#hard to do cool poses with him when hes just a silhouette

[mothscotch]

various doodles o(≧◡≦)o

[a-killer-obsession]

Bite [Killer x Reader]

🔞 Minors DNI 🔞

Killer pisses you off, and you go on the attack.

CW: violence, bloodplay, femdom, sub!killer, vaginal sex, oral (m recieving), marking, pain kink, praise, restraints,, hate fuck, aftercare

WC: ~4k

Masterlist || A03

The seas were calm today as the Victoria Punk made its way through unfamiliar waters, following the log pose to a new, mysterious island on the Grandline. There wasn't much to do on afternoons like this, chores had already been completed and there was no rush to help with making resupply lists, the next island still being several days away at least, if the wind kept this pace. The air was perfect for sitting out on the deck, the sun not too harsh or hot, but just warm enough to be comfortable, with a cool refreshing breeze that ruffled your hair slightly. It was the perfect opportunity to fill the time with one of your favourite hobbies. 

So here you sat, back against the railing as you scribbled in your leather-bound sketchbook, alternating between drawing from life and drawing from memory. You'd been doing this for an hour or so but were growing bored of the subjects you had in front of you, so you recollected yourself to move to a slightly different spot. You made your way up the stairs of the rear cabin, parking yourself on a barrel near the front rail. From here you could see a great deal of the ship, from the main deck stretching out to the front raised platform and the top of the large dinosaur skull that encompassed the bow of the Victoria. 

Sat upon the skull you found a new subject, who sat with his scarred side facing you, staring out to the portside to watch a passing group of flying fish as they followed and danced in the rippling waves caused by the movement of the ship. From this angle you had a perfect side profile of him, the silhouette of his mask making a clean cut against the blue, gently clouded sky that was laid out in front of the ship. 

Pencil to paper, you diligently worked at sketching him, his grand mane of hair posing a particular challenge that you relished in. You enjoyed capturing the way the light bounced off his helmet, and the texture of his scarred arm. With the values blocked out, you lost yourself in the shading, your tongue poking out just a tiny bit from the corner of your mouth as you rested the lead of your pencil on an angle against the page to cover more surface with a soft layer of graphite. The drawing was coming out well, you were growing quite proud of it in fact, you thought you may even gift him the drawing afterwards if it continued to go this well. 

In your focus you didn't even notice him move, nor the way he silently stalked towards you, alerted to your staring by his observation haki. Killer didn't like being watched, and he certainly didn't appreciate you drawing him without permission. It made him uncomfortable to be perceived with such detail, even if the drawing was quite good. It almost made him feel bad for what he was planning to do. 

“What are you doing?” His baritone startled you out of your focus and you audibly gasped. 

“Uh, I'm uh, drawing,” you stuttered, and held your book up for him to see, “do you like it?”

You were very proud of your drawing, but it was impossible to gauge Killer's reaction past his mask. You hoped his silence was because he was so stunned with your incredible artistic skills. He made it pretty clear what he thought though when he grabbed your sketchbook quite roughly, yanking it from your hands and throwing it off the side of the ship. You rushed to the railing to save it, just in time to watch your precious, very expensive, sketchbook sink under the waves, gone forever. 

You gripped the railing hard enough to hear a slight crack as your vision went red. You were a Kid Pirate, so of course not only were you incredibly strong - you also had some serious anger issues. Killer had already started to leave when you turned and rushed at him. He began to scoff, ready for you to yell at him and to bite back at you that drawing was a wasted skill for a pirate if you weren't going to use it for maps. He certainly didn't expect the swift kick to the dick he received instead, nor the kick to the head that followed and knocked him down as you took advantage of him bowing in pain from the first kick. He cursed himself for not expecting or readying himself for physical violence, he should have known better, and in his smug confidence had left himself open for attack. 

He fell to the deck on his side, slightly curled in on himself as he grabbed at his sore groin. You'd kicked him pretty fucking hard both times, and he was dizzy from it. Before he had time to recover you jumped on top of him, forcing him to roll to his back and hovering over him with your knees planted either side of his hips. You were still seeing red, instincts guiding you as you unleashed your fury upon him, and right now your instincts were telling you one thing - go for the fucking jugular. 

You bent and zeroed in on his exposed neck, sinking your teeth into it till you tasted iron on your tongue. He groaned under you, trying to push you off, but you clamped him with your strong thighs and sunk your teeth in deeper, one hand wound hard through his long hair and pulling at it. You swore you heard him whine as you withdrew your teeth and sunk them in again at a slightly different spot, marking his neck over and over again. 

There was a quiet whimper from inside his mask, a sound entirely unexpected from the Massacre Soldier, and it sent electricity straight to your core, triggering a different kind of instinct. You lowered yourself, resting against him while you still straddled him, his hands finding your waist and his hips pressing up against you. Your eyebrows raised as you released his neck from your teeth - his clothed erection made it clear, he was enjoying this. 

You growled against his neck, you weren't sure if it was possessive or a warning, running your tongue over the bleeding bite marks along his exposed neck before sinking back in, gentler this time, more playful. You rolled your hips, grinding your clothed core against him, eliciting a deep groan from him as he raised to meet you. 

“Fucking hell, what the fuck is happening here?” the captain spoke up beside you. Neither of you had noticed his heavy footsteps approaching, your mind swimming in lust and rage. You looked up at him with a feral growl that sent a shiver down his spine, your eyes almost black with how blown out your pupils were. Killer's blood was dripping down your chin and coating your teeth as you barred them at Kid, his eyes widening at the way you looked right through him like he was nothing. He looked down at Killer, laid out on his back, panting slightly as blood dripped from the many marks you'd made on his neck. It was not often someone got the better of Killer, even less common was letting himself show any hint of lust in a public setting. You were, afterall, both out on the deck for all to see. The first mate tried to move, and you pushed down against him, growling in clear warning. 

“Christ, she got you good Killer,” Kid barked out a laugh, “get a fucking room though, you’re getting blood on the deck” 

You blinked a little in realisation as you came to your senses. Looking down at Killer you realised how precarious this situation was, but you'd had a taste of power over him, and you didn't feel like giving it up, not while your core ached with need from the hot, heavy encounter. You grinned down at him, and he shivered at the dark look in your eye, before you stood quite suddenly and pulled him up by the front of his shirt. You didn't let go of it as you dragged him, the blue fabric balled tight in your hand. He probably could have fought back, but in his daze he chose not to as you dragged him towards his own room, Kid roaring with laughter behind you as you both disappeared under deck, unbelievably surprised and amused at how you'd tamed his friend. 

The door to Killer's cabin was unlocked, as it always was. You'd never been in here but that was the point, nobody dared enter his room, so he had no need to lock it. You pulled him inside, slamming the door shut behind you and locking it before turning back to him. You shoved him backwards towards the bed, sinking your nails into the fabric of his t-shirt and showing off your strength by tearing it open, before giving him a hard shove so he fell back against the bed. His legs still hung over the side, his bare chest heaving as you climbed over him and clamped your hand around his neck, forcing him up further on to the bed as you shifted with him, from the threat of suffocation if he didn't move. 

“Stop me any time, Massacre Soldier,” you whispered at the side of his mask before running your tongue shamelessly over the front of it, following the blue stripe that ran up the centre. Killer only groaned in reply, raising his hips off the mattress in a desperate attempt to find friction. 

“I don't.. want you… to stop,” he wheezed between heavy breaths.

“No?” You purred, “you gonna be a good boy for me then?” Your teeth ran over his neck where his skin remained sensitive from your earlier bites, making his hips buck. You pressed back down against him, forcing him to still. You were making it clear to him that you were in charge here.

“Y-yes..” he stuttered. You sat up while you still straddled him, untying the light blue sash he wore around his waist and pulling it from underneath him. 

“Give me your wrists,” you commanded. He obeyed willingly, holding them together in front of you. You looped the sash around them several times, binding them together, before pulling them up over his head to secure against the headboard. He groaned under you, trying to roll his hips up against you as you hovered slightly to reach the headboard, your breasts hanging above his face. He pulled experimentally at the fastening, you'd bound him tight, probably too tight, but it was purposeful - you hadn't forgotten how mad you were. This was, at its core, a hate fuck, but Killer wasn't in the headspace to deny you. He'd never been bound or dominated by a woman like this before, and it had him in a needy haze. He was ready to get on his knees and worship you, should you ask him to. 

Satisfied with your work, your teeth returned to his neck, nipping and sucking, leaving more marks and licking over them. Your mouth made its way further down, leaving a trail of bruises and teeth marks down his chest, over his pecs and abs, rubbing his hardened nipples between your teeth in turn and tugging at them. One hand supported your weight next to him, the other slid down to his groin, still tender from your earlier kick, and you palmed him over his jeans. He groaned as you stroked him teasingly, running your finger over the tip where his precum was beginning to soak through the fabric. 

“Mmm, so eager for me,” you mumbled against his chest, “you love me marking you that much baby?”

Killer writhed under you, desperate for more, desperate to be inside your wet heat. His cock throbbed, whether from arousal or pain from earlier, he wasn't sure. Both, probably. You sat up again, taking in the rare delicacy of the dangerous Massacre Soldier, marked up and powerless underneath you, begging for you to do more. You bit your lower lip as you trailed your hands over his torso, feeling the hard, well sculpted muscles, watching him fight against the sash that kept him from touching you. Your deft fingers finally found the closure to his jeans and freed him, his thick cock springing free as he lifted his hips so you could pull down his pants and boxers. 

“Look at you, already spilling out for me,” you purred as you ran a fingertip through his precum and spread it over the head, “so desperate for me, such a mess for me” 

Killer practically whined as you wrapped a hand around his base and dipped your head to lick a wide stripe along the underside. The headboard threatened to break as you finally took him in your mouth, bobbing your head and stroking what you couldn't take yet of his impressive length. You let him slide further into your throat, breathing through to your nose to repress your gag reflex, taking him deeper and deeper till you could bury your nose in his soft blond pubs. He groaned as you swallowed around him, pulling away and releasing him to take a much needed breath. 

“Fuck… please… fuck,” he could barely form a coherent sentence, the way you had him lost in his lust. 

“Please what baby?” you purred, still fully dressed as you crawled back over him. You ground your clothed pussy against him while you watched him with a coy smile, his mask tilting back against the bed and his hands tugging at the restraints uselessly. “Use your words, Massacre Soldier” 

“Fuck me, please,” he whined, “please”

“Why should I?” You lent over to speak right next to where his ear would be under the mask, your fingers trailing down his torso, your centre raised to deny him any friction. “You really pissed me off, you know? That sketchbook was fucking expensive, and full of some of my best work. Why the fuck would I give you what you want?” you growled, digging your nails into his chest till they broke skin. His chest jolted at the sudden pain, but his dick twitched in response as well. 

“I'm sorry… please… I'll replace it,” he tried his best to press up against you, but you continued to hover just out of reach, “please, I'm sorry, please just fuck me, please”

“Mmm…” you mumbled, sitting on his thighs and running a fingertip along his needy cock, “you're so cute when you beg…” 

You stood up and stripped your clothes, before straddling him again, this time sitting against his abdomen. You leaned back and spread your legs wide, and his mask lifted and tilted towards you, trying his best to see your naked pussy. It was glistening with arousal and you started to touch yourself, playing with your clit the way you knew you liked best before dipping your fingers inside yourself. He grunted as he watched you play with yourself on top of him, salivating as he caught your scent. 

“Is this what you want, Killer?” you dipped a third finger inside yourself, spreading yourself open and removing your fingers occasionally so he could see your hot hole gape. He cursed the damn mask, and the restraints, wishing he could tilt just a little further up, close enough to run his tongue over you and bully it inside your pussy. He wanted to taste your release, feel it coating his chin and soaking his goatee. 

“Yes, fuck, please,” he moaned, “please, please” 

You dipped your fingers inside yourself, before removing them and sliding down Killer's body. Your slick coated his cock as you thread your glistening fingers under the brim of his mask, till you found his soft lips. He eagerly allowed you access, moaning as he sucked your slick off your fingers and ran his tongue over them. You let them drag back out, running his saliva down the front of his neck, leaving a trail that felt cool as the air breezed over it. 

“You've been such a good boy for me,” you purred, your pussy sliding up and down his hard length, “but if you cum without my permission, I will flay you. Do I make myself clear?” You ran your nails down his front, leaving a deep set of scratches to drive home your threat. His body rolled underneath you in response.

“I'll be so good, I promise,” he groaned as he tried his best to roll his hips in just the right way to catch his tip against your entrance, failing each time as you purposely shifted just as he would have had it, “please let me inside you, please” 

This time as he rolled his hips, you rolled too, letting his cock catch against you and slide inside. He cried out as his cock buried inside you, and you pushed down, taking his whole length and moaning at the way he stretched and filled you. He was panting hard, doing everything he could to not immediately cum, so worn already from your teasing. 

You began your motions, raising and lowering yourself with strong legs, moaning as you used him for your own pleasure. You couldn't care less about what he wanted, you were using him like he was nothing but a toy, existing only for your pleasure, fucking yourself on him so he hit every delicious spot inside you. You admired his body as you fucked him, observing every dark, inflamed mark you'd left on his skin, strings of now drying blood leaving trails over him from some of the deeper marks. Teeth prints and half moons from nails and long, deep scratches. It would take days, maybe even weeks, for some of the marks to heal, and in the meantime everyone would know that this was your doing. You were the one who tamed the first mate of the Kid Pirates, the supernova, the man who was now moaning and writhing underneath you as you took your selfish pleasure from him. 

You threw back your head as the dirty thoughts of him belonging to you drove you to your edge, and you ground down hard against him, shaking as you came hard. As soon as your orgasm was done, you pulled off, letting him slip from inside you. He cried out as soon as he felt the cool air on his slick covered cock, his own orgasm having been so, so close. 

“NO, fuck, PLEASE,” he cried out as he desperately tried to bury himself back inside you. You almost laughed, he looked so needy and pathetic like this. His cock twitched helplessly and you ran a cruel finger up the sensitive underside before wrapping your hand around the base. 

“Beg for it,” you growled. 

“Please let me cum, please, please,” he was practically whimpering and it fueled your already massive ego. You wondered how far he'd go, letting him have one slow stroke, before stiling your hand at the end and running your thumb through the pre on his tip. 

“Who do you belong to?” You purred, running your thumb in circles as he tried his best to thrust up into your hand. 

“You, you, only you, please,” he whined, “please let me cum”

“Do it yourself,” you growled, sliding him back inside you but making no effort to move, “show me how bad you want it”

He wasted no time in planting his feet and driving up into you, fucking you with a messy, furious pace, desperately chasing his high. Your head was thrown back again as you moaned, enjoying his thick cock pistoning inside you. 

“Fuck, I'm gonna come again,” you moaned.

“Cum for me, please,” Killer replied between heavy breaths, putting all the strength in his legs in to fucking you as hard as he could without the use of his hands, “cum with me”

“Fuck-” you whined, “Killer-” 

You let out a deep, carnal moan as your legs began to shake, and Killer followed suit, his groan long and deep as he finally found his release inside you, doing his best to keep moving despite how oversensitive he was now, trying to be good for you and work you through your orgasm. He finally stopped as you dropped your weight on him, your head slumped against his chest as you both panted. 

You stayed like that for a few minutes, catching your breath, before coming back to reality and raising yourself off him. He sighed as you let him slip out of you, his release dripping on to his pubes as you hovered over him to unfasten the restraints. His wrists were red and raw from fighting against them, and you felt a pang of guilt, knowing full well that you'd made them too tight in your anger. You took his hands tenderly and brought them to your mouth, kissing each wrist gently where the marks looked the most painful. 

Looking down at the rest of him, more guilt followed, seeing how injured you'd left him. You knew he'd enjoyed it, but many of the wounds had been made in anger, and you felt bad now for marking him so badly over something replaceable. You leaned over him and he made soft, surprised breaths as you kissed down his front, starting at the bites on his neck and working your way down, leaving tender kisses over his wounds. 

“Stay here,” you mumbled, sliding off the bed and going to the door you assumed led to his bathroom. He obediently stayed where you left him, still in a daze, confused a little as to what had even transpired. 

You went to the toilet and cleaned yourself up quickly, before finding a hand cloth and dampening it with warm water. You returned to the bed, kneeling next to him, pressing the cloth gently to his skin to clean off the blood and sweat, and all the other fluids that had ended up over his torso and thighs. Satisfied with your work, you returned to the bathroom, discarding the cloth in a laundry basket and filling the glass that sat by the sink with water. You noted that there was no straw, which made sense. This was his room, he probably didn't usually wear his mask in here, so no straw was usually required. 

You brought the glass to the bed, and he sat up against the headboard as you handed it to him, before turning away to give him privacy. “I won't look,” you assured him, “but you really should drink some water after the amount of blood and sweat you lost”

You heard him make a soft hum, followed by a small metallic click of his mask unlatching and the gulping of water. The mostly empty glass was placed on the side table, and you felt the mattress shift as he moved behind you. His arms wrapped around your waist, holding you carefully, his warm chest pressed against your back, his bare face resting in the crook of your shoulder where you still couldn't see him. 

“I'm sorry,” he sighed, “I shouldn't have thrown your book in the water like that. I'll get you another, an even nicer one. I'm sorry about your drawings though, I know I can't replace those”

“I'm sorry too,” you admitted, “I know you're self conscious, I should have asked before drawing you” 

“You don't have to ask next time,” his breath was leaving hot, damp spots on your skin as he spoke, his thumbs rubbing reassuring circles on your waist, “the drawing was really good, I'd like if you drew me another” 

“Yeah?” you perked up, surprised. 

“Yeah, I'm sorry for overreacting,” he pressed soft kisses against your neck and you moaned, your head tilting to give him access, “you're so hot when you're angry though” 

“Ass,” you pouted, “I'm always hot, you're just blind” 

“I'm not blind,” he hummed, “I just… I didn't think you wanted me. Like this I mean.”

“Well then you must be blind,” you hummed, “I've been flirting with you for years, dumbass”

“Oh..” 

“Idiot,” you tsked, then quieted as you sat deep in thought. All these years of unrequited feelings, and it turns out he was just oblivious. “Killer… can I see you?” 

He was silent for a moment as he thought about it, before finally coming to a resolution, “Only if I can taste you again"

You giggled a little at his words, before eagerly turning in his arms to observe his beautiful face and blue eyes for the first time. He gave you a few moments to look at him, before making good on your side of the deal and capturing your mouth with his, lost to a new wave of need and lust. 

[xamaxenta]

The ASL silhouettes are so fucking cool like

Dunno why it was so hard to find them so i made them kinda Sabos chosen silhouette is a little shit, not the best pose I could’ve used but whatever it proves my point

Like Oda has a massive imagination, incredible character designing skills, each character is pretty unique for the story he’s telling (excluding the Nami same face joke for all the women of note that are pretty)

I’d like to talk today about how ASL all have the same design theme that ties them together, especially Luffy who shares silhouette symmetry with his older brothers

The most obvious: ASL all have hats, idk the true reasoning behind this design choice but it really helps when you put all three together, who is who and giving them all a clean defining shape

Luffy has a strawhat with a rounded shape at the top, Ace’s is a westernised shaped hat with a taller shape and Sabo’s is a top hat with a flat top, could be me talking out my ass but the progression of shape language is fun and i could be totally wrong this is just my personal observation

Cuz Luffy is circles, Ace is triangles, literally two triangles inverted to have their apexs touch for his torso and legs and Sabo is rectangular trapezium sort of shape

Timeskip Luffy carries shapes from his brothers in the form of his waist sash giving him a more middled balanced silhouette that looks similar to Sabo’s knee length overcoat, however Luffy also has shorts roughly the same lengh as Ace’s but less harsh and potentially fluffy? Giving him a nice oval shape from his hat to his shorts, like egg shaped? awesome silhouette so simple yet effective

Ace is streamlined in every way possible, its the cool dude shapes, triangles and tapers, his hat has slight taper, his legs taper down his waist tiny tbh his pose is so striking compared to luffy and sabo because he doesn’t wear anything, but his waist line is broken up by the hilt of his dagger, idk why but it works and looks good, adds to his whole “im barely armed so you should see me as a threat” which is cool bc Luffy is deceivingly unarmed and Sabo’s pipe is deceptive because it’s not sharp

Sabo i wish i had a better example but his entire silhouette reads as mysterious, and he is mysterious (hes the revolutionary armys chief of staff!) hes the strange third brother introduced part way through the tail end of pre timeskip, the more properly dressed or covered up the character is means they have more secrets to hide and Dragon is the same with his entire body concealed by a huge cloak (most of the time), his entire silhouette could be messy if it werent for the inclusion of his famous pipe weapon, it adds meat to his otherwise average silhouette (the coat doesnt really do much for him shapewise tbh, but without it hes boring) bc it adds a body break?? Idk how to describe it but its long enough to sling over his back and will show over his shoulders and past his legs

Also worth noting their ascension in shoe silhouette, Luffy wears sandals or flipflops, so in his silhouette it doesnt detract from his main shape language, Ace has ankle boots/combat boots that go past his ankles, rounded because alot of his shape is sharp, Sabo has knee length boots to add some streamline to his large coat they also match his top hat in terms of shape height and technically his pipe too

Basically their silhouettes are all complementary and it’s a shame we only get merch of all three together

[esper-union-lounge]

Character Design: Favourites

Back with another "Review"! (I am still very bad at it but I am learning, lol) this time I am going to talk about characters and their designs.

We all know character design is one of Dislyte's strongest selling points, and I was also fully enticed by how unique and diverse the designs look. As I played the game, subsequently, I have my favourites among the entire casts, and some not so favourites. (I will also make a review on that.)

This review is going to be base purely on the design aspect of the character and their sprites. Please, do remember these are MY opinions and MY taste.

So please do not, either, take my words as offense, or my word's as gospel.

((Note: None of these characters are in particular order))

Norah (Muse)

To be very honest, I didn't get to do her featured event during her patch. When I first saw Norah, I was convinced I wasn't interested in her design.

Yet, the more I look at her the more I come to realised her design is actually quite well done. I like to think that this is the turning point of Dislyte moving away from the Bi-shouen/Bi-Shoujo type of design; the design that has a Bi-Shoujo/nen and just slapping some ornaments with cool looking clothes.

But, for Norah (and also, Anna), I think her design is really well rounded, and really conveys the vibe and type of Esper Norah is.

Her outfit is gorgeous. The dress has a tasteful amount of bling and frills, I can see it's somewhat inspired by those really fancy looking fishes, yet, I can also see the dress could be somewhat reference to orchestra musicians, how they dress during concerts. Given, the Muses are born as Water Nymphs, and were once deities that was worshipped in the relam of music.

There is a mermaid-quese quality to her design. Her splash art silhouette uses a lot of flowing lines, might be to reinforce the aquatic element of the character.

The colour scheme of Norah, herself, is quite muted and desaturated. I like how the splash help us draw attention to the character with the use of a bright pastel elements of the flower and harp to make a dark and desaturated character to be the focal point.

Overall, a really wonderful splash art, and really in character design for the Muses. I really like Norah, and I might go back to read through her story event.

Ethan (Pan)

Okay, I was one of those people who voted for him.

The reason I voted for him is because: 1. The use of a saturated purple. I can tell you, purple is one of the hardest colour to work with.

2. They went hard on this design. Not even Queen Mother and Chiron went that hard.

Pan, originally a deity with heavy association with fertility in the myths, has became an iconography for what the church would call, Satan, and may other things associated with such.

In Ethan's design, there is a dark vibe to the way he is dressed, kinda like emo, goth, with a bit of witchcraft elements as well. (The symbols, his eyes, and his familiar.) Along with the accordian, it makes him look to be a dark entertainer of some sort.

Honestly, I was really surprise they added Pan. And the design they went with is legit, a Pan. In my opinion. That was kind of a design risk. I have never seen such a good design for a Pan. Usually, the ones in the media are more close to past designs in mosaics and paintings.

I am glad that the dev team didn't went with an ordinary transformation with this character. I love how Ethan looks so whimsical and fun in this form.

Yun Chuan (Yang Jian)

Such a bold splash art, I really like Yun Chuan’s character design. When he was first revealed, he gives me an impression of a villain. Maybe, it’s because of how much dark colours he has in his design, and how rough he looks. With the texture leather sleeves and trousers, the sharpness of his hair, his sharp gaze, and the posing, it exhibits a rough and bold presence of his character. A contrast to the typical imagery of his patron deity, Yang Jian.

I love the use of purples, and the vibrant red of his wolf dog. It makes the splash art intriguing with the contrast of dark colours and bring neon colours. The brilliant use of the bold diagonal line from his spear, rounding the whole composition with Screamer's energy manifestation. It gives a really unique silhouette of "ø", and a great way of using negative space.

Li Ling (Nezha)

Of course, I can't leave out my babygirl one of my favourite character, Li Ling. He is my starter legendary. Li Ling is easily one of the most impressive designs I have ever seen in-game.

His design is just demanding for your attention; just the design concept alone would make an impressive character: bare chested, four floating arms, the weapon and wheels. It radiates so much power.

I am actually was surprised to see the Devs went with the "glow up" version of Nezha, because Nezha's iconography has always been a small child with two buns on his head, and sometimes sharp nails.

Love the pink, how it reflects the lotus flower. The golden accents of his wheels, arm accessories, and spear is a nice touch to the colour scheme.

I think it offers a contrast to the upbeat, neon, hip pop scene of Distlye. I think giving the gold a bit greenish tint is a nice detail to contrast with the pink.

The splash art is great, love how they balance Li Ling's silhouette with the spear to create more negative space. Because if there wasn't a spear to extend the composition, the silhouette would look too bulky, and concentrated.

Intisar (Kauket)

I didn't vote for her. I voted for the Fartum Sisters instead, because during that time, having a three people Esper was something very new, and the lore around it was interesting.

But, Intisar's design really did really got my attention. Her silhouette is just brilliant. For me, I have never seen such a top heavy silhouette. I love how the tail creates a line of flow to lead out eyes to look at Intisar. Love the concept of the Snake Helmet thingy (IDK if there is an actual name for the concept), I think they really showcased it well in her Esper profile video. Again, a very good use of the colour purple in her design; the vibrant saturated purple and the dull gold really balances the contrast with the neon green.

Nicole (Nephyths)

I love her.

I love her design mainly due to the effective use of a green colour scheme. Green is also a mother difficult colour to work with in character design, and with Nicole, it gives me a good example to follow, if I want to implement the use of green into my character designs.

Her silhouette looks great. Her hair is very will renders and done in this spite. It's messily not messy. Get it? It creates a series of lines that brings the line of sight to Nicole's body, kinda like Nora. Her hair also creates a triangluar silhouette at the top half, which gives a lot of attention to her midsection. To counter this, the bright green energy around her legs was use to ease the line of sight from her head to her legs. It also gives a "S" shape of line compotion to the spite.

I like to think that this is one of the strongest sprite designs.

Berenice (Bastet)

Seeing Berenice for the first time in the story quest, I was a little shocked. Despite the fact that she's a cat girl, there is a very unique quality to Berenice, that I think, makes her not your standard cat girl.

Her skin colour is the most obvious feature, and I was surprised to see such a bold artistic decision to give her a purplish grey colour. I like to think there is an element of shock factor in it.

It really helps to set the fact that Berenice is an Esper, and to make her stand out from the group of NPC Espers. Because, let's be honest, if Berenice didn't have purple skin, we might have a hard time thinking she's not a NPC. Compare to other Espers, her outfit isn't as unique nor does it stand out like the other. But the colour choices and artist direction really enhanced her look.

Fu Shi

Okay... He isn't my favourite character. But, I can not deny his design is really good. All I can say, he design is: Unique, unique, and unique.

I think his appearence really gives off mythical beast. The contrast of his face and the rest of his body, sets him off from the typical furry look, I think it gives him a interesting back story of how can his transformation be "incomplete" compare to the likes of Sander and Freddie.

The whimsical element of his design, like the swirls reinforces he took after a mythical beast rather than an animal. It could also serves as intergrading cultural aesthetics as well.

The balance of the turquoise matches well with the sharp, yet slightly destaturate orange. Normally, the opposition colour schemes can be too over used and cliche , but here, I think it looks great.

Over all, these are a few of the character designs that I like in Dislyte. I do think there will be more characters making their way into this list, but for now, this will suffice.

-Esper Union Lounge

[iciousill]

Hayashi Yuu Interview

Original article: Yahoo!

Over 70 million copies of Tokyo Revengers (manga) have sold so far, and the 2nd season of its anime version is currently airing in Japan.

An unofficial translation of Shuukan The Television's interview with Hayashi Yuu, the voice actor for Sano Manjirou (Mikey). Note that since the interview concerns the upcoming Tokyo Revengers: Seiya Kessen-hen, this may contain some spoilers for the storyline up until then.

── Here we have Mikey's voice actor dressed in tokkoufuku (long biker gang jacket, in this case the Toman uniform) for this special collaboration with Shuukan The Television. As this interview's held prior to the airing of the new season, how are you feeling about it?

The release of Seiya Kessen-hen is just around the corner, and I'm filling up with various emotions. Gratefulness, for instance of the rapidly increasing popularity of the series, which also means more opportunities for me to appear in photoshoots and events. I also feel like I'm very used to wearing this long jacket. Putting the jacket on and naturally feeling myself brace up, that too.

── Like the feeling of taking up Mikey's aura when putting it on?

Yeah. Personally being viewed like I'm one of the gang isn't that bad (laugh), but on top of carrying him as his voice, I also get the feeling of eagerly wanting to respond to requests! Then again one of the common requests I get asked for is Mikey's high kick, and unfortunately my legs can't go any higher than about half the angle of his (laugh).

── Mikey's physical ability is just too great, right?

Right! While Mikey can lift his legs pretty much vertically, in my case I've got to start with some stretching exercises first, otherwise I can't do it (laugh). And when Mikey does it, there's the pose with his jacket fluttering from his shoulders. The other characters' jackets are short, while he as the leader is the only one with a longer jacket so you can see how imposing he looks from his silhouette. Getting to indulge in this feeling of superiority kind of feels like a perk (laugh).

── Talking about the feeling of specialness, maybe that could be the reason for Mikey's popularity.

I've seen Twitter accounts with Mikey as their profile icons, and I've had people become my fans ever since the anime started. Even though the series' themes involve biker gangs that disturb the public order, I've actually seen primary school-aged kids watch it too.

Even friends from my hometown that I haven't interacted with in a long time approached me with, 'Hey, I watched Tokyo Revengers! All the best!' I've been getting that kind of messages more often, leading to further interactions that I'm very thankful for!

── You can feel the impact of the anime series' influence on your surrounding too, right?

I'm sure that 2023 too will be a year of more Tokyo Revengers. On top of this interview, there's also the ongoing stamp rally, and the upcoming real escape game 'Tokyo Manjikai Daikousou kara no Dasshutsu' in January. Not only events, we can also see the coactive spread of Tokyo Revengers-related visuals filling up the streets due to the new Seiya Kessen-hen series.

── Even those who weren't aware of the existence of Tokyo Revengers can now get to know about it.

Right. I think it brings in those who have been following the manga, those who learnt of the series from the anime, and among them those who got interested from participating in the events. There are various avenues that you can 'pick up' the series from, which seem to have factored into how influential it has become.

── Mikey is 'charismatic', 'cool', 'kiddy', a character with multifaceted appealing points. Even through this interview I can see the hard work put into it as a voice actor, so conversely is there any trait that is consistent?

Actually not really (laugh). Since the traits keep flip flopping after all, we can instead consider the possibility that maybe it's the inconsistency that is consistent. Breaking Mikey's character down in my own way, even if there's no answer that I can give from it, I guess all I can do is to sincerely try to face the character.

The part that I'm most frustrated about is probably the same as what's frustrating for both the director and sound director too. But rather than settling myself in my own ways, I think I should work with everyone to figure out the optimal solution together, where possible.

── From your view, what do you think of the atmosphere of the recording sessions? It's been said to be pretty full of encouragement, according to Shin Yuuki who voiced Hanagaki Takemichi and Karino Sho who voiced Matsuno Chifuyu.

Shin-kun got praised so much anyway! (laugh) He was perfect, it's as if Takemichi really existed there and then rather than as a performance. I should be stricter on him as my junior from the same agency so he doesn't become too smug! ...well, I'm actually still pretty lenient on him (laugh). From time to time I would tell him, 'Don't get carried away!' but I guess it's just my personal frustration (laugh).

── You still feel frustrations in your career?

It's not only towards Shin-kun. No matter if they're a senior or a junior, if there's an actor performing brilliantly around me I respect them, but at the same time it bugs me out a bit! At least in my case, my feelings are on the lines of, 'Though our roles differ, I should also produce this level of quality!' That kind of competitive feeling in me habitually pops up.

── It seems that you as Mikey also get plenty of praises from fellow staff and actors.

Well, better not praise me too much (laugh). Ah, but in the sound director Iida Satoki's interview, he seemed to have said that I've 'got the grasp of being Mikey so (he) could trust that there'll be no problem with the performance plans' (laugh). I was truly happy about that.

I did feel a bit hesitant up until the Bloody Halloween segment even as I was standing on the recording spot, but if it's as Iida said in his interview, I think my performance didn't fail expectations so I'm happy. That's why I seriously read fellow staff's interviews (laugh).

To be frank, until the role was firmly set there had been a lot of concerning parts, so I'm really thankful to the various staff members for letting us retake the scenes. There were moments where I felt like 'there's no point to keep retaking this', but fault-finding isn't going to fix things without action. At the risk of sounding like a priestly proverbial, 'it's a blessing to be able to receive critiques'. I hope that the newer generations that tend to shy away from critiques will also feel this way!

── The ending of Bloody Halloween had been a sensational topic. With Seiya Kessen-hen as its continuation, we want to know about Mikey's actions too.

About Mikey, let's start with the part where Baji died. His mental state became fragile right... through his relations with fellow members surrounding him, I wonder how is this going to go.

── The loss of Baji, it had a really great impact on Mikey.

Yes. In the atmosphere during the recording session too. While it usually would be chill, on that day there was instead a distinctly tense atmosphere. From when Baji got done in, to Mikey's sudden change, the scene where he lost control left a strong impression on me as a voice actor.

Though I have had 34 years of experience in the acting world, it was recently that I started to realise, it's like I entered an enigmatic mode of heightened concentration towards my performance. It's probably something like an athlete's 'zone' of focus.

I was able to hear the voices around me, but the words that were spoken eluded me in my brink of focus as I linked to the character. It's like I got into some kind of monomania. The scene where Mikey went out of control basically went like that.

── As you got into the 'zone', was it like a so-called one-shot, a smooth take without needing any retakes?

Above handling it in Japanese, expressing that kind of state should have been difficult, but it might've been because I was honing my concentration in the task, it was indeed just a single take at one go! Man, having mentioned it up until this point, it would've been awkward if I didn't remember it (laugh).

My performance as Mikey has boosted me, which for me is like the culmination of my acting life. Having joined Gekidan Himawari when I was 5 years old, I developed the 'bratty act' from being casted as kid characters, and with the recent opportunities I've had to act as characters that exhibit leadership qualities, both sides are contained in the characteristics of Mikey. It was by fully drawing out these parts in me that I could tackle this challenge. I think I am a really blessed person for being able to be in that situation.

── In the recording sessions of Tokyo Revengers, was there any actor with interesting approaches to their character portrayal?

It felt like many of the actors were synchronised with their characters. For example, Karino's friendliness and cuteness was entirely like Chifuyu. On the service-oriented spirit, you can also get a glimpse of the reliable Chifuyu-like aspect of him during events.

Shin-kun too, though his acting was good he still seemed modestly-mannered like Takemichi (laugh). But like Takemichi, I think that there is an unseen side of him too. It's a good aspect!

On the other hand, there were also those with personality gaps from their characters. Talking about Seiya Kessen-hen, Sugita Tomokazu's Shiba Taiju is remarkable. Taiju's unnerving vibe was truly amplified in Sugita's performance. It wasn't just simple violence, but you can feel that it was in the realm of maniacal violence, and with that I was personally in awe of Sugita.

── We're all anticipating Taiju's part in Seiya Kessen-hen.

Also, in my opinion Mitsuya is worth keeping an eye on. When you watch Seiya Kessen-hen, I think you'll definitely fall for Mitsuya! First of all, he's part of a biker gang with an overwhelmingly terrifying emblem, but then he's also the captain of his school's handicraft club too. Not only the captain thing, there is also a scene where he can be seen getting told off by a junior, like he's completely blended in with regular school life... it's like he has moments of being off-guard, so to speak (laugh). In Seiya Kessen-hen, there will be scenes where Mitsuya's humanity shines, and it's really admirable!

── I can already feel the love for Mitsuya from your dedicated speech (laugh).

'It's better not to be a person who's too perfect,' might be a saying, but from a male gaze the too-perfect Mitsuya just seems so admirable! And he's voiced by Matsuoka (Yoshitsugu) right? I've been able to act alongside Matsuoka-kun in various scenes, and his acting's just so outstandingly and consistently good it's frustrating. The range of his acting roles is extremely wide, as such he just seems perfect! (laugh)

Also not to forget, the protagonist Takemichi's pretty cool too. The other characters appear extraordinarily cool, but you'll see that Takemichi too will have his rising share of coolness in Seiya Kessen-hen. Even though he's not really strong, his earnestness in risking his own life is so cool. I've unintentionally pent up these feelings for so long as there had been so many evocative moments... Well, but if you ask me which character's my foremost favourite, it's definitely Mitsuya though (laugh).

--- What do you think of Mikey?

Mikey is someone I definitely don't want to get involved with! (laugh) Of course, I get that he has his charismatic appeal, 'but is it really good to mingle with this kind of guy?' is also a thought that has crossed my mind-- someone who can in a blink of an eye leap from his friends' side to take down enemies in an intense brawl.

He's someone who at first glance seems to be unassuming, but that he hides extremely sharp fangs underneath is an appealing part of him I suppose. And the gap in character between him 'switching on and off' is probably a factor in his charisma.

Objectively looking at the character, he's really a messed up dude though (laugh). I don't know why but I just see it that way.

── That's just the thing. It seems to line up with the dangerous appeal of being in a former biker gang.

If I'm just looking at him I get it, but there's still the feel of not wanting to hang out with him (laugh). Biker gangs used to be common around me long ago, so the 'yankee' genre of manga felt familiar for me. The era has significantly changed, you don't really see much of those kind of people these days.

The interesting aspect of Tokyo Revengers is that using the theme of 'timeslipping' it's possible to weave between eras to naturally bring back and rekindle a point in yankee culture. The amalgamation of these two themes is really a creative genius of Wakui-sensei, but how is Takemichi returning to the past going to change the future? It's this point that's simply fascinating!

On top of that, in returning to the past, the awesome aspects of each character are depicted altogether as the epitome of fervent friendship, so it's really tear-inducing. It's a really moving series, so I'm really delighted that one person could make such a series that really connects with many people.

──────

If there are mistakes or better ways to phrase certain parts you can reach out and message me if you'd like to.

(RIP I'm sorry Takemichi I kept misreading your name as martial arts)

[carrotmybabyo]

Translation: 🧡Koji’s Photoboy exhibition in AERA (2022.06.27)

in AERA (2022.06.27)

2nd last BB dance prac shot: Featuring all 8 of his members. It was after they filmed the dance vid.  They were abt to go home early, when Koji requested for 1 photo. Shoppi  was alrdy topless so he hid behind meme.

last shot of suno in suits: After the last interview session for Osomatsu movie, they're in suits & he thinks it's cute. Lately Koji has been taking photos of suno. Suno from his pov. He doesn't do it all the time, but time to time he feels like taking photos of them.

1st shot: self portrait: Just for fun, he wanted a self portrait. In monochrome, he used a tripod & strobe light. He likes it when he looks away from camera. (retorts himself here by saying HOW ANNOYING!) It was hard to act cool but still be natural for this.  

mirror selfie shot: He wants to be as good as a pro. wishes to hear ppl ask him "pls take a pic for me", wants to shoot for magazine covers & have his own exhibition w/o showing his name, just as a 27 yo camera man's daily life thru photos.  

crying little girl: She's young & crying so monochrome shows her tears better. He highly recommends this shot, and he has always wanted to take a crying face shot. (she was crying cause the light quite bright & her mum wasn’t nearby, but continued to pose while crying, cute) for sure she will grow up a beauty  

after crying.. her dad comforted her & carried her. Koji took a parent child shot of them, blurring out dad's face by partially covering his lens.  sensei said: covering his face leaves it to one's imagination, it's a great parent-child shot  

Leaf on spider thread: the leaf rotated nonstop, koji snapped a pic just as it faced the front. He had to crouch since the leaf was below his waist. Monochrome so the spider thread can be seen well. also the leaf isn’t a v nice colour so monochrome is better.  

sakkun's bear hairdo from Brother Beat: “Sakkun in the makeup room. I wanted to take a pic of that hairdo. A pic with  full face would draw attention away from the hair, so I took the pic only from his eyes upwards. I happened to be using monochrome film, but it's nice too.”

IMPACTors: “During last year's kabuki. I used monochrome film too. They were practicing Wildfire, which was choreographed by Hikaru. I shot from the side rather than the front to avoid intruding, since it was a morning check and Hikaru was watching them.  “

moving train: “Those who know, knows, but this is a train in Nara (kintetsu). If you look closely you can see me (reflection). I took it from the platform, just nice there was someone in black inside the train so the glass was like a mirror. The shaky feel is nice.” (Good timing!)  

Street shoppi: I took it w/o shoppi noticing, so it was a natural shot. Shinjuku on our rest day. The sun rays from between the buildings were nice. It was that day that shoppi wanted to shop but I ended up buying things instead. I used the lens I bought immediately, but  since it was a digital camera lens (Nikon G) on a film camera, it didnt match well & the photo was a bit blurred. I used a wider aperture. It was quite nice in the end.  

Bright light: “Sunlight filtered through the blinds. I used a green glass for this effect & to match the greenery. It might be hard to tell what it is but you can see the exit & there’s a gentle feel. I handled the cup roughly on purpose so it had scratches for the diffused effect.  “

Tokyo tower: “What do you think it is? Very blur, dark & rainy shot of Tokyo Tower taken while i was on the highway in a staff's car. I wanted to use up the last film in my camera. There was only about a 0.5 sec window to get a shot since there were many buildings blocking most of the view.”

Date san: “Date san w his beautiful contours outlined by the back light. An exquisite shot with the window frame alignment and silhouette of leaves, & i made it cool toned. This was during EVOLUTION mv filming, he's acting cool but wearing only socks cause he's on a sofa, it's good.”

???: “Can’t tell what it is right? At the right side, there’s a number on the floor. This is kabuki stage. There's markings on the floor from ppl walking & pushing things over it. The V shaped shadow is actually from Sakuma's flying sling. I didn’t expect it to turn out nice like this.  “

Bread: “Somehow not too great? Bacon egg bread and salted roll. Seated in driver's seat, my leg is in the shot too. The bread was my breakfast from the staff. Can i just say, it's morning!” (TN: idk he might be referring to high cal bread being too heavy for morning)  

Kawaguchiko: “I took a few shots of the leaves but I’m most interested in the lady walking away from the guy. The guy took a photo with his phone, then I’m not sure what happened but it felt like he was dumped? His face is covered so it adds to the story-like feel.” (Lmao u Koji-razzi?!)  

Tokyo Tower night: “A long exposure shot of Tokyo Tower. The trails from red & white headlights of cars on either sides are pretty. The shutter speed: I kept it open for ~10s but I waited 20 mins overall to balance out the cars' effect. Snapping away like an idiot! I cycled there.“

Snow: “It snowed between work. I used a Leica clip on light for this. It was a rather wet snow so I got drenched while taking photos, anyone seeing might think I’m a weird fellow “

scans source: here

[foryoumyheroes]

Otaku

[Bakugou + Todoroki] are in love with the anime character [Name]. 

A/N:  Gender-neutral reader  Crackish?? 

Bakugou Katsuki: 

He’s sort of picky with the genre, be it fantasy, horror, shonen, but his favorite character has to be a super cool, super powerful one. No excuses. 

You know, the type of anime character that’s probably introduced through a silhouette of them posing dramatically with their notorious group whose image is teased throughout the first few episodes/seasons. 

He goes pretty hard for All Might, and he’s definitely the same for your character. 

Reads the manga (but he buys it super secretly, like in a hoodie at night and the cashier probably thinks that they’re being robbed until he brings the entire [Series] collection to the register). Watches the anime the moment it’s broadcasted, reads metas and watches youtube videos that talk about conspiracies/analyses of your character. 

NO ONE CAN KNOW THOUGH. 

He’s taking his anime phase to the grave. 

For some reason gets super aggressive when you’re being flirty or being shipped with another character?? He hates all the scenes that tease any potential romance between you and other characters. asdfgj He’s like, “No one is good enough for [Name]!!! Except for me.” 

He even tries to think up ways he can legitimately square up with them LMAO. Like he wonders how he could defeat your potential S/Os in a fight but y’all are like ,,, anime characters SO WHY DOES IT EVEN MATTER LOL 

“Three-sword style?? Tch, I’d fucking blow that bastard to bits.” 

“Who’s this Gaara of the Sand looking ass and why is the author getting so bold.” 

He even tries to think of how well your abilities match up with his own Quirk, this dork. 

THE LENGTHS HE WOULD GO FOR YOU.

If you were a real life person and your dislikes are lets say spicy food or loud, overbearing people, Bakugou would be like, “Tch I’m right, they’re wrong. Shut the fuck up!!!” But if his ultimate wifu/husbando has those dislikes he would be like, “Omg...😳😳 opposites attract...👉👈” 

He honestly tries to be a low-key fan (as in, not be a fan at all to outsiders), but if one day during class Kaminari ends up saying that in [Series], you’re the weakest character in your group/squad, Bakugou would get super angry. 

“Hey, Dunceface!! It’s so fucking obvious that you’re an anime-only fake fan, so don’t talk as if you know shit!” 

Bakugou is those “um actually” ;; fans 

Bakugou is a manga reader, so by the time your introduction scene or Ultimate Attack scene is being aired he becomes super OOC. He’s hyped for it for days, incredibly nervous at how the animators handle the scene. 

By the time he watches it?? 

THE ANIMATION!! THE VOICE ACTING!! YOUR COOLNESS!!! PLS ORA ORA HIM IN THE CHEST!! HE’S BEGGING YOU! IF YOU’RE GOING TO UNISON RAID WITH ANYONE PLS LET IT BE HIM!! 

He’s legitimately sweating buckets by the time the episode is over. A whole-ass fire hazard. 

Probably knows how to play your character theme on the drums. 

Omg but if your character dies/is hinted toward dying/or the most recent chapters ends with a cliffhanger where you’re fatally injured he will become legitimately depressed. 

Like holes himself in his dorm room for a whole day without contacting anyone and with the blinds drawn type of depressed. 

When he comes to class the next day with eye-bags and is slouching and his classmates think that something horrible has happened, it’s probably only Izuku who knows what’s going on. 

He’ll say, “You’re upset about the most recent chapter of [Series], right? I know it must be hard for you right now.” He’ll give Bakugou an officially licensed rubber strap of your character and Bakugou will just ;; cradle it in his hands softly. 

In complete seriousness, your character is probably someone who is strong physically, but publicly rallies for things like, “Failure is fine.” Your character arc would probably explore what it’s like being not good enough or feeling constantly disappointed, so he feels comfort in your character. 

Todoroki Shoto: 

In comparison to Bakugou, he’s probably a more low-key fan unintentionally, but goes just as hard. 

Buys all of the merch, limited-edition or not, has your picture set as his phone lockscreen and homescreen, has a little acrylic charm of you on his phone, follows several fanartists that draw your character on social media. He buys enough merch that his room looks like a glorified shrine. 

It’s canon that he reads manga, but I headcanon that he’s even less picky with his genres and willingly reads things like slice-of-life or shojo all the way to shonen or adult fantasy, so your anime could come from any possible story. 

Your character is probably someone who is sweet and kind but has a traumatic character backstory. 

He probably ends up thinking stuff like, “If [Name] was with me, I would never let them get treated like that.” asdhj he’s a dork too. 

Unironically dramatically quotes you during battle and thinks that it’s still badass because he’s a teenage boy in his anime phase. 

Doesn’t get into debates with people who don’t like your character. He’s like, “Everyone is entitled to their own opinion :)) even though they’re wrong. >:(.” 

If you’re from a sports/competition anime he’ll try to learn all of the rules, and even try it out for himself (if it’s not fighting) but he finds out that he’s... not very good at it. That doesn’t make him any less amazed though! 

If your character is from a different culture with different customs and traditions, he’ll even learn more about them outside of your anime! 

Forces his siblings to watch the anime with him. They don’t necessarily have to, but the Todoroki household has one big TV and he hogs it all the time watching your anime over and over. 

Natsuo is begging him to watch something else and Shoto will just pout angrily from the other side of the couch.( ￣＾￣)

It’s so jarring because he doesn't look or appear like a hardcore anime fan, but sometimes he’ll just butt into conversations randomly and talk about you. 

Like you know those tumblr Naruto posts that talk about it as if it’s some sort of Renaissance literature. That’s Todoroki. 

[”Man, they’re so hot--!” 

“You want to see someone hot?” Todoroki asks with a perfectly straight face, and he’ll just... turn his phone around and show them a picture of an anime character.] 

When his dad tries to set him up with someone else: “You think they’re my type? Do they watch [Series]? Do they know what true friendship is?? Do they understand pining and love the way [Name] does?” 

Endeavor: who the FUCK is [Name]. 

Gets into fanfiction because of your character and series. He’ll just be reading on his phone during break times at school and everyone thinks that he’s being so well-read but he’s just reading pure smut with a straight face. 

Doesn’t mind when you’re shipped with other characters necessarily but he is super picky. If your character is hinted toward a potential romance with another character that’s pretty crass and doesn’t necessarily treat you well but you’re sticking together through the power of friendship, he won’t ship it. 

He’s just like “[Name] would be so much happier with someone else like me.” ://// 

And if your character goes through something traumatic or terrible during the series he’ll be so sad, like soooo sad. :((( Deku would probably be comforting him on the couch in the common room and everyone is concerned because he looks like he’s mourning a lost pet, but it turns out to be over some anime character pshhhsdfh. 

Deku would just be patting his shoulder trying to console him and Todoroki’s just sitting there with a big frown on his face going, [“But they’ve been through so much throughout the anime already...” 

“I know, Todoroki-kun, I know...” 

“The author can’t do that to them... It’s just not fair.”

“I get it,” Midoriya says mournfully.]  

Plot twist: They like the same anime character 

They’ll probably find out when they have to retake the license exam together. 

Todoroki will just take his phone out during off times and Bakugou’s eyes looks over because it’s drawn by the noise but then his head just snaps to the side when he realizes its a little charm of you, like, he’s going to get whiplash from that. 

“What the -- is that [Surname] [Name]?!” 

Like they have never really hung out together before this, so when they both first realize that their favorite character of all time is [Name] they’re left ,, just standing there ,,, pointing at each other like the spiderman meme.

At first they’re both inwardly excited because FINALLY someone cultured and with taste. They spend the entire time talking about your stats, your attacks, your post-timeskip character design, and your personality, and then they delve a little bit deeper and then they realize ,,, oh. 

Bakugou says that you don’t belong with the dumb protagonist, you should be shipped with someone strong, confident and loud, but Todoroki is like noooooo they deserve to be with someone that treats them gently. 

They connect the dots. 

[“Bakugou, you aren’t compatible with [Name]. It says so in their trivia page.” 

“Says you! They won’t want some bland-ass pretty boy! They would want a real man!”] 

They’re such fanboys ;;; they do realize that you aren’t real, right asdfghj?

One day Kaminari and Sero separately invite them to an anime convention, but they both say no and that they have plans or “something better to do” that day. 

Then Bakugou and Todoroki both turn up to the convention at the same place because they both reach for the last limited edition [Name] figure and they just stare at each other wide-eyed (ʘoʘ╬) like that. 

They start verbally fighting each other over the last figure and then physically fighting each other andddd then they get kicked out of the convention. 

Izuku ends up swooping in and getting the last box. 

[starshipsofstarlord]

Smooth as the nine realms

loki laufeyson x reader / masterlist

summary; the midguardian lifestyle is strange, but there is an aspect of it that loki is definitely not accustomed to, and he’s conflicted about whether he likes it or not / warnings; smut, talk about pubic hair, or lack of, oral sex (female receiving)

kicking off your leggings, you abolished them to the other side of the room, straddling loki as he abandoned his book, caring not that the pair of you were in the middle of the common room, nor the fact that he had lost his page. it had been a few months since loki had been forced to join the avengers on their next quest, thor had practically dragged him towards the bifrost.

but now, he didn’t mind earth so much. sometimes it could be quiet, that was when all members of the team were away on missions, and thor allowed him to be by himself. this though, the way you, an average, world protecting midguardian straddled him, after stripping out of your top and bra, in the middle of a public sector of the domain, was something that he sure as valhalla had no mind about.

in fact, he rather enjoyed the way that your hands roughed down the points of his shoulders, and trailed down his biceps, that were underrated, especially in comparison to his brother’s. the two of you had been playing a game since he attacked the planet, it was a chase of cat and mouse.

at first, he had envisioned you to be the mouse, but you no longer seemed meek and small any longer. instead, you were the feline that was cosying herself upon the perch of his royal lap, descending her grounding hips over the throne of his pelvis.

“what is it trickster, cat got your tongue?” you seemed rather confident with the way that his eyes remained glue to your mound, he realised that must have been quite a complimentary action for a mortal man to show to his partner.

to be truthful, it felt as though all speech was parched from his mouth, he had knowingly waited for this instance where you would deliberately rut yourself against him; like heimdall, he had a vision of the future delved in the reverse side of his eyes, though, his reaction was the most unexpected thing that he could had intended to paraphrase.

he trailed his hand over your mound, through the fabric of underwear, watching mercilessly as you bucked into his hand. midguardians were something else, they weren’t as sensual as others he had been with concerning their sexuality, in fact, as it appeared, some were desperate.

you were rutting in his grip, though he applied a stern hold unto them, forcing you to stop your ravenous movements, and pose stilly for the god beneath you. he gently, which was a surprise to you with how tender and kind his eyes had become, laid you down on the couch that stark has paid a pretty penny for, exchanging your positions so that you were the one under his demeanour.

“do something.” you eagerly insisted, lacing your mortal fingers through his midnight locks, tugging gently at his dark roots. a glassy encasement covered his eyes as he stared up at you, it was a mess to place the expression that was carried within them, gods were difficult, that much was clear. though, you weren’t seeking anything particularly intimate with the company of one, this had been inevitable though.

it had been like a kettle brewing, screeching like an applause when the pair of you had finally gotten to the point of no return. this was it, there were no divine interventions or avenging interruptions to discard this moment, instead you and loki were thrown this coin toss, given your desires in the aura of a wish fountain.

“humans.” his voice prowled, making bumps appear on your skin, as he blew a swift succession of cold air across your stomach, it sending a blizzard of coolness up the paving of your chest, making your nipples undeniably hard, their stiff peaks that beaded under his breath were almost painful as they stood obediently to attention. “always so demanding, why can’t your kind beg for a change, i know that would appease my hunger?”

“oh loki, please.” your tone was severely monotone, and caused the mischievous lord to roll his gemstone eyes, rendering their spheric pupils to glare in amusedly at you, though, he tugged your panties down, the sight leaving him breathless. he was enraptured with the sight, perplexed by it as his emerald eyes stared up at you for an explanation. though, you were not sure what he was expecting from you.

his throat dry, as for once, he was not able to comprehend the situation. his silver tongue had gotten lost, obstructed as he grew distracted by the visual that he was receiving. it was a cunt, he knew that much, but there was someone uniquely different about it, he’d assume it was scalped if her were to make verbal predictions. “what is this?”

“my attempts at deflating your ego. i am not going to beg for you to do something to me, i can easily find someone else.” you rested your head back, digging the crown of it further into the end of the couch, as you parted your legs a little further to resend an invitation for him to proceed.

“not that...” loki revealed, paving his icy hands up the roads of your thighs, letting his forefinger brush over your pubic mound, it was like the bifrost, a smooth pathing to a transportation of depth, one that he wished to investigate, though he was still stricken by the eventing shock that pulsed within his golden veins. he had always been a curious child, and he remained to be as keen to know all now, at centuries upon centuries old.

“have you never seen a vagina before?” you huffed, wanting him to do nothing more than devour your cunt, stabbing you with his vigilant tongue so that he could curl crude and priceless sounds out of your mouth. if anyone knew that you were about to participate in intercourse with the destructive, slippery handed body, they would surely judge you.

but they didn’t, and even if that were not the case, you wouldn’t care. your mind was far too preoccupied with the growing inclination to jump the god’s elegantly crafted bones, bury for now you, remained still, allowing him to assert his comfort within the situation. “what’s wrong?” this time, he answered you, looking almost like a dear kitten that was plodding through the bustling streets, seeking out attention from a kind citizen, having hopes to be taken to a home, and fed well.

“why-,” he cleared his throat, he never came across as this nervous to anyone, it was as though he feared what you may think of him if he were to speak his mind. “why don’t you have hair- here?” he stroked the pad of his thumb over the flat and bare crest, finding it to be one of the most peculiar things regarding humans that he had ever witnessed.

“because i shave.” it was a simple answer, whilst all while being not as direct as the god was hoping for. “it’s kinda a thing down here, some people let it grow out, others don’t. it’s whatever picks their fancy, and a lot of people, like me, shave so intimate partners don’t get grossed out. some guys are dicks and hate everything that is natural.”

“well i’d still be reaped with great, reprised regret, if i were to reform the idea of giving you satisfaction if you were to have a natural slate sheathing around your sweet cunt.” he inhaled, making your muscles wither with succumbed arousal. the god could smell your distinct scent of attraction towards him, and he was visually compelled by the aroma that invaded his senses.

loki, without warning, placed his palm over your clean shaven mound, holding you down as his tongue worked against your tender flesh, stroking it as though he bore a hand of intricacy, sketching out every detail of your skin, plucking the outer labia into the hatch of his often deceiving mouth. he had to admit, in his mind of course, he liked the access that he was granted by this strange human lifestyle.

the idea of pubic hair was one of parts of a woman’s body that usually fuelled the immortal man, however if you didn’t want to bear its follicles on your skin, then that was to it choice. he wouldn’t judge you for it, although he happened to judge midguardians on everything. you were different from the others though, despite sometimes bickering, and making stabbing jokes towards one another, he rather enjoyed your presence.

with you nearby, he finally felt seen. he was not only the immortal that had prided himself with almost crushing an entire mortal city, no. you saw through that, understanding that he was definitely not in his own mindset, he had been controlled. it was never in his plans to venture to midguard, even if it was to cause a ruckus. but now with you, he never wanted to leave.

despite your optimal obligations regarding the team, and villains much like himself, he felt accepted. thor too appreciated him, but that was far different, there had always been a means of competition between the brother, with you, that regard was not present. he could be himself, and appreciate your side silhouette, and demand the agents that passed by with wandering eyes with threats if they did not continue walking.

now that he thought about that, as he engorged on the taste of your cunt, sliding a prying finger through the door of your entrance, fumbling your clit with his bewitched thumb, he realised something. a great surprise to himself. he indeed cared about you, but far more than he had ever anticipated to. his fingers slowed as he became mesmerised with every small noise that projected from your mouth, wanting to drag this instance out for as long as possible.

not only did his self realisation show him that he found some calm in your lasting presence, but he had feelings. usually he blocked off such things, but the heavenly expression that illustrated itself upon your face had him inwardly swooning. he felt you comb your fingers through his locks, and he hummed. he wanted this moment to last forever, in it, he was not a god, nor an infamous trickster.

he was just a man swarming with irregular emotions towards a woman, a being of optimistic resort; if things were as simple, or if he understood as well, he’d ask to take you for dinner. but he didn’t know where to start with that, not only did he have a lack of wisdom when it came to human restaurants, but he had no clue as to how you would respond. he didn’t even think that you saw him as a suitor, he was simply a deliverer of teasing and now pleasure.

“fuck loki.” the mortal swear sounded like a spell, making his body overbear itself with a proud sensation as he pushed you over the edge, removing his fingers only for you to bring them to your own mouth and clean them off. “holy shit, that was so good. maybe i should have started with gods years ago.”

inherently the mischief source growled, his mind instantly going over to the idea of you choosing his brother; everyone did, they had a strong preference. from his family to his old friends, they all liked thor more, and that was how his resentment towards his brother had originally stemmed. he felt like an outcast, and from that reminded alone, conjoined with your interest towards his brother, he felt his eyes grow glassy.

“go to him. i’m sure thor would appreciate your partnership.” yes, he was acting like a sulking toddler, and it had your brow bone raising as you took in his words. it was his clap back response, and you grasped him, stopping him from leaning the room. you felt slightly vulnerable, being in the nude after such a small lash, but you knew something was bothering loki, and it was clear to what that was.

“i do not want your brother loki, nor any other god.” your voice bit back a strain to its tone, as you stared at the man, standing in your birthday suit before him. your hands splayed on his chest, feeling his heart through his attire viscosity beating. “there is no need to be jealous, it feels like we’ve playing this game for so long, and i intend for it to be over. i will be the first to admit it, i want you, all of you. from the dark corners to the hopeful light in your eyes.”

loki was astounded, nobody had ever been so straight forward with him. despite being the god of mischief, the half of the time it was him whom was the victim of lies. “you don’t mean that.” his hands lightly traced every dip in your hips as he searched your expression for certainty. “nobody wants me, i am the monster that had tales spread to fear the children of my people of a night. there is nowhere i belong, nor anybody whom i belong with.”

“that may be your mindset, or the one that you are speaking, but you are lying to yourself. i do want you loki odinson, please accept that.” he gulped, nobody had ever had he guts to tell him how it was, and here you were, simply speaking your mind before him. it was an admirable feature, something that he deemed to be a favourable quality. “now i think i’m gonna get dressed and head to my room, i am feeling a bit cold. come find me when you feel like admitting the truth to yourself, i’ll be waiting.”

as you went to turn, loki grasped your elbow, hushing your questions with his mouth, as he clutched your cheeks, passionately endorsing you in a meaningful kiss. he walked you backwards, until the pair of you once again fell onto the furniture. “you don’t have to wait y/n, because i do not want to.” he ushered pecks down your neck, as you grew warm from the disappearance of his usual cockiness, it being replaced with true confidence, that served as a show for no one, and instead was his own admittance to all.

[charlottepuddingsama]

Taste of Her Own Medicine

I wrote a zosan fic; come read it (Ao3 link in the reblog)

Description: Zoro is running late to a meeting with Sanji. When he finally gets there Sanji is swooning over the ex that crushed his heart while she peacocks and shows off her new boyfriend. People like that really pissed Zoro off.

Zoro checked his watch again. God damnit, he was late. Again. Which meant Sanji was going to kill him for it. Again. He couldn’t even pin this on Sanji this time, either, because Zoro was the one to suggest they meet at the fountain. To be fair, when he suggested it he’d been sure that he in-fact knew the way to the fountain. When he reached where it should have been, however, it inexplicably wasn’t there.

Now he’s rushing halfway across town to get to where it apparently actually is, if his phone’s map could be trusted (Zoro did not trust his phone’s map, sure that it was constantly sending him on the slowest, stupidest route possible. He was definitely always better off just going his own way). At least the exercise was warming him up, the sun yet to burn off the late spring morning’s chill.

He was only twenty minutes late, maybe Sanji would let him off easy for once? Zoro sighed inwardly, knowing that would never happen. It was going to be stupid to be yelled at about this, too, since they weren’t even doing anything where timing was all that important. They were just trying to find good birthday presents for Luffy. Zoro was kind of hopeless at presents while Sanji was always amazing at them, always picking out something thoughtful and custom-tailored to the recipient. Zoro most often showed up with an amazon gift card feeling completely stupid about it. Knowing this, Zoro had stealthily suggested they go hunting together so they didn’t, “buy him the same thing.” As if Zoro would ever give as good of a gift as Sanji would. He was actually surprised Sanji hadn’t seen right through him and refused, but the other had actually more-or-less readily accepted the idea. Zoro supposed there was a first time for everything.

The first time for Zoro to not make himself late, however, was not today.

After some wrong turns and two dead ends that might have actually been the same dead end twice, Zoro finally, finally saw the large fountain that marked the beginning of the city park come into view. He slowed his jog to a walk, glad he hadn’t yet broken a sweat. Couldn’t let Sanji think he actually cared about keeping their appointment. Not that it mattered what the cook thought, of course, but if he thought Zoro cared he might somehow get an even bigger head than he already had. Not that Zoro actually cared in the first place, too, of course. He hadn’t been looking forward to spending a whole day shopping with Sanji even a little. Not at all.

Zoro looked around the paved area, searching for Sanji amongst the small crowd mingling by the fountain. The day was still a bit crisp from the morning, but that didn’t seem to dissuade people as they gathered around the mouth of the park. Some were alone, some in groups, and others towed animals on leashes either walking the pets or clearly getting walked by them. Zoro surveyed the whole crowd, looking for Sanji standing off by himself, probably bent agitatedly over his phone with a cigarette in his mouth. None of the loners in the area fit his description though.

Had Zoro somehow actually made it here first after all? That didn’t seem even a little bit likely. He kept looking.

Finally, after a long moment of searching, he managed to spot him. A familiar head of blonde hair, a neat dress shirt, and long legs stood by the side of the fountain striking an impossible-to-mistake silhouette.

He wasn’t alone, though.

In front Sanji was an unfamiliar couple: some brunette girl holding the hand of an average looking boy. Was Sanji hitting on a stranger while her boyfriend was literally right there? Really?

Zoro’s face morphed into an unimpressed look. How classic. He really had no idea what he was expecting, offering to take Sanji around in public where he might run into females in the wild. A strong feeling of annoyance grew in his chest at just imagining the stupid drivel that must be spewing out of that mouth of his.

Zoro began to march over there with intentions to drag Sanji away by the ear when he suddenly stopped himself in his own tracks. His brows furrowed, studying the way Sanji was standing. His entire posture was eerily off. One hand was in his pocket while the other held a lit cigarette. His shoulders were tight and a little high, legs slightly farther apart than normal as if on defense. There was absolutely none of the easy oozing he exuded whenever he normally was chatting up some girl. He wasn’t swooning even a little.

Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong.

A thrum of worry pulsed through Zoro. It wasn’t that he was worried about Sanji – he could take care of himself, plus, Zoro reminded himself, he didn’t give a fuck about him (how does he keep forgetting that?). Rather, he was worried about what kind of threat these two people could possibly pose to get someone as cool-headed as Sanji so visibly tense.

Looking at the two, he knew he couldn’t place the boy, but the brunette… did he know her? Her face was rather indistinct, no particular piece of it sticking out to him. Her clothes looked well-pressed, and they were probably fashionable, not that Zoro had any real frame of reference for that. Her brown hair was half tied up in two little buns on her head, the rest left to fall down past her shoulders. She just seemed like a completely random, normal person; an auto-generation of any other girl about their age in the city.

Then the girl laughed at something. The sound was shrill and obnoxious in a way that grated on every nerve Zoro had. He wanted to absolutely break something.

Oh. Oh. Ohhhh. Zoro knew exactlywho this girl was. He scowled at the memory.

She was some chick Sanji had dated for a while, maybe a couple months? A name itched at the tip of his tongue, but he couldn’t quite grasp it. Two months was considerably longer than most of Sanji’s little trysts. He had even brought her around to meet everyone once; it was kind of a big deal since they’re friends are not only their family, but also extremely likely to scare any normal person away. Sanji had really, really actually liked this girl, Zoro was pretty sure.

And then she dumped him.

She’d reportedly done it unceremoniously one night, completely out of the blue. She simply told Sanji that she was, “done with this relationship now,” and left. Zoro had heard that line a hundred times over in the weeks following as Sanji wallowed pitifully, hit hard by the sudden cold shoulder. It had not been a pretty sight in the slightest. The ever-enamored cook had eventually bounced back, like he always did, but it really had taken longer than usual. Even Zoro had felt sorry for the guy at the time.

And now here she was. A completely random encounter in a city filled with a thousand other people that could be here instead. And she had the nerve to do, what? Strike up a casual conversation with someone she herself had so soundly dumped, some new boy in her tow? Inching closer, Zoro just barely started to be able to hear them. It was clear even just from her tone that the words exchanged were more than awkward hellos. The girl was gushing about her boyfriend the businessman, annunciating the words as if she wanted the whole park to turn and listen. She played with some expensive looking necklace in a way that was definitely supposed to be noticed, certainly some token from her little purse-mule of a boy.

That kind of thing really pissed Zoro off. Dump someone for no reason? Fine, whatever. But then go shoving yourself at him? In public and at random? She had to know how Sanji was physically incapable of being anything but overly polite to women, abusing that to get her kicks. Zoro grit his teeth as he watched Sanji gush at her that she looked as beautiful as always, that he simply adored how her hair grew out since he’d last seen her, that he was so happy she was so well taken care of. Underneath the gushing Zoro could practically feel how upset this whole encounter made Sanji, a self-pitying tone sewn into each sentence. It was like he was a slave to his own actions. The girl clearly let her ego be boosted by his attention and that made Zoro even angrier.

Zoro eyed the boy she had tugged along. He may have been some business guy or whatever, but he certainly didn’t look very impressive. His haircut was basic, his jacket was a bit too big and made him look like he was playing dress up, and his expression seemed far away as if zoned out. Zoro had him beat in muscle and looks easily. Zoro’s shirt was tight against his well-built chest, his jeans were slung low to show just a peak of his boxers, he’d have a healthy little glow from his jogging, and he raked a hand through his hair to give it a little volume. He was fully aware of exactly how good he looked in comparison and just pissed off enough to decide he might as well use it.

He wanted to see if little miss ex could handle a taste of her own medicine.

“Oi, Sanji,” he called, finally making his way to the trio. Sanji’s shoulders jumped to his ears. Zoro thought he looked like an animal frozen in crosshairs, waiting for its instincts to lead it to fight or flee. He turned slowly to look at Zoro, his face in a very un-handsome expression of combined panic and agitation.

Zoro fought his instinct to give just as nasty an expression back knowing he was now being watched by the brunette; his little show had now officially begun. Instead, he gave Sanji an easy smile as he sauntered over to him, eyes only on him, pretending to not even notice the couple right in front of them. This, of course, only lead to Sanji scrunching up his face in incredulous confusion. If this idea was going to work Zoro was going to have to wipe that look right off him.

When he was beside him, Zoro slung an arm around Sanji’s shoulder, letting himself drape over the other. Sanji was only one centimeter shorter than him and just as strong, so it always surprised Zoro just a bit how slight his naturally thin frame felt in his arms. A small, stupid rush of protectiveness briefly filled his chest and for once Zoro indulged it letting himself draw Sanji close to him. Sanji went stiff as a board and his eyes blew open in surprise. Zoro took advantage of his surprise, not letting him even think about getting a kick in as he reached out with his other hand to grab hold of Sanji’s stubbled chin.

He drew the other in for a quick, soft kiss.

The sharp scent of tobacco filled Zoro’s senses, but underneath it lied the familiar aroma of spices that followed Sanji everywhere he went. The scent was familiar, but the feel of Sanji’s lips against his was new. For all the times he’d bitten a mark into Sanji’s pale flesh, nipping along skin usually hidden later by shirts, Zoro couldn’t actually remember them kissing. If they ever had, they certainly would never do it as gently as this. He counted to ten in his head, wanting the kiss to look real while still public-appropriate.

Zoro was perfectly prepared for Sanji to remain like cardboard, perfectly fine carrying the kiss by himself. Suddenly, though, as if some sort of switch had gone off, Sanji softened, easing into Zoro’s hold like butter into warm bread.

All at once Sanji’s plush lips gently pressed back, allowing his weight to fall where Zoro’s arms had guided it. The count in Zoro’s head faltered for a second, mind going dumb from shock. Zoro had kissed plenty of people before, was a damn good kisser himself, but somehow nothing had ever felt like this. There was something in the way Sanji relaxed into him, how perfectly their lips slotted together, and the sensory of the strong scents and rough stubble and pillowy softness of lips. It all made even such a simple kiss simply intoxicating. Had they really never done this before? Why the hell not?

At ten (or was it eleven? Twelve?) Zoro drew his head back, ending their kiss with the soft sound of lips parting. He didn’t go far, though, hand still on the other’s chin, their breath mixing in the space between them. He opened his eyes, not knowing when he’d closed them, to find Sanji staring at him with a dazed expression and a gentle, pink blush spread across his cheeks. Zoro couldn’t help but smile, a strange feeling like fondness welling up in his chest. It was probably just hormones, like always, reminding him of the other times he’d made the typically put-together Sanji blush in more heated circumstances. Yeah, that was it, had to be.

“Thanks for waiting,” Zoro said, for once owning up to being late. Sanji blinked owlishly at him, as if trying to place where they were and what they were supposed to be doing. At that cute look something compelled Zoro and he made no move to stop it, giving a sweet kiss to the bit of forehead poking out from blonde bangs as if in apology.

“Ahem?” an impatient voice said, jarring Zoro back into reality. When had he left? It was like he’d had complete tunnel vision. Now, though, the situation around him came back into sharp focus. The mild chill of the spring air, the bubbling fountain behind him, the obnoxious couple in front of him, the reason why he did what he just did. Yes, right, he’d had a reason for doing that. One, singular, solitary reason and absolutely no other. A mission, even. Right.

Zoro dropped Sanji’s chin, ignoring the tingle in his hand and the definitely non-existent desire to hold him elsewhere. He instead hooked his thumb in one of his belt loops and assumed a pose hanging off of Sanji who was now tucked rather snugly into his side. The girl had her arms crossed and looked huffy. He raised an eyebrow at the two, acting as if they’d been the ones to interrupt him. “Sorry, didn’t see you there,” Zoro said casually, just knowing an egotistical bitch like her would be bothered by that. Sure enough, the girl’s eye twitched just a bit. Zoro held back a smug smile at getting a reaction so easily. “And you would be?”

Indignation flashed in the girl’s eyes. Had Zoro asked that rudely? Oh, pardon him. She stood herself up to look taller, as if looking down on him despite being a few inches shorter. Zoro refused to be phased.

“I’m Alice,” the girl introduced herself, not bothering to introduce the boy with her. It was probably for the best as the boy’s eyes had followed Zoro’s thumb down to where it rested, clearly distracted.

“I’m sure Sanji has told you all about me,” she added with fake sweetness, an almost sadistic smile crawling up her face. Alice, right. Alice was definitely the name Sanji wailed into his empty wine glass when Zoro and the others had tried to take him out on a boys’ night to cheer him up. He actually used to kind of like that name, but now it was forever tainted with the memory of this haughty cunt in front of him.

Instead of admitting to the recollection, though, Zoro looked at her blankly. “Alice…” he said, as if mulling the name over. As if he needed to search long and hard to find any semblance of someone in Sanji’s past named Alice. “Hm,” he said at length, “no… I don’t really remember having heard about someone by that name. Have you ever mentioned an Alice, babe?”

Despite addressing him, Zoro didn’t dare look at Sanji’s face. Even just the hint of doubt or disbelief or anger from Sanji might be enough to shake Zoro off his game and have this all come crashing down more humiliating than when they’d started.

He looked at Alice, instead, who looked at him like he’d grown a second head. The very concept that Sanji might not have cried his heart out about her every day since their parting was clearly a new one. It made Zoro so happy to have so suddenly shut her down with just a few words.

“Hold on! W-we’ve met before!” Alice protested, apparently recognizing him now. Zoro noted that she didn’t wait for Sanji to confirm or deny if he’d ever deigned to mention her once their relationship had ended. Zoro wondered if she was scared to know. Hearing something like that from the man himself might just shake her precious little ego. Zoro would love to see that happen.

“Oh, we have?” Zoro asked mildly, showing a clear disinterest in whether they had or not. He pretended to mull the concept over in his head just as he had her name. He certainly remembered the party Sanji had brought her to. He remembered that it had sucked because her laugh was too annoying to ignore even from across the room and cross-eyed drunk. Finally, he shrugged simply, clearly not caring one way or another. “Guess it just wasn’t very memorable.”

At that Alice looked absolutely stricken, an arrow piercing directly into her pride. Bullseye, Zoro thought to himself, narrowly remembering to keep his face schooled. He so badly wanted to give her the same wolfish grin he reserved for his enemies at tournaments, but his own internal satisfaction would have to suffice.

In his peripheral, Zoro saw Sanji take a long drag off his cigarette. Hopefully that meant he was willing to quietly play along. Possibly it meant he thought Zoro had genuinely forgotten about her and that he was about to get pummeled into a paste in about five seconds.

“S-So then, you two? You’re together then?” Alice asked, clearly affronted and looking for something to refill her sails. Zoro wondered if she was beginning to consider him her replacement. He wondered how he measured up.

Suddenly, though, she seemed then to get herself a second wind, puffing herself up in her coat. Zoro refrained from frowning, if just barely. And here he’d been winning.

“It’s so adorable to see new couples, isn’t it Darek, sweetie?” she said sweetly, grabbing on to her boy’s sleeve. The boy in question nodded absentmindedly, eyes locked on where Zoro was oh-so-incidentally toying at the waistband of his boxers with his thumb. A charming one, wasn’t he? “We’ve been together for four months now. It’s just so hard to find the one you’re truly meant to be with, but so rewarding to know they’re all yours. How long has your cute little thing been going on for?”

So she was considering him to be her replacement. Moreover, it seemed clear that if that were the case, he’d be the winner. This was her alternative hypothesis, the situation that would set the world just a little bit more right than it was right then. If their relationship was new she could brush it all off as certain to be doomed in a week or two, as so many new relationship were. Well, he’d better set her little worries to rest, now shouldn’t he?

“This little love bug,” Zoro said, pressing a sweet kiss to Sanji’s cheek, forcibly holding the other’s shoulder’s down when they jumped, “Has been all mine since August.” Would he most likely be paying for “love bug” with his very life later? Yes, yes he would. But it was so, so very worth it to see Alice’s face as she did the math. Zoro distinctly recalled The Wailing Remembrance of Alice having begun in that hot and muggy summer month. Logically, then, that made Zoro one hell of a rebound, and one that stuck quite nicely, too.

Alice was clearly taken aback, her refilled sails deflating again catastrophically. The cutesie pda, Zoro’s complete disinterest in with her, and the dawning evidence that maybe Sanji hadn’t been so hopelessly lost without her was doing exactly the job Zoro had hoped it would.

“B-but I thought you two hated each other!” She cried, looking between the two and sounding a bit desperate, “That you couldn’t stand in the same room without arguing!”

She, of course, had seen firsthand at the party the animosity between the two. She also had probably had to sit through at least a couple sessions of Sanji bitching about whatever thing Zoro had done to purposefully annoy him. Well, Zoro figured, you know what they say: when in doubt, gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss.

“Oh?” Zoro said, cocking his head to the side, “Why do you say that?” He said it as if she was insane, as if she hadn’t seen their fights herself, as if they weren’t literally known for their arguments with each other. He said it like it was completely and entirely natural for them to be like this now. It helped that Sanji hadn’t moved an inch, hadn’t given a single physical sign that this wasn’t exactly what they usually did. He made it seem like he was perfectly comfortable being held close to Zoro’s chest. That it was where he belonged.

They had even, in fact, gone a whole five minutes without arguing.

Alice’s mouth opened and closed for a minute, her mind clearly trying to calculate and recalculate this encounter, but the numbers just didn’t seem to be adding up in her favor. Zoro almost pitied her, except that she had very much started it and brought all this upon herself.

Finally, she looked to her boy as if for some sort of support. All she found was that his attention was firmly on Zoro’s chest, eating up the eye candy readily. He even went as far as to lick his lips.

“Darek!” Alice scolded under her breath, scandalized, slapping his chest for attention.

“Ow!” Darek said, shocked out of whatever daydream he’d been having.

Zoro finally let himself give a toothy smile. He considered his damage officially done. Alice had clearly been knocked down a peg or two, and her little walking-wallet of a boyfriend had been reduced from oh-so successful businessman to just another ogler looking for the next pretty thing. This was a resounding victory.

Now for a victorious escape out of this situation as fast as possible.

“Come on, babe,” Zoro said, turning his head to nuzzle into Sanji’s hair. How did he always forget just how soft those golden strands were? “I’ve made you wait long enough. I owe you a date.”

Zoro smiled into the last sentence, making it sound like their “date” was the only thing on his mind. Like he’d been thinking all week long about getting to see the other, the thought being his lone reason to keep going day after day. Which couldn’t be farther from the truth, obviously. There had been absolutely zero percent of him that had put any emphasis on this little outing even once this past week. He hadn’t done laundry for the express purpose of having something he liked to wear, he hadn’t trimmed up his sideburns and played with different hair products all week, and he definitely was not currently wearing cologne. The smile was simply an affectation of the truth, just for the sake of the ruse. That’s it.

Before anyone had time to say anything more, Zoro gently ushered Sanji to turn away from the other couple. To his relief, Sanji went willingly.

“W-wha-hey! Wait a minute!” Alice blustered, stomping a foot.

“It was nice meeting you,” Zoro said, not even looking back at her, just waving his free hand slightly.

“I told you, we already met!” she fumed, but Zoro paid it absolutely no mind. He grinned like an absolute shark, amazed he was getting away with this.

“Wait!” She yelled again.

Then, she played dirty.

“Sanji,” she said, a whimper in her voice.

Sanji stopped dead in his tracks. Zoro did too, not wanting to have to actually drag the other. He closed his eyes and cursed in his head. They had been so close.

Sanji took a long drag off his cigarette. As he sucked in, the moment seemed to stretch out, becoming longer than it was before. Finally, he blew a long exhale, smoke leaving his mouth fluidly. He tapped the ash off the end of his cigarette, dropped it to the pavement, and ground it out with his toe.

Zoro didn’t look at his face. He didn’t want to see even an ounce of hurt from such a stupid, shallow, nobody of a girl. It was so ridiculous for someone like that to make someone like Sanji feel anything at all, let alone pain. It made bile rise in Zoro’s throat and blood rush in his ears, but he kept his cool. He’d tried his rescue strategy. This was now nothing but Sanji’s fight.

Sanji turned his head over their shoulders. Zoro expected whimpering or pitiful noises, or maybe simply his standard gushing. Assurances that Alice still lived in his heart, that she always would. He’d tell her that she was the most beautiful girl in the world, that nobody could compare, that he would never want anyone else more than he wanted her. Zoro felt an unusual nausea in his gut.

“It was good to see you, Alice!” Sanji called brightly, his tone clear of any whining or gooeyness, much to Zoro’s surprise. No hurt? No presentation of wounds? No flattery? No begging?

“I’m glad you’re doing well.” Zoro was nearly in shock; Sanji sounded completely genuine. Did he… get over her? Just now? In this moment?

He hazarded a look at Sanji’s face and found a brilliantly beaming smile that reached his clear blue eyes. It was a smile that could put a thousand suns to shame, a smile that could launch a thousand ships, a smile worth the world over in gold and then some. Somehow, Sanji was really, truly happy.

Something inside Zoro absolutely melted and something else bloomed warm in his chest.

Before Zoro could even start to think about processing that, Sanji turned to him, and he was simply lost. For a brief second that stretched into minutes, days, years even, nothing else existed but him and Sanji and Sanji’s blue eyes shining back at him. He wanted nothing more than to kiss the beautiful man in front of him.

Then Sanji spoke, and Zoro forced himself out of that moment. Back to reality. Again, when had he left? He couldn’t recall.

“Come on, then, dearest,” Sanji jeered, his eyes now gleaming mischievously and smile saccharine sweet as he prodded. Zoro cognitively knew that he was always annoyed by that expression yet couldn’t seem to summon up the actual feeling of being annoyed. “I believe you promised me shopping?” Zoro felt a hand slip into the far back pocket of his jeans.

Now they really did look like a disgustingly lovey-dovey honeymoon-stage couple out for a date. Sanji gave his ass a teasing squeeze, snickering as Zoro felt his whole face grow red hot. Who had initiated the touching again? It couldn’t possibly have been him. This was far too intimate for him to have started, surely.

Zoro gulped heavily and remembered that he had a part to play here. He once again ushered them forward down the street. The last thing he heard from the girl – her name already returning to a blank spot in Zoro’s mind – was her yelling at her boyfriend to get his jaw off the ground and stop drooling already.

Zoro let Sanji lead them down a couple blocks, dazed and distracted. During the whole encounter he’d kept himself perfectly calm, but now that it was over his heart was beating hard in his chest. He replayed the whole scene in his head, impossibly surprised that it actually worked. How in the hell had it actually worked? How had they passed so easily for an actual couple?

Zoro was still wondering at how miraculous their success was when Sanji broke his concentration.

“Hey, Zoro,” Sanji said, casually as can be, leading them down some sort of alley between buildings.

“Yeah?” Zoro grunted, freshly shaken from his thoughts.

“Could you do me a favor?”

“What do you want, shit cook?”

“Well, would you mind ever so terribly-“ Suddenly, a foot came flying at his face and Zoro was too startled to block it in time, “-GETTING YOUR BIG, DUMB GORILLA HANDS OFF OF ME!”

Zoro went flying into the wall of the alley, back hitting with a sharp snap of pain. He was fine, though, nothing he couldn’t brush off.

“What the hell was that for?” Zoro scowled. He peaked at the wall behind him; the brick was only cracked a little, just barely resembling the outline of a person. Nothing identifying, so it was fine.

“Don’t fucking touch me,” Sanji sneered, adjusting the collar of his button-up and dusting off his pants as if the mere presence of Zoro in his bubble was sullying.

“Heh, I can think of a few times you’ve liked me touching you just fine,” Zoro retorted, wiggling his brows suggestively.

“You’re such a pervert,” Sanji said with disgust.

“You’re one to talk, love cook, swooning after a girl with her boyfriend literally right next to her.” Zoro swiped his thumb under his nose, checking for blood and finding none. Nothing seemed broken, that was good.

“Hey!” Sanji protested, looking angry. Had Zoro gone to far with bringing it up already? He knew the situation wasn’t exactly typical. Still, the whole thing still kind of pissed him off, so why shouldn’t he talk about it? “I didn’t ask for your help back there!”

“Oh?” Zoro asked, a smirk coming to his face, “So you admit that what I did was helpful?”

Sanji’s face grew red, frustration and agitation clear. “Oh, go die in a hole, you moron.”

“Whatever,” Zoro shrugged, putting his hands in his pockets, and leaning against the cracked brick coolly, “I was just pissed off, that’s all.”

“You?” Sanji asked condescendingly, “What the hell did you have to be pissed off about?”

“Don’t like that girl, is all,” Zoro answered plainly, closing his eyes as he relaxed, his heart rate finally dropping back to normal after all the excitement. The physical distance from Sanji and the sting of pain had broken his strange headspace. He was feeling like his usual self again, now. No weird, overly emotional thoughts swirling around. “Didn’t like her when you talked about her, didn’t like her when you brought her around, and I didn’t like her when I saw her just now, either.”

Zoro could feel Sanji study him for a moment, as if trying to decide if he bought that. “And what exactly has she done to you to make you hate her so much?”

Zoro huffed, rather done with the interrogation despite it hardly having begun. “I just can’t stand her attitude, that’s all. She’s so holier-than-thou, and then goes around parading herself like she’s the best thing since sliced bread.” The nerve of that girl, honestly. Zoro worked up a little mucus in his mouth and spit at the ground. “She thinks she can just waltz around hurting people to make herself feel better. Pisses me off.”

“Hey, you can’t say that about a beautiful lady!”

“Oh, piss off,” Zoro said, rolling his eyes, “First of all as far as I could tell she wasn’t even that good looking, average at best.” He will fully admit to his radar being finely attuned to men only, though, so maybe he’s wrong, but she really didn’t seem like anything special to him. “And secondly you never would have taken that kind of crap from a guy. You would have kicked him to the moon and back the second he tried that shit. But with her, and every other woman ever, you let her walk all over you. Not exactly a good idea when the girl’s a grade-A bitch.”

They stood there in that alley for a long moment, Sanji just watching Zoro and Zoro just watching him back. They both knew he was right.

“Tch,” Sanji spat at length, “I was raised a ladies’ man, and that’s just how it is.” Zoro knew that, too. This wouldn’t change anything. He doesn’t know how it happened, but somehow that behavior just got hard coded into Sanji. It was fine except that it was annoying and opened him up so easily to those who would misuse his kindness. There weren’t many of Sanji’s exes that Zoro didn’t outright hate, now that he thought about it, and certainly none that he properly liked. Maybe that was why.

“And anyway,” Sanji cut in, breaking Zoro’s wandering thoughts, “Why the hell do you care how I’m treated anyway?”

What? Did he say that? No way he’d said that. “I don’t!” He didn’t! Zoro felt his face grow hot, which didn’t make any sense. This was stupid. “I-It’s just the principal of the matter, is all!”

“Oh really?” Sanji asked, clearly unconvinced.

“Shut the hell up, bastard,” Zoro snapped, now really well and truly done with this whole affair. He took a breath, cooling himself down. Sanji always got him so worked up it was stupid. “Whatever, believe whatever the hell you want, I already told you the truth. She was a cunt and that’s all there is to it.”

The words clearly ticked Sanji off, but that was good, got him distracted from whatever bullshit he was spewing about Zoro caring about him or something. Idiot.

“You know, you could really do with learning some good manners towards ladies.” Sanji scowled.

“Yeah, yeah,” Zoro said, waving off the idea for the billionth time. “Last time I treated a girl any differently she caved my head in with a stick. Won’t be making that mistake twice.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Sanji asked, making a dumb face as if Zoro had said some sort of convoluted metaphor.

“Forget about it,” Zoro dismissed, having not intended to bring Kuina into this. He shoved off the wall and decided it was time to get out of this alley and back to what they came here for.

“Whatever,” Sanji said, rolling his eyes, apparently too done with Zoro to bother to pry.

Zoro walked until he was passing Sanji by, heading toward the mouth of the alley. Sanji stood silently, looking like he was thinking about something.

Just as he passed, Sanji said something quietly, “She really was a bit mean, wasn’t she?”

Zoro stopped there, just in front of the other. He didn’t get it. He didn’t know why Sanji was like this. Why was it so impossibly hard for him to admit when a woman was bad to him? So inconceivable to fight back? It made Zoro so impossibly upset sometimes. But here he was with this one little admittance. This one time this one woman was a bit mean to him. Zoro shouldn’t shoot this down. He couldn’t bring himself to if he wanted.

“Yeah,” Zoro huffed, a bit of a smile playing on his lips with the magnitude of the understatement. “And stupid too,” he added.

“Stupid?” Sanji asked, hackles raised all over again, “What the hell do you mean by that?”

“Sheesh, isn’t it obvious?” Zoro asked, huffing a short laugh through his nose, “First she dates you, which already brands her as an idiot –“

“Hey!”

“- And then she brings around that chump as if he’s supposed to somehow make you jealous. Seriously, as if he’d ever hold a candle to you.” What a joke.

Sanji didn’t say anything to that, and Zoro looked back curiously.

Sanji was just staring at him, eyes a little wide and face dusted pink. “Hah?” Zoro questioned, one eyebrow quirked. “What, did I say something wrong?”

Sanji looked at him for a moment longer, the silence stretching between them yet carrying surprisingly little tension. Finally, Sanji seemed to shake himself out of it. “It’s nothing, moss-for-brains. And get out of my way,” he said, shoving Zoro by the face.

“Hey! Cut it out!” Zoro yelled, shoving Sanji’s hand off his face.

“Ah, deal with it, grass-head,” Sanji said, pulling out a cigarette and his lighter, “Let’s find whatever the hell kind of present Luffy would want already.”

Zoro grumbled but followed along, ready to get this errand over with and the weird events of ten minutes ago behind him. This event would be receiving absolutely no post-facto analysis. There wasn’t a single thought, feeling, or action that needed a second look at or processing time to rectify with his current world view, and he was eager to put it all out of his head.

“And hey,” Sanji said. Zoro sighed inward, sure this was going to be something weird about the thing that just happened, “Thanks.”

Yup. Weird. Weird, weird, weird. It was so weird for Sanji to thank him, he almost hated it. He did hate it. He absolutely definitely hated it. That must be what the rosy feeling in his chest was: hate for how weird it was.

“Yeah, well, you know,” Zoro said, shrugging the whole ordeal off as they did with almost everything that’s happened between them, “Don’t mention it.”

This, as so much else, would be their little secret.

A comfortable silence rested between them as they each took a moment to breathe.

“By the way, are you wearing cologne?”

“IN YOUR DREAMS!”

[toruvi]

Thinking about that little snippet you posted of the next paychecks and don’t mind me just foaming at the mouth! Levi masturbating has been on my mind none stop. I’m thinking he’s in his car and he just had some shit meeting it’s dark out and the city lights are shining and he feeling frustrated and just when his shirt collar starts feeling too tight his cellphone is lighting up his dimly lit car. It’s you texting him and when he sees the obnoxious name you put for yourself in his phone he’s relieved to let the rush of cool air seep into his lung. Your just sending him a photo you in your PJ’s sitting in your apartment watching a movie. ‘Just posted this to IG, didn’t want you to feel left out ;)’ he shakes his head. The smile that breaks across his tired face comes easily. He see’s the little bubbles letting him know your texting. ‘ya know because your a grump and won’t do social media.’ But his eyes can’t help but settle on the way your nipples are hard in your little spaghetti strap night shirt. The curve of your neck looks amazing as you pose looking up to the camera and the angle offers a heavy amount of cleavage. His brows frown as his mind in a split second of weakness looses to that neanderthal desire to keep you for himself. To text you back and tell you to take it down. That only he should see you like this. But he knows that just his dick talking. He can feel how your well angled photo as effected him. Knowing full well that the release his body is asking for would be a shamed filled addition to his shitty day. Leaning his head against the steering wheel he try’s to calm himself down but his phone chimes again.

He hopes it work to distract himself from your ever going effects. But your so good to Levi so of course it you. Sending him another picture of looking out the big windows in your tiny apartment. Perhaps the only real feature of the charm filled home of your. The caption you’ve send is innocent ‘look at all the snow!’ Levi can tell that the image is suppose to display the snow that piling up on the ground but he’s too focused on your silhouette in the reflection of the window panels. Your legs exposed by the little sleep shorts you have on. Your supporting more weight on one foot leaving you a little off center. Levi finds himself zooming in on the picture groaning as he gets to see plush thighs he’s been between pressed together. Not able to take it he’s pushing against the tent that’s grown in his pants. Palm warm and firm as he presses against the front of his slacks. His eyes ghost back up to the picture catching the way your shirt hem got caught on your hip teasing him. He’s trying to force the memory to the front of his mind, when his lips had found their place there. He want to feel it again. Wanted to sucked his mark against the sensitive flesh and relish in how you’d squirmed. His belt is loose hanging off to the side and he’s got his hand pulling himself free. He didn’t even look around. You’d made him a desperate man. Your kindness leaving him needy for more of you. One hand around his cock and the other on his phone. He keeps himself hunched over the steering wheel hoping to offer himself some kind of privacy to defile the imagines you so kindly sent him. — I-I wrote too much. If tumblr lets this send I am so sorry. It just got out of hand.

i-i.................

i don't know what i deserved to recieve such a vivid n hot scenario like this but HOLY FUCK? i'm in love with this.

the way you described his belt. HIS BELT. I could HEAR the clink of his belt as he unbuckles it :( that STUCK WITH ME IDK WHY UGH but godddddddd

"One hand around his cock and the other on his phone." this is so fucking attractive, i dont understand why but it is. im having the most clear image of him in the driver's seat pumping himself so desperately like he couldn't cum fast enough. agHHH YOU GAVE ME SO MANY IDEAS FOR CH. 16 I DONT WANNA SPOIL ANYTHING BUT THANK YOU SO SO MUCH FOR THIS.

[fantasia-monogram]

As the clock strikes midnight, part 1

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / epilogue

♥️ Taeyang x reader (nonbinary, female anatomy) x Jaeyoon; mentions of other SF9 members

♥️ Suggestive (~2k words); smoking, mentions of alcohol, (lightly) implied BDSM. Mutual pining. Next part is going to be NSFW (and reveal more about the characters’ history).

♥️ You’re a beast at work, having to be tough to climb up the corporate ladder, but what you never thought of is that your attitude might be intimidating to your long time crush. Luckily, your much more laid back friend is here to help... both of you.

♥️ Disclaimer: this is just for fun! I’m not claiming that’s how they are in real life, it’s just my imagination doing whatever it wants. Read at your own discretion.

“Ah, the exciting world of corporate banking.”

You were too tired to check the time, but one look over the room gave you a clear idea of what kind of stage the party has reached: vast office space, with all the desks pushed against the wall and a long table situated in the middle, was littered with barely-sober people, most of them in groups of two or three. The goal was to let coworkers of various titles and positions mingle in a casual manner, as the fairly young company’s hierarchy and employer count was expanding proportionately to its growth - friendly office culture was a staple in this place. Truth was, after a couple drinks (or, in case of some tougher individuals, whole bottles of soju), everyone would group into their regular lunch break cliques, usually within the same department.

Long gone were the days when the business was much smaller, and it was easier for people from different departments to form close bonds.

Luckily, you remembered them very well, and that’s why, as the party was dying down, you shared a (small and not very comfortable) couch with your two best colleagues: Lee Jaeyoon and Yoo Taeyang.

“Look at him. What a fighter,” Jaeyoon said with a hushed voice, pointing his almost full glass of whisky towards another corner of the spacious room. There, behind one of the squished-together desks, Quality Department leader Kim Inseong was still angrily babbling about work-related statistics to the nearly-wasted Training Supervisor, Baek Juho. The latter, with his forehead propped on his hand, kept waving at his superior to stop, as coherent words would not come out of his mouth at this point no matter how hard he tried. Inseong, incredibly professional yet warm and welcoming when sober, would do a total 180° after a single bottle of soju and turn into a snarky bastard ranting at everything going on in the company.

“Supervisor Baek is holding on strong, though,” Taeyang added in a matter-of-fact tone before taking a sip from his glass.

You couldn’t help but cover your mouth and snort with amusement.

The three of you were an unusual group. 

You all joined the company on the same day, and underwent basic training for a couple weeks. Even though Jaeyoon was close to your age, the gap between you and Taeyang was much bigger. Add their impressive height and you had to admit, it was awkward to sit between these two guys every single day. Soon enough though, your small talk during short breaks would turn more and more enjoyable, and when the last week rolled in, as the oldest one, you mustered up the courage to invite them to a nearby coffee shop. Formally, you just wanted to celebrate the end of your training stage, but honestly… You grew fond of them, so there was no harm in getting to know them better away from the workplace.

Who knew the three of you would find common ground during that fateful meeting?

“Hey… Y/n… You there?” Jaeyoon’s voice snapped you out of a trip down the memory lane.

“Yeah. What were you saying?” you asked, a bit embarrassed.

“You don’t seem to be having fun at all. I haven’t seen you around the bar even once,” Jaeyoon ranted, haphazardly shaking his glass.

“You know I don’t drink.”, you stated calmly.

“Aish… It’s a party! No need to be so strict. Am I right?”

For some reason, Jaeyoon looked towards Taeyang with a wicked grin, and you followed. The youngest one, sitting by your right side, cleared his throat theatrically.

“I’ll go get myself another one.” he mumbled, already leaving the couch.

“Don’t overdo it!” Jaeyoon yelled, then turned back to you. “You could really use some percents, though. Just saying.”

“I have an image to maintain,” you said quietly, crossing your arms against your chest.

“You dressed like it’s every other day at work, too,” your friend pointed out, “It’s just a different colour.”

You looked at him resentfully. That’s true, tailored suits were your usual look, not just because you simply didn’t like dresses or skirts. It was the easiest way to elongate your silhouette, and you were already lacking in height compared to all the higher-ups attending company meetings with you.

A powerful look was expected from the Compliance Supervisor who rose to that position in a record-breaking time and was nowhere near done career-wise. 

Besides, you had to admit, your neat suits in a whole variety of colors boosted your confidence every single day. You had all of them adjusted, so they would accentuate your figure in all the right places. Oh, all the times you and Jaeyoon would shamelessly ask poor Taeyang who’s got the best ass out of you two (“Okay, forget it. Taeyangie does,” Jaeyoon would end the competition each time, making Taeyang cringe).

"You're just jealous because I look better in red than you do," you barked, although lacking any real bite. 

"Listen, what I'm trying to say is…" Jaeyoon leaned dangerously close to your ear. "...I don't mind your uniforms, but someone over there is on the brink of losing his mind right now." 

You backed off, wide-eyed. Your friend discreetly threw a glance towards Taeyang, who just came back with his glass refilled. 

Still dumbfounded, you kept looking back and forth at each of your friends, not realizing how silly it must have looked.

"Did I miss anything?" Taeyang asked, clearly feeling something went down during his absence. 

"Yeah, I just said that maybe we should leave this remnant of a party and move somewhere else," Jaeyoon replied, looking over your shoulder at the youngest. 

You furrowed your eyebrows, but ultimately decided his idea wasn't that bad after all. 

"I don't know… Wouldn't it be rude to leave so early?" Taeyang mused. 

"Seokwoo left, like, at 9," Jaeyoon pointed out. "Way before anybody had a chance to get drunk." 

"Ah, our lovely Escalation Specialist," you sighed, talking about Kim Seokwoo, your right hand man at the Compliance Department. "You could say the party escalated too much for him."

"At nine!", the older of your friends laughed. 

“What time is it anyway?” you asked. It didn’t matter that you could just check it yourself. You were used to people doing things like this for you around this place.

Jaeyoon, who knew it very well, fished his phone out of his shirt pocket.

“Uh… Fifteen to twelve,” he announced.

Taeyang tapped your shoulder. 

"Happy early birthday," he threw casually. 

Pleasant warmth rose to your cheeks. You were just starting to smile, your eyes crinkling already, when Jaeyoon jumped in his seat, startling both of you. 

"Wait, what?!" he yelled, making a few heads turn for a second or two. 

"What kind of a friend are you, really?" Taeyang snorted dryly, "It's y/n's birthday tomorrow." 

Jaeyoon let out a sound that could best be described as a happy roar and pounced forward in an attempt to give you a bear hug. You dodged it by moving backwards, thus colliding into Taeyang's side. 

You briefly glanced at each other, awkwardly nodding as an apology, before he uttered a quick it's fine and slid further into the couch. 

"Hey, that hug was supposed to be a present!" Jaeyoon whined, recovering his dignity after the failure. 

"Thanks, but no, thanks." you retorted, staying at a safe distance.

"Okay, but now we really have to go somewhere else. This calls for a celebration!" Your overly enthusiastic companion wasn't giving up that easily.

You turned to your other friend. 

"Taeyang?"

"That's enough social interaction for today," the boy in question replied, "One more crowded place and I'll pass out on the spot." 

He was known for his introverted tendencies; even at work, he occupied a desk that was a bit further from everyone else, guaranteeing him all the peace he needed, and had only one coworker he was somewhat close to apart from you two. 

"What about we go to my place instead? I've got no alcohol, but there are plenty of leftovers for a late dinner if you're hungry," you offered instead. 

"Sounds like a plan!" Jaeyoon clasped his hands. "I'll pay for the cab." 

Taeyang bottomed out his glass. 

"Wanna go for a smoke while we wait?"

As soon as you put a cigarette in your mouth, Taeyang was there to light it. You could swear his eyes lingered on your lips, but maybe it was so late that your eyes started pulling tricks on you. 

A good five minutes passed of the three of you smoking in silence, enjoying the cool summer breeze and the sight of a nearly full moon above you. Taeyang was the first to finish, with you following. Jaeyoon was the last to end his cigarette, throwing it into the trash can nearby in a somewhat angry manner. 

"Taeyang, I can't possibly imagine a better time to tell them than now."

Both you and Taeyang turned your heads towards Jaeyoon.

"Tell what?" you posed a question, confused. 

The guys exchanged looks. After that, Taeyang averted his eyes, while Jaeyoon locked his with yours. 

"I think he should be the one to explain." Jaeyoon stated firmly. 

"It's fine," Taeyang's voice was unexpectedly weak, "I'm fine with you telling them." 

You felt your heartbeat quicken all of sudden. 

"He's head over heels for you." 

And then, it was as if your heart just stopped. No, that couldn't be. Your pretty, soft spoken dongsaeng you always had your eyes on? In love with you?

"No way." you muttered, turning to face Taeyang. He still couldn't bear to look at you. "Is that true?" 

Internally, you were screaming for him to say yes. 

Poor guy seemed like he was about to get a panic attack, breathing in and out loudly, hands balled into fists. You could see him biting his lips.

"Come on." Jaeyoon ushered, "I did the hard part for you. Now it's your turn." 

Taeyang slowly raised his gaze. His doll-like eyes were glazed over with tears - a sight so stunning it almost made you gasp. 

"It's true. It's been going on for more than two years now." His voice was quiet, but steady.

You kept staring at his gorgeous, flushed face, unable to say a word. It was a clue for him to continue. 

"I knew I had a chance. I'm not stupid. I noticed you treated me differently than Jaeyoon or any other friend at work. But I also knew your no relationships at the workplace policy and your attitude towards age gaps, and decided to keep it to myself." 

Your heart was about to burst. 

"I'm just as demanding in love as I am at work," you explained, "I'd ruin you."

Jaeyoon circled you. As soon as he stopped, he put his left hand on Taeyang's shoulder, while his right on yours. 

"Tell them," he encouraged the younger guy again. 

As if on command, there was fire burning in Taeyang's gaze. You felt it consume you as a whole.

"I'm not fragile," the boy declared, “I want to be ruined.”

You thought you were dreaming, but a squeeze of Jaeyoon’s hand on your shoulder anchored you back to reality, this reality being your crush at first sight confessing to you.

“Your confidence… How strict and relentless you are…” Taeyang went on, his voice breaking, “The tone of your voice… And your suits. Oh, your suits. It all turns me on so much.”

“What a guy,” Jaeyoon chuckled, shaking his head.

Both you and Taeyang decided to ignore him for now.

“I repeat,” Taeyang insisted, “I want to be ruined.”

Despite Jaeyoon’s continuous hold on both of you, you reached towards Taeyang’s face to caress his smooth cheeks with the back of your fingers. That was all he needed to surge forward and plant a brief, fluttering kiss on your lips that still managed to leave you with your head spinning, needing more.

“Happy birthday, y/n,” Taeyang whispered, holding his forehead against yours.

It was only then when you realized you were both breathing heavily, even though nothing had happened yet.

The moment was interrupted by the ringtone of Jaeyoon’s phone. At last, the guy ceased his hold on you to check the device.

“Okay, lovebirds, the cab is here. It’s gonna be a fun night.”

You glanced at Jaeyoon, then locked your eyes with Taeyang’s again. He reciprocated your devious smile.

(to be continued)

[goodlucksnez]

All//might & Ai//zawa snz fic

So after reading the latest manga chapter where all//might is standing in the rain for a long time I was like “ummm what if he got sick” so I wrote this

also poni really wanted to read this so i would have written more but its okay maybe another time

WARNING FUCKING ANGST BUT ALSO CUTE

Enjoy 2100 words of y//agi//ai//zawa

“Shouta I’m back.” The lanky former symbol of piece said as he entered the small apartment of the underground hero. As he looked around at the dimly lit interior, he could not help but shudder as the cool air chilled his wet clothes from the rainstorm, he just found himself in. Now that he was retired, he had many hours on his hands and he had spent that time doing all he could in the war against the villains.

This last journey, he found himself back to the site of the battle of his successor and class 1A intending to check on the anti-hero supporters who refused to evacuate. It was raining, and the blonde was slowly getting drenched. However, the cold and numbness that normally came with the rain didn’t seem to bother him anymore, as if all of the feeling had drained from his body and he was left a void. As he looked around at the broken buildings and cobblestone of the street laid before him where the previous battle was held, he couldn’t help but see his statue. He remembered that statue…his signature phrase “I am here” engraved on the bottom in granite stone. He remembered meeting with the sculptor and posing for what seemed like hours.

‘Such a long time ago’ he thought to himself.

The smile that was carved into the stone was so perfect, however as he looked at the wide grin, he felt like he was looking in a fun house mirror. The man he saw portrayed in this stone wasn’t him. He vowed to make the world a better place but now that he reached his end, he saw he failed. The world has turned out even more broken after his retirement and he was unable to protect the one student he promised he would. He felt that he’s gone further away than heroism than anyone else. As tears slowly started to cloud his vision he blinked and saw a cardboard sign held up by a thin piece of rope around the statues neck written on it in red spray paint was “I am not here”. As a shudder passed through his body he was brought back to the current reality. He stepped inside leaving a trail of waterlogged foot prints as he made his way to the kitchen. On the cool stonework countertops, he found a yellow sticky note as he began to read the note, scribbled in messy handwriting, he heard the familiar click of the lock as he turned to face the entryway. He saw the familiar black hair of his partner. As he watched Shouta shook out the umbrella that he had in his hand he spoke up.

“I was just about to read your note.”

The underground hero jumped at the sudden noise and as his piercing eyes fixated on the source of the sound he quickly relaxed when he saw the gentle smile of the former Pro. As he stepped inside and put his key in the bowl, it echoed in the quiet hallway. Shouta then motioned to the multiple bags he was holding.

“Don’t think we want to eat Ramen for the rest of our lives do we? Might be a good idea to get some real food.” he said as he continues to carry them into the kitchen and put them down on the counter.

As he put the bags down, he looked over at the wisp of the man standing before him. His diminished stature had taken a toll on his health. Tired eyes sat in sunken-in-sockets. His normally vibrant school bus yellow hair had turned to a grayish yellow mustard color and even though he would never admit it, he saw the clump of hair in the trashcan every morning. He was dying. It was an unspoken truth in their relationship but the underground hero would do anything to make sure he was happy and healthy in the final years of his life. He deserved that after all didn’t, he?

As he began emptying the bags onto the counter, he couldn’t help but notice the puddle of water that seem to be growing larger under the thin man, however Yagi continue to shiver and shake too preoccupied reading a can of tuna. As Shouta reached for the can, he met the eyes and said in a gravelly voice.

“You should change out of those clothes don’t want you catching a cold now do we?”

The former pro simply smiled although it was hard to fully sell it as he turned his head and coughed violently into his soaking arm sleeve. Immediately Shouta furrowed his brow and when he met the gaze of him again, he was quickly put in his place.

“Shouta how many times do I have to tell you, my health isn’t a concern of mine…it’s an undeniable fact, besides you don’t actually get sick from the rain.”

Shouta quickly interjected. “No but you could get hypothermia,” he began to plead “come on will you change out of those clothes…for me.”

As the older man sighed there was a clear rasp in his voice before he nodded quietly and turned to leave, his shoes squeaking on the tile floor as he left the kitchen.

After all the food was put away Shouta turned on the tea kettle to warm some water knowing full well that even with the warmest clothes Yagi could never be warm. As he walked slowly down the hall passing the bathroom and the study, he found himself at the door of their bedroom. He could hear fabric rustling but before he could enter another sound echoed throughout the house.

“hih'TSS-heh!”

A harsh sneeze echoed in the still apartment. ‘Even in his weakened state his sneeze is powerful’ Shouta thought to himself as he pushed on the door letting it slowly swing open. The image before him would startle anyone who knew All Might in his prime. The man had an oversized baggy red wool sweater in his hands. His silhouette illuminated by the ceiling light above seemed sickly and weak. The scar near his appendix which had a spider like web pattern that spread through his torso, as if venom was slowly poisoning his body was in full view. Yagi was bent at the waist and as he brought his other hand up to wipe that his nose Shouta could see small irritation tears had sprung to his eyes.

Shouta took a few steps forward and whispered a quiet bless you, a phrase his dear friend Mic had told him before his departure from this world.

Yagi quickly regained his posture and a slight blush crept into his sickly skin. He muttered a quick thank you before bunching up the wool sweater in a vain attempt to put it on. Shouta reached out his hands and slowly grasped the fabric and as the blonde bent forward, he quickly but diligently guided his his head through the hole in the sweater followed by both his arms.

Once the sweater was on the frail man’s body, he went to the nightstand which was stacked high with different medicines as well as vitamins and other health supplies and grabbed a travel pack size of tissues, before handing one to his partner.

In a voice gravelly but still soft and concerned he asked. “Did you catch a cold?”

All Might sighed his breathe with a distant wheeze could be heard, simply shook his head in agreement before sitting down on the chest at the end of the bed. He then put his head in his hands. ‘Why am I like this, he thought to himself ‘I have someone who generally cares about me and yet I hide, I know I failed as a hero but I have a failed him as a partner as well?’ He quickly turned his head to the side as a fearsome tickle demanded his attention.

ESH!... AhhhttTZZschhuw!...iyy-ih-ESH!"

The sneezes rack through his body leaving him panting slightly. As his lung struggled to breathe, he sniffed at the thick congestion and wiped his nose on the tissue that Shouta and handed him minutes before. As he looked up, he was surprised to find the room in front of him was oddly empty he called out in the voice louder than he intended.

“Sho where have you gone?”

A reply quickly followed “I’m making your favorite soup lay down in the bed will you…also bless you.”

He followed the order he was given and as he climbed into the black satin bed, he couldn’t help but shiver as his body demanded more heat. He found that he was always cold these days, no matter how much he bundled up. It was as if no heat could be retained in this frail body that he now called home. Within minutes Shouta entered the room but to his surprise with an assortment of things. He had a tray, one you would see in an old movie where the wife would dot on his husband, it was decorated in a sheer white tablecloth decorated with pink flowers. It had a bowl of a steaming liquid as well as two mugs and a vase full of sunflowers. As there are sickly sweet smell drifted in the room and Yagi couldn’t help but smile.

“You remembered, my favorite flowers.” He said with a voice thick with congestion. As Shouta sat the tray down over Yagi’s lap and climbed onto the bed, he smiled a slight blush sprung to his cheeks before he spoke.

“You told me a long time ago that you admired sunflowers for their optimism. You said it’s a form of gratitude because it honors the gift of life, always growing towards that bright sun,” his voice cracked as he spoke again “you told me that it turns its head to face the rising sun in the east and it follows the path across the sky throughout the day…. it’s that determination that you admired and that’s what I admire about you…even when you are being stupid.”

The two sat in silence for a few moments before the dull blonde turned to the side and harshly sneezed a triple.

“H-hhdihtt! Hhdddtschhhuww!!...hUDD’tschhuuuw!!”

 Shouta quickly handed him a tissue and began spooning the hot liquid onto the spoon he had brought.

“Open up Sunlight.” The blonde chuckled. “I’m not a child Sho I can feed myself.”

He replied “I know but I promised to take care of you, so just let me do this.”

“Very well” Yagi said as Shouta began to spoon feed the hot liquid into his mouth. The soup was warm and comforting, a hint chicken as well as carrots and other vegetables immediately filled the blonde’s mouth. It was delicious and he quickly swallowed as Shouta filled the spoon once more. But as he drew the steaming liquid closer to the blondes face the steam irritated his nose and he found himself pinching forward.

Hhdddtschhhuww!

As he sneezed, he hit his head on the spoon causing the spoon to fall and land in the soup creating a splash and slightly scolding the skin of both of the pros. Yagi would’ve laughed himself if he wasn’t preoccupied continuing to sneeze.

“N’doe…hHHT! hhnnkkKSCCHHhhuw!! ESHHHUHhhh!! Can hhtt-hhHHh! Hiitt’usszhhuh!! Sto hh-h stop hHHh! Hiitt’usszhhuh!! ESHHHUHhhh!!

Shouta quickly slid the tray to the side table and gently straddled the former symbol of peace. As the blonde continue to sneeze Shouta commanded for him to lift his head. As Yagi did, Shouta pressed hard against the cupid bow of his upper lip and almost immediately then sensation of needing to sneeze dissipated and Yagi breathed a sigh of relief. As he sniffed, he opened his watery eyes to look at a Shouta whose face was determined.

He asked while sniffling back congestion “snf snff ugh what are you doing?”

Shouta smirked before replying “I’ve learned a few things in my day, such as there are certain pressure points in the face that aid in congestion for example.” As he moved his hands to the sunken in cheekbones of the thin man and Yagi, he could feel his sinuses drain and his sighed in relief again.

“Thank you” Yagi basically moaned as the underground hero retracted his hands.

“I’m afraid it won’t last, but for the moment you will stop sneezing which is an improvement on your health…also bless you like 15 times I think.” Shouta said with chuckle “Now how about we both lay down and head to bed.”

Yagi smiled and replied “I love that idea as much as I love you.”

FIN

[ave-aria]

Rewind

Ectober Week 2020 Day 3: Rewind Summary: Maddie can't believe what she's seeing on the security tape. In shock, she hits rewind. Tags: Reveal fic, Blood, Angst, Implications of character death, Tragedy, Trauma, Oneshot

-

Rewind.

Maddie keeps her eyes on the tv screen as the figures wind their way backwards to the start of the video. She won't look away. Can't. Doesn't dare.

If she looks away, she'll have to focus on something else. The quiet, dusty lab around her. The uncleaned ecto-weapons by the door. The green blood smattered on the blade.

The hollow, empty house looming over her head…

The video hiccups a bit as she hits the start of the feed. Old VHS tapes are odd like that, buzzing out with static where the film wore thin from too many pauses and restarts. It's a sign she's hit the beginning. Maddie presses play.

"Mom and Dad would kill me if they knew I let you down here."

It was an old security tape, filched from the lab. Onscreen, three teenagers, her son at the lead, slip into the camera's field of view. Maddie leans closer, enraptured by the movement, even though she's seen this moment enough times to have it seared into her brain.

Maybe, if she focuses hard enough, she can learn the secret - how to rewind her own mistakes, go back to a time when none of it has happened, just like in the video.

"Whoa, check it out! This thing's huge! I can't believe your parents built this!" A pause, while the kid adjusts his glasses. "Bummer that it doesn't work though, dude."

"Damn. Was it really supposed to open a portal to the underworld?"

"It's 'The Ghost Zone,' Sam. And yeah. My parents were pretty heartbroken when it didn't work. It kinda just… fizzled out. I hope they're not too upset."

The detached, clinical angle of the shot doesn't do the moment justice. Danny'd always been such a kind boy, thoughtful and empathetic to a fault. Maddie's throat closes up a little, leaving her struggling to breathe. They had been upset. Unbearably so. Their life's work - as Danny put it - fizzled out before their very eyes. It'd been a hard loss to take, one that she and Jack might never have recovered from, had the Portal not miraculously started working on its own, days later.

God. Now she almost wishes it hadn't.

A bright flash draws her from her reverie. Maddie blinks at the screen. A camera flash. In her distraction, she's missed part of the video; Tucker's casual "Lighten up, dude,", Sam's request for a photo op, Danny grabbing a hazmat suit to pose with while she dug the device from her backpack.

"—Got it," Sam waves the printed Polaroid to air out the negative.

"Okay. I showed you the portal. Can we get out of here now? My parents could be back here any minute."

Where had they been that day, anyway? Maddie wonders. Grocery shopping? Visiting the park? Moping, as they tried anything to get their minds off of their most recent failure? If they'd been there —

If they'd been there—

"Come on, Danny," comes Sam's voice, treacherous in its fascination. "A Ghost Zone? Aren't you curious?"

Danny looks into the Portal, clutching the custom white suit made specially for him. Sam smirks, knowing. "You gotta check it out."

Maddie hits pause.

Rewind.

"You gotta check it out."

Pause. Rewind.

"You gotta check it out."

Rewind.

"—gotta check it out."

The remote feels cold and heavy, like ice in her hand. In that moment, a selfishness grips her. She could blame Sam. For all if it. Everything that happened, it all started here, and it started because—

—But she can't blame Sam, because the next moment, Danny turns back, his eyes sparkling with an adventurous spirit. It's a spark of curiosity, brimming at the thought of the unknown; a look she's all too familiar with, one she's seen often on her daughter's face, her husband's - even her own, in the mirror.

"You know what? You're right. Who knows what kind of awesome, super cool things exist on the other side of that Portal?"

That curiosity, it's a Fenton trait, not one that needs to be stoked like a fire. That spark's been burning within him, since the cradle.

"Don't go in," she whispers, as if her advice could change the course of history. Even if he could hear her, though, it would be no use. He can no more resist the call than he can resist breathing.

He pulls on the hazmat suit. Skintight, white with black edging. It's like staring at a photo-negative. Watching her son, Maddie's stomach twists.

How couldn't she see it before?

"Alright. I'm going in." He says. His first footsteps echo, loud, in the hollow of the blacked out Portal…

Maddie's breath shudders in. She grips the remote and, before she can stop herself, hits the button.

Rewind.

She watches as her son walks backwards, double-time, out of the entrance to the Portal. The panic that gripped her fades.

"Mads?" From somewhere up above, echoing down the staircase, comes her husband's voice. Maddie is glued to the video screen, and almost doesn't hear him. Regardless, she definitely can't answer. What would she even say?

"Maddie?" His heavy footsteps echo in the stairwell, trudging closer. "Are you down there?"

A hitch in the tape. Maddie presses play.

"Mom and Dad would kill me if they knew I let you down here."

Drawn by the sound, Jack trudges the rest of the way down the narrow staircase. She feels a slight reverberation in the floor when he reaches the landing behind her. She doesn't turn around.

"The police called back. Officer McNally said he'd file a missing persons report, and they promised to keep their eyes open. But—" she hears the way uncertainty causes his voice to die in his throat when she doesn't turn to greet him. After a long moment of silence, he draws up to her side. "What are you watching?" he asks at last.

"It kinda just… fizzled out. I hope they're not too upset."

Question. He'd asked a question. Maddie swallows and struggles to answer. "Security tapes," she chokes out.

Understanding, an incomplete kind, dawns on Jack, and vigor jumps back into his bones. "Mads, that's brilliant!" he booms. "Why didn't I think of it? He comes into the lab all the time! We can use the security tapes to see when he last—"

"I found this tape in Danny's room," she interrupts.

Again, his voice falters in confusion.

"Under the bed," she elaborates, as if that will help. And continues watching, detached.

"Can we get out of here now? My parents could be back any minute."

The flickering light of the tv fills the lab, ominous in its glow. Jack hesitates. Maybe he's picked up on the subtext by now. Maddie can picture his eyes drifting from the staticy screen to the items in front of it, scattered across the table. He reaches out fro the shoebox sitting beside the tv. Taped to its front, written in the cursive, unmistakable scrawl of their son's handwriting, is a note that reads:

'If I Never Come Home'

"Maddie, what is this." Jack's voice is uncharacteristically heavy. Looking to her for guidance. For answers.

For once, she has none to give.

"Watch," Maddie whispers, still trapped by the screen. Automatic, her fingers hit the button.

Rewind.

With no other options to grasp at, he does.

"Mom and Dad would kill me if they knew I let you down here."

Watches as the kids approach the Portal.

"Aren't you curious?"

Watches as their son zips up the hazmat suit.

"Alright, I'm going in."

Watches as he disappears into the empty cavity of their greatest invention.

Click.

Watches as it thrums to life, with a scream.

"Da—Danny no!" Jack yells in tandem with the two remaining teens. He lurches forward, hand outstretched, to stop the agony onscreen. "He's not - when did he -"

"It's old, Jack," Maddie whispers. "From when the Portal started working."

Jack spins to stare at her. "You mean - Danny's the one who—" he's visibly struggling with the information, the same way she did, on her first viewing. "But—he never said—"

Right, Madie thinks. He never said anything. Jack's confusion is laughable, though. Why Danny never told them—that much is painfully clear.

"Guys?" Over the yelling and the panicking and the electric cackle from the Portal, their son's terrified voice cuts through the din. "G-guys help, what's happening?!"

Tucker and Sam are black silhouettes stumbling backwards from a swirling green glow, but they freeze and scramble to right themselves, lurching forward to catch someone as he stumbles through the gate.

Phantom - Danny - emerges from the portal, falling to his knees.

"…No," Jack says. Disbelief is thick in his voice. "That can't be… no."

Maddie lifts the remote.

Rewind.

A flash of light. A curdling scream. A shock of confusion, panic, scramble.

Danny Phantom stumbles from the portal.

Jack stares for a long time. Then he reaches out, snatching the lid of the shoebox for a second look at the evidence. The note, accusatory, stares back at them.

"This is how he tells us." Jack doesn't often whisper, but it seems like he can't do anything else. Her husband looks at the empty shoebox, the screen, the VCR. "Our son is Danny Phantom, and this is how he tells us. I…" he trails off.

Maddie almost can't believe it, how easily Jack arrives at the conclusion. It took her twelve viewings for her to wrap her mind around it, and it still hasn't really sunk in. But then, that's always been Jack's strong poing - those intuitive leaps of logic. Ones every scientist both loathed and envied.

"Did it kill him?" he moves seamlessly onto the next question that tripped her. Somehow, Jack's voice is even quieter this time.

Maddie shakes her head no. If they watch the video long enough, about ten minutes in, Danny manages to change his way back to human. If their invention did kill him, it wasn't permanent. Not that time, at least.

She's too close to thinking about it.

Rewind.

"But—" she can't stop Jack from thinking, though. He barrels on, heedless of breaking the fragile grasp Maddie has on her sanity. "But if all this time — Phantom—"

A hitch in the tape.

"We've been—"

Press play.

"Mom and Dad would kill me if they knew I let you down here."

"—Don't tell me we've been trying to waste our own kid—"

If Maddie weren't so detached, she might laugh. Waste. God, he can't even say it.

"Trying?" she asks instead. Bitter, the word sticks to her tongue.

She's not looking at the tape now. She's looking at him. And Jack, oh, Jack, he just stares down at her, a dark horror growing in his eyes.

He whips around to look at the bloodied weapons sitting at the base of the stairs.

Exactly where they left them two days ago, after that nasty ghost fight. When they came home to find a broken house, their daughter crying at the kitchen table, and their son just - gone.

"No." Jack backs up a step. "No no no no no no no—"

A flash of light. A curdling scream—

In an instant, Jack is moving. He snatches up weapons, whatever he can find, and bolts for the staircase, vaulting his way up to ground floor. Distantly, Maddie hears the doors slam. The RV thrumming to life. The screech of tires as Jack peels out of the driveway.

In the cold wake of his departure, Maddie turns back to the tv. She should go after him, she knows. But she's not quite done watching. Jack's always been a man of action, after all, but she's the analytical one, who studies, who marvels, who gathers the facts she sees.

Phantom, onscreen, slumps against his friends while he drips ectoplasm to the floor. He stares down at his white-gloved hands, his glowing green eyes wide in shock. Maddie wonders if he knew, then, what would become of him. What his parents, who raised him, who swore to protect him, would do.

She can't face those questions. Not yet. Not yet. Instead, she lifts the remote.

And rewinds.

A good scientist, a rational scientist, never draws conclusions while she's still gathering evidence. So as long as she's still watching—

A hitch in the tape. She's at the beginning. Maddie presses play.

"Mom and Dad would kill me if they knew I let you down here."

As long as she keeps watching, she doesn't have to do anything with this information. All she has to do is watch.

So she watches. She rewinds. And she plays. She can't look away—

"Mom and Dad would kill me if they knew I let you down here—"

She doesn't dare.

"Mom and Dad would kill me if they knew I let you down h—"

All she can do is rewind—

"Mom and Dad would kill me if they knew I let y—"

And rewind—and rewind—

"Mom and Dad would kill me if—"

Until she finds evidence contrary to her theory…

"Mom and Dad would kill me—"

Or she finds Its inevitable End.

"Mom and Dad would kill me if they knew I let you down here."

Rewind.

"Mom and Dad would kill me if they—"

Rewind.

"Mom—"

Rewind.

"Mom—"

Rewind.

"Mom—"

-

[AO3] [FFN]

[river-bottom-nightmare]

Nightwing 83 Review

guess who isn't weeks late this time. my opinion of the series is going up a little bit. it's still not great, but i'm not actively put off by it anymore the way i was after 81. not going to tag as spoilers, but be warned that they are under the cut

i’m sure you all are well aware of this but now, but dear god i love bruno redondo’s art. like, an unhealthy amount. the pink and blue is getting to be a theme with either him or just this run, but i am definitely enjoying it. the movement in this cover is clearly obvious, but well done. you recoznize right off the bat that the cover was drawn to drag your eyes down the page until you get to the bottom, but you enjoy the whole ride there. 

also, redondo’s way of drawing a character in stages of action so we can see just how much they’re doing in a split second of movement is quickly becoming something i like to see drawn with dick, and any other character that has that sort of ease of movement and body sense, like cass or sin or maybe a super. 

and he’s in action the entire time! there’s shot drawn just to show off a shirtless comic book character, the way nightwing is so often subjected to. he’s shirtless because he’s changing his clothes, and that’s all we see, no more and no less. very practical, very well done. i like it.

he looks so cute right here oh my god. the little squint, the hair curls. it’s adorable.

but also like. unless melinda has specifically outfitted the door spyhole so that the person on the other side can’t see dick looking through it (and in all honesty she might have) then everyone on the other side can see dick looking through that door. 

bringing your attention back to the “i can’t see melinda’s fbi file oh no!! it’s redacted!! whatever can we do!!” stupidity. redacted files are child’s play for oracle, and definitely doable for both dick and bruce. so that’s bullshit.

now, melinda apparently grew up with the maroni family, then took down part of the family from the inside. the maroni family is a large and notable presence in gotham, one that bruce pays a respectable amount of attention to. he definitely would have grown suspicious when two members of the maroni family were taken down, and with some investigation, he would have discovered melinda’s plan. and it should go without saying that the majority of things you see batman doing? dick can do it too.

it’s not so much that i don’t like how clever the villains/antiheroes are getting. i don’t like how dc heroes are increasingly written as less intelligent. they seem to be relying on pure fighting skills or luck, which may be the case for a couple heroes, but has never been the case for most of dc’s big name heroes, the bat family included. it’s irritating to me to see this sort of stuff pop up as a major plot point when i know that, if dick or bruce had been written with the amount of skill and power that they canonically possess, this entire mess would have been sorted out years ago.

unrelated but dick and melinda have the same hair

this may just be me, but i was always under the impression that dick doesn’t really have a “double life???”

yes, he’s talented enough to create enough differences between robin/nightwing and dick grayson’s mannerisms, way of movement, voices, and speech patterns so that it’s very difficult to put the two together.

but nightwing has never been separate from dick grayson, not the way bruce and batman is. he’s always leaned more towards clark in that aspect: his hero persona is an exaggerated, stately, larger-than-life version of who he really is. there’s no second persona, no real “dick grayson identity” and “nightwing identity.” they’re the same person with the same goals, ideas, and skills. one just pretends to abide by the law, and one gives up pretense of that.

oh good thank god. if he’d trusted her right off the bat (hehe. bat.) i would have slapped him upside the head. at least he’s still got instincts.

gosh the colouring on this is cool. the red has enough purple and pink tones to it that it doesn’t abruptly ruin the tone of the artwork. but it’s definitely glaring enough to take the reader outside of this personal moment they had slipped into between dick and melinda, to put them back in the present where they’re reminded that oh yea there are people hunting dick down. 

the next panel keeps this up too, in a less severe way. melinda’s bodyguard shows up (i forgot her name sorry :[ ) and subtly places us in the middle of an action scene rather than a private, personal scene.

laughing so fucking hard have our little vigilantes grown so accustomed to breaking into places that it doesn’t even register as a crime anymore??? tim coming in through the fire escape to pick bernard up for their date and being very much confused as to why bernard is freaking out.

i really like melinda’s shirt and now despite all the work i have to do and the fucking conference i have to host on monday i want to spend hours scrolling through clothing shops online trying to find this shirt. the mock neck/neckline is so cool i want it

so roland just assumes that a very dangerous vigilante who is highly talented in combat and a very dangerous bodyguard who is also highly talented in combat had a fight that ended with this very dangerous bodyguard being tied up and she looks completely fine? roland just assumes that her having no visible wounds or bruises means that they got into a fight and she lost that easily? uh. aight then

dick what are you doing. legitimately what the fuck are you doing. why are you posing oh my god. you are injured and tired and in absolutely no position to go hand to hand with one of main enemies. jesus christ run away or head to lower ground or something. don’t just stand around letting the floodlights show exactly where you are.

i don’t understand what he’s trying to do here??? blockbuster fully bought the story that dick fought them both, won, tried to get info out of them and failed, then hightailed it out of there. he didn’t have to draw roland out for a fight.

but it does look cool. the way the light just highlights his silhouette and the blue parts of his costume does look badass. he does get style points in my book for this.

w h a t  d i d  i  f u c k i n g  t e l l  y o u ,  d i c k ?

very classic superhero line and it does sound like something dick would say in a fit of righteous rage but also it makes me laugh so hard because all vigilantes think they’re so powerful that the law doesn’t apply to them. dick vigilantism is illegal. you’re acting above the law and pretending it doesn’t apply to you. hypocritical much?

it happens so often in superhero movies, tv shows, comics, whatever and it makes me giggle every damn time.

pretty decent comeback but before i start seeing people writing blockbuster as a thug i’m going to remind you that he made a deal with a demon for genius level intellect. if this turns into another bane situation i’m going to be a little miffed. he’s a smart man, which makes him a dangerous and infinitely more interesting enemy for nightwing.

this is so horribly in character i want to scream. (or. at least. it lines up with one of the versions of nightwing i have in my head.) he’s running right towards the bullets, miraculously doesn’t get shot, while making a sort-of pun. i hate this so much. i love him.

this is cool. this art is really really cool.

he leaped from a building right towards a helicopter that’s actively shooting at him, but none of the bullets are touching him. none of the corruption of the city can touch him no matter how hard it tries, because he’s too good to be corrupted. Comic Book Logic Can Be Good Sometimes Actually.

batman’s belt what??? swiss army knife who?? sorry, i only know nightwing’s bright blue escrima.

this is one of my favourite things about heroes with exceptional abilities, even more so if the hero is human. the things they can do are so far beyond the realm of normal human abilities that it’s equal parts terrifying and awe-inspiring every time they act.

he just used modified grappling wires to hook to the door of a moving helicopter, swung around the helicopter safely without hitting the blades, gained exactly the right momentum to swing upward again right through the opening of helicopter, then fought and tied up the men before they had any idea what was happening. that’s near impossible to do.

it’s stuff like this where i just sort of sigh in contentment. no matter how many times they leave out dick’s detective skills or conveniently forget that he’s actually a master planner and team leader and make him out to be this forgetful dude who makes everything up on the fly because of his “circus roots,” at least they won’t ever take away dick’s sheer physical ability honed to perfection. 

the art, too! in a few panels, dick’s drawn a little lightened or blurred. he’s moving so quickly and fighting so efficiently that he can barely be seen by the enemy. he’s got perfect form all the way through.

and THIS!

there was a helicopter that had five men shooting at him with what looks like machine guns. most people would be dead. some would run away, and be nimble enough to survive without fatal hits. there are very few people, even in fucking comic books, who can look at that hopeless situation and turn it around so quickly and thoroughly that he benefits from it instead.

i just. love nightwing.

it was funny the first time as a comic reader aware of the meme. it’s really not anymore. why the hell would you, in universe, be wearing a shirt that has a picture of your boyfriend being hit in the face by his father. 

okay that was funny. 

look at lil bitewing, so concerned for her human!!! love her sm. 

also a question as to the timeline of things. is nightwing happening before or after urban legends? 

i was so distracted by dick wearing a robe and briefs and nothing else that i didn’t register the second part until later. he slept for two days?? babs, baby, he recently had a very traumatic brain injury. why do you sound so nonchalant?

@TIM X COFFEE SHIPPERS GET FUCCCCKKKKEEDDDDD

ngl i totally forgot about that dude oops

this comic is giving so many reaction pictures. you know how you always use the worst possible picture of your friend for your friend’s contact picture? i’m just getting so many of these.

leslie!!! the titans!!! lucius!!! dick going to go see old friends!!!! the titans!!! this part made me so irrationally happy it really did. gar being the one to just. offer dick solutions with open arms. this was the best

i wish i could just copy and paste this entire scene, but that would take up way too much space, so i’m just going to talk about it instead. 

you gave me my name, nightwing, and you gave me some of the best advice i’ve received in my life: beautiful little throwback to nightwing’s origin. you’d be surprised at the amount of people who don’t know where the name came from, or who don’t know how much clark means to dick. and the fact that dick still looks up to clark as a hero, recognizes that clark isn’t always perfect and yet continues to hold him in such high esteem, and still looks back on advice that clark gave him fondly just warmed my heart so much.

for a man who has fearlessly stood up to darkseid, bruce will do a lot to avoid a conversation: “grrr. i’m the BATMAN. i’m so DARK and MYSTERIOUS. nobody knows the true me. no one ever will. i will be LONELY for the rest of my CURSED LIFE. such is the price of a hero. ignore my farmer himbo husband in the background”

but i don’t think there’s anything heroic about being a billionaire: another nod to how much dick follows clark’s example rather than bruce. yes, this was a very poignant and important criticism, and i think it’s wonderful that this was published in a pretty popular comic book. but the thing is, there is a way to be a heroic billionaire, but only in fictional universes. the way bruce, ollie, t’challa only ever use their wealth to help people. they donate massive amounts of money to charities that they themselves create so they know exactly how the money is being used. they hire people who aren’t likely to get jobs anywhere else and pay them much more than what a base living wage is. they use their power to help push progressive laws and social change. they are helping. 

dick doesn’t fully see it that way. he spent more than half his childhood the son of a billionaire, but still believes that one could be more heroic when one doesn’t have obscene amounts of wealth. whose example do you think he followed to come to that conclusion?

superman looked up to alfred pennyworth?: i mean yea alfred may have been a wildly irresponsible guardian and one hell of an enabler but goddamn if he didn’t love his kid.

you don’t need my input. you’ve thought it all through: ooooooh this line made me grin. for so long, dick’s treated clark as a mentor and a guiding figure. he’s still seen as a kid, an up and coming, snot-nosed titan with dreams of a better world. clark still thinks of him as a kid, despite watching him grow up. but this little line was something i think dick needed sorely to hear. he doesn’t need anyone’s guiding hand on his shoulder, he doesn’t need to ask for permission. he doesn’t need clark to support him the way he did when he was a teenager. he’s all grown up now, and he doesn’t need clark’s help. i imagine it was a bit of a surprise for dick to hear that. 

honestly, i couldn’t think of a better role model: ohhh but it doesn’t stop there. clark just straight up turns the tables on dick. imagine you’re dick, and you’ve looked up to this one hero your entire life, and then one day he turns to you and says that he thinks you’re so kind and smart and worthy of a person that he wants you to mentor his son!? goes to show just how much clark trusts dick.

i swear to god dick probably cries every time he hears clark compliment him because bruce is so rare and sparing with his praise that clark giving him the slightest hint of approval is just a dopamine rush.

also, now deathstroke and superman have both asked nightwing to mentor their kids. the juxtaposition is fuckin hysterical. imagine either of their reactions when they realize what kind of company they’re with

lets talk colours for a second, because i absolutely adore how classic colour tropes have been subverted in this comic, and in this general run really.

warm tones have usually (usually, not always) been associated with light and comfort and friendship and,,,,,well,,,warmth. whereas cool tones are usually used to unsettle, or make a scene seem colder and put the reader on edge. this varies if a comic only uses cool tones, or only uses warm tones, but if a comic uses both, this is generally well-used.

that isn’t the case in this run.

dark red, orange, and other warm tones have been used to symbolize danger, action, attacks. hot pink isn’t usually included in this colour group, but it’s definitely part of it in this case. in contrast, scenes that have cool colours give us the impression of slipping into a comfortable, calm scene with babs, tim, the titans, and other allies. even the beginning scene with superman has this blue, but then it transitions into something more golden coloured. dawn broke over dick, as his new idea came to light, and that was reflected in the art (and the sunrise setting.)

have there ever been times when dick’s longed for the comfort of his mask because he didn’t feel confident as dick grayson? i can’t think of any. i may be wrong, but this struck me as pretty ooc.

am i just??? gay and reading this all wrong??

cause i was under the impression that when someone says they are grateful for your friendship you don’t immediately kiss them. 

or is this like. normal straight mating rituals.

i mean he’s smiling afterward but still babs aren’t you supposed to at least make sure it’s okay first? you guys broke up a while back after you said something along the lines of “i want to be coworkers with you and nothing more because i don’t trust you or feel comfortable around you as a civilian anymore.” like lmao after you say something like that to someone i would assume that you don’t have the permission to just kiss them whenever you want.

show of hands who else got real sad when they realized dick was talking about himself in this.

sure, he could be referencing the things he’s seen blockbuster pull, and the children on the streets. but “i’ve seen money used for enforcement,” sounds a little too close to dick’s entire life being destroyed by one man threatening the circus to pay protection money for me to completely ignore. and “i’ve seen the poorest and most vulnerable blamed and punished rather than assisted” becomes a lot worse when you remember dick was thrown in juvie for a couple months until bruce was able to obtain legal guardianship, and in there, not a authority figure believed him when he told them his parents were murdered.

he’s lived this before.

a. mother. fucking. typo.

fucking why

i mean i’ve stated my distaste for the batfamily groupchat before but like. this is reaching new levels of ridiculousness. jason sounds like he was written by a fanfic writer. tim sounds like he was written by a fanfic writer. steph sounds like she was written by someone who doesn’t know the first thing about steph and wanted to include her for “family points!!!!!” damian’s supposed to be completely off the grid, and everyone’s searching for him. i do love the way cass texts tho.

well god fuck now i’m crying

dick got a phone call, a sorry, and a thank you out of bruce. i feel so much secondhand happiness for him, if that’s a thing. we’ll just ignore the way bruce looks ugly af and focus on the good parts okay?

and again with the colour symbolism here!

i’m either going to love this or hate this. who knows, we’ll see.

something something hearts something something pink is an evil colour something something. i need to know more about this guy but there’s definitely symbolism there. 

is it just me or does this dude look like the backstabbing traitorous absolutely motherfucking piece of shit villain that killed tadashi hamada in big hero 6?

~~

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[sserpente]

A/N: I was writing this while my cat kept attacking me because she wanted to play. I don’t know if it made any impact on the story but I guess we’ll see. 😅

Words: 2154 Warnings: fluff (+ there are NO spoilers for TROS in this Imagine!)

Your lungs were burning, accompanied by a stinging pain in your chest. A broken rib, probably, maybe even two. You had been reckless. No, you had been distracted. Distracted by the man you loved more than yourself.

You were so close to him now—and while your heart knew exactly what it wanted, your mind kept sending shockwaves of adrenaline through your entire body.

Danger. Threat. Flight.

You hadn’t seen Ben’s face since he departed to train as a Jedi with his uncle Luke—and Leia had forbidden you joined the Resistance on any risky missions anywhere near the First Order. You were not Force sensitive, never had been. But they took you in when you had had nothing left and you had given back to them your services and your loyalty—your support to fight for a better world.

Your personal political views remained indifferent as long as you got to live, preferably not in poverty. But the Resistance, back then operating under a different name, of course, had given you something else. Someone else. They had given you Ben—right until Luke’s godforsaken Jedi camp had ripped him from your grasp cruelly, had him drift away from you until he was out of reach both physically and mentally.

He had a new name now, new motivations—and he had done terrible things which shocked you to the very bottom of your heart and yet… yet you could never stop loving him. Perhaps this was the reason you were here now, on the Finalizer, bruised, beaten and defeated.

Your weapons had long been taken from you. You were helpless. And Kylo Ren was your only hope.

-

“Bring her to my quarters for an interrogation, and keep her restrained. Her strength is not to be underestimated.” The voice you heard behind you was somewhat… distorted, no, modulated—most likely, it belonged to one of the Knights of Ren… did Kylo wear one too, a mask? How would you recognise him if he did? What if this voice, what if it was him… You swallowed thickly. Focus. Interrogation. If you fought back too much, they would pry your mind open like a nut, pushing you straight into the depths of madness.

You didn’t know anything. Nothing about Leia’s plans and not even if they still resided in the same location. You were on your own now. You had left after the destruction of the Jedi camp, when Ben had become someone you did not recognise—yet.

My quarters… you repeated the words in your mind, pure terror spreading in your veins like a nasty disease. Could it be?

The Stormtroopers followed the order immediately. Grabbing you by your upper arms and practically lifting your feet off the ground, they dragged you through the cold and empty hallways almost effortlessly.

You did not resist—you would save your strength for later—for when you truly needed it to fight all the torture they were about to inflict on you.

Handcuffed to almost utter helplessness, you were shoved into some dark living space, discarded like an old piece of furniture; the metal doors sliding shut behind you and darkness swallowing you whole before you could even turn. Idiots.

Standing there in the corner in complete blackness, with your heart in your mouth and the blood singing in your ears, you waited. You knew enough about strangling people. Your restraints posed the perfect tool for that.

But it stayed silent for a while. No footsteps, no voices, nothing. Then, finally, just when you had almost given up and begun to think your captor might have forgotten about you, the metal doors flew open once again.

The small beam of light falling onto the ground of the dark living quarters before the only exit route was cut off again were enough for you to make out a tall silhouette—and attack it.

With a belligerent scream, you stormed forward, aiming for the figure’s neck—but found your limbs paralysed by an invisible Force only the fraction of a second after, before the metal around your wrists could even touch your enemy.

The man in front of you chuckled darkly—a terrifying sound through the voice modulator inside the mask he was wearing. You froze, regardless of what the Force was doing to your body, eyes widening as a suspicion rose within you. This chuckle… it sounded familiar.

As cool as you please, he reached up, gloved hands swiftly fiddling with the clasps of his mask, revealing…

“Ben.” You choked out when your eyes met. You had found him. He was alive. He was safe. He was well. “Ben…” You repeated, voice breaking pathetically. Instantly, the Force released your limbs but you did not move an inch.

“Ben is dead,” he spat.

“What? I see him. I see him right in front of me!” Kylo turned up his mouth, a touch of anger radiating off of him. Once more, you felt the Force on your body, this time wrapping around your neck tightly. He didn’t even blink as he lifted you off your feet and pulled you towards him without lifting a finger, your body—tiny and downright petite compared to his—colliding with his chest and knocking all air from your lungs.

You howled in pain, your stricken ribs complaining upon the harsh impact. Kylo hesitated, a frown decorating his face for no longer than a split second before he seemed to recollect himself.

“Where is the Resistance?” He asked with a tilt of his head, ignoring your prior response coldly. At this point, you were shaking. You longed to jump into his arms and hold him tightly, but feared his reaction. Would he push you away? Laugh at you? Kill you? No, you figured. Ben would never hurt you.

“I… I don’t know. I left them after what happened at… the… the Jedi camp. I’ve been looking for you ever since.” Kylo Ren’s eyebrows rose slightly.

“And now that you’ve found me, what will you do?” He responded coolly, a hint of mockery swinging in his voice. You fell silent. Ben knew you well, he always had. Truth was, you had not had a plan. All you had wanted was to find the man you loved.

“I presume the Resistance still cares about your whereabouts,” he continued then, seemingly unfazed. “What will they do once they learn the First Order has you in its grip?” Kylo Ren stretched out his hand, gloved fingers kneading the thin air as you felt the Force pulling your mind apart like thin threads being torn from a silken fabric—looking for any kind of information about the Resistance which might be useful to him.

You failed to resist, knowing it would make the inevitable pain a lot more bearable. You had not lied. And you had never kept secrets from Ben.

“You really have no idea.” He concluded almost softly, absentmindedly pulling away again. He gnashed his teeth, staring you intently in the eye for a few agonising seconds. You slowly nodded.

Kylo Ren already knew what you did not dare to speak out loud—that you had come to see him regardless of the consequences which might result in the downfall of the Resistance. For just a brief moment, his composed and repellent façade crumbled. Glimpses of cracks proving to you he was unwilling to yield to his true emotions. He clenched his gloved fists, his right eye twitching once.

Without another word, he hurried to put his mask back on, then he stormed outside, illuminating the dark quarters with the artificial light from the vast hallways for a third time.

“Send a message to the Resistance,” you heard his modulated voice say to the Stormtroopers standing guard outside, “Tell General Organa we have one of her… fugitives on board. (Y/N) (Y/L/N)’s survival in return for the exact coordinates of their remaining ships.”

-

Your chest was heaving, tears streaming down your face. Grief and relief mixed in your heart, poisoning you with a deadly potion singeing you from the inside out—it was a pain much worse than the physical injuries of your body the two medical droids were treating. Ben must have sent them to his quarters after realising you were hurt. Nothing was broken, yet the contusions felt equally antagonising. The droids had stripped you and more or less forced you down on the black and uncomfortable sofa, with only your sports bra remaining to take care of the dark bruises.

They utterly ignored your heart-breaking sobs rippling through Kylo Ren’s empty quarters. At least, the lights had been switched on by now, allowing you a few curious glances around.

The decoration was sparse. There was a chest of drawers, a wardrobe, a double bed with pitch black bed sheets, a dark and tiled hallway leading to a separate refreshing area and a mysterious metal door—you did not need to try for the knob to know it would be locked.

Ben’s signature was all over the room—it felt like his aura lingered despite his absence, reminding you with every passing second of the man you had lost. He could have taken you to General Hux, could have the Stormtroopers take care of accommodating you—and he could have you killed without so much as a simple blink. He had not. You were here. Right here in his quarters where you were safe. Safe from all the threats on board the Finalizer, safe from the proponents of the First Order. Safe from anyone except from him.

Kylo Ren returned, presumably, late at night. He found you curled up on the hard seating furniture, your almost naked back turned to him. He could sense you were still awake. Your thoughts were racing through your mind, one toppling over the next.

Your lips were still shaking—as were your limbs. His quarters were almost unusually chilly, dark and uninviting. Wearing no more than a pair of tight trousers and your sports bra did not exactly help this predicament. Holding your breath, you listened. What was he doing? You could hear the rustling of fabric, bed sheets being pulled back for the owner of the soft mattress to lie down on it and rest and lastly, the sound of a light switch. Once again, you found yourself in complete darkness.

One thing was for sure—Kylo Ren would never admit he was unsure of what to do with you. Killing you was no option. He would never forgive himself. Leaving you with Hux or the Stormtroopers? You were his.

Gnashing his teeth, he ripped his eyes back open all the while listening to your clattering teeth. Were you really his? You loved him, he knew this, he could sense it—always could have. And you were here. Here in his quarters. You could have been killed for just attempting to come here and even that had not stopped you from finding him. For Heaven’s sake—he was the Supreme Leader. If he wished to keep you with him, it would be his decision alone.

“B-Ben.” He suddenly heard you mumble.

Silence. Indignantly, he squeezed his eyes shut. Would sleep come to him tonight? He would need his energy. If his mother still cared about you as much as she had before he left her, tomorrow might result in yet another draining battle.

“Ben.” You said again, louder and more vehemently this time.

Again, he did not respond. You swallowed thickly, biting your lower lip so hard you could taste blood.

“Fine,” you spat. “Kylo.”

As if on cue, he turned in bed, facing you in the utter darkness of his quarters. You had a feeling he could still see every inch of you, his brown eyes boring through you like sharp daggers or the hot blade of his lightsabre.

“What is it?”

“I’m freezing. Please… can you give me a blanket?”

“I don’t have any spare blankets.” His dark voice rumbled through the blackness around you. Fearing that this would be his final word, you took a deep and shaky breath. But then, suddenly, the bed sheets rustled again. “Come.”

What? Did he mean… his bed?

Still trembling, you stood from the uncomfortable sofa, wondering what he would do if you approached him. But Kylo said nothing. Not when you lied down in his warm bed. Not when he covered you with his blanket. Not when he wrapped an arm around your middle and pulled your cold body against his warm chest, his heavy breathing brushing hot air against the back of your neck.

“Kylo…” You whispered. He held you even closer in response—there was no need for him to see you to notice how your eyes had filled with salty tears again.

What was he doing? Was he Kylo Ren or was he Ben Solo? But perhaps it did not matter. He was, after all, the man you loved.

-

Check out my blog to find more Imagines and take a glimpse at my first (to be) published novel! Also, if you enjoyed this story, I would appreciate so much if you supported me on Kofi! ko-fi.com/sserpente ♥

[sweetwritertanya]

Nothing To Be Jealous About (Taehyung)

Summary: Your friend has a gallery exhibition for which you and your boyfriend, Taehyung, were invited. But once you see the painting you were looking for the most, Taehyung starts to act weird and you don’t understand why.

Warnings: soft SMUT by the end! This was going to be just a fluffy one, but I couldn’t control myself! Mainly, there will be: erotic body touching, fingering, just the tiniest bit of dirty talk but barely.

Word Count: 3208

Laughs and random chatter fill the large room as you and your boyfriend walk into the gallery. It was a bright space, with tall white walls and lot of artificial lighting even though the large glass windows provided more than enough natural sunshine. Your heart skipped at the sight of so many people already in, walking around and conversing amongst themselves as they appreciated the beautiful art exposed on the walls. It was a warm sunny morning and people were clothed in light fresh garments, between casual and formal wear for the occasion.

You were wearing a cool blue and white strapped knee-length dress with bishop sleeves down to your elbows, a pattern of reddish and pink pastel flowers overlaying the stripes, pink pastel heels to match it. The tie at the smallest part of your waist complimented your large figure and the warm weather was no invitation for you to bring a jacket. As much as you believed you put some thought into your outfit, your partner’s seemed a lot more fitting. Taehyung was wearing a long-sleeved shirt, made of a fresh material, painted as if a work of abstract art itself, with tones of blue, grey and brown. It was tucked into very well-fitted dark jeans that complimented his tall silhouette and shiny designer shoes. Dark wavy hair styled beautifully, you found yourself thinking that he was the one who deserved to be displayed in a museum somewhere.

Out of the two of you, at first you assumed you would be the one jumping with excitement and fidgeting in place due to nervousness, eager to see how your friend’s first art exposition would go. Turns out Taehyung seemed to be even more giddy than you were, particularly interested in seeing one particular piece of work from your friend’s catalogue.

“Where is it? Where is it?” he asks in an almost childish way, contradicting his deep tone of voice in your ear.

You smile and shake your head, taking hold of his arm and guiding him through the space as you talked, eyes out in search of the artist himself.

“C’mon, we need to find my friend first! We can’t just browse around without saying hi to him first and ask how the exposition is doing” you admonish, to which Taehyung pouts disappointed.

“There’s a bunch of people, it’s obviously going great, right? Can’t we just see him after?”

“Nope. And there he is, let’s go!”

After meeting with your friend and congratulating him on the apparent success of his art exposition, Taehyung’s impatience wins him over and he asks about the painting he has been dying to see. You roll you eyes and advise your friend to just lead the way before your boyfriend explodes with curiosity. The man laughs and gladly takes you to the wall where that particular piece was proudly exposed.

“Oh my God, Andre, it’s so beautiful!” You exclaim as you approach it, breathless at the beautiful colors and detail. “I had no idea it would turn out this good, well done!”

“Thanks, Y/N. It’s one of my proudest works and the second most expensive of all the ones in this gallery” he informs, with a wink and moving eyebrows.

“No way, really!” you gasp, unbelieving. “The second most expensive?”

“Couldn’t have done it without you, Y/N. Thanks again.”

As you assure Andre that it was entirely welcome, nothing for him to be thankful for, one arm comes around your shoulders and Taehyung’s hand grasps your shoulder just a bit more tightly than it needed to be, staying unusually quiet, when this was the painting he had been so anxious to see.

“All good, Tae-Tae? What do you think? Isn’t it pretty?” you ask as you look up at him.

He smiles and agrees, nodding with his head, suddenly changing the conversation and asking if your friend could show his favorite piece’s around the gallery. You frown, knowing perfectly well how to distinguish Taehyung’s natural smile from his fake ones, and that was a fake smile if you ever saw one. He kept his arm around your shoulders all the way around the gallery, never getting more than a few inches away from your side, his steps always in sync with yours as you went. It was just the tiniest bit uncomfortable, but you let it go since you didn’t really understand what was going on.

Near the end of the improvised tour around, with just a few more works to show, Taehyung actually excuses himself claiming he had a work-related phone call to make. You found it just a bit weird since he never told you anything about that and warning bells ring around in your brain when he kisses your lips strongly before leaving the building, leaving you a bit dumbfounded next to your friend. He had never been one to display these kinds of affections before in public.

Embarrassed, you keep the goodbyes with Andre short and hurry out of the gallery room, searching for your boyfriend. He was already next to a cab, phone against ear until he sees you and hangs up soon before you come closer.

“Now, what was that about?” you demand to know as you stand next to him, eyebrows knitted together and lips tugging down in frustration.

“Got us a ride, baby. What do you say we go out for lunch? At that place you’ve been wanting to go?” he suggests, ignoring your question and confused stare.

“You have practice this afternoon, it would take too long. And don’t ignore me!”

“Oh, right… How about we just go home and order something delicious, hum? My treat!” he smiles, this time a more truthful smile that shows his gums and reaches his rounded eyes.

Before you can answer it, he guides you to the backseat of the taxi and kisses your cheek before going around and entering, giving the driver the address to his house. You sigh in defeat and go along with it, Tae stretching his arm again around your shoulders once again, pulling you both more to the middle of the back seat than to each other’s sides. And yet he keeps looking out the window, a bit of tension in his sharp jawline.

Once he opened the door to his modern house, in which you got dressed this morning and gathered quite a volume of your wardrobe in his closet rather than yours back at the apartment, you took off your heels while he slipped out of his shoes quickly and tapped on his phone, asking you about what you wanted to eat. In the time it took for you to put on your slippers, place your heels in the proper place and meet him in the kitchen, it was decided to order sushi from a delicious restaurant you had eaten at before.

“It says they’ll be here in less than thirty minutes. I’ll get the table ready” he offers, something you usually had to ask of him.

Placing a hand on his arm, you stop him from reaching for the cupboard where he kept the plates. Your hands travel down the soft fabric of his shirt over his arms and enclose his hands in yours, interlacing his long fingers with your chubby ones. You lean in and peer at his hesitant eyes with nothing but love and worry.

“Tae, what’s wrong? You were fine this morning but now you’re acting weird. What happened?”

The boy closes his eyes and exhales a deep breath, changing his stance and leaning with his waist against the lower cupboard, fingers wrapping sturdily with yours as if to give him courage. He presses his wide lips together so tightly they almost disappear, those broad and expressive eyebrows knitting together.

“You didn’t tell me it was a nude” he murmurs in a deep voice, a bit of frustration coming through the barely annunciated words.

“What?” You had a hard time understanding what he was saying.

“The painting! You never said you were going to pose for your friend naked!” he finally yells, anger and bitterness released from the mask of indifference he had been wearing.

It all seems so clear now, you actually wonder how you didn’t realize it sooner.

“Tae-Tae, it was just of my back! I was wearing pants under the sheet and my chest was covered the whole time” you assured, trying to put any doubt he may have had to rest. “And I told you about it the same day he asked me to model for him. Remember? How I said he would be very professional and if I felt too uncomfortable, I would just give up? You were the one who convinced me to go ahead and do it!”

“Well, I must have not heard the part where you said it was a nude painting!” he defended, huffing through his enlarges nostrils.

“It was not a nude! Again, I was wearing clothes, he just painted it to seem like I wasn’t it” you reinforce.

“Your back was bare for him to see for days while he was painting. I’m not sure I’m okay with another man seeing you like that” he pressed, eyes set on the ground.

“It only took him three days and what do you mean ‘seeing you like that’? You can’t possibly be jealous, right? Of Andre?” you question, baffled by his reactions.

“How couldn’t I? The bastard likes your painting so much he marks it as the second most expensive on his catalogue! The way he keeps smiling at you, and winking at you, in no time he will be asking for a full body nude and I am not okay with that!”

You can’t help it, you actually chuckle at that, the notion being so ridiculous in your mind that it only originated disbelieving giggles. Even the serious not-amused look Taehyung gives you doesn’t stop your smile, even if it does keep you from laughing further. You clear your throat, step closer to him and squeeze at his hands, still tangled in yours, until he looks back at you.

“You have nothing to be jealous about. Andre is very happily and very seriously engaged. And may I add, he is engaged to a very beautiful, exotic and thin lady, so I am quite sure I am not his style.” You enlighten, shrugging your shoulders. “Did you notice? I think he even got rid of one or two of my back rolls in that painting. So, can you really say that is a painting of me when he changed it a bit?”

You see those big coffee-colored eyes blink a few times, long eyelashes making them stand out so much, first in surprise and then in embarrassment, resorting to pulling you closer into a hug where he can hide his face in your shoulder.

“Nonsense. That was your back, I have it memorized by heart.” He whispers against your hair, arms wrapped around your middle and holding you close against his chest.

You smile and throw your arms across his back, hands resting at his shoulder blades, head leaning and resting against his.

“By heart, you say?”

“Hum” is all the response you get, feeling the man’s smile against the skin of your neck as he starts leaving a trace of pecks all around.

You close your eyes and crook your neck to the side for better access, a familiar heat filling you from head to toes with his affections. Taehyung has always been one to shower you with attention and love, that feeling of being genuinely appreciated never failing to amaze you. Your lips part and you let out a sigh, an odd flutter in your stomach making you search for his mouth with yours.

As you move your head to encounter his, lips meet and your head spins at the lovely feeling of his hands exploring your skin over your clothes, embers crackling silently bellow his touch. A thrill runs up your spine and something in your belly churns as his lips engage fervently with yours, soon his tongue darting out just enough to dance with yours, and you taste honeyed spice.

The body gives in to his touch and caresses without even asking for you permission, your tubby frame leaning into his slender one as your knees rattle. The hands that were so innocently brushing your back had turned greedy and naughty, Taehyung’s big hands descending down to your squishy hips and cupping your succulent ass, adoring the way he could barely hold on to all of the well-padded curves.

Kiss growing hungrier, he moves his head to the other side and deepens the kiss, mouth ravishing on yours sensuously, the vertigo feeling taking over your brain and you have to hold on to his sides in order to not fall. But he has you powerfully in his hands, darting now to your luscious thighs, digits sinking in to the dimples in the flesh and squeezing it before soothing it with smooth strokes.

Suddenly, Taehyung turns you both around so that you are the one leaning against the lower cupboard, hands grasping at the top to keep you steady at the abrupt change, while he presses his body close to yours and dips his head into your neck again, determined to taint the skin there.

“I have all of you memorized by heart, love. All this heavenly body of yours, made for me and only me to appreciate. Better than any poor attempt of portraying it” he assures.

Your breathing is more than erratic now, fervent blood rushing to your puffy cheeks, waves of arousal pouring down your spine. Those hands that have proved time and time again to be both your curse and your salvation are finding their way into your inner thighs and there is no denying how stirred you were. The itch that had formed between your legs was becoming more and more uncontrollable, the stain on your lace panties a clear indication of that.

The index finger pulls the fabric to the side while the middle finger dives between your swollen folds, immediately drenched in the gathering of your juices. Taehyung hisses at your ear and then grunts, teeth catching your earlobe before whispering in a low erotic voice.

“So wet for me, already, darling? You know I can’t control myself when you get like this.”

“A-and you k-know… I always get like this when it’s you, Tae” you counter back, shamefully aware of how little could get you going when it came to this man right here, with one hand under your dress, between your legs, and another crawling up your body.

“A match made in heaven” he sniggers, finding your lips again.

You whimper into his mouth when his hand cups your breast, thumb moving up and down the fabric just above where he knew was your hardening nipple, making your body shudder at the stings of pleasure shooting to your core. The digits placed at your womanhood start moving too, middle and ring finger sliding back and forth on the silky center, mercilessly teasing your throbbing hole and rapidly finding your puckered pearl.

Impatient, Taehyung pulls the neckline of your dress down your tits, immediately doing the same to the cups of your bra, exposing your breasts to him. His head dives in, mouth wrapping around one nipple and suckling on it until he hears you scream out, his free hand tweaking and twisting the other one before he switched places. In the meantime, his digits frustratingly start slipping in and out of your hole, just in little thrusts that don’t dive all the way in, while his thumb draws circles around your clit slowly driving you insane.

“Taaeee….! Please!” you plead in a whimper, moisture starting to slide down your legs and an excruciating tightness in your abdominal area demanding satisfaction.

Your hands are fisting at the fabric of his shirt on top of his biceps and you have half a mind to worry about ripping it, knowing the shirt was expensive as all hell. But at this rhythm you would pop off every single button of his shirt, rip his pants out and ride him until the next century in order to find your release.

Sensing your urgency, Taehyung smiles with one nipple still in his mouth and finally, finally entered his two long fingers inside your tight hole, sliding them in to the knuckles and providing the most heavenly stretch as he scissors them inside, your walls clinging to him like a vice. Your face scrunches up in pure delectation, the subsiding movement that follows dragging moans from the depth of your soul as you claw this man’s arms and threw you head back with eyes closed.

He twists his wrist and in a nice pace starts plunging his fingers in and out, the pad of his digits rubbing deliciously against your walls and curling just at the right place inside, effortlessly reaching for that spot inside that strikes your whole body with an overpowering current of pleasure. You were already so close to the edge, so eager to jump, and when his thumb starts jiggling your fleshy button in little circles, at the same time he speeds up his fingers, rather than jumping you are pushed into your edge and explode into a blinding infinity, crying out Taehyung’s name and body convulsing, your pliant inner muscles fluttering in hyper-sensitivity around his still moving fingers.

Toes curled and body contorted, your slowly breathe with relief at the waves of pleasure slowly undulating through your body, your body slowly but surely coming down its high and your eyes capable of opening and not just seeing dots of white and gold. Instead you see this magnificent man standing proudly in front of you, hand removed from your core and cleaning his dripping fingers with his mouth, the other hand rearranging your clothes back in place, pulling the cups of your bra back up as well as the neckline of your dress.

“I’m afraid you’ll have to get that” he says, and you are still a little bit too numb to really understand.

“What?” you say, confusion mixing with your post-orgasmic serenity.

As if answering your question, you realize the doorbell is ringing, meaning someone is at the door. Taehyung shrugs and locks down at himself. Following his eyes, you realize that on the front of his tight black pants, there is a clear outline of his very erect cock, almost bursting out of the fabric.

“Can’t answer the door like this. Here, have my card and pay for the meal.” He takes his wallet from his back pocket and hands you his card. You nod and make way for the door, but he grabs you by the elbow just enough to whisper lowly in your ear, creating goosebumps at the back of your neck. “And hurry, we don’t have much time before I have to leave for practice.”

And you know he wasn’t referring to the amount of time he had left to lunch with you. Paying the delivery man, you find yourself thinking how convenient it was you ordered sushi, for any other dish would have grown cold by the time you two were done.