#he IS a thug and a troublemaker

[alteriivik]

IN A BIT OF TROUBLE | RAMBLES

a/n: inspired by an aventurine an aventurine bot + here you go, a decent meal for ya’ll

warnings: 1.3k words, sexual content!! mentions of smoking + drinking + brownies + gambling (but not actual descriptions of it), public sex, dacryphilia, degredation

troublemaker sub who’s known to cause trouble wherever he goes. He’s similar to a walking time bomb. In one second, he’ll be seen wearing a big grin, and in the next, he’s being held by the collar by a random person. Even in that situation, he grins and shrugs. He’s a loud guy with his bluntness and insulting statements—he is, indeed, a charm that brings trouble. He usually gets bought out of situations, not having experienced too dire consequences. He’s done a lot of things: smoking, drinking, getting high, gambling. A red flag through and through.

troublemaker sub whose parents finally started to get tired of the constant complaints about him. At first, they tried to talk to him, trying to persuade him not to be so reckless, and the first week, when they told him that, he calmed down, but he stopped after that, being reckless. So, as a last resort, you were brought in and hired as a bodyguard for him.

troublemaker sub who surprisingly didn’t complain about the situation. He was initially uninterested in you, but when you saved him from a fight, he started with a random group of thugs. He’s been looking at you more closely. You always stop him. Drinking? You take the bottle away from him, throwing it to the nearest garbage or his favorite, raising it up and away from his reach—he plays along, leaning against your body and going on his tippy toes, but that’s all an act to tease you. Smoking or getting high? You either slap that shit out of his hands or chuck it into a trash can. Gambling? You stop him from going even a mile close to one.

troublemaker sub who starts to intentionally get into fights more frequently, may it be with a man or a woman, he doesn’t care (gender equality, guys). He starts fights with rowdy large individuals and with bratty, spoiled kids—sometimes, it would end up in a diss battle or throwing hands. He could always count on you to appear, your calm voice striking through the loud voices and trying to alleviate the problem he caused. Although he gets disappointed when it goes your way and the fight discontinues, he sits there, listening to you scolding him—the only thing he’s paying attention to is your face. But if it goes his way and violence happens, you’ll be in front of him with a serious expression on your face. One he enjoys.

troublemaker sub who’s gotten in trouble again. Somehow, he was cunning enough to escape your sight and enter a casino. While you were trying to find him, he crashed into your chest. He looked up with a mischievous grin and an innocent tone and confessed that he had made some guards angry. Now there you two were, you caging him against a rough wall with your hand against his mouth. In some sketchy alleyway, with shadows of the buildings looming over you both. You were thankful it was already night when he decided to cause trouble again.

troublemaker sub who dislikes the silence, so he comes up with an idea. He bit your fingers playfully, asking, although muffled if you liked this position. Of course, your first reaction was to tell him to quiet down—you knew he was a strange kid, so you didn’t care much. It's more so focused on the sounds you’re trying to hear. There was a pout on his face when you ignored his actions, so he wrapped his arms around your neck, pulling you closer to him. His feathery light touches your neck, creating goosebumps on your skin. He couldn’t help but get excited by the thrill of being caught in such a position with you despite the possibility of being caught.

troublemaker sub with your fingers in his mouth, muffled whimpers, and whines coming from his lips. He tries his best to suckle on your digits. He felt heat pool down his lower abdomen, liking the look of your annoyed expression as you told him to shut up with your rough voice. He grinds against your thigh, feeling himself grow harder. He was enjoying the friction given to him, stuttering out thank you’s in his voice and his mind. Although, he couldn’t help but want more, his mind burning with more lustful thoughts.

troublemaker sub who has one leg over your shoulder. Your arm was under his leg, giving it support yet forcing it to fold upwards, and your fingers were still knuckled deep inside his wet cavern. Your other hand held his thigh up so he wasn’t standing anymore. If you let him go right now, he’ll probably fall into your arms. He felt his mind racing from how he was being pushed up against the wall, a vulnerable position to be in. He didn’t know he was this flexible; it did pain him a little… but that didn’t mean it wasn’t pleasurable. He didn’t try to quiet down his moans, his voice ringing desperately. His pants were too tight for comfort, and your clothed member grinding against his didn’t make it better. He was desperate, desperate for more—wanting… needing it. He’s willing to beg even if that means you fuck him then and there.

troublemaker sub who’s sobbing on your dick, grinding against it. Your fingers were still inside his mouth, trying to quiet him down and only serving him to make pathetic whines. His mind felt fuzzy, yet it could conjure up thoughts, thinking about how you were splitting him so wide. His dazed eyes were teary, and he had a pleading look. He wanted you to at least grind back into him, and he tried his best to grind down onto your dick, feeling it throb and pulsate inside his gummy walls. When you still didn’t move, he sobbed out, wanting you so desperately to move. Be rough or gentle, so whatever. Just begging you to fuck him.

troublemaker sub whose mind goes blank when you start to thrust into him. Your thrusts were deep and precise, hitting his prostate head-on. He felt fat tears rolling down his eyes; it felt so fucking good. The way you roughly slammed against his prostate made him tighten even more. His muffled mewling turns you on. You wanted to show him his place, that his cheeky and bold persona is only a facade—being easily broken by his bodyguard’s dick. His flushed face had tear stains; even then, tears continued to run down his cheeks as he gagged around your fingers while also moaning like a whore around you.

troublemaker sub who cries harder when you whisper words in his ears. He felt your hot breath fanning against his ears, making them flush red from the hot air. Imagine the way he let out a pitiful whimper when you started to humiliate him. His body is burning up more, and his hands are digging into your clothes. Even with your degrading words, he bucked his hips while tears fell through his puffy red eyes. You were making him go insane, and when you started to talk about how much of a loser he was, he felt himself cum against your bodies—dirtying yours and his clothes at the same time. A sleek layer of sweat on his forehead.

troublemaker sub who always makes trouble for both of you, with him leading you to slightly isolated spaces (which are still in public) and with him being pushed up against walls. That’s when he just wanted to have a little fun with you. Afterward, he was always seen with a sweaty and disheveled appearance when you deemed it safe enough to leave whatever isolated place he took you to, with your attire, somehow, still intact. With you escorting him back to the confines of his house.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that the guards almost caught you both in the act! It’s safe to say he got hard again.

@alteriivik | do not steal

[wannaeatramyeon]

Could you do relationship headcanons for our big deal boys Jerry and Brad (and Jason and Lineman too if you want) 👉👈 Or maybe them eating dinner with reader for the first time in a while and realizing how much they miss reader?

Hi Anon! Thanks for requesting :) I can't believe I haven't done more boyfriend/relationship hc?! This has been sitting in my drafts forever and soooorta is what you asked for.

Lookism guys as YOUR boyfriend hc

Uhhh almost everyone here (Brad, Jason, Lineman, Jerry, Jake, Sinu, Daniel, Jay, Vasco, Jace, Zack, Vin, Goo, Johan, Eli, Warren, DG, Samuel, Xiaolong, Ryuhei, Eugene, Jihan, Jibeom, Hudson + crumb for Hangyul, Taejin)

Brad Lee

Happy go lucky most of the time. Brad will make you smile and laugh, your best friend as well as your boyfriend. Don't be fooled, just because he can be silly doesn't mean he doesn't take this relationship seriously. Sincere and committed, will do what he needs to make you and him work. A girlfriend privilege, or chore if you're being honest, is constantly shaving his head. If he pisses you off? Shave a stripe down the middle and hide the razor.

Jason Yoon

Self professed as not that great with words, and can be a little standoffish but worships the ground you walk on. Loyal to a fault, and waits on you hand and foot. He's not the most physically affectionate but anticipates your every need, doing things for you before you even realise you wanted them. Self-sacrificing with Big Deal and as your boyfriend. Make sure his needs are taken care of, he deserves it!

Lineman

Listen, this guy bullshits a lot. He's full of bravado and confidence but he is surprisingly earnest when it comes to you. Everything may be exaggerated and said flippantly, but Lineman does think you're the most beautiful, the smartest, the absolute best. No competition. Completely fearless with anything you throw at him. Whether that's something adventurous in the bedroom or a life plan 10 years in the future.

Jerry Kwon

If he is Jake's sword, then he is your shield. Most of the time he barely needs to do anything, just being with him makes sure thugs and troublemakers will stay away. Nevertheless, protects you from danger and cuddling with Jerry will melt all your stress away. Loves you as much as he respects Jake. Which is a whole frickin' lot. Probably more than you would ever know. A big teddy bear, and can be shy - needing you to make the first moves or read his moods.

Jake Kim

You've done it. You've reached the peak. Maximum good times, minimum mental breakdowns. He is stable, a great caregiver and maybe the funniest person you will ever meet, or at least he likes to think so. Does tend to prioritise Big Deal over your relationship and being his girlfriend. You need to be very understanding. Shame he spends a lot of time away from you dealing with the crew but he more than makes up for it with kisses and cuddles and attention (where he can spare it).

Sinu Han

Who do you think taught Jake how to respect women? Gapryong? Nah. It's this girlboss. Didn't used to have much time nor money as Big Deal boss. Now at least he has lots of time and will make sure you are top prority. Literally got yourself a whole househusband. He has nothing better to do than look after you. When you're apart, loves making and sending little videos of himself to you to cheer you up. And it's not hard once you see his beaming bright smile.

Daniel Park

Very sweet, Zack might have stole his first kiss but he wants you to be the first for everything else! His obliviousness to all the girls hitting on him would piss you off though. Once you've spoken to him and he realises, he'll apologise profusely and makes sure it's very clear that he's taken. "Yes, I've got a girlfriend. Yes, I'm very happy. Please I'm not interested!" Very easy for you to make him blush. He might have heard a lot of flattery, but just tell him how cute he looks today and he will flush bright red.

Jay Hong

Are you ready to be spoiled? Have all your whims fulfilled? This man will literally go to the moon and back for you, and he could pay for it to. Loves spoiling you, shopping with you is one of his favourite pastimes but enjoys spending time with you even if it's chilling with the pups. Writes you little messages and notes for you to find throughout the day. Very sentimental and keeps a memento of pretty much everything. Apart from having cash for days, other major girlfriend privileges include seeing his eyes and riding around on his motorbike. Which is pretty sexy, not gonna lie.

Vasco Tabasco

This cinnamon roll!! What else is there to say about him! He's innocent and naive and doesn't really know how to be the best boyfriend but he's so eager to learn and to make you happy. Make a big deal out of every milestone and anniversary. Looks forward to big occasions like meeting the parents until the actual day comes and he almost passes out from nervousness. Being with the head of Burn Knuckles means you've automatically adopted the rest of the gang too. Watch out for your sanity.

Jace Park

Goes a bit too hard on the romance front, but unfortunately picked most of it up from kdrama or romance novels. Imagine his surprise when after your first fight you actually did want space and wasn't pleased when he turned up on your doorstep. Kind hearted and good intentioned. He's dotes on you and a great listener. Insufferable to the rest of Burn Knuckles as he won't shut up about you. Once he's with you, he is WITH you. He may be 'married to Burn Knuckles', but in a relationship, you two are as good as married. And yes, he is the best househusband. Obviously.

Zack Lee

BIG softie. Clingy, a little obsessive but He. Loves. You. We've seen how he is with Mira. Being in a reciprocal relationship with someone would turn that up to ELEVEN. He will always always try his best, and gets a little insecure and sad if he lets you down but to you it doesn't matter. Seeing his effort is enough and you make sure to let him know. Will walk to the ends of the earth for you, you barely even have to ask. Also will deny he's a simp to everyone as they look on at him incredulously. Seriously? It's the most obvious frigging thing!

Vin Jin

Oh my god this guy. He will play his music for you at ANY opportunity. It's a good job you love him, otherwise you would need to jam some chopsticks in your ears. You can't help but be charmed though seeing him doing what he loves, so you take up the role as his number 1 fan. Plays it cool but he is very clingy. Probably text you with 'wyd' and if you don't respond in the next 10 mins, expect a barrage of messages. And if you're busy and haven't seen him for a day or 2? He's on your doorstep: "Here I got you a gift. Me."

Gun Park

He's a surprisingly good partner. He doesn't like wasting time and least of all his own so he knows already you're a good fit with him. The fact that he agreed to be your partner means that he already holds you in exceptionally high regard and cares about you a great deal. Still a walking red flag though. Especially cold and callous when he's had a bad day or you ask him about something he doesn't want to answer. You can go hours or even days not talking after your fights until he finally asks if you can hear him out. He's not stupid. He knows the way he reacts isn't how you should treat a partner and promises to keep working on it

Goo Kim

A rollercoaster ride of a boyfriend. In an established relationship, he can be exceptionally clingy. You better be patient and on the same wavelength as him or you're going to have a bad time. Your nights together can flit from watching anime to light arson in the blink of an eye. At least you can't say he's boring. Soft in his own way for you, and spoils you with your demands and requests, and his money! Really does let you get away with a little too much.

Johan Seong

He was shocked when he realised he cared more about you than Eden and Miro. You were too, you know what they mean to him... And now what you mean to him too. A little feral and not the best at expressing himself but if you have the patience to support him then he'll have the patience to try. Do not offer to share food with this man. Not a bite, no snacks, nothing. He would take advantage. The definition of give him an inch and he'll take a mile. Leave your plate unattended, and the food will be gone the moment you're back. Eden and Miro will get the blame.

Eli Jang

Hope you're ready for 2 cuties in your life because Eli and Yenna are a package deal. Eli never thought he would get the fairytale happy family but with you it's actually happening. He loves planning family dates and seeing you and Yenna together. He's already carved out a future for you and him otherwise he wouldn't encourage you and Yenna to bond.

Warren Chae

Absolutely adores telling you he loves you. With you the words flow, and so do the compliments. In his quieter moments, you catch him staring at you a lot until hegrabs your hand and gives you three squeezes instead. I. Love. You. Privately, renames himself from 'Gangdong's Mighty Warren Chae' to 'Y/N's Mighty Warren Chae'. Super silly, but it makes you giggle everytime. He means it though. Will look after you any way he can.

DG

Keeps you out of the spotlight. Please don't be insecure, it's not that he doesn't want to be seen with you - he's just protecting you from public scrutiny and his horde of fans. Generally cool and aloof but with you he can be surprisingly soft and romantic. Truly a k-pop idol capturing the heart of millions. You will become his biggest stan, and he would find that equal parts amusing and endearing. As long you are kept a secret, he will tell the media he has a special someone, someone that really knows him. Makes you and the general public melt everytime he is heard talking about you.

Samuel Seo

Aw Sammy. He just wants some praise and love and you readily offer it to him. Puts up a lot of walls at first before seeing that you don't care who he is or where he's from and love him for him. Definitely one to wait for you to say I love you and fall first before he could reciprocate. He needs to make sure this is real and you are real. Sometimes though, the moment just feels too right for him to keep his feelings to himself... Spends obscene amounts on you to try and impress you. It doesn't. Not really. Ok maybe a little bit.

Xiaolong

One to go to extremes to please the one he loves. Old example: Vivi. Please see updated example: You. There is nothing he will not do for you. To the point that it terrifies you a bit and you need to calm him down. "No, if you don't actually want to go on an ice cream run at 3am that's completely fine! I was only joking about punching my boss, please don't do it!!" Hope you're ready for an unconventional sex life because this man will do what he can to satisfy you, penislessly

Ryuhei Kuroda

Theres a long list of simps in Lookism and he's close to the top of the list. Hes an avid texter but since he likes to follow you everywhere, you wouldn't know. Despite how much of a shit he can be, genuinely respects you and thinks the world of you. Will happily and without hesitation sock anyone that says a bad word about you. Unlike Xiaolong, all in working order downstairs since you met. You have no issues getting him to stand to attention. Have fun!

Eugene

A bit of an absentee boyfriend. He has a lot on his plate. He never regret his position or what he's achieved until you started dating, and now he wishes you could spend more time together. When he's with you though, he's WITH you. You have his full attention. He even turns his phone off. His assistants know that they can't reach him when he's with you. Building burning down? Nope. Don't care.

Jihan Kwak

You thought he was a troublemaker at first. And you would be right. He can run rings around you, teasing and a little mean, the cause of many headaches. All the words are meant with love though. Just look at the way he looks at you as he calls you an idiot. This guy is impossibly soft for you. Make sure you don't let him get away with too much though. As the youngest and spoilt, he can be bratty and a little inconsiderate. He's no fool. Tell him and he will adjust his behaviour.

Jibeom Kwak

There's something so fun about stealing the clothes from your teddy-bear boyfriend. So what if his taste is terrible and ugly as hell. Seeing you in his t-shirt or shorts or even boxers will absolutely break his brain. A little dense, but very trusting - bit like our other cinnamonroll, Vasco. Always well-intentioned, but you may need to be explicit with him. Don't worry, he's a quick learner. Loves you an awful lot and has no problem telling the whole world, even if that means teasing from his brothers.

Hudson Ahn

There's two very people that are at the tippity top of Hudson's list. Taesoo, and you. Your boyfriend is your sun. Quiet and a little stoic, watching you with an intensity and a little smile on his face that takes your breath away. Especially when he's usually cold and reserved with most people, the fact that you can make him look like that just being in your presence? The BEST. Blessed with one of the better asses in Lookism that even Heat Daniel couldn't resist. Always rolls his eyes whenever you grope him, you not being able to resist a quick squeeze even as you walk by, but he could never tell you no.

Hangyul Baek (here's a crumb)

Looks at you a lot with a smile on his face. Which is sweet you suppose, if he wasn't a plastic surgeon and scrutinishing faces and bodies all day. And then he calls you beautiful. A true beauty. And you preen, happy with the compliment.. until. Hold on. What exactly does he mean?!

Taejin Cheon (here's a crumb)

Wew, this guy is flashy. Which is great if that's your thing. Will likely get you kitted out in all sorts of designer brands, even more so than Samuel Seo. Despite not shown as having any tattoos, has the vibe that he would get your name tattooed on his neck. If you break up? Will just get a line put through it lol.

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

WIBTA if I told my aprents about my brother vaping?

I (16F), have a brother (14M). For some background, over the years, we've gotten into a lot of conflict, but overall today, we've come to understand each other a lot more, and I genuinely enjoy spending time with him.

My parents, more specifically my dad (65), took on this kind of predisposition regarding my brother, where hes the big troublemaker "thug" (not my words), and he's compared him (even if he wasn't fully aware to realize the weight of his words), to my older half-brother who ended up spending most of his teen years as a dropout, who ruined his career due to a lot of immature volatility directed at others.

While in some part, I can understand my dad's thought process, and how there's definitely fear there, what with my brother getting in trouble at school, and often getting into a lot of shit with his friends, my brother's also shown a lot of positive characteristics more recently too, and I'm really proud of him for that, and I've *seen* his struggle.

I've seen how stuff like this and other things my dad has said make my brother feel, and its the only reason I'm so unsure about telling my parents

Around a week ago, I went to go wake my brother up for school, forgetting he wasn't supposed to go that day (suspended), and saw him sleeping in his bed next to a vape. Initially, I didn't know what to do except for take pictures of it and decide to confront him later, not initially wanting to get my parents involved.

i eventually forgot about it completely, what with all me being distracted and getting sick, and now today, and I've found him on his bed with a vape next to him again (Its a different vape this time, too).

The first one had a very colorful design, so I guess I had just hoped it was some sort of weird imitation candy or something??? but now im genuinely not sure of what to do, since I really don't want him getting in serious trouble (not only that, but he has asthma, so it could pose an actual threat to his health.)

I hardly know anything about vapes or what kind of stuff they put in them, but im genuinely worried he could form an addiction and/or fuck up his lungs.

Im worried that my dad would never give him any amount of freedom afterward, and that he might lose all good faith in him, I dont want that, but I'm worried if there isn't any kind of action, he wouldn't really change, and I don't want to ruin my relationship with him.

WIBTA?

[butterfluffy]

“hey, troublemaker”

⠀⠀ੈ♡˳· just some fluff where you patch up this tulip haired man who's such a trouble maker. <3

⠀⠀➧ fluff | eustass kid x gn!reader | oneshot

⠀⠀➧ warnings — none. mistakes may be present tho.. so do ignore them, thanks!

⠀⠀➧ requests are open! do send some requests for me to write! read the RULES first tho.

⠀⠀꒰ 🍨 ꒱ notes: i need my husband i want my husband i miss my husband give me my husband. please.

All bloody and bruised; that is Eustass Kid's current condition, after participating, or shall I say starting a brawl with some thugs.

He looks pathetic right now, he admits. Down to the floor, in the brink of unconsciousness.

But hey, at least he won, he was the last one standing, the winner!

“Oh fuck, my head hurts..” Kid grumbles, touching his bleeding head that throbbed in pain.

“Hey, troublemaker. Ya still doin' good?” A voice says, snickering as they approached the red head who's attention turned to them who slowly emerged out from the darkness.

“You seem very beaten up... Well, I'm not surprised, you're a troublemaker anyway.” They add, causing the red head to roll his eyes, annoyed.

“Oh shuddup, whoever-you-are! At least I fuckin' won, hah!” He says smugly with a click of his tongue, slicking his now damp hair that was dampened by the rain water.

“It's not 'whoever-you-are,' Kid. That's Y/n to you, dumb shit.” You huffed, introducing yourself before you crouched down to level the man who's sat on the ground.

“Ah, Y/n... What d'ya want? And why're ya here?” Kid asked, clicking his tongue as he averted his eyes away from the you who sighed and rolled your eyes.

“I am here to patch your ass up, of course.” Taking out the bandages and gauzes you bought with you, you then started patching the male up, little by little with care as he lightly winced from his wounds.

“...Okay, I'm done.” You hum, finishing up while Kid sat quietly, watching you with a small frown on his face..

“'Kay, thanks.... You can go now, I'll just stay here for a little while more until I get the strength to get up.” The tulip-haired man whispers, shooing you away, expecting you to leave already..

...But confusing to him, you didn't leave. Instead, you sat beside the red head who had his mouth agape.

“Didn't I tell ya to go? You don't have any business with me now, y'know.” Kid mumbles, scooting away from you who chuckled as you scoot closer to him until he stopped moving away from you.

“You—ugh, why is your annoying ass still here, Y/n?” Kid mutters, grumbling under his breath on how you're still not leaving.

“...Mhhhmm, why am I still here? Well, that's because I care for you, my troublemaker.” You said with a snicker, leaning your head on the troublemaker's shoulder, causing him to tense up as his cheeks were slowly dusted red like his hair—

“. . .” Serving silence thanks to your acts, Kid sighed, letting the you be. Slinging his arm over your shoulder, moving you closer to him. A smile showing on his face, and yours, too, as you lovingly look at each other....

© butterfluffy 2023

⠀⠀ʚїɞ · likes, comments, reblogs, and/or feedbacks are highly appreciated!

[paraliveimaginesblog]

hii i absolutely love your work <3

could i possibly request allen, iori, yohei, and hajun comforting and protecting fem reader when feeling unsafe/uncomfortable?

maybe the reader calls them and asks for their help because someone/something has made them uncomfortable? thank you so much!!🫶

Allen Sugasano:

You’re honestly thankful that Allen even answered the phone, knowing it could be a 50/50 chance depending on what he was doing at the moment. He seemed partially distracted which hinted he was likely thinking about music but when you started to mumble about feeling nervous, you drew his full attention. He asked where you were so he could meet up with you; you don’t even have the chance to request his presence before he’s offering it up, probably having a sense that you called him because you were in need. He ushered you away without really hesitating, bringing you back to the apartment where you could find comfort in all three members of BAE being around until you felt grounded again.

Hajun Yeon:

Hajun knew you didn’t often call him without reason which had his heart beating a little irregularly; he wasn’t one to stress about made-up situations but he had felt like something was off the entire day. Your phone call proved that, listening to how you pretended that you were on the same street as him, subtly giving him the location while also off-putting whoever may be keeping their eye on you. He has no trouble figuring out the little clues you give him and appears like a knight in shining armor, a casual smile on his face as he raised his hand in greeting and wrapped an arm around your shoulder to lead you off to a much safer place.

Iori Suiseki:

Iori is tempted to roll up with the entire squad, but once he evaluated the situation, he knew he’d be more than enough. You don’t often get to see the intimidating side of Iori but it makes you feel some type of way each time you do, heart clenching in your chest as you hid behind his surprisingly frightening figure. He’s quick to chase off any troublemakers, turning to you with his normal cheerful smile as he reassured you that you were safe now; he still insisted on seeing you home, telling you not to worry about him making it back to the club in one piece as he had no doubt those men wouldn’t bother you again, let alone him. He does still send you a text to set your mind at ease.

Yohei Kanbayashi:

Yohei’s at your location in a heartbeat after the call. He felt tense at the concept of you being in danger, ordering you to stay where you were in a well-lit area with others around. Don’t interact with them if you can help it. His little pieces of advice did help keep the situation at a manageable level but once he’s on the scene, the aggression is immediate. Yohei cuts an imposing figure and he’s not afraid to throw hands, but the fact he looks like a much more efficient thug helps lead the situation to a peaceful outcome. He did have some scolding words for you after, telling you to always call him if you went out late so he could see you get home safely and no, he didn’t care if he was working.

[bored-biatch]

Alright, does anyone else see my vision here,

"Please please please" by sabrina Carpenter being older aidlyn coded. (Inspired and Based off the some plot points in the music video & some lyrics, you can interpret it however you like)

READ BELOW FOR MORE EXPLANATION

_____

Aiden would obviously grow up to be a troublemaker in some way, possibly drinking and driving, doing weed, then one day, he gets arrested for driving under the influence, or some other minor crime.

And of course, Ashlyn is furious, she's upset, she's confused on why she all of a sudden got called late at night while Aiden was out, telling her all of a sudden to pick up some of her belongings out of his car and watch as he got handcuffed and pushed into the cop car. She just had so many feelings all jumbled up. And she might have to find the money to bail him out (due to his parents were very disappointed and refused to help)

She would of course visit him in jail, after he got set for a week or two behind bars (and a hell of a fine based on their paychecks), Though she would usually just sit there and try her best to ignore him as he would apologize sheepishly. She was only there so he wasn't alone. She wasn't cruel to leave him all alone in jail with what she worried would be thugs.

Of course then once he got out. she would be sitting there leaning against the hood of his once impounded red sedan. Watching as he shamefully walked over with a duffle bag thrown over his shoulder, his roots beginning to grow out and his shirt from that night reeking of the smell of old cigarettes. the two would exchange a few words before Aiden would open the door for her as she got into the driver's seat and the two would drive out of the fenced compound home to their apartment.

Aiden and Ashlyn definitely go through a rough patch after that, Aiden would try and find ways to make it up to Ash and his parents. And ash would try to trust him again, make him work for it for sure. But eventually she would decide he's earned some of her trust.

______

If you want to see the Please Please Please music video for reference, you can get that HERE

Now please remember this is just a personal headcanon or vision, and you don't have to agree with it! Please just keep a positive attitude and nice words to others<3

ALSO FOR THOSE OF YOU WONDERING ABOUT THE PHANTOM FIGHTERS ADOPTING A PLANT, THAT IS IN THE WORKS RIGHT NOW AND I APOLOGIZE FOR THE WAIT, I'VE HAS FAMILY VISITING THE PAST MONTH AND EXAMS

LOVE YOU SUGAR BOOS 💗

[themissinghand]

Hello! If your requests are still open, may i ask for a stanley snyder x reader? (fem, or GN) Where the reader is xeno's sibling? It's ok if not though. Just dont get pressured from the requests :) (also, if i may reccommend a manhwa, I suggest you try to read return of the mount hua sect if you like action and murim (it's rlly good trust me), or omniscient reader's viewpoint if you haven't read it already (my favourite) but if you like romance manhwa's with a medieval setting, either "your majesty please spare me this time" (unlike most romance manhwa's the mc in this one doesn't get over their hatred for the crown prince so quickly and and immediately falls in love with them. she's very conflicted and the emotions she feels are well written and she's not always "girlbossing" her way through. fantasie of a stepmother/stepmothers marchen is also a really good one.

sorry i went on a rant there, but thanks for thaking the time to read this and have a nice day/night!

Dr. Stone: "Who Did This To You?"

Requested by: Anonymous

Note: Hey! Requests are open! Thanks for your patience, I really appreciate it. I love to try and write different things so getting requests is exciting for me. This is a bit different from how I write but hopefully I did it justice. Also, thanks for your manhwa recs, I already finished the novel for ORV (literally my fav) and read the manhwa for Your Majesty Please Spare Me This Time. I read a bit of Stepmother's Marchen and Return of the Mount Hua Sect a while back but haven't caught up with it yet. Definitely down to write something for manhwa!

Summary: In which no one messes with Xeno’s sibling and gets away with it. Or there's tension between siblings and Stanley is just a puppy (or is he?).

Pairing: Stanley Snyder x GN! Reader!

Warnings: Will contain violence and swearing. Spoilers for the characters, but no plot. For anime watchers, don't search up Xeno or Stanley if you don't want to be spoiled!

Jealousy is a mental cancer.

(Y/N) knows it well, especially since they have such an outstanding older brother named Xeno Houston Wingfield.

Unlike their brother, (Y/N) is a troublemaker, a free spirit, and most importantly, a fighter.

Instead of lab experiments and academic competitions, (Y/N) spends their time in the gym and fights street thugs that bullies the weak.

At first, (Y/N) hated their brother, for Xeno always, always cared more about his science experiments more than them, and had the love and attention from everyone.

Also, he always had his best friend Stanley around him to keep him entertained.

Stanley Synder was chill and abnormally attractive, so much so that every time Stanley greeted them, (Y/N) was blinded by his appearance.

So what if he looks good? He was annoying.

No matter how much (Y/N) avoided Stanley, the man would find them some way somehow, and it was frustrating to have a literal man-puppy follow you around!

So (Y/N) ignored both of them out of spite.

But one day, when (Y/N) heard loud curses and the sound of painful grunts from a suspicious alleyway (that they knew gangs and thugs frequent), they rushed in without a thought.

They assumed that the person getting bullied might be the old lady that sold shoes, or the nerdy student at school, or the little boy who saw something he shouldn’t see.

People who are too nice, too vulnerable, and too trusting of their own good.

However, this wasn’t the typical thug that (Y/N) beat up often, they were men dressed in formal suits with bats and batons in their hands.

“What the fuck are you doing?!”

“Who the fuck is this kid?” The smell of cigarettes drifted into the air.

“Get out of here kid, we’re not looking for a fight. It’s this kid our boss has beef with.”

The person they were beating up were also not what (Y/N) was thinking of at all.

They weren't nice, vulnerable, or naive.

So when the person that (Y/N) saw was their brother, slightly beaten up and wet from water, they felt another type of emotion.

“(Y/N)?!”

Rage.

But (Y/N) didn’t know why.

“What are you doing here, Xeno?!” (Y/N) clutched their hands into fists.

“Hey, you know this kid?”

“Yea, I know him damn well.” In the next instant, (Y/N) kicked a metal bat out of a thug’s hands and used it as a weapon to fight.

Panic and curses filled the air as people yelled out profanities. But (Y/N) was used to this environment, this situation of 1 vs too many.

“Hey kid. We don’t have any business with you. Just with that fake little NASA scientist behind you.”

(Jealousy is a mental cancer)

(Y/N) never back down from a fight.

“Xeno, run.”

“What? There’s a zero percentage chance that you will win, and a very low chance that I’ll escape anyway! It’s more logical that I-”

(Ignorance runs in our blood, Xeno doesn't know (Y/N))

“There’s a hidden shortcut.” (Y/N) whispered, “Ran back and then take a sharp left, there’s a narrow walkway but you’ll fit through. Then you’ll find an apartment door - knock on it and tell the uncle there that I sent you.”

“What?! How can I-”

“Don’t you always take the logical path? Then do it. Stop being so emotional. It’s not like you care anyway.”

((Y/N) couldn’t see it, but Xeno immediately frowned and a bitter expression appeared on his face for a solid second before he turned and ran.)

“Catch him!”

That was their cue.

In the middle of the all-out brawl, (Y/N) maneuvered their way around like a slippery little snake, avoiding thugs with parkour and fighting back like a wild animal. They threw punches that sent people flying and kicks that sent people tumbling to the ground.

“I know you, you’re that troublemaker!” (Y/N) looked up with an arrogant smirk, and wiped the blood off the side of their lips.

“Yea, I know.” (Y/N) dodged the swing of a bat, and kicked one of them in the balls.

Unfortunately, someone grabbed (Y/N) from behind.

“I got you now-” But little did they know, (Y/N) is not one to be captured so easily. By leaning backwards and kicking the incoming fighters, it sent both of them back from the inertia, enough for (Y/N) to break out of the hold and kick all of them to the curb.

With so many taken out, it was quiet enough for them to hear sirens in the background.

“Fuck! I’ll fucking kill you and your brother the next time I see you!” Seeing them run with their tails tucked behind their ass was satisfying.

“Ha, what a joke. There won’t be a next time.” It took everything for (Y/N) to not fall over from fatigue and explain everything to the police, then they provided the police with camera footage and recording so the police could hunt them down.

The police insisted on bringing (Y/N) to the hospital due to the various injuries they got on their body, but (Y/N) instead just said they wanted a ride home. With a little bit of convincing, the police eventually listened and did as they said.

“Another person jealous of Xeno huh? Not surprised.”

"Xeno Houston Wingfield was the one that called for help." (Y/N) didn't say anything to that but simply looked outside the window.

When (Y/N) entered the house, they immediately went to their room, disregarding the worries from Xeno, and their parents.

“Fuck.” A string of curses left their lips as they tried to treat themselves with a first aid kit. It stings like hell and it doesn’t help when they’re extremely tired.

“(Y/N), it’s me. Stanley.”

“Go away.” (Y/N) replied with annoyance, they don’t need Xeno’s pity or get blinded right now.

“It’s just me.” (Y/N) watched the door silently.

“If you don’t open the door, I’ll kick it open.” With Stanley's playful tone, it sounded like something he would do out of spite.

“Fucking- alright. Happy?” Exasperated, (Y/N) opened the door and dragged the annoying prick into their room, before slamming it shut, not caring if Xeno was there at all.

“You look like shit.”

“Thanks Sherlock.” Before (Y/N) could sit back on their bed, a hand reached out and grabbed their arm. With a forceful tug, Stanley spun them around.

“What the fuck-”

Sharp, predator eyes are what shut (Y/N) up.

For the first time in a long time, (Y/N) felt…nervous.

Stanley tilted (Y/N)’s chin up to get a better look at their face and the injuries from the fight. A hiss left their lips, but no words dared to come out when being stared down by those watchful eyes.

(Y/N) was both nervous and confused, just what was happening right now? What happened to the literal man-puppy?

But nothing came out of them in this tense atmosphere.

Stanley gently wipes away the streak of blood by (Y/N)’s mouth without saying anything.

(Y/N)’s heart skips a beat as Stanley finally directly looks them dead in the eye.

Stanley’s voice quiet and tense, their anger barely restrained.

“Who did this to you?”

It took a moment for (Y/N) to collect themselves.

“It’s none of your business.” (Y/N) tries to pry the hand away, but Stanley only tightens his hold.

“Yes it is.”

“Yea?” (Y/N) challenged, glaring at the older man, “And what are you gonna do about it huh?”

For a moment, (Y/N) saw an uncharacteristic violent glint in his eyes, bringing shivers done their spine.

“No one can hurt you and get away with it.”

[prismuffin]

Hii! Me again! Oh I loved the Miles one. Could I request another one with Miles x reader where reader is a part of a ninja clan and is the neice/nephew (GN) of the grandmaster. And reader See's Miles (before he gets bit) in trouble, maybe with some thugs, and helps him. Him and reader continue to be friends and eventually start dating. One day Miles asks to meet their family and reader is like, oh yeah sure. And he gets really freaked out because he didn't know reader was a Ninja and the reason they didn't tell him is because they thought it was obvious.

If you need a name for the clan Koga or Iga-ryu.

A/n: an interesting idea to put my mind to the test! I tweaked it a bit but here you go I hope you like it!! (Honestly I kinda don’t like the way I wrote this one I’m so so sorry if it feels rushed I really can't tell if I like it or not!) I sorta changed the plot slightly I’m sorry if that’s a problem!!

“You’re a nin-what?”

Miles Morales x gn!ninja!reader

( summary: Miles, your boyfriend of four months, has asked you to meet his parents on Sunday but your life as a ninja sorta gets in the way )

Warnings?: light swearing, mentions of fighting and bruises, Miles thinking your dad is abusive (he's not, don't worry)

!-!more under the cut!-!

“You want me to what?” “Meet my parents!” Miles smiled and took both of your hands. “Pleaseeee.” You sighed at his puppy dog eyes, dropping your head and mumbling to yourself. You felt one of Miles’ hands leave yours before he cupped your face to make you look at him. “Hey it’ll be alright, they’ll love you I promise.” You pouted and he kisses your cheek. “Plus I already sorta told them you said yes so,” Your mouth was left agape as you took a step back from him. “Miles! What the hell? What if I had something to do!” You crossed your arms. “Do you have something to do?” He asked, and there was a silence that stretched between you both. “…no.” “Exactly.”

You hadn’t lied, you really did have nothing to do that day, or so you thought. Your father, who was the leader of a ninja-esc organization known as the Koga clan, had a job for you. You accepted, because you had to and totally forgot that you were meant to have dinner at Miles’ house with his parents that same day. It didn’t even render for you until he called you in the morning and started ranting about how excited he was. Your heart dropped at the realization, you tried to get some words in to tell him you might have to reschedule but he kept cutting you off, telling you how happy he was that you and his parents can meet and about how his mom is already cooking a bunch of food. You felt so bad with every happy comment that left his mouth that by the time he stopped ranting to you and let you speak you just forced a smile he couldn’t see and told him you couldn’t wait. After hanging up you simply paced your room, unsure of how to go about this. You were meant to go to his house by five, but you just know you wouldn’t be done by then. You didn’t want to make Miles sad but you couldn’t let your father down. Still, it was unfair to your boyfriend to stand not only him up but his parents as well.

You sighed as you sat on your bed, legs bouncing as you weighed your options. Miles meant so much to you, he was there for you whenever you needed and cleaned your wounds from the fights you’d lie to him about. He just assumed you were a troublemaker seeing as the first time he met you, you seemed to be picking a fight with two guys that were two times your size. He was able to stop the thugs from beating you; you could’ve handled it yourself but he didn’t necessarily know that, plus that mission had just gone wrong at every turn so you were grateful that he stepped in. You guys were friends for so long before he confessed to you one night while cleaning an especially bad wound, and you’ve been together since.

You ran to your father to practically beg him to send someone else. When he asked why you told him that Miles had invited you over to meet his parents, your father wasn’t convinced. He told you to tell Miles you wouldn’t be able to make it, and walked right past you.

At the end of the day, you really didn’t have a choice, you’d have to complete your mission. Though, you did convince your father to start the mission an hour earlier and told Miles that you may have to push the time back from five to six or six-thirty. When he asked why you just said your strict dad had made things a bit more complicated. You said that your dad was apprehensive about you meeting his parents and Miles’ solution? Bring your dad with you! You barked out a laugh when you got that text and told him that there was no way in hell your dad would go with you.

Your mission was initially going really well, you even thought you’d be able to make it to Miles’ house on time, but of course everything had to go wrong last minute. The squad that was sent with you got ambushed leaving you completely in the dark. You still got the information even without the help of the others and were preparing to leave only to get spotted last minute and chased out the building. This entire ordeal pushed back your original exit time of 5:30pm to 6:30pm, the time you told Miles you’d show up. So now you were late and injured and annoyed, you were probably making a terrible first impression on Miles’ parents.

By the time you made it back to your father it was well past 6pm and you tried to skip over getting treatment and just rush to get dressed but your father made you sit down to be checked over. You were holding back tears as you noticed the clock. It was around 7:25 when you were able to find texts from Miles asking if you were still coming, the latest one just told you to forget about it and to just stay home. You felt awful, you didn't know how to fix this. You'd texted him back asking him to reschedule but he just left you on read. So now your walking to his house with tons of gifts and food in your hands, hoping that Miles and his family were home and open for a retry. Miles had ignored you for a whole day after and you couldn't take it anymore so you had to not only go see him but also make amends with his family. Getting up the steps of the house were harder than they should've been, not only from you being sore but also because of the weight of the boxes and bags. You placed them down and rung the doorbell, grabbing a bouquet from the top of a box. Luckily Miles was the one to open the door, his face dropping when he realized it was you.

"What do you want?" His question came out harsh and you winced as if it'd physically hit you. You held out the bouquet of flowers towards him, "Miles! I'm really sorry about Sunday! Can we just talk please?" He scoffed and was about to say more but you'd cut him off before he could. "I brought you and your family some things to make up for it." You spoke quieter than before and Miles was silent for a moment, looking at you then to the boxes, then to the bouquet.

When he finally took the flowers from your hand you'd let out a breath you didn't know you were holding in. "...I'll be right back." He shut the door on your face and you sat on the steps hoping that he's not just leaving you there as payback. When the door did open again it was not only Miles but also his mom. You quickly stood up and gave a sheepish wave. His mom crossed her arms and glanced at Miles before looking back at you, her mouth pressed into a thin line, it was clear now that she was waiting for you to speak. "Hi! Uhh my names Y/n, I'm Miles' partner.." You glanced at the boxes, "I'm super sorry I wasn't able to make it on Sunday my dad just made everything very complicated and in the end I couldn't really go and...you don't wanna hear me complain so." You placed a hand on the boxes and gave her an awkward half smile. "How about a do-over..? There's uhm food and also just some gifts for all of you in there, I felt really bad so I sorta went over on the buying." You heard her let out a nose laugh and your eyes immediately snapped to her face to decipher whether it was a mocking one or not. Luckily the large smile growing on her face told you all it needed to. After looking back towards the door where Miles stood with his father, who you swear wasn't there a second ago; they both gave her a nod and she turned back to you and smiled. "A do-over would be nice." You almost cried at those words but you held it back, just glad that you got a second chance.

After helping moving the boxes and bags into a space in the house you'd pulled Miles aside and asked if you could talk to him alone. He led you to his bedroom and shut the door behind you both so that you could speak more privately. "Miles, I'm so sorry I just stood you up-" Miles held up a hand in front of you to get you to stop talking, "It's fine-" "No, it's not..." You grabbed both his hands and sighed. "It's not fine at all.." A silence fell over the both of you again, only this time it was comfortable and not tension filled. You closed your eyes and took a breath. "Miles, I have something to tell you ok?" He nodded, his eyebrows furrowing in concern. "The reason I wasn't able to go on Sunday was because.." You trailed off as you considered really going through with this. You're not supposed to tell anyone but this is Miles, you love and trust him and though it may seem reckless to tell him you felt as though now was the right time. "It's because of your dad right?" He added after you hadn't spoke in a while, "does he...hit...you..?"

"What?"

"What?"

"What the hell! No, I'm a ninja!"

"You're a nin-what?!"

"I'm a ninja Miles! Oh my gosh what?! I cant believe you- no my dad does not hit me!" A laugh escaped your mouth, the topic being inadvertently funny to you in the moment. "Ok ok ok, backtrack," Miles crossed his arms, "did you just call yourself a ninja? Is this some sort of joke?" You shook your head, "No, my dad sent me on a mission on the same day I was supposed to meet your parents and I didn't realize until it was too late so I couldn't cancel and you just sounded so happy about it so I tried to make it work but then everything went wrong and so I was late and I got hurt so I couldn't rush over-" "You got hurt?" "yes, but that's besides the point." You placed your hands on Miles shoulders. "What I'm trying to say is I'm sorry and I know this whole thing sounds like a joke but I'm serious about it ok?" Miles glanced away from you before his eyes softened and he slowly nodded. "Ok, I believe you.." You smiled and placed your hand on his cheek, leaning in to plant a soft kiss on his lips, which turned into two and then three before a knock on his door broke you both out of it. "Miles whatever you're doing in there you better stop hogging Y/n! I still want to talk to them ya know!" Miles chuckled in embarrassment before yelling to his mom that he'd be right out. He kissed you once more before leading you back to the living room. You helped his mom heat up the food properly so that you all could eat like originally planned. "I don't know exactly why you weren't able to make it here last time but I'm glad you tried again on your own." Your head snapped into the direction of Miles' mom and you smiled. "Yeah I felt really bad, I'm still sorry by the way.." You looked to the floor, "It's alright, you're here now." The conversation lulled off again for a while. "Take care of him." She smiled and continued when you gave her a confused look. "Miles of course, you may be his lover but I'm still his mother and I'd like to know that he'll be safe out there." You gave her a determined nod, "I promise I care too much to let anything happen to him. I'll keep him out of trouble don't worry!" She chuckled at your sudden enthusiasm but nodded. "Good."

The rest of your night consisted of eating dinner with Miles and his family, having his dad slip in sly parental threats into almost every sentence which would be followed by Miles groaning out of embarrassment or Miles' mom scolding, or agreeing with, her husband, All in all, it was a good night in your opinion and you were super glad to have this second chance.

----!----

Thanks for reading! Have a great day/night!!

My requests are OPEN so feel free to request anything! Just make sure you check out my Request Info!

Masterlist

[avirael]

FFxivWrite 2024

Day 19 - Taken

When he had left the house that morning, Nhagi’ra wouldn’t in his craziest dreams have been able to predict that he would end this day drenched in the blood of a man who had tried to kill him.

The morning had started perfectly peaceful. The early summer sunlight had found its way through a gap in the curtains and woken him. Nhagi’ra stirred and opened his eyes with a groan, only to find Elsie already awake sitting on the edge of his bed, a coffee mug in her hands, which she then generously offered to him.

“Good morning, sleepyhead. You slept so deeply, I already thought you died in your sleep…”

Slowly he sat up and accepted the mug with a yawn. He took a sip and grimaced.

“Is that why your coffee would be able to wake the dead?”

“You just have no clue what good coffee is…”

Elsie laughed and stole her mug back from his fingers.

“Maybe not.”, Nhagi’ra shrugged and pointed to the mug. “But I assure you, charred squirrel tastes better than that! Maybe you should try that, it would go well together…”

“Another delicacy from the Black Shroud? I think I’ll decline…”, she chuckled and stood up, walking over to the small kitchen. “But I’m afraid all we have left for breakfast is dry bread and salted fish…”

“Delicious…”, Nhagi’ra muttered and considered going back to sleep. But there were more important things to do. So instead he asked, “How are you feeling today?”

“A little better,” Elsie replied and smiled at him. “I should be well enough to go out on the boat today.”

“I can do that!”, Nhagi’ra protested, while getting up and putting on his shirt. “You should rest another day.”

Elsie sighed.

“You know there’s a reason we have nothing for breakfast, right? I know you mean well, Nhagi… But we need a good haul or there won’t be enough money when Osric’s lackeys return.”

Nhagi’ra knew this was serious. The first time he had heard of Osric had been on one of his trips to the nearby town. He had spoken to one of the merchants who usually bought their fish when a few stalls further the shopkeepers had been thrown to the ground with a loud crash, taking half of his stall with him. Quickly the merchant had pulled Nhagi’ra into an alley putting some distance between them and the trouble and warning him about the troublemakers.

Apparently a few moons ago a man who had insisted on being called Captain Osric, but in reality was probably nothing but a deserter who turned criminal, had appeared in town claiming they all were under his protection now. For his generosity he only demanded a small monthly fee from each family and his pack of brutal thugs had made sure no one objected. Since then multiple messages had already been send towards Limsa Lominsa but they were quite far south from the main city and until now no one had showed up to investigate. Not even a response had reached them. And so the band of criminals, who had made themselves at home on one of the nearby islands, kept on terrorising the townsfolk.

So far Nhagi’ra and Elsie had seemingly escaped the thug’s notice since they lived outside of town but then one afternoon a band of them had appeared on their doorstep claiming they owned them gil. It had just been the two of them against half a dozen of armed men, so they hadn’t really had any other option than to obey.

Of course Elsie’s sparse savings had not met their expectations. With a smirk on his face one of the man’s had warned them to better have the full sum next time or they would take them to their captain. Perhaps he would be generous enough to let them work off their debt one way or another. Nhagi’ra had wanted to punch his ugly grin out of his face but Elsie had grabbed his hand very tightly and stopped him.

Now, almost a moon later, they still were far away from having the demanded sum although both of them had worked tirelessly. Then, to make matters even worse, Elsie had fallen sick for almost a week.

“I can’t just sit around and do nothing…”, she insisted but Nhagi’ra wasn’t going to have her run around and exhaust herself again when she still wasn’t feeling well again. “You can fix the prawn traps. I take the boat. You said I’m good enough by now to go fishing on my own.”

Reluctantly Elsie agreed to his plan and Nhagi’ra hurriedly got dressed and stuffed some old bread and salt cod into a bag. He was almost out of the door already when Elsie grabbed his hand and made him stop.

“Thank you, Nhagi.”, she said silently as she leaned closer and pressed a light kiss to his cheek. For a few seconds the Miqo’te just stood there entirely baffled, before he snapped back to attention and left in a hurry.

“See you later, Elsie!”, he yelled back, trying (and failing) not to grin, as he passed the burnt down fireplace, where they had grilled fish the evening before and while they had waited for their food Nhagi’ra had tried to show Elsie how to use a bow by shooting at fresh coconuts he had impaled on sticks.

They had talked until late at night. Nhagi’ra had spoken about everything that had happened between the Shroud and here and at the funnier parts of his tale Elsie had laughed entirely carefree despite her sorrows.

Then they almost had kissed. The situation had surprised Nhagi’ra but the longer he thought about it, the more he wished he hadn’t been so hesitant.

In good spirits Nhagi’ra climbed into the boat moored at the small dock and dreamt about returning home with a rich haul. There still was about a week left before Oscric’s thugs would return and Nhagi’ra planned to collect the needed gil until then, even if he had to work day and night to do so.

For hours he sailed between various spots where he placed different fishing nets and even spent some time a little further out at sea, fishing with a fishing rod and special baits, trying to catch some bigger fish. In the end, as he returned to collect the nets, his haul indeed was quite presentable. He couldn’t wait to see Elsie’s face when she saw how well he had put her advice into action.

Excitedly he hummed a song as he navigated around the last headland before reaching the small bay where Elsie’s home was located. Then he spotted the column of smoke and fell silent in shock. As fast as he could he sailed to the shore, jumped out of the boat, barely throwing a rope over one of the moorings, and ran over the beach.

But there was nothing he could do anymore. Where this morning had still stood a small but comfortable house made of timber, all that remained now was a heap of charred, smouldering beams. The fire had already mostly burnt down. Whatever had happened here must have happened at least a few hours ago.

“Elsie!!”, the Miqo’te yelled and ran into the remains of the house, burning his hands while clearing a way. “Where are you, Elsie?!”

It was madness to expect an answer in this scenery and still he kept yelling and searching and digging. There was no response of course. But there also weren’t any remains, that would suggest Elsie had been in the house as it had burned down.

Then his eyes landed on the soot-black remains of a dagger and immediately he recognised the shape of the blade and the symbol engraved in it.

As realisation struck him, he fell to his knees.

He should never have left her alone.

Osric’s men had returned, earlier than expected, and turned their threats into action.

They had taken Elsie with them.

[canberramaidan]

Book One in the Brindabella Secrets series from HarperCollins Australia.

The Landowner’s Secret (Brindabella Secrets #1)

New South Wales, 1885

When Alice Ryan wakes to find thugs surrounding her cottage, on the hunt for her no-good brother, she escapes into the surrounding bush.

It is wealthy landowner Robert Farrer who finds her the next morning, dishevelled, injured, and utterly unwilling to share what she knows. With criminals on the loose and rumours that reckless bushrangers have returned to the area, Robert is determined to keep Alice out of danger, and insists on taking her into his home-despite the scandal it may cause. Convincing her to stay on with him for her own safety, however, is going to take some work.

What Robert doesn’t expect is his growing attraction to the forthright, unruly woman staying in his home. Before either of them can settle into their odd new situation, their home and wellbeing come under threat and they will need to trust each other to survive. But they are both keeping secrets, secrets that have the potential to ruin their burgeoning love, their livelihood … and their lives.

CHAPTER 1

Alice Ryan woke at the first shout, and sat bolt upright at the second.

With her mind still muddled by sleep, her body shook with fright before she even realised what was happening. She felt the unease, the disturbance in the night. This far out the bush was usually still, the quietness punctuated only by the odd scuffle of a possum or rustle of wind in the trees. But right now there was an energy that didn’t belong.

Curling her fingers into the counterpane, she waited in dreadful anticipation.

There. A voice—faint, but distinct—reached her ears, becoming louder as she sat frozen in place.

Someone was out there, in the dark.

‘Ian?’ she whispered, uncertain. Who else could it be but her brother, and yet … Some instinct stopped her from calling out and confirming she was home. And just as it took complete hold, a second voice joined the first.

Slipping free of the blanket and pressing her bare feet to the floor, she clutched the bed’s footboard and waited. And waited.

The light of a flame—so dim at first she thought she’d imagined it—flashed not too far beyond the cottage’s small window. It wasn’t much, but it was so foreign in the darkness of the scrub.

She strained to make out any sounds that weren’t meant to be there, but heard next to nothing over the pounding in her ears. Moments later the light flashed by again. It was closer this time.

Alice startled; clapped a hand to her mouth.

This was all wrong. Nobody had a reason to be there, on a road that led to nothing but her home. This far out she was all alone, except for—

Endmoor.

If she could slip out unnoticed, she could reach the big homestead beyond the trees on foot—thieves or troublemakers would be mad to try anything with Robert Farrer. The landowner was too wealthy, with too many men on his property, and no doubt he had better weapons than she did if it came to that.

Alice made her decision in an instant.

Moving fast, she struggled into her frock and grabbed her shawl from the end of the bed before slipping a hand beneath the mattress for the small packet she kept hidden there. She stuffed it down the front of her bodice, shaking with fright and determination.

Trying her best to be quiet, she scrambled across to press her back against the cool wall near the door.

One of the men spoke again but she still couldn’t make out the words. There were at least two of them and they weren’t just talking, but laughing. Whacks echoed through the night air, as though they were hitting at the scrub with sticks, and then she heard more laughter in amongst the other sounds of the night.

Whatever they were about, it was a game to them. Likely a drunken game …

Alice curled her toes against the freezing floor and hugged herself tightly, willing them to just go, just leave her be and make their fun elsewhere. The voices came more loudly from the front of the house. Her only way of escape was through there.

Cursing her rotten luck, her absent brother, and all the trouble life brought down on her, she took a big breath for courage and lurched past the window as fast as she could, scrambling in the darkness for the small knife she’d left on the table.

‘Ian, you bastard!’ The call came from so close by her heart nearly stopped.

Desperation took over then, and she chose speed over silence. Fumbling in the shadows with frozen fingers, shoving her way through the bits and pieces she’d left on the table that evening, she patted about desperately until they hit a strip of cold metal. The knife.

‘Help me, help me,’ she whispered to a God who’d never listened before, and gripped the handle firmly, her other hand shaking, while she once again backed up against the wall.

Bracing herself for anything, she pulled back the curtain only enough to get a glimpse of the clearing around the porch. In a sliver of moonlight she could just make out the figures of grown men dotted around the clearing. Further down the trail, near the road, she saw more forms and shadows. Horses, she realised with even more dread in her belly. She sure as hell couldn’t outrun those.

Shaking more, she cast her mind out beyond them all, mapping herself a route of escape. If they were here for Ian, they were out of luck. As usual he was nowhere to be found.

She let the curtain slip back through her fingers and then bent to grasp the laces of the boots left beside the door. There was no time to tug them on, nor to find her stockings.

She nearly shrieked with surprise when something whacked directly against the outside of the house, but held fast and slapped a hand over her mouth again as she waited for what’d come next.

‘Are you comin’ out, or are we comin’ to get you?’ one of them called. It was not a familiar voice.

‘We don’t have all night!’ yelled another.

There was more laughing. More jokes.

Alice rose carefully, quickly tugging the shawl more tightly around herself without letting her grip on the knife loosen. She edged the door open the tiniest amount, trying to peer beyond the intruders to find the fastest direction into the trees. The boots banged lightly against the old wood, and she pressed her lips tightly together in frustration.

‘Maybe there’s no one ’ere. I swear, James, if we’re out ’ere freezin’ our bloody arses off for no reason …’

‘Someone’s ’ere. There’s smoke comin’ from the chimney and I saw movement at the window just now.’

‘Bloody hell,’ Alice whispered, becoming number and shakier than before. ‘Bloody, bloody hell.’

There was silence then except for the shuffling of shoes in the dirt. And then a third man spoke.

‘Maybe it’s the sister.’

‘There’s a sister?’

An awful pause followed. And then, ‘Is she pretty?’

Alice wished the bottom of the floor would open up and swallow her whole. Fear icier than the chill in the air ran over her from head-top to heels. She knew more about physical fighting than any proper lady ever would, but she was still a scrap of a thing and not likely to get far before they …

‘There’s only one way to find out.’ The first man said. ‘James? Kick in the door.’

‘Not bloody likely,’ she whispered. She’d go to the devil before she let that happen or let a single one of them put his grubby paws on her.

And with those thoughts giving her fresh determination, she flung the door open and ran.

There was a shout of surprise, and then a bark of amusement at the sight of her, but all she focused on was the security of the trees ahead. She bolted like a barefooted colt for an opening between two old eucalypts.

Gasping in pain at the scrapes of sticks on the ground and—worse—the dull thuds of bone connecting with rocks buried in the dirt, in her urgency she almost smacked face-first into the nearest tree. A low branch scraped along her cheek as she slipped into the cover of the bush, and she sucked in a short breath at the sting.

She ducked behind a big gum tree and stared hard into the night, willing her eyes to adjust to the frightening, sudden darkness while more calls came from close by.

She needed those boots on before she ruined her feet too much to run. Stuffing the knife quickly into a pocket, she dropped down and slipped her bare feet into the worn leather; there was no time to bother with the laces. It was going to rub terribly, but she’d had blisters before and there were worse things in the world.

Rising with a hand against the trunk to steady herself, she knotted the shawl at her breast as tightly as she could, gathering her courage to leave the cover of the plants, and ran on.

The men tracking her had no such qualms about keeping quiet; she bit her lip hard when they spoke again.

‘Ian, we saw you, you fool. Are ya goin’ to hide in the bush all night?’

‘Are you daft? That’s not Ryan, not unless he’s wearing a frock.’

That set them all off laughing. The whole night was just so much fun for the lot of them. And then they took up the chase with a thunder of footsteps as they dived after her full into the scrub.

Alice gasped for breath, the autumn chill in the air burning her throat, and only fear of stumbling into a dark ditch and breaking an ankle made her moderate her steps. This part of the land dipped and rose at the oddest times, which was why her father had never bothered with the clearing of it.

A rustle and a thud came from not far away, followed by a string of swearing. One of them had gone and smacked into a branch.

Using the cover of their shouts to pick up a little more speed, she darted to the left, taking herself closer to those horses the intruders had arrived on, hoping against hope they’d not expect that. She’d no real idea what her plan was, but surely making it to the road was better than being tracked through the trees for the rest of the night.

If those louts knew Ian, and if her brother owed them something, then none of this was good news. It wasn’t as though the either of them had anything much to hand over.

Her pursuers veered off to her right and Alice realised she’d chosen the best path. With a pace increased to match her growing confidence, she picked her way along on the tips of her toes in an attempt to disguise her steps, and kept one hand outstretched to feel her way and not meet the same fate as the fellow with the branch, the handle of the knife in the other.

Don’t go and stab yourself, Alice Ryan.

The boots rubbed at the backs of her heels, and she hissed and then hissed some more at the sting of it.

She was going to kill Ian the next time she saw him. And if she got back home in the morning and discovered those men had destroyed her neat house and eaten all of her food, she was going to board up the door and never let her useless brother back in.

The next shout stopped her in her tracks and ripped her from her temper.

It had come from in front of her.

Alice dropped behind the nearest bush and clung to its rough branches as an argument unfolded up ahead. The tone of the words was harsh, carrying across to her only in indecipherable sounds at first. She snatched her hand back from a prickle when she grasped a twig too hard as she strained to hear.

A crack of a branch and the shriek of a bat decided things for her: she used the cover of the quarrel to dart ahead, again risking sound for speed.

‘You want to wait out the whole winter? You’re daft if you do.’

‘It’ll be worth it, I reckon. Yes, I say we wait for the date like we’re told to.’

‘Madness. We don’t need Ian Ryan’s help for that.’

Alice covered another ten or fifteen yards before the argument became louder, shouts echoing across the night,

reverberating around her, surrounding her and lighting up the shadows. She no longer had any idea where the men were, only that she couldn’t risk running any more.

Panting desperately, her heart beating so fast she thought she’d faint, she collapsed on the ground by a fallen tree, clasped her little knife tighter still, huddled into a ball, and waited.

[asordinaryppl]

A3! Main Story: Part 4 - Act 15: PAINFUL RE:BAKE - Episode 3: Fake Remnants

Former Wolf A: Zen-san, this chicken is the shit!

Zen: Glad to hear that.

Omi: I made this quiche over here.

Former Wolf B: It’s crazy tasty!

Former Wolf C: Do you do take out? My wife keeps tellin’ me it’s unfair I’m the only one that gets to taste this…

Omi: I could wrap this up for you so you can take it home later.

Former Wolf C: Thanks!

Ryo: …

Omi: Do you want something to drink, Ryo?

Ryo: …

Omi: Ryo?

Ryo: Ah, sorry!

Omi: What’s up?

Ryo: … I don’t want to rain on everyone’s parade right now, I’ll tell you later.

-

Former Wolf A: Woahh, feels like my stomach’s gonna explode.

Former Wolf B: Thanks so much!

Former Wolf C: I’ve been dying to meet up with the rest of you Wolves lately.

Former Wolf A: I know, right.

Ryo: … Everyone, there’s something I gotta tell ya.

Former Wolf B: What’s up?

Ryo: … I heard some strange talk goin’ around.

Omi: Is that what you were talking about before?

Ryo: Yes.

Ryo: Some of the younger guys were talkin’ about it, nasty brat has been causing trouble and usin' the name “Wolf”.

Ryo: They heard ‘bout “Wolf” from me, so they asked me if it's my junior or something…

Former Wolf C: Ain’t it just one of those times when team names overlap?

Former Wolf A: It’s not like this name is anything rare.

Ryo: That ain't the end of it. It seems they're also callin' themself “Nachi” of “Wolf”.

Omi: —

Former Wolf A: Are you serious…?

Former Wolf B: Don’t fuck with me. What is this bullshit! Even if it’s just some brat playing a prank, there’s shit you don’t get to do!

Former Wolf C: If someone’s lying using Nachi-san’s name, I’ll catch ‘em and beat ‘em to a pulp!

Former Wolf A: They’re not gettin’ away with this!

Omi: Did you hear any other details about this imposter, Ryo?

Ryo: It seems there are times when they fight alone, and times when they fight with a group.

Ryo: What happens each and every time is that they call themself the remnants of “Wolf”, and then walk away...

Former Wolf D: Damn brat, what kinda stupid shit are they up to…

Former Wolf E: They probably just heard the legend of “Wolf” bein’ the strongest in Western Tokyo, and just started spoutin’ all this for fun.

Former Wolf A: This ain’t a joke. They really think we’ll just let this slide!?

Former Wolf B: Brats like those, you gotta hit where it really hurts–

Former Wolf C: You got that right!

Omi: Wait. I’ll use my connections and try to look deeper into this. Don’t do anything rash, you guys.

Former Wolf A: Omi-san…

Former Wolf B: Got it.

Former Wolf C: You gotta let us know if you get into any trouble!

Ryo: I’ll also try to find a little more info.

Omi: Yeah.

-

Omi: …

Zen: … So, about that imposter.

Zen: I’ve got a dancer here who’s a recently reformed troublemaker, and he’s got some good knowledge of street thugs.

Zen: Want me to have him look into it?

Omi: So you heard all that?

Zen: Got me sort of curious.

Omi: I’m sorry for getting you roped into something that has nothing to do with you… It’d be a great help.

Zen: It doesn’t “have nothing to do with me”. They’re using “his” name, aren’t they?

Omi: … You’re right.

Omi: Just what kind of people would pretend to be Nachi? And for what reason…?

Zen: Beats me. But if they’re spending all their time in petty fights, they’ve probably got some pent-up frustration.

Zen: I get how kids like that feel, so I want to help out in some way.

Omi: Thank you very much.

Zen: A lot of Gentiana’s shows incorporate sword fights. Former delinquents who’re full of moxie can often become immediate assets.

Zen: The guy I just told you about is like that. If he's got no one watchin' out, he could get involved with the remnants

Zen: So, this isn’t someone else’s problem.

Zen: Reminds me, we had a proper training space built for our shows’ dancers.

Zen: Up till now, I had our live-in dancers clear out the tables in the hall and lay down mats to practice on…

Zen: It was too cramped for actual tumbling and serious action scenes, though. So I decided to have a practice area with all the necessary equipment built.

Omi: Talk about taking the initiative.

Zen: Well, we're thrivin', so it was worth it.

Zen: If you guys want to use the space for any action-oriented practice, all you gotta do is let me know.

Zen: I’ll lend it to you whenever it’s available. Let your Director know too.

Omi: Thank you very much.

Omi: (... The people from first gen really are kind. I suppose that’s their way of encouraging us for the New Fleur Award.)

Omi: (I’m worried about the “Wolf” imposters, but first… I have to make sure “Picaresque Returns” is a success.)

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[verybadatwriting]

The Healer

Teen!ReaderxAvengers

I think I kept it gender neutral, but if there’s a point that I fumbled it, please tell me.

This Antony is not Anthony Stark.

The powers are the same as in Graveyard 

Summary: Steve ends up in Hydra’s most secure prison.

Warnings: Injuries, past trauma, conditioning, death, torture (punches), witnessing death of a loved one,

Word count: 4,274

Gn!reader

A man was unceremoniously tossed into the cell by two huge thugs. His face met the concrete with a wet thunk. Both cage-like doors closed behind him, although the thugs stayed to taunt him longer. 

“Ой, посмотрите на маленького идеального американского мальчика.” 

(Aww, look at little perfect American boy.) One said.

“Ха! Поймав Капитана Америку, это сломить их дух.”

(Ha! Catching Captain America, this will crush their spirits.) The other replied.

The man, apparently regaining some strength, reared up and slammed into the bars. He was strong, not as strong as the gate. The guards simply laughed and waltzed away. The man continued rattling the bars.

“Let me out!” Echoed in the halls. 

“Stop.” You said, “Bitte.” He wheeled around, apparently seeing you for the first time. He quickly took a glance around the room, which consisted of the airlock-style door, two beds and one sink and toilet. You were curled up in the far corner, on your bed. He settled himself down on the empty bed.

“I’m sorry.” He said reassuringly, “I didn’t see you there.” 

“Es ist okay.” You replied.

“What?”

“Oh, sorry.” You mumbled, “You only speak English?”

“Bits and pieces of other languages.”

“I can use English, it’s fine.”

“Thank you. My name’s Steven Rogers.” He extended his hand, “What’s yours?”

“Y/n.” You shook his hand.

“Do you have a last name?”

“Of course: It’s Y/l/n.” 

“Hi Y/n. Do you have any water?”

“Not right now.” You said. Steve had a few scrapes on his hand, which you hadn’t yet let go of. He felt a warm glow in his hand, and the scratches disappeared. 

“What?” He said, “How did you do that?!”

“Oh my. They really didn’t tell you anything, did they? I can take injuries from others.” You explained.

“That is incredible.” Steve marveled.

“There’s a cost.” You said quietly. He was too amazed to register what you said.

    A few hours passed, in which Steve told you stories of SHIELD and the Avengers, a band of superheroes who he worked with. You told him your story, which was rather short. You were born, had a pretty good first two years of life in a normal family. Once your healing powers started to show, Hydra kidnapped you. You’d been stuck growing up in a prison, with only distant fading memories of something different. 

    “There was a really nice man for much of when I was little.” You recalled. “Antony and I shared a cell when I first got here. I think I was six when he was moved. After him, they placed the troublemakers with me.”

“I’m so sorry, did any of them hurt you?”

“My fellow inmates? Hurt me? Never.”

“Oh, why do you sound so sad about getting rulebreakers?” You shushed him. Footsteps carried down the hall.

    “дворовое время.” Guard’s monotonous voice rang.

    “Yay. Yard time.” You sighed unenthusiastically, “They’re not gonna let you go, since it’s your first day here, and you look ridiculously strong.” You stood up and entered the first door, swiftly closing it behind you. “See you in a bit, Captain Rogers!” 

    The guard opened the second door and you flowed with the crowd, through the corridors you knew like the back of your hand. The masses were funneled into a bottleneck where jackets were handed out. Nobody got shoes, a coat was enough to keep most from dying, so that’s what they got.

    “Good morning Y/n” the man handing out jackets said.

“Hello Antony.” You replied. Anyone could do odd jobs for the thugs to get a little good will. Occasionally he’d get an extra scoop in his dinner bowl, or he’d receive some small trinket like socks or a scrap of paper.

“Check the pocket.” He whispered. He passed you a jacket, and inside there was a note that read ‘Is it true the Captain is caught?’ Years of living here had trained you to discreetly slip it back into your pocket as you put on your coat, while acting like nothing had happened.

“Thank you, Antony. We’ll talk at the stump.” You shoved on your coat and went into the Yard. You looked forward to yard time, since you could freely talk with whomever you pleased, and you got a little bit of fresh air. Life here was a living hell, and the landscape reflected it. Desolate tundra encompassed the prison’s structures for miles on end.

Today the weather was surprisingly good. The sun peeked through the clouds occasionally, and only small flurries of snow drifted around. Like the snow, you drifted, waltzing across the scraggly grass on the frozen ground. You went to your usual spot, a tiny tree stump that wasn’t quite as cold as the ground.

 A crowd started to gather around you. Injured inmates would come to you, but only in dire situations. They knew the price of your power. They used one man’s shoulder dislocation as an excuse to collect. 

Murmurs of “Is it true?” swirled around in a multitude of languages. French, German, Spanish, Russian, Latin, and occasionally Arabic.

Most of the inmates here were enemies of Hydra, good men, from all around the globe. Some of the older prisoners were in because they prematurely found out about Hydra’s infiltration of SHIELD and opposed it. Others were there because they posed too much of a threat. All wanted to leave, none had much hope.

“Yes.” You said, making it look like you were talking about the dislocated shoulder. “He’s here. Very strong too.” You moved the arm a little, and the man winced.    

“Does he resist?” Antony, who had wandered over, asked.

“Yes.” You sighed.

“I’m so sorry.”

“It’s ok, he doesn’t know.”

“Does he have a plan for… You know…” One of the fresher inmates said. He had a french accent, and seemed to be struggling to find the right word. Eventually he resorted to his native tongue.

“Échapper?” 

The crowd went silent. Even mentioning the word ‘escape’ could bring dire punishments.

“Not to my knowledge.” You hastily replied. You knew this was taking too long, and everyone else did too. They started to disperse, and you began to fix the man’s arm for real. Antony had relocated it twice already, but there was damage to the ligaments around it, which caused it to become dislocated very easily.

Antony relocated it for a third time, which caused the man to wince again. Immediately after, you laid your hands on it. He felt a warm glow, and his shoulder was completely healed. Your face was set in a grimace. Crouching to look eye-to-eye with you, Antony spoke.

“I need to relocate it.”

“I know, Ant.” You said, “I also know it’ll hurt.”

“The clock’s ticking. If the ligaments heal while the bones aren't in the right place, it’ll only cause you more trouble down the road.”

“Fine.” You allowed him to relocate your shoulder. It wasn’t as bad as it could have been, and he secured it fairly easily.

“Thank you.” The man you healed said, “Te daré mi pan en la cena.” (I will give you my bread at dinner.) 

“What’s your name?” You asked.

“René Telesforo.”

“Only give me the bread if you can spare it.”

“I can.” He walked off.

“I’ve always wondered why you do this.” Antony said after a pause.

“Do what?”

“Continue to heal us more than they make you, even though it hurts.”

“Everyone here is nice enough.” You paused. “Plus it would take forever for something like this to heal on a normal person. Now that I’m the injured one, it should be fine in, like, an hour.”

That was the price of healing. You received the injury. Logically, it was the best way to handle it. You heal abnormally fast, and your shoulder was already feeling a bit better. 

“What’s that?” You asked, motioning to his arm. He attempted to hide it, but your powers told you it was a complex fracture with a lot of bruising.

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

“Liar.” You said, “Let me see.”

“No. I’ll never make you heal me again.”

“But I’m offering.”

“It’ll fix itself eventually.”

“Not on you, or at least not for a long time.”

“No.” He said, “And that’s final.”

True to his word, René gave you his chunk of bread at dinner right as you walked into the hall. They’d decided to allow the Captain into the dining hall, if only to lord his capture over the other prisoners. You assumed it was to discourage the other inmates, and it worked. Many were so disheartened at SHIELD’s loss that they neglected to eat. Naturally, others swept in to scavenge their scraps.

You and Steve were seated in the corner, and nobody was allowed to interact with him. You couldn’t really complain, at least you got to sit without being squished between a bunch of other people. 

Steve stood up, which is a huge violation of the dinnertime rules, and started addressing the room. He gave a rousing speech about how they would get out of there, and how he would personally ensure everyone’s safety, but you didn’t hear any of it. The pure dread you were experiencing drowned it out.

“Steve,” You said quietly, “Captain, please get down. The guards… They’ll…”

“It’s okay Y/n,” He said, “I can handle whatever they try.”

“No…” You whispered, “You don’t understand.” He didn’t hear you over the cheers of the inmates as he continued describing how his friends were coming to save them, now that they knew where the prison was.

In a normal prison, the guards would have stepped in once they all got riled up. Hydra has some interesting alternate methods of control. A thin man in the corner simply scribbled on a clipboard and whispered with the man next to him. The moment he did that, all the inmates sat, and extended apologies. 

Not to the guards, though. 

To you.

Steve finished his speech, and sat to finish his food. One of the goons, the scraggly one holding the clipboard, sauntered up to the food counter, and started speaking.

“All of you are aware that behavior of this kind cannot be tolerated. Since there has recently been a disturbance to our schedule,” He glanced in Steve’s direction, “We are willing to be lenient. 

“The usual punishment will be shifted to the one who inspired the behavior. Our newest arrival: Steven Rogers. Finish your meals, and then proceed to the Viewing Room.” He strolled to the door, and left. You ate quickly. Seeming very confident in himself, Steve did too. You finished before him.

“Why must you break the rules?” You asked.

“It seemed to inspire the others,” He paused, “For a bit at least. What's wrong?”

“It’s fine.” You said as the guards motioned for you to follow them.

“Nothing you can do about it anymore.” With the sleeve of your shirt you wiped your mouth and followed the directions given. Steve and you walked down the hall to a room you knew too well. It was set up like a theater, but the shows weren’t for the prisoner’s entertainment. Two chairs sat on the stage, in an auditorium-like room.

One chair had thick leather straps, it was built like it was meant to withstand the end of the world. The other was one of those flimsy folding chairs. You seated yourself in the second one. Without much complaint, the Captain was situated in the first chair.

“What now?” Steve asked. “Do we sit in complete silence for an hour?” The scrawny man glowered at you, and you in turn shot a warning glance at Steve. He took the hint and stopped talking. 

A few moments later, prisoners started streaming in and seating themselves. They were all perfectly silent. Within minutes, the room was filled and completely silent.

“We have decided that recent incidents were heavily influenced by the arrival of Steven Rogers.” The thin man spoke while standing between the two chairs up on the stage. “Thus, he shall receive the punishment. The rules broken are as follows. Speaking out of turn.”

A second guard, who had been standing behind the chairs until that point stepped forward and dealt a heavy blow to Steve’s shoulder.

“Failure to heed instructions hastily.” The scrawny guard continued and another punch whacked onto his torso.

“Attempting to start a riot.” Thud.

“Failure to return his bowl to the proper collection site.” Whack.

“Standing during dinner.” Thump.

“Failure to properly report himself at roundup.” Another punch. Steve didn’t so much as wince. You on the other hand were internally calculating how long each wound would take to heal. They continued listing tiny infractions and beating him. Every small thing made his fellow prisoners look at him with more and more disdain.

“Is that all?” Steve brazenly asked. 

“Failure to remain quiet during Example Making.” And a punch was the reply.

“Mx. Y/l/n?” The skinny thug asked with mocking respect. You scooted your chair closer to Steve’s and placed two hands on his arm. 

“Whenever you’re ready.” Skinny thug said. You nodded and began to heal Steve. Funny thing about your powers, the other person still feels some pain from the injuries, so this was a perfect form of punishment for Hydra.

It not only hurt the perpetrator, it also made everyone else hate them for causing pain to a child. On top of that, the prisoners would be less likely to trust any of Steve’s plans to escape, because their idealistic view of him would be shattered.

The strike to his abdomen was especially painful, it most likely caused some internal bleeding, and you cried out briefly before catching yourself.  The bruises barely had time to form on your skin before they were healed. 

“Remember: Resistance means injury to you and them.” This is how they ended every session. They drilled this saying into your collective heads. You were allowed to leave before Steve was. After limping back to your room, you collapsed onto the bed.

You awoke at two AM. All your physical injuries were healed. No nightmares plagued you. No unusual noises rang in the halls. Steve noticed you were awake, and that nothing specific seemed to have woken you.

“Why are-” He tried asking.

“Sh!” You hiss-whispered. He followed you to the wall of the cell, where he looked out and saw every other prisoner was doing the same. For a moment he was confused, then you pressed the button on the sink. 

“Didn’t you say it was broken?” He inquired, while the pacing guards were at the other end of the hall.

“No, I said ‘not right now.’ They do it to mess with us.” You said. “Now we all wake up at whatever time it is now, and we never get a good night's rest without getting dangerously dehydrated.” Your conversation quieted as the guards returned to this end.

The next day, they allowed Steve into The Yard with the rest of the inmates. You and Antony hung out with him. Yesterday’s Example Making made most people not want to risk contact with him.

“Steve, this is Antony.” You introduced them. “Antony, Steve. Although I’m sure you’ve already heard of him.” 

“I have, yes.” 

“Good to meet you, Antony. Y/n has told me that you two are close friends.”

“Yes, we are.” Antony smiled, “They are a wonderful person, and it sucks that they’re stuck in a place like this.”

“None of us will have to be for much longer.” Steve lowered his voice. “I managed to sneak a tracker in with me.”

“Woah…” You gasped. “How?”

“I had it implanted in my arm.”

“How long did that take?” Antony asked skeptically.

“Only half an hour.” Steve replied.

“Seems like you knew beforehand that you’d be caught.” Antony said. 

“That was the plan.” Antony and you both stared at the Captain in amazement and confusion.

“You wanted to come here?” Antony asked.

“Calm down.” Steve said, “The other Avengers and I figured that there had to be another prison somewhere. Inmate numbers never added up, and the transcripts we found kept saying high-risk inmates were ‘Transferred to’ and then a redacted name.”

“Who are the Avengers?” Antony asked.

“They’re other people with abilities like me and him.” You replied, “They and Hydra are enemies.”

“Yes, and the other Avengers are going to be here sometime today – as long as the tracker didn’t break – and we need to be ready to fight. How many of them do you think will be willing to help us?”

“At any usual prison, a small disturbance starting would be enough to set off this group.” he paused, “But with the threat of torturing Y/n hanging over us… Y/n would need to show their support before the others would even consider fighting.” The Captain contemplated for a moment.

“I won’t force you to fight, Y/n.” He said, “It would be very helpful if you showed support. I know you have immense difficulty disagreeing with these people… And I understand that you might not believe me. I won’t force you to fight, just please think about it.”

“Okay. I’ll definitely think about it.” You said, “And you’re right, I’m not 100% sure that this plan isn’t some convoluted excuse to punish us more. It could be a twisted loyalty test for all I know.” You paused. “Once I see proof, I’ll fight.”

“That’s all I ask.” Steve said, “I promise, you’ll see proof.”

Two AM came and the facility went on lockdown. Everybody managed to snag a couple sips of water before they shut it off.

“Great.” A man down the hall said, “They’re depriving us of water over a rumor.” Getting whacked over the head with the butt of a rifle quickly shut him up. That was the first sign that something was truly wrong. Not another training exercise, a real threat to this prison.

And that excited people.

Nothing seemed to happen between two and five AM. At least, not from the prisoners’ perspectives. Five rolled around, and they were woken as normal, with a bowl of gruel slid through a special grate in the bars. They spent the mornings in their cells, talking quietly. The thugs were on edge, skittish. 

Another good sign.

Yard Time came, and they were released. Antony didn't want to risk being roped in with Steve, so you two only shared a nod from across the Yard. It was just about time to go back inside when gunshots rang out. Luckily, they weren’t directed towards the prisoners. Chaos nearly broke loose, and if Steve and Antony were able to give it a little shove, it would.

A hook came over one section of the wall. One woman with bright red hair climbed over the wall and started taking down guards. Suddenly a man with – Were those wings? – soared over the wall. He dropped an armful of weapons into The Yard. 

Despite the confusion, Steve picked them up and started distributing them to Antony and a select few others who would fight even without your approval. Now the shots from the turrets were turned inwards, towards the armed prisoners.

“Y/n, get somewhere safe,” Steve said, “Unless you’ve changed your mind.” You felt rooted to the spot, like the night you’d been abducted by Hydra. Years of their torture had reminded you that it is better to never try than to try, fail, and be punished. Steve could see you weren’t okay, but he also had to fight. 

For a while you simply observed the battle unfold. Prisoners were vastly outnumbered, and scarcely any had weapons. 

You watched as they took down one guard, just for two more thugs to take his place. You watched as countless men were mowed down. You watched as more prisoners and guards swarmed out of the building. You watched as Antony took a shot to the head. 

Finally, the shock of seeing your second father-figure killed by Hydra broke something. It wasn’t a complete break, and it wasn’t a clean break, but it broke though the imposed compliance just enough for you to rally others around you to fight with whatever strength was left.

Somehow, it worked. The last push was enough to keep the battle going long enough for more of Steve’s friends to arrive. A huge aircraft with the SHIELD logo on it flew overhead, and dropped off numerous agents. Seconds later, the southern wall fell, and the prisoners started streaming out while SHIELD agents poured in.

You decided to go with the flow, and for the first time since you were two, you left the prison’s grounds. You didn’t really know what to do, and you wandered towards a jet full of injured people. 

The woman with red hair who had first scaled the wall was brought in with a deep gash in her leg. Medics were too busy with other, more serious, cases to deal with her. She was placed in the seat next to you. She must have noticed you staring.

“Trust me, it’s worse than it looks,” She said through gritted teeth.

“It has scraped the bone.” You said.

“Maybe.”

“That wasn’t a question. It did.” You glanced at her, and held up your hands. “May I take a look?”

“Feel free.” She closed her eyes in pain, still trying to keep up the facade that it didn’t hurt. “I’m Natasha by the way.”

“I’m Y/n.” You placed your hands on her leg, and the familiar warmth emanated from them. 

“Holy cow, that feels so much better.” She gasped, opening her eyes, “How…?” She saw that your leg now had an identical gash, which was healing visibly. 

“Thank you. I’m gonna fight, but I’ll be back, Y/n.”

The fight continued, and before the sun went down they had taken the prison. You had spent your time staring at nothing, trying to block out the sounds and occasionally healing one or two people. After what felt simultaneously like a second and eternity, Steve and the woman returned. Nat… Nash… Natasha.

They seated themselves near  you, but not suffocatingly close. While they were gone, someone gave you a blanket, and you'd wrapped it around yourself. A separate person had given you a bottle of water, and you occasionally sipped from it. Once the jet took off, you realized how tired you were, and lay down, utilizing the seats next to you.

You woke up at what would have been two AM to take another drink of water. Natasha and Steve were awake. Maybe they never went to sleep. It was hard to recall anything in the haze.

“Hey kid,” Natasha said, “How was your nap?”

“I don’t know.”

“That’s okay.” She said, “Do you wanna talk? We’re only an hour out from Avengers Tower.”

“Sure.” You said.

“What’s the first thing you want to eat once we get back?” Steve asked. “I could go for some pizza.”

“I think my sister’s making mac’n’cheese.” Natasha said.

“I want those… What are they called?” You said, “The noodles where you pour hot water in and wait three minutes?

“Cup noodles?” Natasha offered.

“Yeah, those.” You said, “It’s the last thing I remember eating before… Y’know.”

“Y/n, did I ever officially introduce you to Natasha Romanova?” Steve changed the subject, “She’s one of the Avengers.” Throughout the next hour the three of you talked, but they always clumsily steered the conversation away from families and your time at the Hydra prison.

By the time you arrived at Avengers Tower, the other planes had broken off to go to other bases. Steve had radioed ahead so there would be a room set up for you. Natasha was walking you there, but on your way you two passed the living room, where most of the Avengers were hanging out, so you stopped to be introduced.

    Spider-Man, Yelena, the sister Natasha mentioned, who did indeed have mac’n’cheese, Wanda Maximoff, Vision, who was a robot, Pietro Maximoff, Wanda’s brother, Clint Barton, the cool arrow man, James Rhodes, who was paralyzed from the waist down, and Thor, a literal god. 

They also mentioned three other guys. One named Bucky, who was very antisocial and probably in his room. Along with Tony Stark and Bruce Banner, who were both workaholics and were in their labs nine times out of ten.

Natasha gave them all a brief explanation of your powers, and that you’d be living with them from now on. Then she walked you to your room and gave you a short tour.

“Shirts here, bottoms here,” She said, pointing to drawers, “There’s your bed, a desk, a chair, and for some reason there’s a beanbag chair in the corner. Over there’s the door to your bathroom. I suggest you shower and come to the kitchen for dinner. We have more cup noodles as you can possibly imagine.”

She was about to leave when she whirled around, “Oh, I almost forgot! If you need help with anything just say ‘FRIDAY’ and the robot that lives in the walls can help you out with it.”

With that she was gone. With help from FRIDAY, you managed to figure out the shower. Your first shower with warm water in over a decade! After that you dried off and put on some sweatpants and a loose-fitting tee. You wandered over to the bed, just to see how soft it was. That turned into a half-hour-long nap. 

“Hey FRIDAY?” You asked, “How do I get down to the kitchen?” You arrived and saw Steve sitting with Sam. Waiting on the table was a styrofoam cup of noodles. You could definitely get used to living here.

Part 2 here!

[eretzyisrael]

The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) filed a lawsuit in federal court yesterday against Cherry Hill Public Schools (CHPS), which serves over 10,000 students in New Jersey.  Filed on behalf of high school student L.B. and his parents, the suit alleges that after the Hamas massacre on October 7, 2023, L.B. was repeatedly assaulted, threatened and harassed after he documented the Hamas-supporting conduct of other students.  Instead of protecting L.B. and effectively addressing the antisemitic hostility he was enduring, CHPS officials contributed to the hostility, painting L.B. as a troublemaker, undeservingly punishing him, and retaliating against him for exercising his right to free expression.  The ZOA is proud to partner with the law firm of Meister Seelig & Fein PLLC to secure justice for L.B. and his family.

The complaint alleges that immediately after the Hamas attack, several students showed up at the high school wearing keffiyehs, waving Palestinian Arab flags, and shouting “Free Palestine,” signaling their support for Hamas and its genocidal goal to kill Jews and eliminate Israel.  L.B. documented their conduct by posting videos of them on social media, which was his right and which did not violate district policies, as CHPS officials acknowledged to L.B. and his parents. 

District officials knew that a group of students threatened to jump L.B. because of his social media posts but took no steps to protect him.  Instead, they ignored the threat and blamed L.B. for instigating it.  When students acted on their threat, assaulting L.B. in the school cafeteria as he was eating lunch with friends, CHPS punished L.B. without cause and without due process and ignored the continuing threats he endured.   

L.B. and his parents implored CHPS to take corrective measures, but they refused to do so.  They now seek declaratory and injunctive relief in court to ensure that CHPS finally lives up to its legal obligation to eliminate the hostile environment that L.B. has been subjected to, which must include rescinding all the baseless and wrongly punitive actions taken against L.B.; and compensatory damages for the harm that L.B. and his family have endured.

“With antisemitism surging, including in New Jersey, CHPS’s indifference to the fear, pain and suffering of L.B. and other Jewish students is unconscionable, particularly after Hamas committed the worst mass slaughter of Jews since the Holocaust,” ZOA National President Morton A. Klein and Director of ZOA’s Center for Law and Justice, Susan B. Tuchman, Esq. said.  “Instead of making it clear to the community that there would be zero tolerance for actions that seemingly celebrated Hamas’ massacre and made Jewish students feel unsafe, the district not only tolerated the conduct but also indulged it.  Worse, they outrageously painted L.B. as a wrongdoer who was asking for it.  No one asks to be assaulted, threatened or harassed at their school based on their Jewish identity or for any other reason.  It was up to CHPS to put a stop to that conduct and hold L.B.’s assailants accountable. 

 “The ZOA is honored to be working with Meister Seelig & Fein PLLC to ensure that the many wrongs against L.B. and his family are finally righted and that CHPS is finally required to provide a safe and welcoming learning environment for L.B. and other Jewish students.”

Jeffrey Schreiber, Esq. and Stephen Meister, Esq. of Meister Seelig & Fein PLLC added:  “It is outrageous that the Cherry Hill school district not only failed to protect L.B., it also coddled antisemitic terrorist-supporting thugs while punishing L.B., suspending him for the ‘crimes’ of being Jewish in public, and having the temerity to expect that the district would follow its policies and protect its Jewish students.  Meister Seelig & Fein PLLC is proud to stand with ZOA in seeking justice for L.B. and his family.”  

[trainer-silv]

Hey, sorry if this is too specific or anything, but I was wondering, are you willing to write submas x reader headcannons with the reader being a grunt for one of the evil teams? (Preferably a Team Skull grunt because it would be funny, but I’d be fine with anything!)

Honestly, I don't think this one is all that great. I tried my best but god, mixing Team Skull with the Subway Bosses is like mixing oil and water. If it sucks, my bad.

Team Skull Grunt x Submas

As being a grunt for Team Skull is vastly different to a team like Rocket or Plasma, we’re going with Team Skull only for this request.

For one reason or another, Team Skull is in Unova, in the Gear Station to be specific. At least, you and a couple of your team members are. Being the usual Team Skull thug, you are loud, disrespectful, and worst of all, not abiding by the safety rules. After all, Team Skull doesn’t listen to anybody.

Ingo:

Usually he is as polite as he can be when dealing with unruly people in his subway, but the way you defy him pushes his buttons. There is a reason why the station has so many rules in place, and it’s to keep everyone safe!

Since you’re part of Team Skull, your instinct is to battle whoever tries to stop you. 

Ingo absolutely does not want to battle on a train platform considering that is literally what the trains are meant to withstand, but you started the fight by throwing out a Salandit. Unfortunately for you, the battle doesn’t last long as Chandelure takes your Pokemon out in a single hit. You ran to your Salandit’s side and held the fainted Pokemon.

With just that single move, Ingo could tell you cared for your Pokemon. The last time he encountered a group was Team Plasma, and while they claimed to be fighting for the good of Pokemon, a few of them would treat their partners as tools.

Ingo would let his guard down just a bit seeing that you’re just a bit of a troublemaker. 

If you come back to the station, he will probably keep an eye on you just to make sure you’re following the rules. He would probably invite you and your Pokemon to ride on the battle trains at one point, if you’re on your best behavior.

If any bigger threats come to the station and you stand against them, Ingo would greatly appreciate it. He understands that your Team Skull get-up is basically to make you appear tough. 

The elder twin definitely understands that appearances aren’t everything. After a while of visiting the subway, he’ll recognize you less as a Team Skull grunt and more like an everyday Pokemon Trainer.

If you decide to stop associating with Team Skull, Ingo is one of the first to support you! He can even assist you in getting a job in Gear Station.

Essentially, Ingo’s first impression of you would be bad, but he can easily look past that as he gets to know you.

Just please. Remember there are reasons for rules in the first place.

Emmet:

If Emmet confronts you instead of Ingo, then may Arceus grant you strength. While Emmet is outwardly friendly looking, he is much stricter about rules than his older brother. 

The younger twin is more action, less talk. He will quickly demand you cease your behavior, whatever it may be. 

If you decide to battle him, he doesn’t hesitate to send out a Pokemon. Much like against Ingo however, you would lose quickly. 

Emmet doesn’t have patience for this, and he tells you if you’re ever serious about battling him, ride the battle subway. Otherwise, leave. 

You take offense at him insinuating that you weren’t battling seriously, and to prove him wrong, you return. 

You fight on the subway so often that you and Emmet kind of become rivals. 

You two bond over cute bug Pokemon though, especially Joltik. You inform him about the bug types that can be found in Alola while the two of you sit on one of the trains petting Emmet’s many Joltik.

You think you’re weak because you aren’t able to beat Emmet in a battle. People back home have probably told you that you’re never going to get anywhere in life, and your first encounter with the Subway Boss wasn’t friendly in the slightest.

Emmet is actually quite proud of you. You’ve become a better trainer, your Pokemon have improved greatly in battle, and the best part is that whenever someone talks you down, you only fight back stronger to prove them wrong.

Your fellow grunts are actually a bit afraid of Emmet. They think you’re either crazy, stupid, or both to hang out with him. 

When Ingo goes missing, you’re one of the first Emmet goes to for help.

[dream-meister-translations]

DREAM MEISTER THE RECOLLECTED BLACK FAIRY

RICHE PAST #1

━

On vacation from the Gastronomy guild, I find myself unusually alone...

I’m spending my vacation visiting our grandparents who run a winery. Though I suppose since it’s my day off, and I’m alone, I should be calling them “my” grandparents.

My grandparents offer me a warm welcome, just like they always have, and will continue to do.

RICHE : Grandpa, Grandma. It's been a while.

RICHE'S GRANDMOTHER : Oh, you've come! Come on in! We've been looking forward to your visit, you sweet, dear boy!

RICHE'S GRANDFATHER : Indeed, you're looking quite spiffy. Quite a change from back when you were just a boy.

RICHE'S GRANDMOTHER : Oh, nevermind that, Riche has always been serious about anything he set his mind to.

RICHE'S GRANDMOTHER : Even when you helped out at the winery, you always put your best foot forward and were constantly learning and researching many new things each and every day.

RICHE : Yes. I want to thank you, Grandpa, Grandma. It's because of my time spent helping out here that I am who I am now.

RICHE'S GRANDFATHER : Yes. Yes. You first starting working here about six years ago, if memories serves correctly. Ah, this feels nostalgic.

We reminiscine about many things for a long time after that.

RICHE : (Grandpa’s right...)

RICHE : (If you’d asked me back then, I’d never have dreamed of turning out this way...)

-FLASHBACK-

Ten years ago…

THUG 1 : Argh!

RICHE : Tsk... You never learn, huh? You wanna go again?

THUG 1 : S-Sorry!

RICHE : Speak up! I can't hear you mumbling like that. Should I make you speak louder?

THUG 2 : Eek! S-Sorry...

RICHE : You're apologizing to the wrong guy!

THUG 1 & 2 : W-Were sorry f-f-for… trying… trying to mug you!!

SCHOOLBOY : Th-Thank you...

RICHE : Jeez, don't ever try stealing from anyone again, got it?

THUG 1 & 2 : Yes, sir!

DELINQUENT 1 : As expected of Richie-Boy!

DELINQUENT 2 : Did you see their faces? They were terrified!

DELINQUENT 3 : There's no one who can rival Richie around here anymore!

━

You see… Back in those days… I was quite a bit more rebellious than I am now...

I’d spend my days getting rid of troublemakers like bullies and shoplifters, one after another.

Don’t misunderstand. It’s not like I had any righteous sense of justice. The reason I did such things was simple...

My brother Kuchen was a natural at making desserts. His chocolate was second to none…

And my brother Cuit could run a kitchen like no other.

Compared to my amazing brothers, I was nothing special. I had no talents. No prospects.

By virtue of being the youngest brother, I was loved by default. Cherished. And I felt incredibly guilty being so loved and offering so little. Dealing with the miscreants out on the street was my way of dealing with that.

DELINQUENT 1 & 2 & 3 : We'll follow you to the ends of the earth, Riche!!

Before I knew it, the delinquents around town were beginning to look up to me, almost as a leader. But one...

SCHOOLBOY : U-Um, th-thanks for helping me! Can I do something for you…? In return I mean…?

RICHE : Nah, you don’t need to thank me. Oh, but it is that time...

SCHOOLBOY : "Time"?

DELINQUENT 1 : He means it’s time for him to go home. Richie-Boy here has a curfew.

DELINQUENT 2 : Even as a delinquent, he's so serious~

RICHE : It’s not about meeting a curfew. And I’d hardly consider myself a delinquent... But, yeah, if I keep talking, I'll be late. See ya!

I take off at a sprint, humming to myself as I make my way home…

━

RICHE : Cuit! I’m back! What's for dinner tonight?

CUIT : Welcome back, Riche. It's beef stew today. Dessert is chocolate mousse made by Kuchen himself.

RICHE : Awesome! Sounds amazing!

KUCHEN : Don’t you ever get tired of acting like that? Day in and day out?

CUIT : Hehe. Go on, go wash your hands.

RICHE : Okay!

No matter how bloody the fight, I made sure to always, without fail, make it home before the Sun went down.

Because I knew... that the dishes my brothers had put so much effort into making were waiting for me back home…

[cryoculus]

— reparations 01 ⟢

a man walks into a bar— no, smashes his bike into your shop: what do you do?

★ FEATURING; arataki itto x gn!reader

★ WORD COUNT; 5.3k words

★ TAGS; modern au, flower shop au, slow burn, idiots to lovers, tooth-rotting fluff, mutual pining, no smut, sfw

★ NOTABLE CHARACTERS; arataki itto, kuki shinobu, thoma, kaedehara kazuha

★ WARNINGS; motorcycle accidents, blood imagery, hospital visits, but nothing too gory or violent

★ MASTERLIST . AO3 ★

“Thank you for your patronage!”

The elderly woman, who’s also your first customer for the day, grins as she receives the bouquet from your grasp. “No, thank you, dear. Your arrangements are always so lovely.”

You managed a soft laugh, the ping of the cash register resounding in the air. “You flatter me too much, Amane-san! I’m just like any other florist out there.”

“Any other florist wouldn’t dare put up shop in this part of town, though,” she chuckles, gentle fingers caressing a patch of baby’s breath rather fondly. “Though you make it much easier to bring flowers to my husband, aren’t you afraid? You know who runs this district, don’t you?”

“Sure do,” you say, tearing off the receipt printed out by the register before handing it to her. “They’re the ones who own this complex after all.”

Amane nods, smile not faltering. “Then you’ll be just fine. Most folks from the city are quick to judge little Arataki’s gang. Bunch of troublemakers, they said, but what they don’t know is that they’re the ones who keep Hanamizaka the way it is… Oh, never mind me! This is just an old lady’s rambling.”

“Not at all.” You shook your head. “I don’t think the, uh, Arataki Gang’s all that bad. At least their secretary isn’t. Oh, here she comes now.”

The chimes on the front door tinkle softly at the entrance of a new customer that you receive with a kind smile. Kuki Shinobu is not your everyday right-hand woman to Hanamizaka’s band of thugs. For someone managing a rather…unorthodox organization, she seems a bit more put-together than you would otherwise assume gangsters should be. When Shinobu walks into your flower shop, she looks like any other straight-laced college student you’ve come across in the city—looking around as if she didn’t drop by every morning.

“Oh, Shi-chan!” Amane gushes. “I didn’t know you were looking after our newcomer here. The boys didn’t cause any trouble, I hope?”

Shinobu sighs. “The last tenant packed his bags and left because they scared away all his customers. I explicitly told them not to bother the next one that tenders a lease with us.” Turning to you, she spares a small smile. “Speaking of which, good morning.”

“Good morning to you, too, Shinobu,” you chirp. “Is it gonna be the usual for today?”

“Yeah. Oh, wait, no. Do you have anything more fragrant? Specifically something that calms the nerves?” she asks, reaching into her backpack to hand you an ornate vase that seems more expensive than it looks. “Our boss has been feeling off-kilter for the past two days, and his mood swings aren’t doing anyone favors.”

“How about you fix her up with some silk flowers, dear?” Amane suggests, gesturing to the bouquet in her hands. “My husband adored them, and we always ordered some seeds from the old flower shop in the city back in the day. I’m sure little Arataki will snap out of it once he gets a whiff of them in that cramped office of his.”

“Does that work for you?” you ask Shinobu, and she nods. “Alright, give me…fifteen minutes to prep, and we’ll be all set!”

This is how your mornings usually turn out.

For a quick backstory: after living in the capital of Inazuma City for the past twenty-four years, you decided to move out of your old childhood home and live independently. It was a decision that neither of your parents were happy to agree with at first, but you managed to meet the conditions they’d set once you graduated from college. Those being: 1.) Have a stable source of income; and 2.) Don’t move too far away. 

It took you a couple of months to survey whether a flower shop would flourish in the neighboring district of Hanamizaka. But once you’ve confirmed that the business opportunity was too good to pass up—the elderly living in this area seriously had a green thumb or two—you decided to hunt for a good apartment and commercial space as soon as you could. That’s how you ended up meeting Shinobu, the secretary (or was it deputy?) of the so-called Arataki Gang. Apart from their supposed claim over this district, they also owned a two-floor building that they rented out for extra revenue. 

You’ve only heard about the gang in passing during your college days, when one of your friends accidentally waltzed into their territory once. They took his presence as a threat, apparently, and the boss was quick to issue a challenge in the streets of Hanamizaka. Needless to say, the tall tale only made you more curious with the things that go on outside the city. Now here you are, about three weeks into your new lease in a place legally owned by the Arataki Gang. 

But…despite all the stories told by Amane and some of your other customers, you haven’t seen any members lingering around. It’s mostly just Shinobu that gives your shop the time of day, and if you did happen to spot anyone that resembles a gangster, they were quick to scat. As if they’d been caught with their hand in the cookie jar. 

And with all the countless complaints you’ve heard about the boss from Shinobu (“Little Arataki”, as Amane liked to address him), you’re yet to meet the man in the flesh.

It’s not like you want to be introduced to someone who can potentially be a yakuza, but… 

“Meow.”

As you clean up the leftover stems on your work table, your tabby, Mikan, hops onto the counter behind you, tail swishing with imminent curiosity. You toss the plastic bag containing the disposed remains of Shinobu’s most recent purchase into the bin, clapping the residue off your hands. When you reach out to scratch under her ears, Mikan purrs out a delightful little sound.

“It’s about time we ate some brunch, yeah?”

The next morning, you open up shop like usual. Checking up on plants that need supplementing, calling in for another order of clay pots (your stock is rapidly depleting), and entertaining orders from customers that step inside the store. The clear glass of the display windows makes it fairly easy to spot anyone that might harbor an interest in all things botanical, so you always manage to greet everyone with a sunny disposition. 

Well, almost everyone.

“So when do you plan on telling her again?” Your eye twitches as you put together a very extravagant sweet flower bouquet. “We’ve been friends since freshman year, and you’ve liked her since freshman year. That was, what? Six years ago? And you still haven’t told her?”

Thoma pouts at you. “Hey, you talk like admitting your feelings for someone is a walk in the park.”

“It’s not, but keeping quiet for six years is so uncool, Thoma!”

“Not like I’m trying to be cool,” he mumbles. “Oh, do you have any of those cherry blossom designs, by the way? Do you think they’ll look nice with the bouquet?” 

You shoot him one last condescending look before rummaging through the cabinets near the windows. Each level contains different flower-arranging paraphernalia. From scented wrapping paper to customized wicker baskets—everything you need to fashion one creative bouquet to another is readily available; artificial embellishments like the one Thoma wants included.

… if they’re in stock, that is.

“Hate to break it to you, but I forgot someone placed an order that used up all my cherry blossom stems last week,” you sigh. “I think I can get my hands on some new stock later in the day, though. I’ll just have someone deliver it to your place or something… Unless you’re finally going to confess to Ayaka for real. I can definitely improvise if that’s the case.”

Thoma laughs, but the sound is a bit dry. “It’s just a little congratulations for securing a partnership with Watatsumi University. You know how serious she is about her job, right?”

Kamisato Ayaka is, indeed, the overachiever in your old college friend group. After graduation, she was offered a distinguished position in the Faculty of International Relations & Culture—something everyone agreed she deserved and more. You haven’t been able to keep in touch with Ayaka since you moved out of your parents’ house, but Thoma is thankfully here to update you about their goings-on.

“Fine, fine. Just have it delivered,” Thoma tells you, pulling out his wallet only to inevitably frown at it. You heave another sigh. “Uh, put it on my tab for next time?”

“This is a flower shop, not a bar, asshole,” you mumble, and when you return back to the counter, Mikan chooses that exact same moment to pop her head out—mewling in delight when she sees Thoma. 

“Oh, Mikan, if only your owner is as kind to me as you are,” he fake-sobs, carrying your cat in his arms as she snuggles into his grasp. Damn traitor. “I promise I’ll pay you once I get this week’s payroll. But I’ll be taking my leave now because you know that being here gives me the jitters.”

Right. The friend that got challenged into a duel by the Arataki Gang? That was Thoma.

Once he steps out of the shop, you sink into your little swiveling chair behind the counter—head tilted listlessly towards the ceiling. The greens growing on your plant hangers are looking a little dull, and you wonder if you should move the rack closer to the windows. But despite your attempt at distracting yourself, the exasperation from Thoma’s inability to be honest eventually catches up to you. Mikan hops onto your lap in the next second, as if sensing your distress, and you run a hand across her orange fur with a sigh. 

“When I get a boyfriend, I want him to be as straightforward as a man can get.”

“Mrow.”

“If he ever skirts around his true feelings, I’m never going to accept him.”

“Mrow.”

You let out a soft chuckle, lifting her by the waist as she flashes you a disgruntled look. But before she can let out any mewls in complaint, you pull her closer to your chest with a long breath.

“You’re the only one who gets me, Mikan. Even if you like Thoma more than me sometimes.”

“Meow.”

“...Did you just agree with me?”

“Mrow~”

Half an hour before closing time, your usual delivery boy arrives on the dot to receive the order. Kazuha greets you warmly when he walks into the shop, and of course, Mikan bounds into his arms just like she does with everyone but you, it seems. 

“Someone’s looking quite chipper today,” he comments before setting your tabby back onto the floor. “Where am I delivering your package again?”

You hand Kazuha the neatly wrapped bouquet—complete with Thoma’s requested specifications—and check the virtual map of the city from your phone at the same time. “Um, the apartment complex right next to Uyuu Restaurant. I texted you the exact floor and unit.” 

“Got it.” 

Forgetting that you’re supposed to pay him for his services, you hobble back to the counter to retrieve enough mora to cover the delivery costs. Kazuha thanks you kindly when you hand over the payment, and he drops the money into the cute little fanny pack he wears all the time. 

“The app is going to let you know once the delivery is complete as usual,” he tells you, already halfway out of the shop. “Thank you again for trusting our services.”

“I wouldn’t dream of switching couriers at all,” you chuckle. 

Kazuha humors you with a soft laugh, but just when you thought he’s going to end the exchange right there—

“Oh, you best be careful, by the way.”

Your brow quirks. “Pardon?”

He sighs, casting a worried look your way. “I heard that the tensions have been a bit high between the Arataki Gang and another organization I’m not familiar with. It seems that the dispute has been stirring things up not just in Hanamizaka, but the capital as well.”

It takes you a moment to fully absorb Kazuha’s words, but when you do, your curiosity only festers. Is that why Shinobu’s boss has been on edge lately? Because of the dispute? 

“You don’t need to worry about me,” you reassure him with a smile—picking Mikan off the floor as you set her down on the counter. “I live on the second floor anyways, so there’s no reason to go out unless I need to get some groceries. Or visit my parents.”

“Wouldn’t hurt to be more cautious, right?” Kazuha laughs. “Well, see you soon.”

Closing time isn’t as really as lonely as you thought it would be. Despite Mikan’s indecipherable habits, she often helps clean up because the faster you can take care of things in the shop, the faster she can eat dinner. You don’t blame her for the strange source of motivation, though. If anything, you’re feeling a bit famished yourself, too.

“Hmm… I wonder what I should cook for dinner,” you wonder aloud, resting your chin on top of your broom. “Tonkatsu sounds really neat right now, but it’s kind of a pain to make the batter and everything. Ugh…” 

Eventually, you continue sweeping the floor just to get your hands moving. You make sure to check your phone every now and again for some texts from your parents, as well. They did like asking if you’ve already eaten dinner at this hour. But ten minutes into your final clean-up, you notice that Mikan has gone stock-still on the counter—green eyes wide and staring out like she saw a mouse scuttling across the windowsill. You make a puzzled face before glancing over your shoulder, but the only thing that greets your sight is the early evening traffic of Hanamizaka.

“Anything the matter?” you ask, but Mikan doesn’t even mewl in response. Your usually hyperactive tabby is just transfixed on the bustling nightlife in a way you haven’t seen before. But you read somewhere that animals often have bouts of odd silence every now and again, so you decide to brush it off.

Just when you're climbing up the stairwell that leads to your actual apartment, Mikan doesn't follow you even if you’re about to switch off the lights. She remains seated on the counter, tail swaying rhythmically like she’s waiting for something to happen.

“Mikan, come on.” You cross your arms. “Don’t you want dinner?” 

What is up with this cat today?

However, the next second, an ear-splitting roar shatters the silence of the evening—cleaving through you like an axe through sturdy bark. The sound rattles you enough that you nearly fall off the stairwell, but when you spot a speck of blinding light in the distance, speeding closer and closer in a way that seems like they have no intention of stopping—

“Mikan!” 

You know very well that cats have the most graceful reflexes out there; that Mikan can jump out of the way of imminent danger the moment it strikes. But she’s been by your side for a good few years now, so you guess it’s natural for you to develop a strange maternal instinct, of sorts. 

Without putting another thought into it, you sprint off the stairwell and leap in front of the counter. An unknown vehicle smashes through the windows a split second later—sending shrapnels of glass flying everywhere. The screech of an engine makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, and you squeeze your eyes shut, shielding Mikan as you turn your back towards the commotion. In the back of your mind, it clicks to you that whatever dickhead ran their ride into your shop, they probably ended up destroying the Sumerian dracaenas you put up on display. But you’ll give them an earful for that later. 

You only realize your heart is threatening to break out of your ribcage once Mikan starts mewling in your arms—pawing at your shirt. A shuddering sigh flees your lips as you hug her closer to your chest. 

“Thank gods you’re alright,” you murmur, patting down her fur. 

But the next thing you take notice of is the feel of the warm, evening breeze drifting into the shop. When you turn around to survey the situation, you take note of several things at once: the gaping hole in your shop, the passers-by stopping to take a look, the huge, extensively modified motorcycle lying on its side next to a ruined shelf, and—

“Shit.” You immediately let Mikan hop out of your arms as you shakily stand up—mortified at the crimson liquid pooling beneath the head of an unfamiliar man. Under the fluorescent lighting of your shop, you can safely assume that this is definitely blood.

For a moment, you panic—unsure of the protocol for when a reckless driver crashes his bike into your shop. You can’t exactly yell at him for doing that, since he was obviously out cold. So, the next thing you try to take into account is the state of his motorcycle.

It’s one of those variants with lowered seats and longer handles. The kind that you imagine the local thugs use to show off in groups. And just beneath the single, jewel-encrusted headlight is a golden sigil that slightly resembles a…dragon? A demon? You’re not entirely sure, but you’ve watched enough action movies with Thoma back in the day to know that you should switch off the engine to avoid further casualties. 

As you step over the large man lying unconscious on the floor of your shop, you twist the key in the ignition slot, taking it out with a bated breath. You notice that it’s attached to a crocheted plush of a tanuki, and that makes you stare at the man in disbelief. 

This time, you’re able to get a better look at him.

It occurs to you a bit too late that the huge motorcycle is just appropriate for a guy that’s both ridiculously tall and has the broadest shoulder-span you’ve ever seen. His shaggy, ivory hair is sprawled all over the place, and some of it’s getting dyed in the bright red of his own blood. Grotesque details aside, he’s wearing nothing but a purple patterned haori— giving you an eyeful of the strange red tattoos inked into his impressive chest. But you have enough decency not to ogle someone who’s passed out, so once you pocketed his keys, you crouch down to lightly pat his face.

“Sir?” you call out. “Are you conscious? I’m going to call an ambulance, okay?”

That seems to make him stir. 

He opens his eyes—squinting at the bright lights of the shop. From the way his blood red irises keep drifting in and out of focus, you assume that he definitely has a concussion. But before you can even get up to look for your phone, the reckless driver tugs you back down by the wrist. You cry out in surprise but you’re reflexive enough to plant your palms on the ground before you fall into the man’s chest. 

Your breath hitches when you find yourself staring deep into the red of his eyes, and you can’t even flinch away when he raises a large, calloused hand to cup the side of your face.

“You’re so pretty.”

And that's the last thing he says before slumping back to the floor. 

You don’t really remember the last time you stepped inside Inazuma General Hospital, but each one only left a bitter taste in your mouth. Today’s visit to the emergency room is no different.

You fidget with your phone—chewing the inside of your cheek as you try not to let the scent of disinfectant get to your nerves. There aren’t a lot of people inside the waiting lounge with you, and you aren’t really in the mood to strike up conversation with anyone at the moment. So it’s just you and the messy haywire of thoughts currently fogging up your brain. You can’t even bring yourself to give Kazuha’s usual 5-star rating once he completed your delivery earlier because you feel that antsy. 

To be fair, you’re not really bothered by the prospect of bringing an injured man to receive the medical care he direly needs. Even if he destroyed plants and display cases worth over a hundred thousand mora, you’re not so heartless that you’ll leave him to bleed to death in your shop out of spite. You even left Mikan and your shop in the care of your next-door neighbor out of the urgency to bring that guy to the hospital. 

But the thing that’s unnerving you the most right now is…the man’s identity.  

On the ambulance ride here, the paramedics managed to procure some ID from a wallet he kept in the trunk of the motorcycle. Lo and behold, you’re finally given a name to the careless prick who gave you a hassle and a half as a present for your first meeting. 

Arataki Itto.

You tried not to jump to conclusions at first (maybe this is a different Arataki). But the paramedics seemed familiar enough with the guy that when they loaded him inside the ambulance, you could tell that this might not be the first time they brought this specific person to the hospital under the same degree of injury. 

The sound of your name being called from the entrance snaps you out of your musing.

“It’s good that you brought him in as soon as you could,” says one of the doctors that oversaw Arataki’s first aid and treatment. “He seems to have suffered blunt head trauma, and I’m assuming it occurred before Arataki-san crashed into your shop. Is that right? The nurses get the stories mixed up sometimes.” 

Blunt head trauma? So he ran your shop over because he was already injured beforehand?

“Y-Yeah,” you stutter. “Um, is he going to be okay?”

He nods. “We’ve administered the medication he requires right now, and he should be out cold for the next few hours. I also had the folks from the front desk reach out to his emergency contact. You’ve done enough, so we’ll be taking Arataki-san’s situation out of your hands now.”

Unable to contain your own curiosity, you decide to ask, “...Does this happen often? You guys seem awfully relaxed about having to deal with a gangster.”

“Oh, once you’ve spent enough time tending to those boys, you’ll come to realize they aren’t as bad as people make them out to be,” the doctor laughs as he goes over the clipboard in his hands. You wonder if he’s talking about the rest of the Arataki Gang. “Arataki-san frequents this hospital a lot—not as a patient, but as a companion. When one of his gang members gets into a violent squabble, he patiently sits in this same waiting room until they’re all patched up.” 

The information makes your lips part in equal parts disbelief and admiration. You never would’ve imagined a big, hulking man like him showing an ounce of compassion for the men he’s in charge of. But when you recall how gently he caressed your face earlier—red eyes shining with honest sincerity as he says, You’re so pretty—

“Shinya-sensei,” a nurse calls out from the hall, effectively yanking you back to reality. “Kuki-san just arrived. She wishes to talk to the one who brought Arataki-san in.”

Oh, right. It would make sense for Shinobu to be Arataki’s emergency contact. When Doctor Shinya glances at you for your confirmation, you nod at him and follow the nurse out of the room.

You find Shinobu with a chair pulled up next to an unconscious Arataki’s bed in the emergency wards—staring resentfully into space until she catches wind of your arrival. Her eyes widen with disbelief as she gets back to her feet.

“It’s you,” Shinobu murmurs before groaning into her hands. “Why did it have to be you…?”  

You feel a prick of offense at that. “I’m sorry?”

She sighs, and you realize that Shinobu’s backpack is lying at the foot of her chair. Did she rush from school to the hospital immediately after hearing the news? 

“No, no. I’m grateful that you brought in our boss,” she explains, pinching the bridge of her nose. “It’s just that… Gods, Master is going to kill us.”

“Master?” 

“It’s nothing!” Shinobu insists, and you startle a little because she’s always been a bit soft-spoken. Right now, she’s the epitome of a stressed college student that has more pressing problems outside of her bachelor’s degree. “Forgive me, my thoughts are just…all over the place. I was consulting some revisions for my thesis when I got the call and—ugh! Why does Itto have to go overboard every. Single. Time?!” 

You can see the nurse that came with you scuttling out of the scene when Shinobu starts to complain aloud, and you understand the sentiment. You aren’t sure what to make of the outburst she’s laying off on you at the moment, but you decide not to comment on it. Being a college senior and the deputy for a gang are two very different things. It’s amazing that Shinobu can even handle them both at the same time.

“Hey,” you call out, rubbing a hand on her shoulder. “If you need to sort out your stuff with that thesis of yours, I could always just watch over him for the night.”

Shinobu’s face falls. “What? But your shop got trashed by this guy, right? The nurse told me so.”

“Well, yeah, but Shinobu, you look like you’re about to short-circuit any second,” you point out. “I had my neighbor watch over the shop and my cat earlier, so it shouldn’t be a big deal. Even though someone could rob the cash register and I might end up bankrupt.”

You punctuate the words with an uneasy laugh that makes you realize that you really did just leave your incredibly vulnerable shop in the hands of a neighbor that you haven’t known all that long. Shinobu is quick to pick up on your split-second epiphany though, and fishes out her cell phone from the pocket of her jeans.

“I’ll have some of the boys watch over your place in the meantime,” she sighs, tapping away at the screen. “If someone tries to rob you, they’ll have to answer to the Arataki Gang— What’s so funny?” 

You hide your soft chuckles with the back of your hand. “Nothing. It’s just that you’re so quick to do a complete one-eighty degrees. Earlier you’re a lamenting college senior and now you’re back to deputy-of-the-Arataki-Gang mode.”

“It’s important to keep these aspects of my life separate from the other,” Shinobu sighs before bowing in front of you. This shocks you a little, because no one in modern day Inazuma still does that right? “I’m terribly sorry for the inconveniences our boss has caused, and for calling in a favor from you at such short notice. Rest assured, the Arataki Gang will make up for it however we can.”

“Uh…” you draw out dryly, unsure of how you’re supposed to respond. “It’s really not an inconvenience, Shinobu. I’ll be more worried about you if you end up missing deadlines because you had to look after your boss.”

Shinobu rises back to her full height, tears glistening in her eyes. Um…

“Thank you so much,” she nearly sobs, throwing her arms around you in a hug. “I promise I’ll rush back here first thing tomorrow and discuss the reparations with you and our idiot boss.”

You relax into her arms, patting her head affectionately. “Take your time. I won’t go anywhere.”

When Shinobu takes her tearful leave, you end up staring at your impromptu patient with a desolate sigh. True to Doctor Shinya’s words, Arataki is out cold—the only indication that he’s alive being the steady rise and fall of his broad chest. They managed to change him into a loose hospital gown, but you can still see the heavy outline of his tattoos under the thin fabric. 

You decide to take a seat in the same chair Shinobu was just having a midlife crisis in earlier, checking your back pocket for your wallet. Thankfully, it was still there, and you can at least afford to buy yourself some convenience store sandwiches and a coffee. Archons know you can’t exactly stomach a full meal after everything that transpired tonight. But you decide to linger for a while longer before heading out to grab something to eat.

The circumference of Arataki’s head is wrapped in a sterile white gauze that makes his hair look more cream-colored than ivory, and you notice that his arm is hooked up to an IV at the other side of his bed. Your forehead creases with how hard you’re thinking about what must’ve happened for him to end up in this state. If Kazuha’s earlier warnings had any real weight to them, you’re willing to wager that it has something to do with his gang’s current disputes. But Doctor Shinya also mentioned that Arataki rarely comes into the hospital as a patient, so why…?

Your phone buzzes in your lap, startling you out of your reverie.

Thoma [21:15]: Got the flowers! Heading over to Ayaka’s rn

You roll your eyes, the dread from your earlier musing immediately dissipating from a single text from Thoma.

Me [21:15]: Confess or ten years bad luck.

Thoma [21:16]:

Me [21:18]: I’m not even trying to make you reblog shit! Just confess!!!!!!!

Thoma [21:19]: Maybe next time 😌

“Ow, fuck.”

Once again, you jolt in surprise when another distraction greets your vision in the form of a very conscious Arataki trying to pull the needle out of his arm. Your eyes widen and you immediately shoot back to your feet, pinning his meaty arms to his sides with your hands. You try not to pay attrention to how the girth of his muscle dwarves your fingers. When the hell did he even wake up?!

“Hm?” Arataki stares at you, just as baffled. “As much as I like a lady that can hold me down, I gotta get outta here, nee-chan. Can’t you help me out or something?” 

“Shinobu asked me to watch over you for the night,” you tell him through gritted teeth—not liking how he’s not even struggling to shake off your grip. “So please don’t cause her any more trouble than you already have. Just stay here and let yourself recover like a good little gang boss.”

Arataki’s eyes widen slightly. “Whoa, I’m totally not discovering inappropriate things about myself in the most inappropriate times.”

“Just go back to sleep!” you groan. “If you rip out that IV, I’m calling the nurses.”

“Jeez, alright, alright,” he surrenders, even making a show of lying back down on his pillows. “Who are you anyway? The last time I had a lady fuss over me this much was when I…”

You don’t know why, but the fact that he just forgot who you are kind of stings a little. The realization makes you want to slap yourself. This is the man who ran his bike into your shop. He deserves no form of sulking on your end! Who cares if he forgot that he called you pretty in a post-concussion delirium?!

“Whatever,” you tell him, bringing your hands back to your sides with a huff. “I’m going to grab something to eat. You better not pull an escape act while I’m gone.”

“Nee-chan, the more you discourage me, the more I’m inclined to do it,” Arataki points out as he rests his chin on his free hand. You then notice that he painted his nails stark black. “But fine. Can you bring me some yakisoba bread when you come back though? Oh, and a Pocari, too? Hospital food tastes like ass.”

You gape at him. Is he serious? Is he really this shameless?

“Whatever!” you repeat more firmly before stepping out of the ward—not caring how many times Arataki calls out for you.

It wasn’t obvious at the time, but if you intended to lead a quiet, independent life, the last thing you should’ve done is to get involved with the Oni King of Hanamizaka. 

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