?’ Seonghwa mumbled, staring at his phone, still trying to understand why Wooyoung was digitally poking him through this application. Yeosang hummed in agreement, still trying to understand what San had said, narrating the events of the previous night, this was worse than the mage could imagine, the time of the course now had to be altered, perhaps increased in terms of pace.

“Aww Sannie, don’t worry I’m sure Yuyu is just confused.” Wooyoung pouted, wrapping his arm around the taller man’s shoulders, trying to help him out, only noticing how his shoulders slumped even more at the mention of Yunho’s name, “I mean, he…this isn’t the same Yunho, he still has to come to terms with it and- I bet as soon as we revive the old Yunho he’ll come to his senses.”

“This isn’t about him though, and it’s not about us,” Jongho mumbled, placing a tray of coffee on the counter, and giving each one of them their mugs, only San didn’t get a coffee, he got Jongho’s special hot chocolate to make him feel better. San had been staring at the red napkin, thumb caressing the small sunflower stitched onto the corner fabric, its once bright colours now faded into a duller tone, much like the matted red of the cloth

“Then who is this about dear baby bear?” Wooyoung snorted, at the sight of San’s ceramic purple cat mug.

“I think Sannie has the answer for that.” He sighed, before taking a sip of his bitter beverage while the other turned to look at the man who was staring at a San who was still looking at his napkin, fingers gripping onto it tighter,

“It’s about her.”

Taglist: @edenesth @mlysalt @yessa-vie @spooo00oky @cereal-simp

[li-louie]

He smells of smoke - burning cigarettes, ash… and the soft feather coat. He smells of a saviour - bitter memories, pain and love.

Cora-san has never been forgotten

[thenocturnenarrator]

Fanart fro Memories of a Protector by Im Sorry Buddy!

WOOOOOOO I HAVE SO MANY EMOTIONS AFTER LAST CHAPTER UFHCUYFCYF SKETCH IF DUST DIES BECAUSE OF YOU ILL HIT YOU WITH A NEWSPAPER DX

Nightmare: give me Ink if you want to save Note

Me: *sweats nervously*

[halesandy]

Ana's ATEEZ Fic Recommendations

So this lovely anon was sending me a lot of good stuff to read, so thanks a lot to them!

Here's the list of our combined reads that we recommend for all Ateez fic lovers. Enjoy! 🥰

🧡 @escapewriter's Coffee House Diaries - 8 smau stories

🧡 @ilymatz's Cherry On Top - Yeosang x Reader smau

🧡 @hwalyn's Sweeter Than Candy - Yeosang x Reader smau

🧡 @desayunho's whole masterlist, but my favorite is Time of Love - Woosan x Reader smau + wonderful written parts

🧡 Omg @imagine-a-life-like-this's Cliché Romance Masterlist is to die for! My personal favorite are with San and Seonghwa

🧡 Another talented writer is @songmingisthighs with their expansive masterlist! My favorite is Algedonic with soulmate!Yunho x Reader smau

🧡 OT8 x Reader Into The Aurora by @honeyhotteoks !!! This! Must read 1000%

🧡 @seung-hwa's Infinity had me so hooked! The tears were there, I swear. It's a San x Reader soulmate!au, reincarnation!au

🧡 In this place, full of lies by @wordstro. Okay, this is not what I usually like to read and I was a bit sceptical, but.. BUT This is a work of ART! Really! I might need a few weeks to recover from this and stop daydreaming about this being a real tv-series! Really love this series! It has aliens/monsters, it has San a an ex, it has post-apocalypse settings, so yeah. Go give it some love, guys!

🧡 @baekhvuns's Memoir with mafia!Yunho and some good old memory loss trope, and it's a gem! Also love Guns and Roses with Hongjoong and Mr. & Mrs. Park with Seonghwa

🧡 Cute librarian!Seonghwa written for you by @itgetsquiet, right here, in Blooming Feeling

🧡 You wanna feel your heart break? @nonclassyparty will break it 8 times and you're gonna love it! Read it here, in Subtle variations of heartbreak

🧡 Bright pink haired San as your lovely younger coworker? YES! Here, in @yunlvr 's Loveholic. Angst and fluff? Just how we love it

🧡 🧡 🧡 🧡 🧡 🧡 🧡 🧡

I'm pretty sure that I might have forgotten some of the works I've read and loved, so there's gotta be more parts of Ateez fic recs! Make sure to follow these amazing people who keep feeding us good stuff and give them some of that big big amount of love you have!

Don't forget to send me your fic recs if you want your favorite fics, writers or even your own works to get a bit more love 🤗

Hope you're having a great day and staying healthy! 🧡

[makeitmingi]

The Cat and Dog Game [Chapter 33]

Genre: Romance, Fluff, Comedy

Pairing: Yunho x Reader (y/n)

Characters: Chef!Reader, RestaurantOwner!Yunho, MaitreD!Hongjoong, Waiter!Yeosang, Waiter!San, Waiter!Mingi, SousChef!Seonghwa, SousChef!Wooyoung, PrepChef!Jongho

Summary: Yunho's dream was to open and run his own restaurant. But he doesn't know anything when it comes to cooking. Until you came along and accepted the job, bringing with you a small crew. How will the black cat tame the energetic golden retriever?

Word count: 3.3K

"Yunho..." You raised your head from your pillow, slight hesitation and worry in your voice.

"Hmm?" He hummed, eyes focused on the game that he was playing on his phone. You and him were slowly growing accustomed to staying at each other's places. And tonight, Yunho was staying over at your place.

"Would you like to visit my mom?" You asked.

That's how you ended up in your position now. Yunho drove, worried that you were too distracted to drive. He was right, you couldn't focus on a single thought for more than 5 seconds.

"Thanks again for coming." You blurted out, hands dripping the material of the pants you were wearing.

"(y/n), there's no need to thank me. I should be thanking you for introducing me to her." He said, reaching over to place his hand on yours.

"I'm a littler nervous. Going there always sends me spiralling." You confessed. But it also acted as a warning to Yunho of the state that you will be in when you reach.

"It's okay, I'll be with you all the way, alright?" He squeezed your hand.

"You can tell me anything, I'll always listen." He added. You nodded with a hum, turning to look out the window but you never let go of Yunho's hand. Although the memories of your mother are fond, they always scared you. So Seonghwa made you promise that you'll never come here alone.

"When I think about my mother... She's an amazing person. Seeing her regress to the state she was in before she died... It still haunts me." You told him.

"I understand that, considering how close you were with her..." Yunho empatised.

"And on top of that, my father was detaching himself. I could tell, when she got sick, he just wasn't there." You sighed.

"He left your mom alone?" Yunho asked in disbelief.

"Yes and no. He was there but he didn't visit her room, buried himself in work... almost as if she was already gone from our lives. And right after she died, he got together with my stepmother." You sighed.

"It's like he didn't even care to mourn for her. I became invisible to him, just forgotten. The father that I knew and counted on growing up was gone. And I know a part of me still cannot reconcile with that." You said.

"I can't imagine you having to go through that all on your own, especially at that age." Yunho replied with a small shake of his head, he really didn't like your father.

"You know, I always wondered how different things would have been if my mother was still around." You chuckled bitterly.

"Or is this just his true colours?" You thought out loud.

Yunho didn't reply to that. He has never met your father and mother But he knew he hated your father and was angry with him for treating you that way when you were little and just lost your mother.

"That's the only good part. Your mother isn't around to see how your dad truly is." Yunho said. You hummed in agreement.

"For a long time, I thought maybe that's just his way of mourning. Maybe he just blames me for making my mother sick. He always said she started getting weaker after she gave birth to me. That's why I don't have a sibling. It made me believe my mother would still be alive if I wasn't born." You said.

"That's not true. It's not your fault and your dad shouldn't blame it on you, you're his kid." Yunho frowned.

"It didn't help my case that my stepmother and I hated each other from the start. He hated that I 'embarrassed him'." You scoffed.

"Was she mean to you as a kid?" Yunho probed a little more. He was glad that you found this opportunity to share more with him so he could learn more about you.

"She saw me as a threat so she tried to erase me from my father's life. Little did she know, my father already didn't care for me at that point. But she knows she'll never be my mother." You said.

"What about your stepbrother?" He asked.

"Oh, just as bad as her. But he was the perfect child, wanting to be a doctor, so of course my dad was fine with paying for everything."

"My mother was a respected woman. Everyone loved her, no one can come close to her. She was philantropic, humble and confident. Everyone knows my stepmother is only in it for the name and the money. She'll never replace my mother. Even Seonghwa's parents hate my father and stepmother now." You shrugged.

"What parent would just ignore their child like that...How could he just leave you to be on your own after your mother died." Yunho shook his head.

"It was hard and I barely survived it but that's a discussion for another time." You forced a smile, patting the back of his hand.

"Thank you for telling me all that."

"Nothing to thank me for. I never want it to happen but if you meet my father and stepmother some day, I just want you to be prepared for how they will be." You said.

"I hope I never run into them." Yunho clicked his tongue. You assumed it was because Yunho was afraid of your dad. But no, Yunho just knew he would not be able to fight to urge to punch your dad.

"Is this this place?" Yunho stopped the car and leaned forward to see the sign overhead.

"Yeah, you can go straight ahead and park there." You pointed. Yunho nodded and continued driving until you told him to stop and park the car. When you both stepped out, Yunho went to grab the offerings from the boot.

"Are you cold?" Yunho asked, seeing you wrap your arms around yourself as you waited. You shook your head with a small smile.

"I just... hate it here." You looked away. It was hard explaining all the emotions you felt when you came here. Yunho came forward, holding your hand to walk with you.

"It's okay." He kissed the back of your hand. Although Yunho walked in front, you guided him to where your mother was.

"There she is." You nodded to the headstone that was by the big plum blossom tree.

"Hi... mom..." It felt like there was a rock in your throat you just couldn't swallow. Yunho saw your apprehension but didn't point it out or rush you.

"I'll set up." He said softly, opening the picnic mat. He placed down the flowers, fruit, Korean rice cakes and alcohol. Thankfully, he called his mother to ask for help the night before. You watched, rooted to your spot as Yunho picked off the weeds and used a clean, damp cloth to wipe the headstone.

"Done." Yunho informed, carefully folding the cloth and setting it aside. He didn't greet your mother yet, wanting to let you go first. You gulped nervously, kneeling down on shaky hands.

"H-Hi, mom... I-It's been a while... I'm s-sorry about that." You stuttered as your brain refused to form coherant sentences.

"You go. I don't know what else to say." You said with a clenched jaw. Yunho nodded, patting your head.

"Nice to meet you, omonim. My name is Jeong Yunho, I am (y/n)'s boyfriend. (y/n) has told me a lot about you and she continues to do so." Yunho smiled, bowing deeply.

"I own the restaurant that she's currently working at. She's amazing, her and the whole crew. They saved my business." He continued.

"Thank you for leading her to me." He smiled.

You looked on at how Yunho spoke to your mum, tears slipping down your cheeks. Hearing his words, maybe he was right. Your mother led you to Yunho, knowing what a patient, kind and amazing person he would be in your life.

"He's a big eater, mom, just like Hwa is. You would have loved feeding him." You whispered. To which, Yunho grinned proudly, nodding in confirmation.

"I promise to take care of (y/n)." Yunho quickly added.

"You already take such good care of me, Yunho." You said. He turned to you, wiping your cheeks with his thumbs.

"I know that. And I'll continue to do it. I just have to reassure your mom that her daughter is in good hands, don't I?" He chuckled with a charming smile, reaching over to pinch your cheek.

"I don't really know what you like to eat but I hope fruits, sweet rice cake and the soju is okay. I'll bring more next time." Yunho said.

"She's not a picky eater. She'll be grateful no matter what." You informed with a soft smile. It made your heart swell when Yunho said 'next time'.

"Here, sit." Yunho brushed the mat for you to sit. You hesitated before taking a seat beside him with your mother's headstone opposite. It was a new feeling, you never wanted to stay here for too long. Seonghwa always had to convince you to stay a little longer before you ultimately rushed out of there.

"Can you believe how long it has been since you left, mom? I'm still not over it..." You sighed. Yunho reached over to hold your hand, rubbing the back with his thumb to comfort you.

"When you left, dad left too. Things have never been the same, our family is gone." Your tears fell into your lap.

"But it's okay, I'm okay. I have a new family of my own, a better one." You looked up at Yunho with a sad smile. He smiled back at you.

Yunho wrapped an arm around your shoulders, pulling you to his body and kissing the crown of your head. You wiped your tears with your sleeves.

Then it all happened, the same thing that always happened when you came, the flashbacks of memories of your mother. The happy ones and then the sour ones leading up to her death and after.

"Let's go." Pulling away from Yunho, you stood up and brushed your pants. Yunho looked at you in shock and confusion.

"Are you sure? There's no rush and-"

"Yunho, now. Please." You begged. Seeing your pleading eyes, Yunho nodded and stood up as well.

"Why don't you head to the car first? Start up the engine. I'll pack up and be with you." Yunho suggested kindly. You didn't need to be told twice. Taking the keys from him, you trudged down the small path and headed to the car.

"Forgive her, omonim. It's still hard on her..." Yunho bowed politely as he began to pack up. He pour the soju over the grass patch and put the fruit away then folded the blanket.

"Watch over her and protect her, please. She doesn't deserve all this. I'm sure you know that..." He sighed as he patted the headstone.

"We'll be back soon." He gave a final bow before leaving. You were already settled in the passenger seat.

"Hey." Yunho put the things in the boot and came to the driver's seat. Usually, he holds your hand but this time, you were so quick to grasp his hand, as if you would go crazy if you didn't.

"Hey, hey. It's okay..." His other hand came over to cup your cheek.

"Let's go home, hmm?" He smiled softly and you nodded. Yunho drove to your home, sensing that you would prefer the familiarity.

When Yunho arrived, you both went upstairs. Yunho placed the bag of fruits down on the counter and you immediately glued yourself to him, hugging his waist tightly and burying your face against his chest. Yunho hushed you, one hand on the back of your head and one on your back to hold you.

"It's okay, it's okay." He whispered as he felt your tears soak the front of his shirt. Yunho let you hold onto him for as long as you needed, he wasn't going to be the first to let you go.

"Sorry, let me shower." You mumbled.

"Don't be sorry." He patted your head. You shuffled to your bathroom to shower while he quickly showered in the other bathroom.

"Yunho, I'm sorry. I... I..." You struggled to find the words as you both sat on the bed after your showers. Yunho offered to help you dry your hair so you could sleep.

"Love, I told you, there's nothing to be sorry about." He told you, daringly trying the new affectionate nickname.

"I just have this whirlwind of emotions when it comes to her." While you didn't address it, you didn't react negatively so Yunho took that as a win.

"I understand, it's normal." Yunho said. When he was done, you combed your hair while he put the hair dryer back. He got under the covers and you scooted close to him so he could wrap his long arms around you securely. You felt safe with him.

"Yun, thank you." You murmured.

"You're very welcome." He smiled, brushing your hair away from your face, staring into your eyes.

Holding his bicep, you lifted yourself slightly to be on his eye level and pressed your lips to his. Yunho's eyes widened but kissed back, pulling your body closer to his. You pulled away first to breathe.

"Are you okay?" You chuckled, hand resting on his warm cheek. He grinned and pounced over, showering you in kisses.

"Argh! Yunho!" You yelled out as he placed multiple kisses all over your face like an excited puppy.

"That was amazing." Yunho grinned happily. You rolled your eyes jokingly, putting your face against his chest so he wouldn't see you all shy and embarrased.

"Go to sleep." You slapped his chest.

"I expect a wake up kiss later." He declared before returning to the original position as before. You let out an audible sigh then closed your eyes to sleep. Yunho let out a soft laugh, seeing you fall asleep to quickly. He was just teasing you but was glad that you took the first step and you shared your first kiss as a couple.

"Goodnight, my love." He rested his cheek against your head and joined you in dreamland.

"Oh, Seonghwa hyung." Yunho greeted, quickly adjusting his post-sleep hair when he saw that your best friend had arrived. He closed your bedroom door, not wanting to disturb you.

"Hey, thanks for contacting me." Seonghwa greeted Yunho with a brief hug.

"She's sleeping but I thought she might need you more than she needs me... to comfort her." Yunho rubbed the back of his neck.

"Yunho, you know that's not true. She needs you too, you've become such a big part of her life now, provided her protection and comfort." Seonghwa smiled softly.

"I'm guessing you both haven't eaten." Seonghwa raised an eyebrow. Yunho nodded his head shyly.

"It's early for dinner but considering it's your first meal of the day, I'll get started on cooking." Seonghwa informed. Before going to the kitchen to cook, Seonghwa went into the room just to be with you for a bit and see how you were.

"Let me help, hyung. I want to cook for her." Yunho said, standing in the kitchen, when Seonghwa came back out. Seonghwa chuckled as he nodded.

"I'll learn from you. I can't cook a full meal by myself but I can help." He said with determination.

"Sure, ask questions if you have any." The older began to look through your fridge, reading the labels on all the stuff.

"Put these on the counter for me?" Seonghwa requested. Yunho took the vegetables and deli containers, putting them on the kitchen island to be used later.

"Do you know what you're gonna cook right away?" Yunho asked.

"No. So I took out stock because you can always use stock in cooking. Then these vegetables look like they're going to spoil so I took them out too." Seonghwa explained, finding a knife.

"(y/n) removed you from knife duty, right? I don't want to face her wrath for disobeying her." Seonghwa teased.

"Ah, hyung~ Come on. I'm sure all of you got hurt in the kitchen before too! It was just a little cut but she doesn't let me near the knives anymore. I don't want to go back to weighing ingredients. That's so boring." Yunho whined. Seonghwa laughed and let Yunho use one of the spare chef knives.

"So we'll use the stock and braise the leeks. That's easily done in the stove then thrown into the oven. There's also some beef, we can do rice bowls." Seonghwa said.

"Okay, I'll follow your lead." Yunho began.

"Oh, let's make a quick pickle. Green papaya, radish and carrot. You can use this slicer. Use the guard though." He instructed.

"Alright, so to draw the water out, we put salt and let it sit for a bit. It's thinly sliced to it should be quite quick. In the meantime, we have prepare the pickling liquid." Seonghwa taught Yunho.

The two of them prepared the meal together, Yunho learning and remembering the little tips Seonghwa taught him.

"Yunho?" You woke up and found the bed empty. Groaning, you reached over to turn on the bedside lamp. After checking the time, you got out of bed and went to wash your face. You assumed Yunho had gone home.

"So you want to baste the steak to add flavour, grab the handle and tilt the pan like this." You peeked over to see Seonghwa teaching Yunho how to cook.

"What's going on here?" You blinked. The two men stopped and looked over at you.

"You're awake." Yunho bound over to you, putting his arms around you to wrap you in a big bear hug.

"Hey, Hwa." After hugging Yunho, you went to hug Seonghwa. He wrapped an arm around your waist while you took a a few seconds to rest your forehead on his shoulder.

"You okay, sweetheart?" He whispered. You didn't say anything, your silence was a sufficient response. He patted your back.

"Aren't you supposed to be off knife duty?" You raised an eyebrow, turning to Yunho.

"Aww, (y/n). Come on~ I was careful. Look, no cuts." Yunho wriggled his fingers to show you. You gave him a skeptical look and went to the fridge to pour yourself some cold coffee, wanting the taste and aroma to really help wake you up. Yunho reached over to steal a sip from you.

For the first time, you didn't cook, on insistence by Yunho and Seonghwa that they'll handle it. They only allowed you to sit by the counter to watch them.

"Shall I make you a bowl?" Seonghwa offered.

"Can you let me slice the steaks, at least?" You asked back. Seonghwa gave you a flat look but gave in easily.

"Alright, let me assemble my bowl." You laid the slices of steak over your rice, making a well in the middle to put a raw egg yolk and sauce. Yunho placed the pickles they made onto a sharing dish.

"Perilla leaf kimchi?" Seonghwa asked. You nodded and he went to put a plate of kimchi there.

"Thank you for cooking, you two." You said before digging into the food with them.

"This is so good! Seonghwa hyung is a great teacher." Yunho said between his chews, clearly impressed that he helped put together such a delicious dish.

"And I'm just chopped liver... Maybe next time, you should cook with Seonghwa and help him with his prep, since he's such an amazing teacher, you know?" You scoffed, feigning offense. Yunho's face fell as he tried to defend himself.

"You know that's not what I mean!"

~

Series masterlist

[shijiujun]

TGCF SEASON 2 EPISODE 1 PREMIERE RECAP

Omg okay so it was the premiere today and yes TGCF DONGHUA season 2 is not out yet it’ll air on October 18 as scheduled but episode 1 is premiering early today, tomorrow and next week (?) at physical premiere ticketed events, one in Singapore, Hong Kong and Bangkok each.

What happened: (1) VA intros and yes! Xie Lian’s new VA (2) An edited 1 hour plus long S1 highlights so you JOG UR MEMORY OF WHAT HAPPENED (3) S2 Episode 1 premiere (4) Guest appearance by vtuber Fulgur lol and (5) There’s a lucky draw quiz segment (?)

What you guys can expect in Episode 1 of Season 2:

It starts with court drama as we all know and Jun Wu’s voice is more twinky than I expected LOL

SHI QINGXUAN?! That first meeting between SQX and XL we saw in the mid-autumn teaser release ISNT ALL LIKE THAT SCENE IS WAY FUNNIER IN FULL OMFG

Yes the part where SQX male turns back into SQX female and trying to get XL to try it out

GHOST CITY ANIMATION IS SO DAMN FUCKING GOOD??!!! And all the random store sellers and Lan Chang the older ghost who harassed XL?! And the way he delivers the line where he says he’s impotent LOL

OMFG AND THE DAMN HIGHLIGHT WAS CERTAINLY THAT GAMBLING SCENE FOR LANG QIANQIU omg all the ghosts were watching HUA CHENGZHU flirt with Xie Lian and LIVING FOR IT IT IS WAY FUNNIER ANIMATED EVERYONE IN THE HALL WAS LAUGHING EVERY TWO MINUTES

The TRIPLE QUARDRUPLE HANDHOLDING SCENES OMGGGGGG LIKE EVERYONE ISTG EEPED AND AWWED LIKE THAT IS HOW SWEET AND MUSHY AND EMBARRASSING IT WAS HUA CHENG CONTROL URSELF

We are in for a treat ISTG episode 1!!!

Ends with ‘Gege, I lost to you’ ERMMM AND FLASHBACK TO WHEN SAN LANG SAID HE WOULD MEET XIE LIAN THE NEXT TIME IN HIS TRUE FORM

A random ghost in the background: “omg I’m going to die I’m going to die” after seeing Hua Cheng’s newest ‘skin’ and another ghost going: “wtf aren’t you alr dead lol” 😂😂😂😂😂

Sound on for half a Xie Lian intro and a full Hua Cheng intro 😘

Going to head back and open up the goodie pack!!! I swear I had forgotten how good TGCF was and how excited I am for it like GET TOGETHER TGCF FRIENDS CUZ EPISODE 1 AND SEASON 2 DONGHUA IS GOING TO BE A HELL OF A RIDE

Edit: LOVE THE KEYCHAIN FROM THE SET

[jo-harrington]

TW: Death and Catholicism

Eddie as someone you meet at a funeral.

You’re a great-niece, he’s a grandson’s friend. You both really only knew the deceased distantly but in different lights.

To Eddie she was the lady who pinched his arm, fed him too much food, asked if he had a girlfriend, and said she knew some nice girls if he was having trouble dating. To you she was the lady who pinched your arm, fed you too much, asked if you had a boyfriend, and said she knew some nice boys if you were having trouble dating.

Nice to him. Rude to you. That’s just who she was though. To everyone. She had her favorites.

But you’re both there for your cousin more than you’re there for yourselves.

He ends up sitting near you at the funeral home, dressed in black. Well, everyone is. But it’s how you wear those black clothes. You both wear a comfortable shroud while everyone else shuffled in dresses that don’t fit and shoes that pinch and rented suits with ties that choke.

Funeral homes have formative memories for both of you. You bond over it in those drawn out minutes…hours where you connect with strangers only to probably never see them again. For him, it’s his mother and in return he gained a love of heavy metal and the inexplicable need to March to the beat of his own drum just like she did. For you, a grandma you were too young to really know.

“You and Danny have that in common then,” he tries to lighten the mood. “Dead grandma’s.”

“I think everyone gets a dead grandma at some point. Sometimes even two.”

“That’s fair.”

“Mine died on my 5th birthday though,” you tell him truthfully. “So I think I had it worse off than he does.”

“Gotta hold him to that then. He’s a cocky shit.”

“Yeah he is. He still holds some Mario Kart victory over me from when we were 7.”

You both fumble at the church as you seek out a familiar face—although for you it’s a sea of familiar faces you wish you didn’t have to see—and you guide him through, to you, partially forgotten prayers and the sitting and standing and you even hold his hand during the Our Father. He doesn’t let you go because he feels you shake with the uneven ground of your faith.

“I don’t do church anymore,” you whisper.

“Me either,” he whispers back. “Would you believe me if I told you people used to think I worshipped Satan?”

“Would you believe me if I told you I might currently worship Satan?”

“No shit.”

“Meh, anything that isn’t Jesus might as well be Satan to my mom so it’s not that much of a stretch.”

He doesn’t ask where your mom is. Where the rest of your immediate family is. And it’s nice for that to be the first time not to have to answer that question.

You continue to hold hands as the casket is sealed behind a stone wall, as your aunt and her secrets get locked away forever. Eddie remarks that it’s weird to bury people behind walls instead of in the ground. You think it’s weird that he thinks it’s weird; it’s all you’ve ever known.

You offer to show him around the big mausoleum if he plays his cards right.

It’s a joke. You both know it’s a joke.

But after Danny approaches the two of you once the service is over, and thanks and hugs are shared, he stands there with his hands in his pockets and stared at you expectantly.

“So?” He shrugs. “Grand tour?”

You’re speechless but you nod.

“And I know a place that does a good eggplant parm san—”

“Eggplant Parm Sandwich,” you nod. “Cue’s. Off Wolf Road? Yeah it’s my favorite.”

“Mine too. We can get some lunch?”

“Sure.”

And you both think as you walk around the silent cemetery.

You think your aunt must not have been so bad, and he thinks she must have been as good as he always thought she was.

Because she filled her promise of introducing you both to someone nice after all.

[dairy-farmer]

Tim wakes up on a regular day just like any other day. He makes breakfast; gets ready for work; goes to WE; goes home; do a light workout; sleep. Ever since he woke up confused a few months ago, bruised and aching, he'd taken measures to live healthily and has led a very mundane life ever since. Or well, as mundane as one can be when you're a eighteen-year-old CEO to the company that belongs to his neighbors.

Except today, there came a sudden break in his pattern. Today was WE's quarterly meeting. And for the first time since he became CEO, the owner and former CEO of WE would be coming to the meeting. Tim is admittedly nervous. He had rarely interacted with Mr. Wayne. The most interaction he could remember was when Mr. Wayne adopted him a few months before he had decided to become emancipated. He doesn't know what he did during that brief period in time that impressed Mr. Wayne so much that he made him CEO. Whatever it was, he can't let Mr. Wayne down. Although Tim can live independently without relying on Mr. Wayne, the few months he had been adopted was enough for Tim to feel indebted.

The meeting goes well sans a few intense stares the board members gave him and Mr. Wayne. Then Mr Wayne asked to meet him in his office. Tim thought he wanted to go over the reports from the meeting but confusingly enough, Mr. Wayne kept on asking him questions about a restaurant chain and how he hasn't given any reports or updates to a cave?? Tim didn't know what's going on. He asks, as politely as he could, if Mr. Wayne had a drink before his meeting. But that might not have been the best question to ask because he looked so offended. Mr. Wayne gets mad and demands Tim to stop playing around and if this is still about Damian taking his position. Tim feels his heart stop. Did he do something wrong? Why is he about to be fired so suddenly? He knew Mr. Damian will inherit the company but last he knew he was still far too young. Mr. Wayne looks at him in shock and asks Tim to repeat what he called Damian, to which Tim did. Suddenly Mr. Wayne is putting on a rebreather and pressing something on Tim's desk. The room is soon filled with gas that knocks Tim out. The last thing Tim hears is Mr. Wayne calling something called Oracle and reciting a string of code.

Meanwhile, Bruce is panicking. It's been months since he last saw Tim. He had been distant with him all morning. He thought he was still mad about Damian taking his place as Robin but then he suddenly called Damian as Mr. Damian. Something is wrong with his son and they're going to find out what.

They checked with Leslie and all old footage of Red Robin. Tim never had any documented head injury so they don't know what was the cause of the amnesia until they asked Zatanna to come. After Zatanna checks Tim, she asks Bruce why exactly did he go to Tim right now and when was the last time he spoke to Tim. Bruce tells her that he missed his son but Zatanna demands more answers. Bruce finally admits that Red Robin hadn't visited the cave in a while and he was hoping he could help him with a case.

Zatanna tells Bruce that they had been cursed to be forgotten by a family member that needed them the most. The one who cursed his family had probably known his weakness to his children and wanted him to feel despair and guilt of losing a child that needed him the most. It could've been an easy fix had the bats figured out they were cursed immediately but it had been months and the spell had latched on to Tim's firmly. The fact that Tim is still alive can only be a miracle. However, Zatanna doesn't know if he'll ever get any erased memories back

-🦆

🥺🥺🥺🥺 tim losing his memories and nobody noticing! but also 😍😍😍😍 tim losing his memories and nobody noticing! tim having been cursed and it being unsure whether they can recover those memories meaning that ruce and the rest of the family, if they want to form any kind of connection with tim will have to TRY and bond with him because currently tim isn't particularly attached to them!!!