#he already has the delinquent streak to follow

[kurara-black-blog]

Hey, internet, not to sound like a spoiled brat, but where's my boys in Grease Style? C'mon, just think about them in leather jackets and hair slicked back. I know you want to. You so want to.

[incorrectbatfam]

What do the Goofy Gooners look like .. asking for a friend …

Rob is a tired dad with an inferiority complex. He doesn't put much effort into his appearance because basic hygiene already saps a lot of his energy. He has reddish-brown hair that he keeps short for convenience and doesn't shave as often as he should, so there's always a thin layer of stubble. I picture him to be around 33 but stress makes him look older. He usually wears the same basic t-shirts and cargo pants—a polo would be fancy for him. He's on the underweight side because he frequently skips meals so his kids and Milo have enough. He also has random tattoos scattered over his arms plus one on his leg and neck. They don't mean anything, just dumb stuff he got when he was younger, including a winking emoticon and the Pillsbury doughboy.

Blaise is 26 and you can tell he's a stoner from the get-go. He has dirty blonde hair that he grows out but hardly maintains, and the same level of effort goes for his clothes. He often wears things he finds in dumpsters or thrift stores and chooses comfort over style. His clothes have lots of hidden pockets for lighters, firecrackers, and weapons. He's tall and lanky, which makes living out of Milo's car in the parking lot awkward (Rob offered his apartment but he declined). Similar to Rob, Blaise also has a number of meaningless tattoos plus several piercings. He also plays the guitar and keeps his lucky pick on a necklace.

Kellin is a 20-year-old originally hailing from Thailand. Their assassin parents trained them in gymnastics, martial arts, and various weaponry from a young age in hopes that Kellin would follow in the family's footsteps and join the League of Assassins. That obviously didn't work out and they traveled around as an independent hitman (hitperson?) for a couple years before they landed in Gotham. They're always battle-ready—if they could shower in their assassin uniform they would. They changed their name and keep their hair just long enough to mask their face. They're fluent in English, Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, and Arabic, but they prefer to let their actions speak for them instead.

Molly is a 25-year-old trans woman who incorporates her jobs as a drug dealer, team strategist, and nightclub DJ in a single look. She has long dark hair dyed with neon streaks but ties it up when fighting. She's not the most formidable combatant but she has basic fighting skills and is very calculative. Her primary weapon is a metal baseball bat, inspired by her favorite anti-hero, Harley Quinn. She also has a belt equipped with her experimental chemicals and smoke pellets. However, she's not allowed to pair up with Blaise on missions because it's an open secret that the two of them can't focus around each other.

Otto is a war veteran and car mechanic around the same age as Alfred, but that's where the similarities end. He's been wearing the same mechanic's uniform for the past four decades, the only differences between then and now being his hair thinning, a couple front teeth falling out, and acquiring a beer gut. His arms are covered in scabs and scars from the job and he's had trouble with his right knee ever since the army. On the surface he seems like a Boomer yelling at kids to get off his lawn, but he's more like a stern but well-intentioned grandpa who is disappointed to see nothing much has changed over the years.

Milo is your standard 15-year-old delinquent. He's slightly small for his age and doesn't pack that big of a punch on his own, but put him behind the wheel and he's a total menace. When he's not driving, he keeps himself stimulated with video games or his collection of keychains (his favorite is purple bat because of his puppy crush on Spoiler). His look is reminiscent of early 2000s skater punks, including a bright red mohawk and his trusty headphones. Everything he owns, minus his car, fits into a single backpack. His weapon, on the rare occasion Rob lets him on the front line, is a batarang he found on the street.

Gene is someone you would never expect to have so many issues because on the outside he looks like an average 40-year-old glasses-wearing office worker. He has short sandy hair and dark circles under his eyes from nightmares. His meds help a lot, but sometimes he's still seen pacing around and muttering to himself. He's not a danger anymore compared to the past, which is why Rob trusts him enough to share an apartment. Gene focuses his nervous energy into his research and tinkering instead, amassing a comedic collection of hyperspecific gadgets.

Mac is basically the guy in the chair. He's 30 and has thick glasses, thick curly brown hair, a thin goatee, and almost exclusively wears flannel. His nails are down to a nub because he bites them when concentrating. He's also often seen with chips or an energy drink in his hands and wears a jailbroken smart watch. Of the team, he has the least physical prowess but the most brain power. He doesn't see combat often but keeps a pistol in case. He turned an old ice cream truck into his home/mobile office so he can plug in anywhere. Like Kellin, he's also not from Gotham, but instead Fawcett City and has a distinct Minnesota accent.

Booker is a 19-year-old Gotham U student and the third member of the team's Glasses Trio. He's an intelligent guy slated to graduate a year early and thus needs his internship credits sooner. He's very polite (albeit a little socially awkward) and puts his best foot forward by coming into work with slacks and fun patterned suspenders even though he doesn't have to. His hair has a slightly uneven fade because his sister insisted on practicing on him for cosmetology school, so he covers it with a fedora. He carries his things in a laptop bag and has an enthusiastic bounce in his step that only newbies would have.

Jackie and Gunner are Rob's 6-year-old twins (Jackie being 8 minutes older) and are the babies of this hodgepodge family. Jackie takes after her late mother with frizzy black hair usually tied in pigtails. She loves wearing pink, reads way above her level, and is a horse girl in that she wants one to stomp on the people she doesn't like. Gunner looks more like his dad, though his hair is a little messier and overgrown. He hates school but loves dirt and monster trucks. Both of them have a troublesome streak but Jackie's a little better at hiding it. They quarrel like siblings do but at the end of the day, they always stick up for each other.

[cheesus-doodles]

Righteous Sins

Yandere Platonic Taiju

Masterlist

‎‎

Happy birthday Taiju! I will answer asks about my (fifth most but who i still love a lot) beautiful boy tomorrow!

Envy.

One of the seven deadly sins, yet it was what rushed through his blood every time Taiju laid eyes on you. He swears on the church altar every Sunday that he was truly a god-fearing man, the giant cross decorating his back heavy with the weight of the sins that he carried, that he had repented for. Yet next to your fragile form, Taiju might as well be the devil incarnate.

Oh how he envied you. Sweet, gentle, innocent you - never an angry word that slipped your soft lips, never a harsh look directed at him. Your pure hand, clean from the sins of wrath and pride, never hesitating to slip into his own bloodstained ones when he turns up outside your school to pick you up. Your schoolmates rushing to vacate from his menacing gaze even while you cheerfully asked him how his day has been.

"Happy Birthday, Taiju!" You chortled, the small paper bag rustling as you thrusted it in his direction. His present, wrapped in paper as blue as the streaks of his hair and decorated with a variety of printed sharks, briefly visible over the edge of the bag as he accepted your gift from you with a gentle pat of your head. It was light, he noted, picking the box out to give it a shake. And judging from the amusement dancing in your eyes and how you could barely suppress your giggling, Taiju was sure he could already guess what it was inside.

Yet you gave him no time to sate his curiosity, instead tugging the giant of a delinquent to walk with you down now-empty streets, your tiny figure dwarfed by his own yet with not a hint of fear at what he could do. Envy, Taiju thought, looking down at you humming as you skipped beside him, guiding him down familiar streets. There mustn't be a single impure thought violating your mind if you lacked any fear of him and what he could do.

The ring of a bell snapped him from his thoughts, yellow eyes finding himself in a cafe he knew so well - and the boy found himself momentarily thrown back to the day he met you. He allowed you to pull him to an empty seat where you settled next to him on a bench, boredly placing his usual order with an extremely nervous waitress, before finally turning his attention to his present, once more retrieving the box from its carrier.

"I'll open this now." It wasn't a question, like many other things he said - your doe eyes could only follow along as Taiju immediately ripped into the neatly wrapped paper. And from the tiny box he pulled out an even smaller crocheted shark on a keychain, the bell you had attached to the bottom of the plush ringing in delight as he freed it from its confines.

You couldn't stop yourself from blurting out your questions immediately, your adorable face almost red with effort from keeping so painfully quiet. "Do you like it? I made it myself!"

A pause.

"Thank you." He said gruffly, reaching over to rustle your hair and rub his knuckles into the top of your head. Your cheers echoed in the otherwise empty cafe, drawing the attention and smiles of the staff as Taiju tucked his newest acquisition into the front pocket of his leather jacket. Envy - oh how he envied you and your simple innocence, how little it took to pull your lips into that cute smile.

You must be God's gift to him was what this usually brutal delinquent concluded, to be protected and sheltered and treasured like the sinless angel that you were. There was no one better than him to keep you as innocent as possible, hidden away from the taint of the world that could corrupt you into being human; no need to dirty your hands like he had for the wellbeing of others with him by your side.

A surge of protectiveness overpowered the envy stirring in his chest as he watched you tucked happily into the treat the waitress had set in front of you, the small shark keychain jingling quietly from his pocket. Taiju doesn't think he'll ever let you go.

[tobitofunction]

Delinquent Princess

Couldn’t stop thinking about the Haikyuu x delinquent!reader or more Haikyuu x Tokyo Revenger cross over.

Kuroo x fem!reader, mentioned Baji x fem!reader. Some spoilers for Kuroo career post time skip and how I want Tokyo revengers time skip to look like but probably won't happen

“Hey lev, have you heard we getting a new girl,” Inuoka said appearing in front of the self-proclaimed ace’s desk,” This late? It’s already past Halloween” Inuoka shrugged,” Apparently an incident happened with a classmate of hers which made her parents transfer school for her” Shibayama said,” Must be serious if she transfers this late in the semester” Lev said opening his book.

“Don’t worry y/n is in good hands here” the Principle said to your parents as you played with your rings,” Y/N is so smart but she seems to always find the wrong friends” your dad said softly, you shot him a glare,” Don’t worry Mr L/N, we don’t have a sense of delinquency in this school. Your daughter will be surrounded by good role models, may I suggest entering a club? The volleyball team is looking for a manager” the principal said looking at you with a nervous,” Not interested” you hissed,” Y/N” your mom scolded,” I’m already doing martial arts with Mikey-“,” This school probably has a martial arts club, right” your mom looks at the principal who nodded quickly,” I don’t want to go this martial arts club, I want to stay with Mikey’s family dojo, they at least know what they are talking about”,” Mikey, is a bad influence. You saw what happened to Baji, you saw how distraught his mother was at his funeral, I don't want to be your next” you didn’t answer but just sat back and folded your arms, tears started to pool in your eyes. “I’m sorry Princess, I’m sorry I couldn’t marry you” Bali’s dying words echoed in your head,” Isn't class starting soon? Don’t want to start on a bad foot” you said wiping away a tear,” Yes, of course, follow me”.

Lev’s class was currently studying English when you walked in with the Principal. Muttering erupted in class the second they set eyes on you, “That must be the new girl” Inuoka whispered to Lev who looked you up and down, your skirt was short, shorter than the average skirt worn in school, and your sleeves jumper was baggy nearly as long as your skirt and the white dress shirt was peaking from underneath the jumper as well, sleeves where messy rolled up. Rings and bracelets adorned your fingers and wrist, with a blond streak peaking from behind your ear which was also pierced, everything about you spoke delinquent,” You must be y/n?” the teacher said,” Yep, where can I sit?” you asked,” Do you want to introduce yourself to the class?”,” I’m Y/N L/N. I’m from Shibuya” you said before wandering to a random free seat, a seat which happens to be beside Lev.” Hey I’m Lev Haiba” he introduced himself,” Hey” you said playing with your helix piercing, he slightly reminded you of Chifuyu most due to the eyes” Are there any clubs you looking into joining?” he asked,” No, well I thought of joining the martial arts club but nothing can beat Mikey’s dojo” you smiled twirling your ring on your index finger,” Mikey?” he asked curiously, slightly hoping he isn't your boyfriend,” He’s one of my best friends since childhood. All of them are in Shibuya” you said,” Well if you need new friends, why don't join our Volleyball club, we need a manager”,” Not, interested-”,” Come on, just once practice. Please, I even carry your bags to the train station later” he begged,” Yamamoto will freak, come you will make us seem like heros to our upper classman” the spikey headed brunette said,” Oh I’m Inuoka, by the way” he introduced,” And I’m Shibayama” a small dark haired boy said,”Boy’s quite, you can chit-chat later” the teacher scolded.

How did the first day of school go? Chifuyu’s text read, Fine, not the same with the gang you texted back, you sighed and stuffed your phone in your pocket, just at the moment when your new classmates walked up to you,” I like your piercings by the way” Shibayama said,” Thanks, some of them my friends pierced” you laughed,” I wish I could pierce my ears but my mom would kill me” Lev said,” My parents didn't want to be pierced as well but there are my ears and I have to live with the mistakes and not them, just to do it. I can pierce them if you want” you offered,” Will it hurt?”,” A piece of metal will pierce your skin... yeah but only for a short while” you said,” Let me think about it” he said rubbing his neck.

“There you are, where- who are you?” a tall dark-haired male said, “Kuroo, this y/n, she new to our class and we convinced her to be our manager”,” I said I see about being your manager, I didn't promise anything yet,” you said,” A shame, but hopefully we can conceive you by end of practice,” Kuroo said, his messy dark hair, to his brown cat-like eyes and cheeky smile all reminded you of Baji,” A girl” a voice shrieked,” Good observation Yamamoto” Kuroo teased,” Why are we blessed with such a sight,” the mohawk said with tears of happiness in his eyes,” Don’t worry about him, he’s harmless,” Kuroo said,” Let me introduce you to the others”.

“So you live in Shibuya?” Kuroo asked as you walked towards the train station together behind you, was Lev who liked he promised carried your bags with him,” I hoped she by my girlfriend and Kurd’s by the end of the day” he pouted while Kenya’s face was stuck in his video game.” Yep” you answered,” Why go to Nekoma than? I assume Shibuya has more than I school”,” It’s more the people my parents want to me to get away from than the lack of schools” you answered peaking Kurd’s curiosity,” Can I ask why?”, you licked your lips, debating to answer honestly or not,” Someone close to me got hurt and my parents don't want me to be the next one hurt, that’s it” you shrugged, Kuroo nodded, he wanted to know more but didn't press on as he could see it on your face that it was a touchy subject for you,” Well, did we conceive you? Will you be our manager?” Kuroo asked instead,” You seem like a crazy bunch but nothing I can't handle, so sure why not” you smiled.

The next couple of weeks went good, that was until on your way to the train station, with Lev, Kuroo, Yaku, Yamamoto, Kenma and Kai when you were stopped by a larger group of boys,” Who do we have here? Volleyball freaks” their presumed leader said, his face was scared and he smelled of smoke,” Leave us alone, we don't want any trouble” Kuroo said pushing past the guy but the leader wasn't having it,” But you're passing through our region which means you need to pay up, let’s say 5,000 yen for each person” he said putting his hand on Kuroo shoulder, he was the same height as Kuroo but he seemed more muscular than Kuroo, which makes sense if spends most of his time beating up people on the street,” We won’t pay, it’s stupid. Now let us pass, we are late for our train” Kuroo said firmly,” We weren't asking though” the guy spat,” You wanna fight big guy, let’s do it” Yamamoto said but you grabbed him by the arm,” Don’t be suicidal, he can fold. you in have if he wants to” that made the guy focus snap towards you, but before he could take a good look at you Kuroo stepped in front of his field of vision,” We don’t want any trouble-”,” Too late for that, your little friend wants a fight so he can get one” the leader was handed a led pipe from one of his followers,” Who wants to go first, maybe you pretty boy” he said lifting the pipe ready to hit Kuroo with him but before he could you kicked him in the stomach making him drop the pipe and clutch his stomach, you then kicked him in the back of his neck making his face fall into the concrete,” You stupid bitch-”, he stopped mid sentencing when he saw your face,” Fuck, it’s Y/N L/N from Toman” he said,” Exactly, now fuck of and leave me and my friends alone of I break your face next time. Got it” you hissed making the boy nod and he quickly scrambled from the floor and ran away with the other,” Toman?” Kuroo asked stunned, the other from the team looked shocked and slightly scared,” I explain on the way to the train station”.

“Toman started off as just a couple of friends wanting to protect one another. None of us had good lives, some worse than others. Toman was a little fond family for us. It went well, but then Mikey’s brother was killed by Kazutora and Baji as his accomplice. Both went to juvie, Kazutora longer than Baji. Since then Mikey became more violent, but also more childish. Toman grew as well during that time and so did our enemies. We didn't do anything criminal....criminal against non-gang people. But recently everything went downhill, Pat went to juvie, Draken got stabbed but thankfully survived. Kisaki joining, and Baji...Baji was the straw that broke the camel's back. My parents didn't say anything about the gang world, but Baji changed everything for them” you said,” What happened to Baji, is he the person who got hurt?” Yaku asked,” It was Halloween, Baji joined Vallhalla days before and we wanted him back, Baji would never betray Toman, betray me,” you said softly,” He got stabbed and later died of a self-inflicted stab wound to the stomach. Kazutora is back in juvie, 10 years for attempted murder if Baji didn't give himself the final blow he would have gotten double that or even life. But at least he’s alive, but only thanks to Takamitchy our resident cry baby, he’s a bit strange but a really good guy, properly better than I ever be” silence filled the group, no one knew what to say,” If you don't want me to part of the Volleyball club anymore, it’s fine. But please don’t tell your parents what happened, as they will tell the principal and he would tell my parents which means changing school again” you begged. Kuroo looked at his teammates, who have the same expression on their faces,” We don’t want to kick you off, you saved us a beating. We really enjoy your company, as well” Kuroo said blushing slightly making his teammates smirk,” I would also like... we like to meet your friends as well” Kuroo said,” You sure? They can be quite intimidating” you warned,” Well I will be busy studying with Kai, so maybe another time,” Yaku said,” I don't like leaving my house and Coach forced to train more with Lev,” Kenma said pulling out his phone to continue playing his game, Yamomoto was nudged in the ribs by Yaku,” I will be brushing my Parrot,” the boy said rubbing his side,” I can go, whenever it’s okay with you,” I’m meeting them today if you want ti to join?”,” I would love... I mean sure” Kuroo smiled.

Mikey was stuffing his face with fast food when you arrived, Toman’s leader looked more like a cute chipmunk than a feared gang leader in Kuroo’s mind, but Draken who sat beside him with a face of disgust at his friend's horrible eating happened fits more of the image of a gang leader, from his height, crazy hairstyle and large tattoo,” Y/N, whose that?” Mikey said food bits flying out of his mouth,” Don’t speak if your mouth is full” you scolded,” This is Kuroo, the Captain of the Volleyball team, I mentioned” Emma was first to jump up and greet him,” Hi, I’m Emma, y/n spoke a lot about you” Emma said with a smirk making you blush,” Chifuyu”,” Mitsuya”,” Takamitchi”,” Draken”,” Mikey” everyone introduced themselves,” What are your intentions with our y/n” Mikey asked walking over, hamburger still in hand,” Emmm” Kuroo said, not knowing how to answer,” If you want to date her-”,” Mikey, enough. I don't want to date anyone at the moment” you said walking away from the group, Emma following you,” Did she tell you about us?” Draken asked,” Yeah, but I guess me asking her out fell through” he admitted,” Baji and her, were a dream couple, young yes, but everyone could see that they were meant to be. Give her time, to heal and maybe she wants to date you” Takemitchi said patting Kuroo’s back as he couldn't reach the Captain’s shoulder,” Wait, she dated Baji?” he said shocked,” Yes? I thought she told you everything”,” Well, she left that out” Kuroo said.

“Emma, I really do like him but Baji... he was my everything, I can’t just date Kuroo. If Baji didn’t die, I would still be with him, get married as soon as we left high school, opened our own pet shop, just be happy” you said sadly as Emma rubbed your back,” I know, I bet Baji even looked into weddings ring already, maybe find a law which allows the two of you to get married already” she chuckled making you laugh as well,” He was crazy for you, he loved making you happy. And he wants you to be happy, even if it wasn't with him, Kuroo seems like a nice guy from what you told me” Emma said,” It’s been only a month though since he died” Emma sighed and stroked your cheek,” Hey, Emma, can you give me and y/n a moment” Chifuyu said,”Emm sure” she said getting up,” Hey” he said softly,” Hey”,” Kuroo seems like a nice guy if isn’t throwing snide remarks at people mostly Mikey, who lucky enough for him was busy eating and then fell as sleep”,” He reminds me of Baji a bit, just the violence was replaced with snideness” you joked,” You like him, don’t you”,” Yeah and that’s my problem, Bali’s is dead for only a month and I already like someone else. I feel like-”,” a normal person, don’t feel bad about yourself. Baji wouldn't have wanted that, he hates seeing his Princess sad” he nudged you making you smile,” Here, Baji’s mom found in his things” he handed you a small bag, inside was your Toman jacket, you and Baji always wore each other's jackets so that everyone knew that you belonged to each other,” It still smells like him” you smiled tracing the laters of your name,” Look inside of the pocket” he said, you pulled a letter,” I can stay if you like?”,” Can you read it out to me, please?” Chifuyu nodded and gently took the letter from you.

To my Princess,

I know this sounds cliche but if you are reading this I’m probably dead. I want you to know that I would never betray Toman, but Kisaki is planning something and I want to find out what before telling Mikey, but that’s not why I’m writing you this. When I first saw you enter Mikey’s grandfather's dojo, I fell for you, I remember your hair being in pigtails, your mom holding your hand as you walked in nervously as you were the only girl in the dojo. I was so nervous talking to you, but Mikey helped by making his grandfather pair you up with me. I admit I made you win, but it was worth it being made fun of by the boys just to see your perfect smile. My mom still makes fun of me, she calls me a simp as she knows that I would do anything to make you smile, even if it meant studying. Mom even helped me to plan our first date, which went good until those Moebius guys showed up and caused trouble. I was worried that you get hurt as you were so tiny compared to them but you kicked their asses so well, I was so proud, that I just needed to kiss you. Your lips were just as imagined, perfect. People including my mom said I was rushing things when I said I wanted to marry you the second we finish high school, but I knew I found my soulmate in you. But unfortunately, this can't happen anymore, and I’m sorry Princess, that can't see you in a white dress, see you become a vet and open our pet shop together, have children but only if you wanted them. I’m sorry that I can’t be there when you are sad, but I don't want you to be sad, so please find someone who will treat you like deserve to be treated. Please take care of mom for me as well, she really likes you but not as much as I do. I will always be looking over you. Also yes, I already looked for rings and found one, please wear it, so you always have a piece of me with you. It belonged to my grandmother, Mom found it in the attic and gave it to me.

Love

Keisuke Baji.

Tears pooled in your eyes,” So that’s why he wanted me to delete his browser history” Chifuyu chuckled making you smile slightly,” It’s beautiful” you said as Chifuyu handed you the ring. It was simple, gold with an Opel stone in the middle, and around it was small flowers. You slipped it onto your ring finger, and it fitted perfectly,” Now, I just miss him more” you admitted pulling the jacket closer to you, taking in his scent,” But it gives clarity”

“Eye patch, told me you wanted to speak to me?” Kuroo said,” Yeah, Kuroo first  I’m sorry for not telling you about Baji and me and second I'm not ready to move on yet, I do really like you and maybe it’s because as you physically remind me of him, the black hair, lean but muscular figure, the cat-like eyes” Kuroo listened carefully,” I also don't want to drag you into this gang culture, I can't quite just know. I don't know if ever can but-”,” It’s okay y/n, I like you as well, I get it a lot of things are happening at the moment, I also need to focus on nationals right now. The only thing I ask for is for you to stay as our manager since you joined the fighting slowed down mostly between Kenma and Yamamoto”,” Of course, I stay, I really looking forward to the battle of the garbage dump” you teased,” It’s a battle not to be missed” he smiled,” Did someone say battle” Mikey asked,” Kuroo will be attending the nationals for volleyball”,” Oooh can we come” the Toman leader said,” Sure” Kuroo said.

10 years later

“A little bit to the left, left Chifuyu, that’s right. How did you become a pilot if you don't know left from the right” you said rubbing your stomach,” Hey, be nice to the person helping you out on your opening” the now dark-haired Chifuyu said,” I would have asked Kuroo but he’s busy with promotions with the Volleyball team, Draken and Emma are still on holiday with the kids and Mikey is well probably sleeping” you chuckled,” It’s also not just the opening of my pet shop/vet but also Kazutora will be realised today” you smiled,” Is that the reason Mitsuya can't come either, busy designing another dress for you?”,” Well for who else” you giggled,” Hey Keisuke, calm down. My poor bladder” you said,” Maybe naming our child after Baji wasn't a good idea, he already got his sense of destruction” Chifuyu joked,” haha, very funny” you stuck your tongue at your friend, you played with the Opel ring around your neck looking at the store,” It’s finally happening Baji, our dream came through” you smiled when you felt a pair of arms wrap around you,” Well you did work hard for it baby” Kuroo said kissing your cheek,”Hey Kei, it’s Daddy, did you behave for Mommy?” he asked your belly receiving a kick in response,” I think we got a football player on our hands”,” You mean Volleyball, a Volleyball player” you rolled your eyes playfully,”Of course, so long he doesn't cause trouble as his namesake, I would be fine with whatever” you smiled,” Same but he will be a Volleyball player. The store looks great by the way” he complimented,” Thanks, your wife is very bossy, more than she was in her teens” Chifuyu teased,” Hey guys, did I miss something?” Mikey asked, he rubbed his eyes and took a bite of his cookie,” Yeah, the banner, you idiot” you tapped his forehead making him frown,” Sorry, the martial arts class took longer than usual” he said,” Hot mom?” Mitsuya said,” You know it, Yoga instructor as well” he smirked,” Lucky guy,” Mitsuya said,” Here is the dress, my best maternity looks so far” he said handing you the dress,” Isn’t it crazy, who things changed over the last few years. Kazutora will be realised soon and be working for me, so will Takemitchi, Hina finds Vet’s hot apparently,” you said making everyone laugh,” Yeah, it’s crazy, thanks for sticking by me guys,” Mikey said,” Always, Toman might not exist as it used to be but it always be us,” you said,” Also thanks Kuroo, for making me happy again” you looked up at him,” Thanks for letting me make you happy” he kissed your forehead.

[bluandtherestlesshands]

Heartstrings

Chapter Seven: With Him and With You

For Mature Audiences

CW: None needed. Probably because Aizen doesn’t show up here. Very very mild gaslighting/manipulation from Shinji. He’s an ass.

“What’s the big idea getting my family involved!?” A particularly miffed Chisei said, grabbing at the man’s tie to bring his scrawny self down to her level. “First you hit on my sisters, not knowing they were 15, then you turn around and hit on me… And now you’re talking to my brother in school!? What’s your deal!?”

The feisty woman had just finished knocking some sense into some delinquents, many of which were trying to gang up on her younger brother. He was finishing up school, and he had a tough guy streak… Luckily for him, his smaller, older sister has an even bigger protective streak. Something this one blonde guy was really striking right now… Meanwhile he was blinking and wondering to himself how he found a woman of the same aggression levels of the shrimp… Questioning just how much he wanted to pursue things with this woman.

”Well you didn’t want to answer any of my questions, so I figured I’d ask your brother. I think his name’s Kibo?” The man hummed, his expression deadpan glancing over to the boys scrabbling away, “What’s the problem anyway? He approached me askin’ about the other night, ‘cause your sisters were bugging you about it. If you’re talkin’ about me, Doll, maybe you shouldn’t blab to your family…”

”Would you shut your mouth, Shinji, I-“ Chisei threw up her hands and released his tie, instead grabbing his arm. “Come on. You wanna talk, let’s talk.” She started practically dragging him, though it looked more like a child pulling along a babysitter. Once in a quieter spot, the woman let go and crossed her arms.

”If you wanted somewhere more private, all y’had to do was ask…” Shinji rubbed his neck, soon fiddling with his tie as if trying to get any creases out of it. “I don’t know why you’re so quiet about being a Quincy anyway, what’s the point? Not like anyone will know what that is. ‘Cept for people who can see Hollows.”

”Because that includes my family and that’s what I’ve tried telling you already?” The brunette huffed. “And my family has nothing to do with you following me around! Why do I keep running into you everywhere I go!?”

”You know, they say when you think more about someone you can pick them out of a crowd more easily. This town isn’t that big. So why are you thinkin’ about me so much, Doll?” Shinji smiled at her clenching her fists to hold back from doing something. For someone who was so eloquent when they first met, she had a tendency to sputter and short-circuit whenever challenged with creative wording.

”Because, you infuriating stick, I have another Shinigami bastard coming to separate my family again and here I am having to explain to my siblings that I’m not dating this random high schooler! You don’t even seem to care about how that could affect my job and my family’s income, but it’s all fine to you if you don’t have any consequences!” Chisei spoke in a very animated way, she was still steaming mad while she tried to point out the ways his actions could ruin not only her life, but that of her family’s. “My family can’t survive without my income, what about that don’t you understand??” Out of the corner of her eye, two black-haired heads started to approach her from behind.

”You think I’m with those guys? That’s cute, Doll. Though the high school does provide some good cover. And if people think we’re dating, that means we have another planned in the future… Unless you don’t count that club event. Aaaaand you’re not listening anymore are you-? What’re you doin’?” Shinji watched her curiously, in a quick move that looked like she only rolled up her sleeves a cell phone appeared in her hand. She held it up to her ear, and right on time two young girls came out.

”Sis, we were looking for you!” One of them called, waving to her. Chisei turned to them and smiled, showing she had a phone in her hand.

“Don’t say a damn word.” She said under her breath, glaring over her shoulder. ”I gotta call you back, family matter- Yup, sounds good. Bye.” It was down to a science as Chisei flipped the phone closed and stuffed it into her pocket, waving to her younger sisters. Twin girls in Ichigo’s grade, appearance wise, they were pretty similar but their personalities drastically differed. As they approached, not once did they look in Shinji’s direction. “Heyyy! You guys and Kibo okay?”

”He went to the library after school. Guess whateveryou told him finally got through.” The same girl said.

”Either that or he realized he’s not a kid anymore.” The other mentioned, checking her nails. “Speaking of kid, whatever happened to that Paperboy guy? Kibo said something to him but there’s no way that guy’s our age right?”

”Apparently he’s in the same class as Ichigo, right? He can’t be younger than Kibo, there’s no way…”

At that point it clicked, Shinji’s eyes widened at the realization. He didn’t use his gigai that day. The girls couldn’t see him. Guess the little Quincy woman he had been pestering was telling the trtth.

”Ugh, that guy…” Chisei put a hand to her head, shaking it. “I don’t know his age and I’m not taking the chance. If he’s not an adult, that’s that. Never mind everything else… Oh, and Heiwa-“ She pointed her finger at the second twin, making the girl look up. “Don’t go looking for him. I don’t care to find out, and he’s trouble.”

”Aw man…” Heiwa groaned. “If he was old enough though, he’d be the first guy closer to your age than the other guys who hit on you…”

”She’s right… At least it wasn’t some fat businessman type who’s older than dad.” The other mused. “The last guy tried to pull you in for some modeling, right?”

“Tsuito!” The brunette groaned, though she wasn’t looking she could almost feel that cocky smug grin behind her head. “Listen, I got called in to fix something at work… Those idiots bugging Kibo went crying home, it should be all clear. Can you take care of dinner tonight for mom and dad?”

”I’ll let Kibo know it’s safe whenever he’s done studying.” Tsuito took out her own phone and started to text him. “Any idea when you’ll be home?”

”No clue, but if I’m late for dinner then don’t worry. I can always grab something to eat later.” Chisei gave them a wave, she started to walk away from the two while they went about their business.

Shinji, frozen for a moment, then hurried after her. “Look at that. You really weren’t kidding…” He said. “Seems like they weren’t kidding about your dating luck either… Old fat businessmen? Sheesh.”

”That’s what you got from that conversation!?” Chisei hissed, maintaining the volume of her voice to not draw attention. She looked at him incredulously, before shaking her head and sighing. “…Yes. To both. I’m in my prime, my dating life sucks, and I’m a Quincy who was adopted by a bunch of humans. Happy?” The woman started to walk down the street.

“It certainly explains your reactions. Not so much the Shinigami bit…” He commented, keeping in stride with her. “I’m sure you can tell me more about that. And seeing as you mentioned not being home for dinner… Sounds to me like you’re free tonight.”

”… You jackass, how did you do that??” She rolled her eyes and sighed, running a hand through her hair. “Okay, fine… Fine. If you’re that pressed to know… You got an ID to get into bars?”

”Course I do. ‘Cept I left it in my other body, so… Spirits by the mall, 6pm?” Shinji suggested, hands in his pockets while he gave her a wink. “Wear somethin’ with orange. It’ll suit you.”

”Guess I’m going there early because I don’t own anything orange, and the mall might have something… Didn’t know you had color preferences for a first date.” She scoffed and pulled out her wallet, fingering through the bills she had to count them.

”Is that more of a third or fifth date thing for you?” He chuckled. “Trust me. You’ll enjoy it. And maybe you can treat yourself for once. I get the feeling you don’t do that too often…”

“Hopefully that bar isn’t too loud.” She noted, then turned to him. “Okay…I’ll see you at six?”

”It’s a date.” The man grinned down to the woman, next thing she knew he had shunpo’d away and left her to her own devices…

~~~~~~~~

By the time 6 pm had arrived, the blonde man had settled himself into a booth with a bit of scotch in his glass. He figured being early would help him find a more secluded spot. As much as he would’ve enjoyed having the open bar, or on the other end of the spectrum, a corner booth so he could slide next to her, they’d have to settle for something more standard. He had a feeling this wouldn’t be a normal date anyway.

He swirled the contents of the glass, glancing up at the door when he heard the bell ring. From there he had to do a double take, staring in awe. “I’ll be damned, you did it…” Shinji hummed. In walked Chisei, dressed in a tasteful orange dress with a brown belt across the waist. A very wide neck followed by long sleeves, and just above knee length. She wore small brown heels, not giving her too much height, but just enough that he knew he’d have to watch her leave. The brunette scanned the bar, though as soon as she saw that telltale haircut she started her approach. Thanking a member of staff who offered to help, but she found who she needed. Chisei gave Shinji a small wave and smile, not wanting to draw too much attention.

”By the gods, woman, who knew you could clean up this good?” He leaned over to eye her legs while she slid into her side of the booth. “Looks like I was right though… Orange suits you.”

”It’s really not that much…” Chisei tucked some hair behind her ear, setting her bag beside her before clearing her throat. “…You look good.”

”Way to sound enthused, I’ll be sure to return the favor.” He took a sip of the scotch, sliding her the drink menu. “Hey, on the bright side… We have some alone time. Now the question is… How much dating experience do you have?”

”Huh-?” She balked before that scowl returned, sighing. “Admittedly… Not much. Don’t find the free time. Not between the family and helping out with hollows…”

”So you do help. That was one of my questions.” Shinji eyed the menu in front of her then pointed out one of the names. “This seems like something you’d like.”

”That would be, but I’m feeling wine tonight.” Chisei thought, checking the wine list. “I’ll try the plum wine, sounds interesting.” The woman looked ready to flag down one of the staff but Shinji beat her to it, leaving her surprised.

”Can I help you, sir?”

”Can we get a glass of the plum wine for the lady?” He asked, to which the waiter nodded and quickly walked back towards the bar. The ‘lady’ gave him a confused look, raising a brow.

”Okay, so… Are you paying for all this?” She questioned, “I can pay for myself…”

”You could, but I’m pretty sure I asked you out and you were just going on about your family’s money problems… In fact, you should take a night to live a little before you gotta go back to that life.” Shinji said, glancing over when the waiter brought over her wine glass. She nodded a quick thank you, taking a small sip of the drink before giving a pleased hum.

“Alright. So you’re not with the Shinigami, but clearly have the powers of one.” Chisei noted. “You’re also following Ichigo around like a lost puppy which… Different issue, he can figure that out. Then we meet and you start following me around because… I’m a Quincy and you’re more interested because I’m not one of the Quincies you know… Am I missing anything?”

”That sums it up. The Ishidas I’m aware of but there’s never been a Kudake… And you’ve been here your whole life.” He tapped his finger on his glass. “Another interesting layer was added today because your sisters couldn’t see me earlier, so Kudake isn’t your birth name…”

”If you could find it, I’d love to know.” She commented, staring down into her wine. “I was adopted. The old paperwork didn’t list my birth parents’ names, the house was ransacked, there wasn’t anything to identify them.” Glancing back up, Chisei could only smile to try and lighten the mood. “I don’t know what life would’ve been like if I was raised by them… Guess it was a good thing they didn’t give me this until I was 18.” She held up her left wrist to present the cross.

”So… Adopted, oldest sibling. I’m thinking it’s safe to guess that you never received any formal training either… Your fighting style is like nothing I’ve ever seen before.” He thought about it, setting the glass down. “Guess I only have one more question about this…”

”Yes?”

”How did you manage to piss off some Soul Reaper and live to tell me about it?”

“My Lady??” Knock, knock, knock. “Lady Chisei, your breakfast is here!”

What.

The woman blinked and looked around the room, remembering the monochrome that surrounded her… Remembering what she had done the night before. Chisei sat up, only to gasp and flinch at the sudden twinge of pain. Prickles of pain along her neck and chest, and a tender soreness made her core ache… That was right. Last night. She looked over to his side of the bed, covering herself with the sheet. He wasn’t beside her. Though he couldn’t have woken her up to say goodbye? “…Must’ve had something to do this morning…” She mumbled aloud, another series of knocks made her turn to the door. “Yes, I’m coming! Thank you!”

The woman slowly eased herself out of the bed, wincing. He did promise to make it difficult to walk, and he was true to his word. She staggered her way over to her closet to get dressed, opening the door to a pleasant surprise. A soft bathrobe. He must have requested it for this occasion, something comfortable to wear during this ‘down day’… It didn’t cover all the bite marks, but it was better than getting fully dressed.

”Okay… Day off. Unwind. No distractions…” Chisei said to herself, tying the robe gently before she paused. What on earth was she dreaming about before that servant came by? Something pleasant from the past, or… As pleasant as it could be with him involved.

Why was she thinking so much of Shinji after her night with Aizen? Wasn’t she happy with who she chose?

[lazysublimeengineer]

of glamorous appearances and intrigues

Summary: One shot sequel to Umbrella Man.

Everyone is here for the infamous Takemichi Hanagaki.

And enticing him to join in their own gang has proven to be difficult than they initially thought.

Characters: Senju K., Takemichi H. & I. Wakasa

Draken watched warily the surroundings around them. His face and stomach still hurt like fucking hell after he was punched like a sack of potatoes by that bastard Terano. Nevertheless, that was the least of his worries and his major concern now was the nervous, scrawny blond beside him as every gang leader present here wanted to swoop Takemichi right away into their gang once they managed to convince him to join their team.

Fuck, their crybaby hero was always a magnet for trouble and dangerous people.

He can’t even imagine the clusterfuck that they’ll have to face if Mikey and his gang arrives here all of a sudden.

The tension has gotten too thick now that one could sliced it with a bread knife once the gang leader of Brahman and the top 2 of the three deities, Kawaragi Senju, has arrived here with a dramatic entrance of landing a solid kick to the face of Terano after distracting him of his flying umbrella.

Served him right. That fucking bastard.

Draken glanced at Takemichi with a neutral expression on his face. The poor boy was getting more nervous and bewildered by the events unfolding in front of him. He needed to remind him to keep his shit together and refrain from making any sudden, impulsive decisions that he may predictably regret in the end. However, before he could even speak to him, a loud smacking sound into the ground had caught his attention and his eyes landed on Shion being plummeted by a severe punch of another newcomer that made Draken instantly cautious and alert.

“You’re a disgrace to Black Dragon! So, cut that shit already!” The man yelled ferociously to Shion who was sporting a chin strap style beard.

Draken could see that Takemichi flinched from the corner of his eyes.

“That’s Benkei-kun, from the First Gen.” Inui’s stated calmly and he stored it from the back of his mind.

Well, they’re in deep shit. And it doesn’t really help that the added unwanted guests who kept coming into this fray made his hackles rose.

Draken guessed that he had no choice but to fight their way out of this one. A wide grin crossed his features and readied his body into a fighting stance.

“Its been a while since this engine has gotten heated up! Let’s get this party started!”

Takemichi blinked a few times as he stared at Senju who already stood up to his full height while holding his umbrella calmly and stared at Terano with a blank expression on his face.

“Hold on. This little guy…Is Brahman’s boss?” Takemichi mumbled to himself, a slight look of disbelief and confusion marring his youthful features.

Takemichi knew that he shouldn’t judge a book by its cover and underestimate the people around him. He already learned it the hard way from his past experiences. Nevertheless, it still took him by surprise sometimes on how could a small and young-looking person could pack a certain punch to his knuckles and deliver a roundhouse kick that would send them into a fitful sleep.

It made Takemichi wary yet intrigued by this innocent looking gang leader of the Brahman. He surmised that his deep-seated eyes and ingenuous features had somewhat landed him in being underestimated by the other gangsters who doesn’t know what he’s capable of.

Just like with Shion who was now questioning his presence and capabilities.

But before he could even mull about it for any longer, his attention was fully caught when someone just socked Shion directly into his face that made him fall down like a ragdoll into the ground. The newcomer made him flinched and grimaced in an instant as he looked at them with wide eyes.

“Senju! Brahman is not here today to brawl! Our objective is Hanagaki Takemichi!” The man berated Senju harshly.

“You’re so loud Benkei.” Senju replied dispassionately, unaffected by the man’s infuriating voice directed at him.

“Oh yeah! I’ve completely forgotten it too! They’re here to scout me…But why?” Takemichi tried to rattle every possibility inside his brain for a reason why most of them wanted to recruit him to their own gang suddenly.

“If Takemichi wishes to return to the world of delinquency…He belongs to us, Rokuhara Tandai!” Kakucho announced firmly after he landed a solid punch to Benkei and sent him flying into the corner.

“Kaku-chan!” Takemichi exclaimed in disbelief as his thoughts were cut off by his sudden action and bold announcement.

“Right Takemichi?” Kakucho looked at him square in the eye.

“Uh! Um…” Takemichi replied intelligently. His face was bewildered yet conflicted at the same time.

Does he really need to choose here? Right now? But how could he know if he made the right decision of accepting an offer from one of these gangs? Won’t he regret it in the end?

Takemichi could feel his mind was about to explode from the onslaught of rapid thoughts and information. Quick decision making was never his strong suit and he can probably make a goddamn mistake again from the pressure of this tense situation.

Senju was quiet and was still sporting an unflappable expression on his face despite the bold attack and claims of Kakucho. But his eyes narrowed imperceptibly and his grip tightened on his umbrella. A slight dislike wormed its way to his very being as he watched Kakucho tried to convinced Takemichi to join them by putting him on the spot. He could sensed the waves of conflicting emotions radiating off Takemichi as he tried and failed to give a proper response.

At times like this, they also had to draw out their trump card to neutralize the situation and gain Takemichi’s hand and favor. He wouldn’t let the other gangs swept Takemichi off of his feet and win him over. He’d have to play every trick on this game to outsmart them and win this blond who possessed those electrifying blue eyes which could be their weapon against them. Senju gave a subtle glance to Akashi to which the latter understood and signaled for their top executive to enter the scene.

“This gets the blood pumping, doesn’t it, Waka?” Akashi stated with a lazy grin on his face.

“No, it doesn’t.” A young man suddenly appeared behind Kakucho which made him surprised and fell backwards.

“When did you—?”

“If I cared enough, this guy wouldn’t be standing alive.” Wakasa cut him off with a bored look etched into his face.

‘These monsters come out one after another!’ Takemichi thought incredulously.

“Hey! Don’t just appear glamorously out of nowhere Waka!” Benkei yelled furiously.

“I’m just following Senju’s orders.” Wakasa replied nonchalantly.

A series of murmurs and mutterings then erupted from the other gangsters who were also bystanders from the corners.

Nevertheless, Wakasa tuned them out as his disinterested gaze landed on the infamous Hanagaki Takemichi.

So, this was the one huh?

The notorious morale weapon of the Touman gang in the past.

There was nothing exceptional to this man and he possessed a face that he could probably forget after 2 days of meeting him. Nevertheless, despite his scrawny appearance and the fearful stance in front of them, Takemichi’s eyes caught him the most. It was the shade of a perfect blue that reminds of peaceful skies in the Spring. It’s also expressive and open that he could read every emotion and obvious thought from them. He gleaned that Takemichi was an honest and sincere type of guy.

A refreshing breathe of fresh air into their world that’s full of ragtag delinquents and decrepit liars.

Wakasa casually made his way towards the scrawny blond and crossed his personal space, staring at him intently in the eye.

“Hanagaki Takemichi. We’re here to scout you. Join us, will you?” Wakasa stated in a detached voice as he continued to study the multitude of expressions that flit across his face from his statement alone.

Takemichi stepped backwards, taken aback by Wakasa’s sudden proximity around him and his intense stare. He swallowed thickly as he looked back at him hesitantly. The top executive was sporting a bland yet expectant look on his face as if waiting for his confirmation to join them instead. His long, ponytailed locks that have some streaks of highlights reminded him of Kazutora’s style and his dead yet intense stare reminded him of Sanzu.

A shiver ran down his spine.

He just oozes danger and trouble yet Takemichi can’t tear his eyes away from him as if he was briefly captivated by those intense eyes that was boring right into his soul.

An imperceptible sigh broke him out of his strange trance and he turned his attention to Senju who was looking at them with an indifferent expression on his face.

Senju pursed his lips as his line of sight caught Wakasa invading the personal space of the blond, a flare of annoyance started to creeped into his veins before he inwardly sighs and clamped it down.

Now was not the right time to pay attention to these odd yet irritating sensations that were engulfing his brain.

“Don’t scare him like that Waka. Our main goal is to scout Takemichi.” Senju stated bluntly.

Wakasa stepped away from him. But his gaze lingered on Takemichi for a few seconds before he trained his attention to Senju. “Right. I understand. Sorry if I’m coming out too strong for you Takemichi.”

Takemichi chuckled nervously before he stepped beside Inui, trying to calm down his stuttering heart.

What the hell was happening to him?

“Hanagaki. Those are the living legends. Waka and Benkei. They’re the best duo from the 1st Gen Black Dragon! And then, 1stGen Vice President, “The God of War” Akashi Takeomi. This is…The founding members of 1st Gen Black Dragon.” Inui informed him calmly.

Takemichi absorbed Inui’s words, digesting them inside his head. So, this was the generation led by Mikey’s brother, Shinichiro Sano. And now, these living legends were being led by the mysterious deity in front of them and was coined the “Unmatched Kawaragi Senju.”

With Senju leading these men in the front, it already gave him an idea of how immensely powerful this enigmatic man in front of him. And it made his curiosity peaked around—

“What the hell are you guys hyping each other for?”

Draken’s loud voice cut off his wandering thoughts and looked at him with a befuddled expression on his face.

“Should we continue where we left off?”

Before Takemichi can get a word in, Draken was was already challenging Terano again to a fist fight and cracking his knuckles, a vicious grin was present on his face.

“W-what is going on now?” Takemichi stammered as he could feel his soul leave out of his body.

Were they seriously going to fight now?!

Meanwhile, Wakasa and Senju watched Takemichi from afar, his anxious flailing made them amuse and fascinated.

They both know that getting this blond into their gang would make things more interesting and they’ll make sure to win him over to their team by any means necessary.

(A/N: I don’t own any of these characters from the franchise. Only this insane fic of mine. Apologies in advance if some of them are OOC especially the new ones as I tried to make them in character. Wakasa only appeared in the few panels of the manga but I tried to connect his characterization basing from his few dialogues and behavior to this fic of mine. This was inspired by the events of chapter 213 of the manga. Chapter 213 was funny and wild. The boys are fighting over Takemichi and wants a piece of him. And ofc. The glamorous appearance of the cool yet distant Wakasa has haunted my shipping ass and couldn’t resist adding him to Takemichi’s harem. So, what’s the appropriate ship name for this newborn ship? Wakamichi or Wakatake? Or you have something cooler ship name in mind? Let me know your thoughts in the comment section.)

[unfriendlyamazon]

pacific rim (kaijou) - chase the rabbit

very telling of me that the scenes i have fully written out are 1) kaijou hitting each other with sticks, 2) seto kaiba’s worst memory, and 3) kaijou’s first kiss

characters Joey Wheeler/Seto Kaiba

ratings T

warnings Allusions To Childhood Abuse, Parental Death, And Electrocution, Mass Destruction Of Major City, Alien Blood

All Joey and Seto have to do is waltz through each other’s memories so they can mind meld in order to properly pilot a giant dragon-shaped robot. Nothing to worry about there.

The Ultimate Dragon stood in her dock, a beast of white metal that reflected blue with the bright energy that burned in her chest. Her legs were bent forward, like an animal’s, and a long tail balanced it, ending in a spike that curved on the floor of the Shatterdome. Three separate blue domes made her eyes. Her arched reptilian head sneered down at the personnel on the floor hundreds of feet below it. Joey stood on the Conn-Pod of Ultimate Dragon and peered down with her. He could just make out the faces in the control room. The techs were bent low in their work as the scientists bickered with each other. The stone faced General Kaiba stared up. Joey stuck his tongue out at him, knowing he couldn’t see.

“Are you always a child?” the other Kaiba drawled, and Joey jumped back.

“Someone has to be the fun one around around here,” he snapped back and walked to his position in the pilot’s seat. Two spinal clamps awaited them. The drivesuit was heavy and black, and he sucked in a breath as he got into position. “You nervous?”

“No,” Kaiba said. His blue eyes watched him, the helmet held in his hand. It was both their first time in a Jaeger, but Kaiba had built the damn thing. His solid stance didn’t betray any uncertainty. “You’re taking the right side.”

Joey shrugged. “You wanna fight about it?”

He only shook his head and pulled the helmet on. Joey followed suit. Beyond the domed eyes of the Dragon, the techs initialized testing mode. Heavy blue lights washed out the dark cockpit, and the yellow lights of their helmets lined their faces. The clamp initialized, and Joey sucked in a breath. He glanced at Kaiba, who offered him his usual scowl.

“Don’t chase the rabbit,” Kaiba said.

Joey blinked. “What?”

“Random Access Brain Impulse Triggers,” he repeated,  and Joey bristled at his tone. “Sticking to a memory is dangerous. It pulls us out of sync. Stay in the drift.”

Joey hissed through his teeth. He wanted to say he knew, thank you, he’d done his training, but the truth was, as the sickly yellow relay gel filled his visor, he appreciated the sound of another human voice. Vision blocked, he sucked in a breath as though he was drowning. The suit was contained, only the sound of his breath, and the metallic slide of the clamp locking into place. Anxiety jangled his nerves, and he forced himself to breath in, and out. Relax, he told himself. You’re just letting Kaiba waltz through your memories so the two of you can mind meld in order to properly pilot a giant dragon-shaped robot. Nothing to worry about there.

“Neural handshake initialized,” the computer said, and it was the only warning they had before they were pulled into the drift.

There aren’t words to describe the drift. Pilots tried. Scientists could only explain. None of it prepared Joey for the feeling of his head opening up. Memories poured in like a river, too fast to cling, like flashes from a movie but more. Him at the Wall with Yugi offering him a position in the program, the too clean smell of the hospital bedroom with the drip of the IV, Serenity’s face wet from crying as she got further and further away, electricity against his skin and the sharp smell of skin burning with the laughs of the other boys in his ear, interlaced with things he didn’t recognize. Kaiba with a neural spike in his hand as he stooped across a desk, exhaustion hitting like a truck, the strike of a hand against his face and the white hot anger that flared inside him, the feel of a deck of cards beneath his fingertips as his brother laughed, holding his hand as their world ended.

The drift carried through, and Joey felt bigger than himself. When he opened his eyes, he could see the holo display, the Shatterdome curled around them like a shell, and the life signatures of the humans beneath staring up at them. He was aware, as he lifted his hands, that Kaiba was doing the same, rolling the clawed fingers of the Dragon as they did their own hands. The core of the Dragon set the metronome of their heartbeat. They raised their hands together, and outside the Dragon did the same. Relief burst in his chest, and he wasn’t sure if it was his or Kaiba’s, but it didn’t matter. They were doing it. They were piloting the Jaeger.

The memory stream continued but it was little more than white noise. Joey’s muscles tightened with the desire to take this baby for a joy ride. He wanted to see everything it could do. The excitement was doubled with his partner. Once initial testing was finished, they’d get their chance at the first Kaiju they saw. They’d let Ultimate Dragon go wild. Joey grinned at the thought and knew it was mimicked across Kaiba’s face. He wanted to get wild.

“Commencing first test,” the computer said, and beneath that was another voice. Small and weak, like a child crying. It took Joey a second to recognize it, but Kaiba’s body froze. It locked his own limbs, and he had to push against it. The computer was still talking, but it faded lower and lower beneath the sobbing Japanese voice. Joey turned his head, and he could see Kaiba standing there, eyes up to the sky, as the crying grew louder and louder. He looked up too and--

He was in Tokyo, with its uneven buildings rising and falling spreading neon light across the cold empty street a siren wailing through the thick air and ash falling like snow against the ground. The air burned and the world was empty everyone was in the shelters below everyone who as going to make it which left him alone with his little brother curled in his arms crying and crying their parents were gone lost amid the rubble and the ruin and it was all he could do to hold his brother tight like his tiny body could protect him like he could do anything at all against the rumble of something heavy that shook the glass from the buildings and cracked the concrete beneath its feet leave concave holes and destruction behind it its gold body reflected off the tall buildings and it turned to look at the children in its path its frill fanned out like a cobra’s head streaked with purple and its mouth lipless with tall sharp teeth that stretched in an ugly smile and gold spikes rose off it like armor as its heavy claws dragged against the ground it was coming for them it was tracking them like an animal like a shark smelling blood in the water and he buried his head and held his brother and heard the terrible howl of the great beast.

The comms in the Dragon were screaming from the control room the panicked calls of the Shatterdome techs trying to reign them back in, but they were little more than a dull ache in the back of Joey’s head. His eyes were ahead as he found himself in the ruined streets of Tokyo on the day Exodia had crossed the breach. In front of him were two children. They huddled close together, too close to really see them, but he already knew who they were.

“H-hey.” His voice was distant, but he started forward and shouted again, “Hey! Kaiba!”

The children didn’t move. In front of them, the Kaiju stood tall and imposing, leaning down to inspect the two mice caught in its path. The city was eerie and quiet, only the great huffing of the beast and the quiet gasps of the children. If they moved, the creature would crush them. If they didn’t, they’d be crushed anyway. Their fear quaked inside Joey as he crouched down beside them.

“You’re in a nightmare,” he said. Baby Kaiba only squeezed his brother tighter. “It’s not real. You lived through this already, you--”

The air shuddered and boomed, and both Joey and Kaiba looked up as a blast struck the Kaiju in the head. Blue blood splattered across the buildings, and the Kaiju staggered, before another missile strike downed it entirely. It fell to its heavy knees, groaning loudly as it landed against the ground. Wind brushed against their faces as the thud shook the empty streets, raining glass and debris to the floor. The two brothers stared up as the Jaeger marched forward. At the sight of the horned head of Necross, Kaiba rose slowly to his feet, and Joey did the same. The Jaeger was safety and retribution, coming to pluck two orphaned children off the street, to bring them up and give them tools to fight the monsters that scared them. It was supposed to save them.

“System shutting down,” the computer voice bled through the memory and tore it like tissue paper. As soon as the spinal link snapped free, Joey staggered forward. He tore his helmet off and stared at Kaiba, who looked like he was waking up from a dream. His chest heaved as he stared down at his own hands. Trickling into Joey’s mind was the shame, the bitter taste of failure, stupid and worthless and wasting his one chance--

“Kaiba,” Joey said, and it felt strange to have his own voice inside his head again. “You’re okay.”

Kaiba’s gaze whipped to him, wide eyed, and tears running down his cheeks. Instinctually, Joey reached a hand to him. Kaiba turned away.

“You did fine,” Joey said again. “It was our first time. Now we know better.”

“I don’t need your sympathy, Wheeler,” Kaiba snapped. A tremor made it through. “I don’t want it.”

Joey held in a breath and let his hands drop to his side. The fading emotions hadn’t gone completely. When he thought of Gozaburo in the control room below, a residual spike of anger drove its way into Joey’s skull. But he swallowed it down.

“You’re such an asshole, Kaiba,” Joey said.

“And you’re even more a delinquent than I could’ve possibly guessed,” he replied.

Equilibrium restored.

[random-mha-thoughts]

Bad Boy (Todoroki x Reader)

Pairing: Todoroki x Reader

Genre: Angst to fluff, and a lil spice ;), No quirk!AU

Summary: You finally get to see your childhood friend Shouto after years of being separated only to find out he’s completely changed.

BGM: “Younger” by Ruel

Word count: 2,781

Tags:  @yuki-osaki​ @liviitehe​ @iamsoftsodonttoucheume-blog​ @bunnythepipsqueak​

a/n: God this photo fucked me up good when I first saw it.

I saw this picture on my search for images for my last Todo post aaaaand yeah, pretty self explanatory. I got to thinking, what if this poor baby finally snapped one day and was like "FUCK ENDEAVOR AND HIS ENTIRE PROGRAM, IM NOBODY'S MASTERPIECE" and he went the complete opposite direction. So enjoy a little bit of OOC Todoroki and a bit of a longer post than my usual stuff!

I’m really really sorry about not updating in the past few days.  I was really swamped by college work and studying, and I was mentally exhausted and physically tired every day.  Today wasn’t my day and I almost had a breakdown because a lot of things piled up in me, but I had to pull myself together somehow.  Hopefully, after this week, I’ll go back to a somewhat regular posting schedule.  Thanks for being patient with me guys, I really appreciate it :)

When my mom told me Shouto will be going to the same high school as me, I was expecting the same buttoned-up, shy, good boy from elementary school.  Oh boy, was I wrong.

The boy I bump into in the hallway definitely looks like Shouto, but the only thing that's the same is his mismatched hair and eyes.  Everything else about him was much different.  His entire energy was different, even from the fraction of a second I focused on his face.

"Shouto?" I call when he's about to brush past me.

I don't think he's expecting someone to know him on the first day, pausing and looking down curiously.

The most shocking feature of all is the scar on his left side, a red blotch that covers the left side of his face, starkly contrasting his brilliant turquoise eye; a single ray of light in a scarlet sky.

As I'm gaping at the puckered skin, his eyebrows furrowing at my face as recognition slowly dawns on him.  "(Y/n)?"

I'm relieved that he at least remembers me.  "Yeah, hey."  I don't really know what to do now.  My first instinct is to hug him, but something tells me he isn't a fan of that sort of thing anymore.  There's a coldness between us that's thick as a knife.  "How have you been?"

"Fine," he answers curtly.  His hands are stuffed into his pockets, leaning back in a way that seems uncharacteristic of him and more like a ruffian.

Does his not want to talk to me?  I don't blame him, I haven't been in his life for a good eight years.  "How are your parents?"

His jaw clenches.  "Fine."

Oh.  I struck a nerve.  "Do you wanna catch up at lunch?  What class are you in?"

"1-A."  Overjoyed that we share the same class, I'm about to open my mouth, but he interjects, "But I don't think we should talk."  That was the last thing he said before he strolls past me.

I'm stunned, following his receding back through the sea of students.  I guess I shouldn't have brought up his parents when I know it's a sensitive topic, but I didn't know what else to say.  And it's probably awkward to see someone you used to be close to talk to you again, but the least he could've been is polite.  That's saying something, because Shouto was always the polite child.

Something is terribly wrong here.

Shouto has definitely changed since we were younger.  He's become a delinquent.

He never even shows up to class.  After our little encounter, he was slumped in his seat until the teacher finished role call, then he just got up and walked out in the middle of class and never came back.  In all the days after that, his seat remained empty even at the beginning of the day.

At first, I gave him the benefit of the doubt.  What if he happened to get sick and had to stay home?  Then I saw his signature mismatched tuft of hair walking back home in the school yard, and I knew he was skipping.

After a whole two weeks passed of him skipping, I had enough.  The Shouto I know would never cut class even if his life depended on it.  During lunch, I went looking for him in the group of other delinquent kids in the back of the school.

"Todoroki?" the ash-blond ringleader ruffles his hair and scoffs, "Idiot must be off somewhere by himself like the damn loner he is.  He picked a fight with me and I almost beat his ass into oblivion!"

I ball my fists up, more angry at Shouto than the group of boys eyeing me like a pack of wolves.  "You guys are useless," I mumble, about to turn away from them.

"Aww, is he your boyfriend, sweetie?" the honey blond with a black streak in his hair smoothly wraps an arm around me.  "He probably doesn't care about you, you deserve someone else who'll give you his time."

"Fuck off, who said you can touch me?"  I shove his arm away and step back.

"Calm down there," the red head with sharp teeth taunts with a smirk, "You're getting a bit defensive.  You sure you don't need help looking for your little prince?"

"I'm fine on my own, thanks," I huff, turning around to go look for Shouto elsewhere.

"Maybe I'll come with you," the overly-friendly boy blocks my way again.  "If he's not your boyfriend, maybe we can get together sometime?"

"Not interested.  Out of my way, Pikachu reject."  I try to side-step him, but the leader grabs the back of my collar and whips me around so I'm face to face with his bared teeth.

"You're a bit rude, aren't you?  Should I pull your head out your ass for you?"  His crimson eyes glare his murderous intent into me.

I hold my ground, the anger against my irresponsible friend more powerful than any fear of this hothead possibly hurting me.  "Don't act so tough if your talk is cheap."

He cracks his knuckles without breaking eye contact with me.  "I'll show you cheap talk.  Try waking up next week after I'm done with you!" he snarls.

I mirror his expression.  I don't mind throwing hands at this guy if I have to, blood rushing through me to prepare for the fist fight.  "I dare you-!"

"Enough, (Y/n)."

I can feel his presence right behind me even though he doesn't physically touch me.

Scarlet eyes shift behind me.  "Took you long enough, hot shot.  Your friend has just as much spunk as you, I'll kick both your asses!"

"I'd like to see you try, Bakugou," Shouto responds coldly.  "We both know who'd win."  Keeping his gaze locked on the aggressive male, he harshly grabs my arm and hauls me away.  "Let's go."

I'm fuming with anger when we're back inside the building.  I turn on him when he finally releases me, but he's already starting down the hall.  "Don't walk away from me!  We need to talk!"  I stomp over, following him to an abandoned classroom.  "What the hell is wrong with you?!  First of all, you were a real ass when I talked to you last week.  Second of all, you're not even coming to class like you should.  And now you're already picking fights with that idiot out there?  What's gotten into you Shouto?!"

"You were about to get into a fight as well.  You should thank me," he comments coldly, slipping into a desk with books open on top.

"I could've handled it just fine without you!  The only reason I was even there talking to them was because I was looking for you!"  I hover over him, glaring down so he can tell how angry I am.  "You'e skipped class all week, this isn't like you at all!  How are you supposed to catch-?"

One glance down the the open books shows all the material we've been going over in class.  He's already caught up to today's lesson, writing notes in his book and ignoring my presence.  The entire setup makes me angrier.  "I don't understand you, Shouto.  What kind of act are you trying to pull?  You're not a delinquent, why are you trying to act like one for everyone else?   Or is this all because you're just trying to ignore me?"

His pencil stops moving and it slams down onto the desk.  "A lot happened since you left, (Y/n)," the boy responds.  His quivering voice indicates restriction of intense emotion.

The hurt is apparent across his entire face, calming me down.  My gaze lingers on the left side of his features, over the eye that somehow looks perpetually sad.  "How did you get that scar, Shouto?"

The boy's eyebrows furrow.  "My father never let up on me after you left, and he got worse.  My mother couldn't handle fighting him on her own anymore.  One day, she snapped, told me how unsightly my left side was, and pouring boiling water over my face."  His large hand gingerly covers his reddened skin.  "And my bastard father put her in a mental institution after that.  He did this."

My heart aches for my childhood friend, the boy I took care of and listened to all his problems.  I can't imagine how much pain Rei was going through.  For her to have lost it, she must've held such a heavy burden.  When I had to move away, I felt so guilty about leaving him with all his troubles.  He had no one else to reach out to and it was snatched from him.  There wasn't a day I stopped thinking and worrying over him.  I reach to take his hand and offer comfort.  "Shou-"

Shouto bolts up from his seat, his taller figure hunching over mine, features screwed up in distaste.  "You weren't there when I needed you most."

I'm taken back, hurt more than anything.  "It's not my fault, we were so much younger, I didn't have a choice but to go with my parents."

A dark chuckle erupts from his lips, dismissing my excuses.  "It's fine.  It happened, I've learned to deal with it."

I'm about to blow my top with this kid.  "Yeah, you've dealt really well, haven't you?" I roll my eyes.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

My mouth gapes, letting out a sputtered scoff.  "You're kidding.  Just look at you!  You're pretending to be someone you're not!  You and I both know you were never the bad boy type when we were kids.  You're the slightly awkward, naturally smart, driven, hardworking-"

"I was only those things because my father forced them on me," he passes by me, crossing his arms.  "I don't want to be anything that bastard wants anymore.  And if you can't see that, then we were never friends in the first place."

That's a stab in the chest.  How can he say that we were never friends when we used to do everything together?  A surge of fury rushing through me, I grab his arm to keep him from moving any farther.  "You love watching superhero cartoons, your favorite was All Might.  Sometimes, you're so damn lazy that instead of doing homework when you came home, you would sneak in a nap before your dad came home to see you slacking off.  Your favorite food in the entire world is cold soba.  You don't like extremely sweet desserts.  You've always been insecure about how strange your mismatched hair and eyes look, but I always had to assure you that you're still the most handsome guy in our class."

Shouto halfway turns around to look at me.

"If we weren't friends, why do I know so much about you?"  I take another bold step towards him, softening at the underlying pain etched into his features.  "I know you always hated the way your dad expects so much from you.  The only thing you ever wanted in your childhood was to be normal.  The pressure finally crumbled down on you and your mom, and I'm sorry I wasn't there to help you through it.  But you shouldn't abandon everything that you are.  You took after your mom more than your dad; you're sometimes a sassy son of a bitch, but you're kind and have a deep respect for people you admire.  You have a natural sense of humor that you don't even know you have.  You care about the people you're close to, you only struggle with communicating how you feel sometimes."

His lips part slightly, processing everything I just showered onto him.  Guilt eventually creeps up on him, choosing to rub the back of his neck.  "You...always did know just what to say."

I smirk and engulf him into my long-awaited hug.  "Who else would put you back in your place?"

His arms hesitantly wrap around my body, the act of sharing body warmth strange yet familiar to him.  It's a small victory, but I'm relieved that we're back on speaking terms.  I'm ready to resume protecting him as I should.

Shouto shifts in our embrace.  "You said...I struggle with telling people how I feel...?" he mumbles sheepishly near my ear.

My boy perks with confusion.  "Yeah, even when we first-"

"Would it suffice if..."

Before I can turn to search his face for what he could be implying, his grip around me loosens as he pulls back to look at me, one of his warm hands resting against my cheek.  His face looms right in front of me, my breath catching in surprise, before he presses his lips to mine softly.  The weightlessness in my stomach is unmistakable.

As quick and unexpected as it came, it also left, Shouto's half lidded gaze resting on me from a small distance away.  All I can do is stare off dazed, still trying to process what just happened.

He leans back against the nearest desk in the front row.  "I guess I should've asked first."  I can see his cheeks and his ears turn almost as flushed as the color of his hair despite his hand covering half his face to hide it.  "But it was the only way I can think to get my point across without stumbling over words."

My heart still flutters trying to recover back to normal, my knees shaking as I lean against the teacher's desk for stability.  I resist the urge to touch my lips like a shocked schoolgirl, but I'm still trying to process the whole thing.  "You know," I cough, "We did already kiss when we were like...five, so this wasn't really our first.  But I don't usually count that-"

The intense color fades from his face almost at once, a darkness creeping into his gaze.  "Then," he pins me back into the desk, hands on both sides of the wood to trap me, "I shouldn't have any qualms about doing it again."

Contrasting from his strong setup, his next kiss is still shy and hesitant.  After exchanging a couple more tentative lip-caresses that still make my head spin, he's gotten his feet wet enough to go harder, establishing a rhythm between us.  As his kisses intensify, his hands reach up to cup both sides of my nape, fingers tangling in my hair desperately and tilting my head up for a better angle.  My own hands grasp the collar of his uniform, pulling him closer into the heat of the moment.

His body pushes me practically into sitting on top of the desk, moving one of his knees between my legs as he lets ones of his hands roam down to grip my waist.  The sudden tug elicits a minute gasp, allowing Shouto to nip at my bottom lip before tugging my head back to trail soft kisses down my jaw.  My fingers thread through his soft locks, letting him massage my neck with his mouth.

"W-Where did you learn all this?" I breathe out unsteadily, my breath refusing to return.

He straightens up and captures my lips in another slow kiss.  "You'll never know."  Another one.  "I've admittedly imagined this for a while."  The next kiss is much deeper, a hum vibrating from his chest as his fingers dig into my side again.  "You're special, so dear."  His mumbles between kisses become more incoherent as his kisses become messy.

"Shouto."  I finally manage to push him away for me to breathe and calm my dizzy head.  Both of us are panting.  His half-lidded eyes and flushed face tempt me, but the fear of someone walking by suddenly alerts in my mind.  "Someone might see us.  Besides, isn't there something you need to say?"

His brow lifts.  "I'm...sorry for being rude to you last week."

"That was needed, too," I chuckle, "But there's something else."

Confusion crosses his features.  "Have I done something else wrong?"

My hands slide down to grip his hands.  "Don't you need to ask me to date you officially?"

The tint of rose on his cheeks intensifies a shade.  "I thought it was clear already..."

Another chuckle bubbles from my lips and I lean up to kiss his warm cheek.  "I'll let it pass because I want to date you too."  His face begins to light up in joy, but I push off from the desk and tow him out of the room.  "But you have to start coming to class again."

Shouto catches up to keep pace with me and presses a kiss to my forehead.  "Done."

"And you need to see a therapist, Mr. Bad Boy."

He breaks out into a smile at that nickname.  "I'll think about it."

[shut-up-merlin]

Hi i saw the prompt list and they are cool and i had a request feel free to deny them darling can you do 39 and 47 for drarry and if it's possible it will be harry who says this sentences to draco thanks sweetheart you can just ignore it❤

So... This got out of hand. I meant to go for a 500 word drabble, since I’d never actually written anything for Drarry before. 

Then somehow I ended up with this 2k chapter, research about the UK juvenile delinquency system and me memorising the map of the London Zoo... Oh and I may have possibly written an outline for three or four more chapters... No joke. I’m not sure if I’ll ever end up finishing it, but I do like how this turned out! Stay tuned ;) 

If anyone else feels like sending me a prompt, the list is here. 

Prompts:

You are safe now. I am here.

At least let me clean it.

.

“Really Potter, staring at the penguins again?”

Harry rolled his eyes. Of course he’d been caught staring at the little dweebs again. And of course it had been the Malfoy prat  who’d found him. 

Harry had interned at the London Zoo ever since he was old enough to apply for a summer job. He adored spending his time around the animals, adored seeing how they all had their unique personalities and little quirks. He’d spent summer after summer cleaning out cages and feeding all sorts of wondrous creatures. Harry volunteered to take up extra shifts whenever he could and would often spend his time around the animals’ enclosures long after he’d been done for the day.

Animals, Harry found, were easier to be around than people. Much, much easier. As if to prove a point, one of the most difficult specimens to have in his vicinity, had just shown up. Harry sighed and turned around.  

“Anything you need, Draco?”

“That’s Malfoy to you, Potter.”

“Sure, Draco, whatever you say,” Harry retorted, trying not to show his amusement at the blond’s scowl.  “You done for the day then, yeah? Need me to sign your papers?”

“Yup. Only twenty more days to go. I’ll be done with this shit.”

“Trust me, I’ve been counting the days, same as you, mate.”

“Not your mate, Potter.”

Harry couldn’t agree more. He didn’t respond and just walked off towards the administration tower. Whether the blonde followed him or not really was none of his concern. Harry badged into the admin tower so he could fill out Draco’s forms.  

COMMUNITY PUNISHMENT AND REHABILITATION, the document read.  

Harry signed his name next to today’s date and checked the necessary boxes. He hesitated when he had to rate Malfoy’s dedication. His hand hovered over the box labelled “adequate” for a moment, but then he ticked “outstanding” instead. Even though the boy was an utter twat, Harry didn’t really feel like putting him in a bad spot. Unlike other kids who had been ordered to perform their community services here by the juvenile court, Draco actually did his job while he was here. He didn’t slack off and was kind to the animals.  

Harry remembered when another boy had been executing a community sentence, a few years prior. They had found out he’d been twisting the warthogs’ tails. They’d kicked him out immediately, but to this day poor Mathilda still didn’t trust anyone who entered her enclosure. Harry wondered what happened to the guy. Nothing good, he hoped.  

“What’s got you frowning, Potter?”

Harry hadn’t realised he was. “Oh, nothing. All done. Here.” He handed Draco a piece of paper to prove he had actually been there today. Draco took it and quickly put it away, before heading towards the door. He turned around to look over his shoulder, his hand already on the door knob.  

“You’ve never asked why I’m here. Everyone else has. Why?”

“It really isn’t any of my business, is it?”  

“Yeah. No. I guess not.”  

If Harry didn’t know any better, he would have sworn the corners of the blond’s lips turned up a little before he left.  

Harry had wondered what had brought Draco here. He didn’t seem like he was looking for trouble. Didn’t make you check if your wallet was still in your pocket whenever he passed you in a corridor either. If Harry didn’t know better, he’d have thought the other boy had walked into the staff room by accident after getting lost during a school trip, really. Sure, he hadn’t actually said anything nice to Harry or any of their co-workers since getting here, but he had been polite to the visitors, which was more than most comm kids, as the staff referred to them.  

Harry glossed over tomorrow’s schedule before gathering his things. Oh, sweet. They’d put him in the Northern part of the zoo in the morning. That meant he’d be on duty when it was time to feed the lions. Harry checked the others’ schedules. Looks like they’d paired him up with two interns. Neville and... Draco. Great.  

Normally they only paired the interns up with regular staff members, but Harry had been here for so long that most of the regulars asked him what to do anyways. Harry loved how much faith the Zoo’s director had showed him over the past couple of years. Minerva never really showed anyone much warmth, but Harry knew she appreciated his work. Just this once, however, he wished she didn’t trust him to do a good job, because it meant he’d have to spend a day listening to the blond prat’s insults. Just great.  

The next morning, Harry’s suspicions were confirmed before he’d even entered the changing rooms. He Malfoy’s sneers from down the corridor. Judging by the stuttering response he got, Harry assumed they had been directed at Neville.  

Harry quite liked Neville. The boy was a bit younger than he was, and it was his first ever summer job. He wasn’t very good at it, though, but Harry blamed it on a streak of bad luck that somehow followed the kid around. Whenever he was hauling around bags of animal feed, one was bound to tear or he’d trip over his feet. A few days ago, when the kid went out for hay for the zebra’s once, a giant spider had climbed out, causing him to drop the bale, leaving straws everywhere.

 It was almost endearing, really, if it hadn’t been for the fact that Neville was a total clutz, so whenever he tried to tidy up the mess he’d unknowingly created, he usually ended up making a bigger one that required Harry or whoever was on duty to help him fix it. Whenever he got nervous, Neville’s clumsiness seemed to amplify. A day with Neville and Draco, Harry thought to himself, would definitely prove interesting to say the least.  

“... managed to teach you how to dress yourself, for crying out loud,” Harry heard when he entered the room, to find Neville attempting to do up the buttons of his overalls. His hands were trembling so severely, he couldn’t quite manage. 

“Good, you’re ready, Draco. We need someone to go fetch the meat from the kitchens. I’ve been told it’s done,” Harry said, in an attempt to get Draco out of here so Neville could calm down a little, at least.  

Draco eyed Harry up and down and left with a knowing smirk on his face. “Whatever you say, Potter. I’ll leave you and your boyfriend to it.”  

Harry rolled his eyes at the pathetic insult and turned towards Neville as soon as Draco had left the room. “Don’t mind him. He’s a twat.”

“Oh, yeah I know. It’s just that he... I don’t really...”

“Whatever he said, don’t pay it any mind. He gets off on tormenting people.”

“I didn’t mean anything by it either,” Neville mumbled.

“What’s that?”

“I... I just asked if he needed some ice or something to put on his bruise. It looked like it hurt.”

Harry shot him a questioning look.

“On his side. He looked like... like he’d gotten beaten up or something.”

They didn’t say much after that. Neville calmed down enough to get dressed and by the time they got outside, Draco had returned with a wheelbarrow full of meat for the big cats. He did seem to favour his left side, Harry noticed.  

Without asking the blonde’s permission, Harry took the wheelbarrow from him. They took the staff’s passageways and followed the arrows that read “Land of the Lions”. None of them said a word. Neville fumbled with the sleeves of his overall on the way there.  

Neville didn’t trip on the way to the enclosure. He didn’t push over any garbage bins, didn’t lose a shoe or walk straight into a bush instead of taking a turn. Harry should have known, honestly. He should have known that just meant Neville’s bad luck was saving itself for something big later on.  

And it did.  

Harry, Draco and Neville stood on the platform overlooking the Land of the Lions, where they fed the lions their breakfast. Harry did, rather. The others weren’t allowed this close to the platform’s edge.

Harry was about halfway through the wheelbarrow’s contents when he noticed one of the hams Draco had brought was still wrapped in plastic. “Neville, hand me a pair of scissors, will you,” Harry mumbled under his breath, so the spectators couldn’t hear.  

Harry shouldn’t have asked him.  

In hindsight, Harry probably should have asked Draco. Or he should have gotten up and grabbed the scissors himself. Or he should have just tossed the ham in, plastic and all. 

But that’s not what happened.  

Harry had asked Neville to hand them to him. And Neville did, only to trip over his feet on his way back. He tumbled over, his limbs going in every direction... until his leg hit Draco in the back of his knee. The boy lost his balance.

And fell. 

Harry didn’t realise the scream he heard was his own, when he saw Draco fly over the edge of the platform. The loud crash was followed by the screams of the spectators.  

“Draco, the ladder!” Harry shouted, already dashing towards it himself.  

He leaned over the edge only to find Draco was having trouble hoisting himself up. His left side had been hurt, Harry remembered, when he saw how the boy tried to pull himself up on the ladder using only his right arm. He had a gash in his forehead, Harry noticed. Blood was running over his cheek onto his overalls.  

The lions had been startled by their unexpected visitor, but Harry could tell by the way the lionesses started to circle around to where Draco was, that it wouldn’t take long before they’d get over the surprise.  

“Fuck it. I’m an idiot,” Harry muttered to himself, when he swung his leg over the edge and started to climb down the ladder.  

“Neville, call Dean. Now!” Harry shouted. “Tell him to open the sleeping den and keep his hand on the button so he can close it when we get in.”

Neville looked baffled.  

“NOW!” Harry shouted. He didn’t look back to see if Neville did as he told. There really wasn’t any time.  

Harry hurried down the ladder, straight into the enclosure. His heart pounded between his ears. Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck.  

When he reached the bottom, he saw Draco was even paler than usual, his grey eyes filled with panic. They didn’t have time for this. “Draco, listen to me. You need to calm down. You’re safe now,” Harry said. “I’m here. But we can’t stay here for much longer. When I tell you to run, you run! Got that?”

Harry assumed the whimper that escaped Draco’s throat meant yes. He grabbed the other boy’s hand and tried to look through the bushes, tried to figure out where the pride’s alpha, Neytiri was. When he saw her, Harry shouted at the top of his lungs, grabbed the nearest rock he could find and threw it at Neytiri as hard as he could. “Run!” he yelled and he dragged Draco behind him. He ran towards where he knew the entrance of the sleeping dens was, praying Neville had reached Adam. Praying that they’d get there before... It was open!  

“Faster!”  

Harry heard a snarl behind him. Neytiri must have gotten over her surprise. Shit.  

Shit!  

They were almost at the den. So close.  

He heard the thuds of lioness’ paws on the ground behind them. Closer. She was closer.  

When they made it to the den, so did Neytiri. Harry pulled on Draco’s arm and dove into it, right as the barrier started to close again. They both crashed into the wall in the back of the den.  

Neytiri snarled and clawed at the barrier.  

Harry manhandled Draco towards the small door in the back of the alcove and almost lost it when he saw it swing open.  

“Neville, thank god,” Harry breathed. “Help me get him to first aid.”

“...’m fine, Potter,” the blonde mumbled.  

“You’re not. You nosedived into a pride of lions, you idiot.”

“...No doctors.”

“Whatever.”

“Harry, please.” Draco squeezed Harry’s hand. Harry hadn’t realised he’d still been holding it. He looked down into the pleading grey eyes and hesitated.

“You’re bleeding, you hurt your head. At least... at least let me clean it?”

[carewyncromwell]

Hey, guys! So I don’t really have enough material in this most recent side quest to work with to create full roleplaying posts for it (largely because the writing for this quest was stilted as all get out and there really weren’t very high stakes)...so instead, I’ll be doing something a little different, and simply writing out my personal rewrite of the quest’s storyline, as performed by my MC, Carewyn. Most of the overall framework of what happened in the quest will still be there, but I will try to flesh out or rewrite some things to hopefully better develop the ideas and help them more smoothly fit into canon. Hope you enjoy!

When Lucius Malfoy first arrived at Hogwarts, Carewyn was immediately suspicious of him. She wasn’t familiar with the man, but she thought that his timing of coming to Hogwarts for an inspection only after the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher went on the run from the law reeked of the school governors and/or Ministry of Magic wanting to put forward a good show of looking after the students for the press, so that they couldn’t be condemned for their inaction.*

* = (Yes, I know this quest is supposed to be aimed at year 2, but...well...I honestly can’t justify why year 2 would be when an inspection would happen. I suppose the Ice Curse was still in effect, but it’s not like the Ministry or the school governors took any action in response to the danger of the Vaults, even though it seems like the perfect ammunition for Lucius to use against Dumbledore. He was able to coax all of the school governors to sack Dumbledore in the name of saving students during the Chamber of Secrets arc later on, so it feels like this could’ve been done here too, if the Ice Vault was still raging. Dumbledore would also have little reason to think we’re “good at solving mysteries” if this takes place in year 2, since we at that point haven’t even successfully dealt with one Cursed Vault yet. So in this version of events, Lucius has only just become a school governor in anticipation of his son, Draco, attending school in the next few years. And because the Statue Vault and Rakepick are currently being tackled by the Ministry already, Lucius doesn’t really have any more action he can take. It also makes very little sense for a five-year-old Draco to be brought along to Hogwarts. His mother Narcissa is a stay-at-home mother, and even in the films, it’s pretty clear she -- and Lucius, at least in the books -- wouldn’t want her precious bb boy being taken care of by a pair of strangers with no experience in child-rearing. And I don’t think either movie! or book!Lucius would want any “bad influences” like protagonist MC around his son at that age, either -- at least by age nine, Draco would be pretty locked into the pureblood beliefs he’s been raised with, and since he’d be attending school in two years, it would give Draco a good preview of what his school life will be like ahead of time.)

Carewyn’s suspicions only heightened when Flitwick summoned her and Ben to the Charms classroom and Lucius Malfoy was there talking to Professor Flitwick. She had been very flattered by Flitwick’s praise of her Charm work...but the way Lucius looked at her when he turned to her...

Even though yes, Carewyn didn’t like the mention of Jacob, there was something else she could sense in Lucius’s eyes -- something intrigued. Although he smiled very pleasantly, there was a definite marked interest in his voice, not unlike how Professor Tofty greeted her upon first meeting. Lucius had definitely heard a lot more than just about Jacob -- but despite this, Carewyn merely gave Lucius a very cool smile in return.

Lucius’s condescension toward Ben for his blood status only made Carewyn dislike Lucius all the more. When he’d left the room, Carewyn agreed with Ben’s distaste for the school governor immediately.

“Professor Flitwick,” she said slowly, “are the Malfoys an old Wizarding family?” Carewyn had heard plenty of stories about her mother’s family and their particular dislike of Muggles, so it seemed logical to think the Malfoys were like them.

Flitwick had confirmed that yes, they were, adding that Lucius could be difficult sometimes. “But he is one of the school governors,” he’d said. “So we simply must cooperate.“

After Potions class, Merula and Carewyn were both forwarded to Dumbledore’s office by their Head of House, Severus Snape. While waiting for Lucius Malfoy to arrive, Merula explained a bit more about Lucius Malfoy’s history with Voldemort, which thoroughly justified Carewyn’s distrust of the man. When Dumbledore and Lucius arrived, however, Carewyn and Merula soon found themselves roped into looking after Lucius’s son, the bratty nine-year-old Draco Malfoy.

Okay -- I know a lot of people liked how Draco was portrayed in the game and enjoyed how he (if you picked to protect his secret) expressed genuine admiration for MC, but...yeah, in this version of events, he’s not nearly so cute. (I mean, come on, in the books, Harry compared Draco to Dudley on first meeting -- this kid has some serious issues with empathy and a real selfish streak. He might be a lot more clever than Dudley, but in my mind, he should be pretty fun to hate at this stage, rather than cute.)

For one, because he’s older, Draco’s in less need of babysitting and more in need of guidance. Lucius thought it only fitting that two such promising students show Draco the best Hogwarts has to offer -- and Draco, being older and therefore even more entitled, arrogant, and condescending than he’s portrayed in the game, was sizing up his competition just as much as he was tailing after them. His father Lucius had told him all about Merula’s parents and about Carewyn’s reputation as a Cursebreaker, so he knew that both girls were incredibly powerful and thus were both people Draco should have in his circle, whether as allies or as pawns. While Lucius was at school, he became very talented at making connections, which has served him well in the present by giving him the power to either sway or pressure people into doing things his way -- and Draco not only is expected to do the same, but the young Malfoy heir is eager to follow in his father’s footsteps and already be the “big man on campus” when he starts at Hogwarts. Even if both Carewyn and Merula will be graduated by the time he starts school, those ties could still be very beneficial down the road.

That being said, Draco and Merula did still instantly end up at each other’s throats. Even if Draco was supposed to “get Carewyn and Merula in his circle,” thanks to his spoiled upbringing by his parents, Draco has no social skills whatsoever, and so has little idea of how to charm people without putting down others in the process. Even though (or perhaps because) Merula was a bully herself most of her school career, she reacted very harshly to Draco’s nasty attitude, and soon the two were verbally smacking each other around with barbed, personal insults.

Despite her growing dislike for both Lucius and his son, Carewyn did everything she could to be the mediating force between them and even successfully distracted Draco by asking about his interests and taking him to the Quidditch pitch. Not long after they arrived, Draco succeeded in snatching a spare broom and started flying around the pitch.

Merula sincerely hoped that he’d fall and break his neck, but Carewyn -- even if she didn’t particularly like Draco -- knew it’d be terrible if he did hurt himself. So she boarded her own Cleansweep (which she’d kept locked in the Slytherin Quidditch tent, in case one of Orion’s players needed a spare broom) and took off after Draco.

Once in the air, Carewyn kept her wand close in case something went wrong. Fortunately she needn’t have feared -- within a minute, she could see that Draco was a very talented flier. In an attempt to distract him away from fighting with Merula, Carewyn suggested that she could teach Draco some flying tricks. Draco was scornful at first, until Carewyn weaved through the stands and threaded the needle through all three goal posts before sweeping into an extreme dive and pulling up mere feet from the ground. She smirked up at Draco, folding her legs over her broom so she could lean back effortlessly with her arms crossed over her chest.

“Ready for a lesson now, Mr. Malfoy?” she called up to him coolly.

The young Malfoy heir couldn’t hide the greedy look in his eye at the thought of learning those cool tricks, nor could he hide how thrilled he was learning how to do an extreme dive.

Once the two had finally come back down to the ground, Draco asked Carewyn if she was on the Slytherin Quidditch team. When she said no, explaining that she just didn’t have the time to devote to Quidditch, Draco reacted with scorn.

“Because of those Vaults, I guess?” he presumed.

He said that his father had told him all about Carewyn’s Cursebreaking, and her family too -- that her brother was a delinquent and her mother had run away from home to marry a Muggle. Merula was actually a bit startled by this, not having heard that particular fact about Carewyn’s mother, but Carewyn herself kept her temper, even as her tone grew cooler and dryer than ever.

“My family may not be perfect, but I’m proud of it, all the same,” she said softly.

What she didn’t add out loud was, “I certainly wouldn’t be proud of my family if I were in your shoes.”

A bit miffed he hadn’t been able to get a rise out of Carewyn, Draco soon enough turned his attentions back to Merula. He ranted about how his father had said Hogwarts was going to the dogs and about how they had so many Mudbloods amongst their ranks. Carewyn stiffened very sharply at the use of the word.

“That is not a word to be used in civilized conversation,” she told him very severely.

“My father says it all the time,” Draco argued.

“Really?” said Carewyn, her lips turning up in a cool smile. “Don’t reckon that’s something you should admit too readily, given your own family’s history -- I wager a fair number of people at this school would hex you to belch slugs for using a word like that.”

Merula's face broke out into a smug smirk. “Don’t give me any ideas, Cromwell.”

This change in topic, however, led to Draco wanting a proper dueling lesson from Merula and Carewyn. Naturally, because Draco didn’t have a wand of his own and they certainly weren’t going to lend him theirs, the two girls refused -- and soon enough, they got word that Lucius was finished with his inspection and would be leaving the school soon.

Of course, that didn’t happen, because sure enough, Lucius’s wand went missing. The prime suspect? The Malfoy family house elf, Dobby.

Carewyn had little experience with house-elves prior to Dobby (only having met Pitts the previous year), so the poor elf’s maltreatment at the Malfoys’ hands greatly upset her. Determined to prove his innocence, she asked Dobby to tell her whatever he could say without hurting himself and -- upon Dobby trying to smack his own head against the ground -- she actually bent down and grabbed hold of him in both hands to try to wrestle him into not hurting himself.

“It’s okay, Dobby,” she kept telling him. “I’ll make sure you don’t get blamed.”

It didn’t take long at all for Carewyn to get to the bottom of who had taken the wand. If Dobby felt he couldn’t tell her who the thief was because he couldn’t speak ill of the Malfoy family, then there was only one possible suspect. Catching up with Merula and Draco, she confronted the Malfoy heir about having taken his father’s wand. Draco denied it at first, but pretty quickly came clean.

“I’m not too young to learn how to duel!” he said. “I wouldn’t have borrowed Father’s wand if you’d just lent me yours!”

After some prodding, Draco admitted where he’d hidden his father’s wand. It didn’t take long for Merula to find it.

Despite the younger boy’s bravado, though, Carewyn could still tell that Draco hadn’t meant for this whole thing to go so far. He wasn’t really sorry about the thought that Dobby could be blamed for something he did -- but he’d enjoyed what he’d learned so far and wanted to stay at Hogwarts a little longer so he could learn some spells.

Feeling some compassion despite herself, Carewyn sat down on the edge of the fountain next to Draco.

“If you give me your solemn word only to use this in a formal duel,” she said very seriously, “I will teach you one spell. Do we have a deal?”

His eyes once again greedy for knowledge, Draco nodded and eagerly agreed. Holding out her wand in front of her, Carewyn told Draco to put his hand on top of hers. Then she walked him step-by-step through the wand movements for the spell “Everte Sactum,” the Stumbling Hex.

“When you cast this correctly, it will hurl your opponent off their feet,” she explained. “That can then give you the time you need to get away, if you’re in trouble.”

Her eyes then narrowed sharply upon Draco’s face. “Remember your word, though -- you will only use this in a duel, not for fun. Got it?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Draco said breezily, but he was grinning from ear to ear all the same.

The group met back up with Lucius Malfoy and Dumbledore in the Headmaster’s Office. When Lucius asked Carewyn who had stolen the wand, she answered simply,

“No one, as far as I can tell. Merula found it on the floor near the Entrance Hall -- no thief to be seen.”

After all, Draco had only admitted to “borrowing” his father’s wand -- not stealing it.

”There’s no evidence that Dobby couldn’t have still taken it,” said Lucius.

Dobby shook his head frantically, wringing his hands desperately as he insisted he didn’t take the wand and never would. Carewyn very gently cut off Dobby’s denials by pointing out that house elves can’t lie to or speak ill of their masters without hurting themselves. The fact that Dobby was not hurting himself while claiming he didn’t take the wand was proof in itself that he didn’t commit the crime. And everyone must be considered innocent until proven guilty...right?

Lucius considered Carewyn carefully, his gray eyes oddly critical and shrewd upon her face -- then he inclined his head in an abridged nod.

“...Wisely said, Miss Cromwell. You could be an excellent lawyer, with sentiments such as those.”

His gray eyes narrowed ever-so-slightly as his lips curled up in a cool smile.

“I daresay that would please your grandfather quite a bit.”

Carewyn’s blood ran cold. Lucius Malfoy was in touch with her grandfather, Charles Cromwell? She’d never met her mother’s father before -- but given that Lucius Malfoy spoke highly of him, she wondered more than ever if she was incredibly fortunate in that...

For his part, Lucius seemed satisfied by how taken aback Carewyn was and, with a flourish of his cloak, swept toward the office door.

“Come, Draco,” he called over his shoulder.

Before Draco left, he paused, turning back to look at Carewyn.

“I won’t forget that,” he said. “What you did.”

He didn’t need to articulate what he meant.

“And I swear -- when we’re both done at Hogwarts, we’ll meet again, Cromwell. And when we do, I’ll be the greatest wizard ever -- greater than you could ever be.”

Despite the arrogance in his expression, Draco was still grinning from ear to ear in a kind of vicious determination.

Carewyn’s blue eyes grew a little smaller as she smirked in return.

“Good ambition. Just keep in mind -- there are many ways to be ‘great.’“

With an offhand scoff, Draco turned on his heel and followed his father, not fully able to bite back the smile still clinging to his lips.

When Dumbledore, Carewyn, and Merula were out of earshot, Lucius spoke to Draco at last.

“She knew you took my wand, didn’t she?” he asked.

Draco, although startled, reluctantly nodded.

“And yet she dared lie to my face,” said Lucius in dark amusement. “Rather effectively, too. Tell me -- what did you think of her, Draco?”

Draco shrugged offhandedly. “All right, I guess. She’s a decent flier -- and her spellwork’s okay.”

“Coming from you, that’s high praise,” said Lucius dryly. His lips curled up in a wry smile. “Seems I was right to think I should keep an eye on her advancement...”

Dobby was so grateful to Carewyn that he said that if she ever needed him, she only had to ask. Carewyn was very happy for that -- she had a feeling that she could use at least one friend in the Malfoy household, if Lucius really had such close ties to her mother’s family.

[princesweetpea]

I Found | Sweet Pea x Aurora Jones (oc)

All Chapters Here

Chapter: FOURTEEN

Warnings: Language, angst

READ IT ON AO3

A/N: Hi everyone! Taking a quick break from my hiatus to post this. Sorry, it's been so long, life has been... yeah. (Before anyone comes at me, I based Fangs' heritage on Drew's, in case anyone is confused.) I hope you enjoyed this Sweet Pea focused chapter! We got to see a little bit more of Sweet Pea's personal life and the relationships he has. Please let me know what you think! x

          Usually rain this heavy would keep Sweet Pea from going out on his bike, but his mind was everywhere else as his motorcycle sped along the slick, winding road. His mind was racing, filled with fresh memories that also called back to some that weren’t as recent. His friends, his decisions… Aurora Jones. “You know, if you were always so compliant, maybe we could have been… friends, or something.” He snorted at the memory of her remark. “Me and you, friends? That could never happen.” It was true. They could never be friends, though even he wasn’t sure why not. He didn’t know why he couldn’t get her out of his head. He had completely avoided her for the better part of two months since the incident at the diner. He felt a little guilty for leaving her stranded, but maybe not as guilty as he should have felt. Yes, you do. However, he didn’t want to apologize. You should have apologized the night of the cookout. He shook his subconscious out of his head and regained focus on the road, not wanting to remember the belated Fourth of July celebration that the Serpents hosted in Tent City. It was a bittersweet celebration, considering the sudden and unexpected passing of Fred Andrews a week prior. Fred Andrews. The funeral blurred together in his mind. The memories of the caring, helpful man that took the clan in when they had nowhere else to go. The omnipresent, uncomfortable ache of loss that seemed to never go away. He felt sick and stupid for the way he mourned a man that he barely knew, but unprecedented kindness without expecting something in return was scarce in his life. He thought of everyone who knew him better; he thought of Archie, of Jughead, of Betty, and of Rory. The way she cried at the funeral. He shook his head more forcefully, much more so that his bike swerved. “Fuck!” He did his best not to overcorrect and steadied himself once more. After a few more minutes of hyper-focused steering, he reached his destination.

The crunch of boots against damp gravel was the only distinguishable sound in dead air as he shifted from one foot to the other outside of the modest house. No, not house… home. This was home – well, it may as well have been home for Sweet Pea. He had spent a lot of his time here over the years; but now that Fangs was… gone, the time he spent here was brief and as few and far between as he could handle. If a Serpent is killed or imprisoned, their family will be taken care of, he repeated in his head. Or in this case… Missing. He flipped an envelope over in his hand to open it for the seventh time, thumbing through the bills to make sure it was all there. A hand patted him on the shoulder, startling him, and he immediately spun on his heel with his fist raised. Jughead?

“I didn’t mean to catch you off guard. I thought you saw me pull up.” Jughead raised his hands as he waited for Sweet Pea to release his shirt. Sweet Pea let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding as he bent down to pick up the envelope. He brushed the dirt from the outside, drops of water streaking across it as it soaked into the paper. He stood up a bit straighter than before and waved Jughead’s apology off.

“How did you know I was here?”

“It’s Thursday.” Jughead stated easily with a shrug. Sweet Pea sighed, poking his tongue into his cheek, and shifted his gaze up into the trees. Despite everything that was going on, the easy sway of the branches lessened the tightness in his chest. Here it was calm, peaceful.

“Keeping tabs on me, Jones?” He grumbled in faux annoyance.

“Wouldn’t you do the same?” Jughead challenged as he folded his arms and leaned back against his bike, sizing up the taller boy. Sweet Pea shrugged, mirroring his movements. He avoided Jughead’s gaze. “I need to talk to you about a couple of things.”

“It couldn’t have waited? You couldn’t have texted me?” Sweet Pea questioned. This was not the time for Serpent business; and since Jughead seemed to already know what he was doing here, he knew that. The teenage Serpent King simply shook his head, earning an eye roll from his right-hand man.

“Where’d you get all of that? Don’t tell me it’s all from working at the comic book shop.” Jughead pressed, nodding toward the bulging envelope in Sweet Pea’s grasp. Sweet Pea hastily tucked it into the pocket inside his jean vest, scoffing at his friend and avoiding his intense stare. He ignored his question as he pushed himself upright from his bike and swaggered toward the front door, knocking twice and waiting a brief moment before letting himself in. Jughead followed suit a few steps behind. Lena Fogarty greeted the pair with a bottle of hand sanitizer at the ready. Jughead was slightly taken aback but obliged, remembering the state of Mrs. Fogarty’s health.

           “So, you decided to come inside this time around to grace us with your presence,” Lena poked, giving Sweet Pea a hardened frown before cracking a grin. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips as they embraced. “You must be Jughead. I’m Lena.” She extended her hand. Her handshake was firmer than he expected. Jughead made a barely audible squeak in the back of his throat at the greeting as she tightened her grip. Sweet Pea smirked as he watched on.

           “Good to meet you. I’m sorry I didn’t come in sooner. I hope you guys have been getting the groceries I’ve been dropping off.” Jughead straightened with the release of his hand from her grasp. They engaged in small talk that Sweet Pea quickly tuned out. He left the pair to awkwardly converse as he made his way through the doorway to the small kitchen on the left of the entrance.

           “What are you making?” Sweet Pea’s voice boomed as he leaned against the doorframe. The small, fragile woman jumped, spinning to face him with a hand over her heart. Her startled features relaxed at the sight of him, but this didn’t stop her from whacking him with a wooden spoon. He recoiled slightly, but laughter and joy filled his lungs as she shouted at him.

           “Don’t you know not to sneak up on the ill?” She huffed, smacking him once more on the arm for good measure. He chuckled in response and pulled her into his chest. She squeezed him tight and stepped back. She brought a hand to cup his cheek. “I didn’t think I would lose both of you at once. I’ve missed you, my son.” He softened and leaned into her palm. His chest constricted at the sight of her pained eyes.

“I’m sorry I disappeared, Marie.” He rasped. Her face twisted slightly as she turned back toward the steamer basket. She stayed silent. His thoughts ran a mile a minute as he shifted his weight onto his other leg and rubbed the back of his neck. It was wrong for him to stay away, and it was not fair to her. She practically took on the role of the loving mother in his life.

“You and your friend are staying for dinner,” She finally spoke after what felt like hours of silence. It wasn’t a suggestion. Sweet Pea nodded eagerly in response. “Set the table.”

Dinner started off a bit awkwardly as the Fogarty women practically interrogated Jughead to get to know him better. Jughead was surprisingly holding his own and definitely not as awkward as he used to be. He seemed to finally be stepping into what usually came with leadership: the ability to speak to anyone with confidence. “This is delicious, Mrs. Fogarty. What is it?” He asked with a grin.

“Jamaican curry goat bao. It’s a recipe my husband and I came up with when we got married, like a way of fusing our cultures and lives together.” She smiled wide, then it suddenly began to fade as she lingered on the memory of her deceased husband. Lena shifted uncomfortably and cleared her throat, focusing her attention on Sweet Pea.

“So, Sweet Pea, still a delinquent?” Lena smirked as she shoveled a forkful of rice into her mouth. She said this specifically to push Sweet Pea’s buttons since her brother was in the same gang as he was; she clearly paid this fact no mind.

“Lena.” Mrs. Fogarty warned, half present in the conversation.

“Hey, Lena, how is that dishonorable discharge treating you?” Sweet Pea grinned, the devil in his eye, as he fired back playfully. Lena’s brows shot up and she raised her glass to him before taking a sip and striking his shin with her foot under the table. Mrs. Fogarty snapped back to reality and her fork clattered as it hit her plate.

“Sweet Pea! Lena!” She barked, followed by something Jughead couldn’t understand, but it was enough to make the pair shrink in their seats. Her attempt to not bring attention to her annoyance by speaking in a different tongue had the opposite effect she had desired. The rest of the meal was consumed with uncomfortable silence.

           After dinner, Sweet Pea and Jughead said their goodbyes. Jughead exited the house while Sweet Pea hung back, pulling Mrs. Fogarty aside. He reached into the inside of his jean vest to retrieve the full envelope and handed it to her. She furrowed her brows as she went to open it. Her eyes widened. “What is this? I cannot keep taking money from you!”

           “Just take it.”

           “Where did you get this?” She questioned frantically, trying to put the envelope back in his palm. He gently took hold of her hands and wrapped them around the envelope, pushing it toward her.

           “Take it,” His voice strained as he pleaded, his eyes soft. She opened her mouth to protest once more, but stopped when he gently squeezed her hands. “Please.” She hesitantly nodded once after a long moment, then stood on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek.

           “Your bed is still here when you want it. Please don’t be a stranger.” She said softly. His mind wandered to the rollaway trundle bed that they would set up in Fangs’ room whenever he would stay over before, which was more often than not. He thought of all the times they’d bullshit together; talking about girls, eventually boys, once Fangs was ready to share that part of himself, and listening to Earth, Wind & Fire vinyls and debating which record of their discography was the best. He wouldn’t be able to go in that room anytime soon, not while Fangs was still… gone. It would hurt too much.

“I’ll come to stay sometime soon.” Sweet Pea forced a smile and nodded, lying through his teeth.

________________________________________________________________

           Jughead fiddled with a toothpick as he leaned against his bike. Sweet Pea walked down the driveway to meet him and they stood together in silence for a few moments before Sweet Pea cleared his throat. “So, are you going to get to the reason you’re here in the first place, or what?”

           Jughead sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Charles and Betty might have a lead on The Farm. They might have a lead on Fangs, specifically.” He stated, carefully eyeing the taller boy for his reaction. Sweet Pea’s jaw clenched and unclenched. He narrowed his eyes and examined Jughead’s face to make sure he wasn’t making some type of sick joke.

           “How?”

           “Kevin.”

“Keller! I fucking knew it,” Sweet Pea pushed off his bike and tugged at his hair, walking a few feet before turning back toward him. “Why aren’t we telling this to his family?” Sweet Pea asked incredulously. He spun on his heel and made his way toward the front door. Jughead dropped his toothpick and quickly lunged to jump in front of Sweet Pea, trying to stop him by pushing his shoulders. Sweet Pea shoved him back and struggled to remove him from his path. “Get the fuck out of my way, Jones!”

“Sweet Pea!” Jughead hissed, pushing him back roughly and shushing him. “Do you really want to break their hearts all over again if this falls through or hits a dead end?” He tried to reason with him. Sweet Pea stopped struggling and turned to walk back toward his bike. He sunk to the ground and slumped forward, cradling his head in his hands.

“But what about me?” Sweet Pea rasped. He normally would have kept a brave face around Jughead, but he was so tired of pretending he was okay. Plus, there was no sense in hiding his feelings from Jughead if he already knew them nonetheless. Jughead sighed and walked over to sit down beside him. He clapped a hand on his shoulder and squeezed reassuringly.

“Not even Toni knows. I needed you to know at the very least. Charles and Betty might need you if it comes down to it, you know?” Jughead explained. Sweet Pea sniffed and nodded. They sat in comfortable silence as they gazed up at the sky. The clouds had cleared and the stars glimmered brightly against the darkness of the night. Being further away from a big city had its perks, and one of them was the lack of light pollution. After about fifteen minutes, not a word between them the whole time, Jughead spoke again. “One more thing we need to talk about…” Sweet Pea hummed, waiting for him to get on with it.

“I think Rory should join the Serpents.”

“What, why? No.” Sweet Pea scoffed.

“She pretends that she’s alright but I hear her having nightmares when I’m up late writing every night. Even though the Black Hood is dead and gone, I know she doesn’t feel safe. If I end up going to Stonewall Prep, I need her to have some sense of security since I’ll be gone.” Jughead tried to reason with him.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Jones. She isn’t one of us. She shrugs off the Serpent title every chance she gets. No.” Sweet Pea protested.

“Listen, Sweet Pea, this is going to happen whether you like it or not. It would go a lot smoother if you were on board. I need her to agree to it as well and that won’t happen if she feels like she’s not welcome. Besides, she’s had a rough go of it and doesn’t have many people that she can rely on. Think of how our lives have changed simply from being a part of a family that always wants us.” Jughead suggested firmly. Sweet Pea groaned and tugged at his hair. She was somehow infiltrating every aspect of his life and he was beginning to lose ways of escaping. “Are you disagreeing on behalf of the Serpents or on behalf of yourself?”

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” Sweet Pea fired back defensively.

“I know that you kissed her.” Jughead proclaimed. He wasn’t asking, and he wasn’t talking about the kiss during the game, the one in the Serpent HQ all those months ago. How did he know? How did he find out? He knew that Rory would never tell Jughead. Sweet Pea’s stomach dropped and he faltered, but only slightly. Right… kissed. Images of tangled limbs, lips on neck, hands in hair, face between thighs. “That’s all that happened, right?” No, that was not all that happened – not even close.

“Yes,” Sweet Pea lied, maintaining eye contact as unsuspiciously he could muster. He could lie to cops with ease – surely it would be a walk in the park to lie to Jughead Jones. Jughead searched his face for a few lingering seconds before deciding that he was telling the truth. Sweet Pea bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from smirking, satisfied by the rush of getting away with a forbidden lie. He regained his composure. “Nothing to worry about, Jones. We were drunk.” He lied again. He was pressing his luck here, he knew it, but that first part wasn’t a lie. There was nothing to worry about. Up until the funeral and cookout a couple of weeks prior, he hadn’t had any contact with her in months. Their days of hate-sex were over, weren’t they?

[iya5rt]

Kalopsia Project [Bakugo Katsuki x Reader – Tokyo Ghoul AU]

Chapter 5 – It’s Called a Second Chance, not a Guarantee

Chapter Summary: Catching up with old friends, yet another day at school, and an unexpected ending to a seemingly mundane day.

Kalopsia Project Masterpost

“That’s so wild!! I can’t believe it’s really you, [F/N]-chan! It’s been forever – you look so different!” Ashido exclaimed, having long jumped up from her chair and thrown her arms around you. Middle School friendships really were something else, huh? You hugged her back, giving Kirishima a grateful smile when he noticed Ashido’s strong grip was giving you trouble with holding the tray, and took it from your hand.

“I’ve changed? It’s not me who’s died her hair pink!? It looks so good on you though, oh my gosh!” you giggled with her, moving in to give Kirishima a hug too. When your eyes swept to the other two occupying the table with them, he spoke up.

“Oh, those are Kaminari and Sero! You don’t know them since we only met in high-school but we’ve been hanging out a lot with them since!” he pointed out. You could only assume the blond with a black lightning-shaped streak in his hair was Kaminari (it did, after all, match the meaning of his name), while the black-head, who seemed to be the most regular-looking out of the bunch, was most likely Sero.

The two flashed you a grin with a small wave, and you smiled back at them.

“[L/N] [F/N], though you can just call me [F/N]! It’s nice to meet you! I used to be those two’s classmate in middle-school, though we’ve kinda lost touch since!” You motioned towards Kirishima and Ashido. You heard someone clear their throat, and glanced towards the counter, only to find Bakugo looking at you expectedly. You returned a nervous smile and a thumbs-up.

“Say, how about this? Lemme take your order and do my job, then we can perhaps catch up for a little bit?” You glanced around at the mostly empty cafe. The group of four agreed and you quickly jotted down a few more things, before returning to Midoriya, who also seemed to be constantly glancing up from the coffee he was making.

Just as you opened your mouth however, he put up a hand.

“No need. They come pretty often and always order the same thing, so I have it memorized,” he smiled, tapping his forehead. You nodded wordlessly and watched him, as he went back to work. “So, you know them then?”

You nodded back and he hummed. His eyes then scanned around the cafe quickly, until they landed on Uraraka, as she walked in from outside with a tray of empty cups.

“Uraraka-san?” he called out, and she turned to look at him. “Do you mind taking over the rest of the customers?” She glanced at you, then at the only occupied table inside, noticing the four who seemed to be awaiting your return, and nodded.

“Sure, no problem!” she smiled at you, and was soon on her way yet again. Your eyes were already wide, as you turned to Midoriya.

“Thank you, I...” Though he only laughed.

“Oh, it’s fine. You can talk to them in peace now, don’t let Kacchan bother you. Here-” he put a beautifully decorated hot cocoa (he must have been learning from Todoroki, huh), an iced tea, and a small box of macarons on your tray. “The rest will be ready in a bit but I’ll bring them over, don’t worry about it.”

With one final nod, you set off towards the group. You did briefly wonder if Midoriya also worked as a waiter occasionally. In turn, you began to picture Bakugo as one too. You had to force your laughs down though, lest you would have spilled the drinks.

The next hour or so had been spent catching up on the last 4 years with the two you hadn’t seen or talked with in forever, and getting to know the two you’d never met before. Stories were exchanged about how everyone had first met, how Mina seemed to always be responsible for the group getting into trouble, how everyone had been trying to convince Sero to dye his hair to match the rest of them (turns out – only the streak in Kaminari’s hair was unnatural, as he really was a blond, much like Bakugo). The topic of how you had come to work at Yuuei (and how they hadn’t seen you prior to today, despite being regulars, as confirmed by Midoriya himself) came up once or twice, and you had to lie about just needing a part-time job.

Well, it’s not like you were necessarily lying. Just… omitting some of the truth. Though you were pretty sure this was in everybody’s best interest.

The darkness had already befallen the city, as it was also time for Yuuei to close up shop for the day. Despite Ashido’s nonsensical protests, the four had to leave. They promised they’d be back very soon anyway, so you would have had plenty more time to talk, and perhaps hang out a little later.

“Say, how about this?” Kirishima spoke, just before you closed the door behind him. “We’re going to the arcade tomorrow, since Ashido says she wants to play some games.” The girl exclaimed something about “shooting zombies to death”, though she was a bit too far and her voice came muffled. “Wanna come with us?”

You really wanted to accept but reasoned with yourself. Your shoulder hadn’t healed. You still had the duty of working at Yuuei. And, unfortunately…

“I have class tomorrow...” Your face fell. Kirishima only shrugged.

“It’s cool! We’ll just take you with us next time, yeah? Goodnight, [F/N]-chan! See you soon!” he waved goodbye and headed down the street alongside the other three. You bid them a goodbye for now too, giggling when Ashido’s insistence on walking backwards until you were out of sight had her running into a street lamp on accident. Soon enough, they had turned a corner somewhere in the distance, and you finally closed the door, turning the sign to say ‘Closed’.

The thought of how you’d just slacked off the whole day crossed your mind. Needless to say, Bakugo hadn’t been all too pleased with this…

That night, the short segments from your dream that you could still recall even in the morning brought you joy. They were full of happiness, and smiles, and laughs, and friends.

Your life had taken a sharp but seemingly brief detour into the dangerous and extraordinary. Maybe things were finally going back to normal. Maybe there would have been nothing more for you to worry about.

…

Maybe.

***

The following day, you had found Bakugo waiting for you outside Yuuei in the morning. At your initial surprise he had mumbled that the place was on his way and he knew you were probably going to class today anyway. If anything, you were most surprised by his regular attendance. You had first taken him as the delinquent type, not the type with a perfect attendance score that showed up 20 minutes early to anything. Then again, three years together in high-school had proved you wrong a long time ago.

All throughout, you had taken notice of his sluggish and unfitting movements. He had almost bumped into a sign, crossed at a red light, and fallen face-first on the ground in just the span of 20 minutes. Something was not right. And though it bothered you at first, it didn’t take long for you to figure it out.

“Hey, Bakugo-kun? You alright?” He glanced at you, but his half-lidded eyes returned to his feet before you knew it.

“Nothin’,” he muttered, ushering you to hurry up. At this rate, he might as well have stumbled another two times. So he refused to tell you. How foolish of him to think you wouldn’t notice. Your parents did use to be ghoul investigators, after all.

You were trained in the art of observing ghouls, even if that wasn’t exactly something you could brag about at a sleepover. Or anywhere else, for that matter. Unless you were actually set on becoming an investigator yourself which, considering your recent circumstances, teetered the line between a suicidal mission and a genius calling.

“Is that so...” you grinned and sharply spun around, blocking his path. You probably looked like children goofing around to anyone passing by.  “I would say that you’re probably hungry!” He stiffened in place, but tried to give himself a skeptical look. You didn’t even let him retort anything back though. “After all, I haven’t seen you really go out ever since Friday, and who knows how long it has been since you last fed. Am I right?” you inquired, noticing he refused to look at you anymore.

“That’s not it. Even if it is, what do you care?”

You hummed and moved out of his way, returning to walking absentmindedly beside him. His pace was much easier to match with how much slower his stride was compared to usual.

“It’s alright. I’d say I get what you mean but I obviously don’t. I’m not really scared of you though, if that’s what you’re worried about!”

Bakugo raised a brow.

“Yeah? You didn’t learn anything from the first guy that tried to eat you?”

“Not a thing!” you grinned, playfully bumping into his shoulder, before running on ahead to avoid the oncoming wrath. Not that he could manage much “wrath” in his current state anyway.

***

You were quickly falling back into the mundane rhythm you were used to. After a shared class with Bakugo first thing after your arrival, you had to temporarily part ways. By the time you were ready to head back to Yuuei, the sky was already dimming and any moment now the street lights were likely going to spring to life and illuminate the darkening streets.

People were walking about, all ready to go home and retire for the day. Ah, how great some rest sounded right about now…

However, instead of the grumpy yet surprisingly mellow for today ash blond, who had offhandedly mentioned he would wait for you to return to Yuuei together, a freckled boy with messy green hair stood beside the entrance and kept glancing back and forth between his phone and the halls.

“Midoriya-kun?” You approached the familiar face. “Didn’t think I’d find you here,” you smiled. His face too lit up when he spotted you and he put away his phone.

“There you are. Kacchan-” he stopped when he noticed your scrunched brows, realizing the nickname had likely confused you. And here he was, thinking you were already used to it. “Bakugo – I mean, Bakugo – said he couldn’t make it, so I swung by to pick you up. It’s getting late and we don’t want you getting hurt again!”

Perhaps you should have been more surprised but even from the short time you’d known him, Midoriya had always sounded like such a sincere person. So did he really care for your well-being so much?

“I- thank you! There really was no need though!” You waved your hands. “I can get there by myself, no need to trouble yourself like that!” Midoriya however only shook his head, motioning for the two of you to head out, as he spoke.

“Oh, it’s fine, really. I was in the area anyway. And hey – everyone seems to have taken a liking to you! We just wanna make sure you’re alright.”

You tried to hide the blush that spread to your cheeks.

Less than an hour later, Midoriya dropped you off at Yuuei, though he mentioned he had some other business to take care of and, heading out again, this time with Aizawa in tow, left you at the cafe. You weren’t scheduled to work today, so you took to helping out here and there with preparing the occasional orders (you still weren’t allowed to even touch the coffee as per Bakugo’s orders but hey, anyone could go and fetch a bottle of juice, right?), and washing some dishes.

Closing time came and went, and you did your best to strike up the occasional small conversations with the handful of fellow workers at Yuuei. You didn’t really know most of them and, as it turned out, you hadn’t even met some until today. The atmosphere was a little awkward but you at least felt at ease. None of them were acting hostile or disapproving of you. Which was a great start.

One of those same new acquaintances called you over to one of the tables to help her carry over the many leftover glasses from a particularly large group of middle-schoolers. You cringed upon remembering how loud they had been. Not that you wanted to turn down any customers, but you were more than happy they weren’t piercing your eardrums any longer.

Complying, you brought over a bigger tray and moved as many glasses as you could fit (and physically still carry) onto it. As you were about to turn around however, you noticed the girl’s head perk up, as if she was sniffing around for something.

Oh, does she have a strong sense of smell like Bakugo-kun? Does that mean Midoriya-kun and Aizawa-san are back?

Someone stormed past outside, though the blinds were closed so only their silhouette was actually visible, and stopped at the door.

Not long after, it was roughly opened, making the small bell chime to warn everyone inside of the new “customer”. Of course, that proved to be unnecessary, as all eyes were already glued to where the figure was going to emerge from any moment now. It was already so late, the place was closed, and that could only mean one thing – it was one of Yuuei’s “special customers”.

Meaning, this was a ghoul that was either too weak or afraid to hunt their own food, so they came to Aizawa, who provided them with what they needed.

You half-considered hiding in a back room to avoid being seen. It should have been okay though. You were going to have to meet all those special customers sooner or later anyway.

As the door opened, a faint mumbling came from outside.

“I can’t believe them. Curse them. Curse both of them, that human and that goddamn ghoul. To think I’d have to stoop this low. Me? This is ridiculous.”

A pair of sunken eyes with unhealthy eye bags scanned around the room. He was keeping his head low, as if ashamed to be seen, yet looking for help. His hair was messy, clothes dirty and skin covered in cuts and bruises. His movements were slow, reminding you of how Bakugo had been acting all morning.

But as his eyes darted anywhere and everywhere, they finally landed on you. At first, he had no plans of sparing you even a second glance – perhaps it wasn’t you he had been looking for.

But they lingered for just a second. And then that second became longer. You stared back. Suddenly, your heart all but stopped.

A pair of light blue eyes. Deep, yet lost and distraught. Almost like he was there but simultaneously wasn’t. His face had once used to be soft and his mouth hadn’t formed anything other than a smile for a while after you had first met him.

But it had been a smile that didn’t quite reach those distant eyes of his.

That’s what you once thought.

The tray dropped and the glasses shattered to countless pieces on the ground.

Your eyes widened, the breath hitching in your throat. You took a step back, only to be met with the cold wall.

Shit.

Shit.

SHIT.

In an instant, a pair of cold hands wrapped tightly around your throat. Suddenly it wasn’t the breath hitching in your throat that was the biggest problem. It was its inability to even reach there in the first place. He leaned closer to you, baring a crooked sneer.

“Who would’ve thought,” he said in a low voice, though every word dripped with hate and a morbid satisfaction. “To run into you here of all places.”

His grip loosened just enough for you to open one teary eye. He wanted you to see how happy he was. How overjoyed he was at this chance presenting itself to him just like that.

“Everything. Everything that has happened to me. It is all your fault.” His eyes changed. The blue hues were replaced by the familiar black and red. Just like last time. “And I don’t let people who wrong me go unpunished.”

No.

This wasn’t supposed to happen.

Was this what your second chance was going to come down to?

You were faced with him. He was going to kill you.

Monoma was here to put an end to your life once more.

But perhaps this time you weren’t going to be quite as lucky.

***

[CLASSIFIED INFORMATION]

Protocol K78152112

Subject #24

Real Name: N/A

Background: CCG Investigator mortally wounded in battle; officially classified as dead on arrival.

Results: Numerous mutations; change in size; loss of rational thought.

The subject’s skin hardened as desired, though it led to difficulty in moving. Subject was still responsive, but quickly deteriorated.

(scribbled in pen) This guy stayed pretty obedient. Should try and figure out how to replicate that.

***

Author’s Note: Haha, I feel like a mess. Anyway, hope that cliffhanger has you on edge! Come to think about it, if you consider the arcs of Tokyo Ghoul, maybe this scene wasn’t nearly as surprising, what with it somewhat mirroring Nishiki’s second encounter with Kaneki (when he was with Hide aka the most precious bean in this entire world-)

I digress. I hope you enjoyed the chapter! I would say some of the plot’s picking up next week, so please look forward to it! Thank you so much for reading, please drop your thoughts and predictions in the comments, and I’ll see you again next week! Bye~

(Psst, @afuckingunicornn  @creativedogs  @chims-kookies  - thank you for the support and here is yet another part!)

[margoshansons]

Desperate Measures: 5/?

Bellamy Blake x Reader

Summary: A pod drops down to Earth causing tension between Bellamy and Y/N once again.

Warnings: Swearing, slight violence,

Notes: Based on 1x05 “Twilight’s Last Gleaming”

She was shaken awake by Miller and Octavia, her sleeplessness finally catching up to her as the two teens stood above her, smiling like nothing had gone wrong the day before.

“Y/N, get up” Octavia’s voice was too perky for the time of night, too bright. “You have to see this.”

She stirred groggily as Miller nodded in agreement. “Alright, I'm up.”

The two pulled her from her position in bed, dragging her out in the middle of the camp, pointing upward into the night sky. The wind sent bumps spiraling down her bare skin as she stared above her, not even caring about the fact that she was only left in her shirt and underwear. 

A bright streak moved across the sky, until finally collapsing to the ground like the dropship before it. 

“It’s a pod” She whispered to Miller. 

“What do you think’s in it?” He asked, curiosity raging.

“Supplies” Y/N announced, a small smile gathering on her face, “Medicine, arms, perhaps a radio.”

She caught Bellamy’s gaze on her, the events of last night sweeping through her mind. She launched a small smile at the shirtless twenty-three-year-old. She swept her gaze across his bare chest, letting herself admire his physique before training them back on his face. Awe graced his features, but she knew something else lay behind them. Something more concerning. She turned her gaze back upward, the pod reminding her of the shooting stars that her mother used to tell her about. 

The Ark had sent something down to help them, and she was going to find it. She was going to bring her people home. 

“We’re ready to go” Miller entered her tent while she finished stuffing rations and her book into the makeshift pack she had been carrying around for the past few days. 

“Awesome,” She pushed herself through the flap, meeting the determined gaze of Octavia on their way out. “Make sure to keep your flashlights on and weapons drawn, we need to be prepared if we run into any grounders.”

‘Nobody’s going anywhere.” Bellamy’s authoritative voice rang out, causing several delinquents to look at him. Y/N squinted. “At least not until sunrise.”

“That pod was visible to anyone within a 70-mile radius, “ Y/N pointed out, “We need to go now.”

“We’ll go when it’s light” Bellamy grasped her arm, pulling her back, “It’s too dangerous in the dark.”

Y/N scoffed, narrowing her eyes, “You think the grounders are going to wait until sunrise? We need to go now.” 

Octavia and Miller moved to follow before Y/N stopped her best friend. “I need you to stay here Miller, we need someone with combat experience to guard the rest of the campers.”

Miller scoffed at the weak excuse, “Like hell, you need someone with quick hands if the grounders get a hold on any of the other supplies.”

Y/N pushed her hand on his chest, stopping him. “I promised your dad I’d keep you safe.” She finally admitted, catching the look of frustration he sent her, “That’s what I’m doing.”

He chuckled mirthlessly. “My dad sent me down here with the rest of them, you wanna obey that asshole? Go ahead. “ Miller turned around, storming to the fire blazing in the middle of the camp. Y/N shut her eyes as she sighed. Why was everything so hard down here?

Why couldn’t he understand that she was trying to protect him?

She turned back toward Octavia, pushing the moment in the back of her mind. She creased her eyebrows as she saw a familiar head of curls missing from her side. “Where’s Bellamy?”

Octavia shrugged, throwing some rations into her mouth, “said he was going for a hunt, the hypocritical dick.”

Y/N knew what he was going for. He wore his emotions on his sleeve, and right now he was concerned about being found out. She grasped a freshly sharpened knife from the pile and stalked after him.

It was fairly easy to pinpoint where the asshole was going, he was terrible at covering his tracks, and the rustling of the bushes didn’t help his cause much at all. She raced after him, the sun rising as she caught up just in time to see him snatch the radio from the Ark pod. 

“Oh no, you don’t.” Y/N muttered, torn between following the bastard and finding out who was in the pod. 

The answer to her choice came in the form of Clarke and Finn approaching minutes later. 

“Hey, guys!” She called from the treeline. Clarke spun around, a grateful smile written on her face as the other girl approached. 

“Have you seen Bellamy at all?” Clarke asked, concern lacing her voice. 

Y/N nodded, setting her jaw, “Yeah, He got here just before I did, stole the radio. I got here a few minutes before you showed up.”

“That means he can’t be far,” Finn suggested, determination working its way across his face. She nodded and Y/N caught the blush on Clarke’s face before the two of them pried open the pod door, gazing in awe at the groggy girl in a spacesuit. Y/N knew her immediately.

Raven Reyes had made it to the ground.

“Hi,” She replied, “I-uh, I made it?”

Y/N nodded her head, glad some good news had come from this day after all. Their meeting was cut short as Raven informed them of the news Y/N had almost been floated for.

They were going to cull 320 people from the Ark to conserve oxygen.

Without a second thought, she went racing into the woods where Bellamy had disappeared, running into him a few miles away from the ship.

“Hey Sparky” He spoke condescendingly, “just going for a walk in the woods.”

“Cut the crap Blake,” She snapped, pulling him by the arm to face her, “Where’s the radio?”

Silence enveloped the two of them as tension radiated from the unspoken conversation the two were having. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he quipped, still feeling nothing for his actions. She punched him in the face, sending him reeling. He stumbled back and she took this moment to push him against the tree, a freshly sharpened knife pressed against his throat, drawing the crimson liquid from his veins. 

“I’m going to ask you one more time” Y/N spoke darkly, watching Bellamy’s eyes widen in fear, “Where’s. The. Radio.”

Clarke froze as she watched the exchange between the two. “Y/N, what are you doing?”

“Getting information.” She replied, refusing to look away from the man who had doomed them all. ‘Now I’m asking again. Tell me where the radio is or three hundred people are going to die on your watch.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

Y/N bit her cheek in annoyance, “They sent us to Earth to see if it’s survivable. If they find out it isn’t they are going to cut off the oxygen supply of three hundred and twenty people aboard the Ark. And you can bet it won’t be council members.”

Bellamy’s face fell as guilt began to creep across his face. His actions had consequences, looks like he was starting to realize that.

“It’ll be your people. My people.” She barked, “The working class, and if you don’t tell me where that radio is I won’t be able to save them, Blake.”

Raven stepped forward, “Wait, Bellamy Blake?” She asked, a vicious smirk crossing her face, “They’re looking everywhere for you.”

Bellamy’s eyes turned murderous, ready to launch at Raven if he wasn’t already bleeding onto the silver knife still pressed against his throat.

“Why?” Clarke asked, pressing the issue further.

“He shot Chancellor Jaha.”

A tense silence fell over the group of teens as they watched, for the first time, Bellamy be exposed. 

His plans. 

His motive.

Taking the wristbands off. 

Stealing the radio. 

He didn’t want anyone to find out his crime. He didn’t want to be floated. 

It all made sense.

“Well, looks like the king has secrets after all.” Y/N murmured before stepping back, finally releasing him from the grip of her knife.

“Jaha deserved to die,” Bellamy justified, trying to gain some of his breath back. 

Y/N rolled her eyes at the pitiful defense. That didn’t excuse what he did. That didn’t excuse his selfishness.

She was just starting to like him too.

“Yeah, he wasn’t my favorite person either” Raven jumped in, “But he’s not dead.”

Bellamy’s eyes grew wide at the revelation. “What?”

She shrugged nonchalantly, “you’re a lousy shot”

“Bellamy,” Clarke began to plead, “do you see what this means? You’re not a killer. You can still save those people. Just give us the radio”

Bellamy swallowed. Y/N scoffed, her deathly stare refusing to leave him. 

“It’s too late” was all he said. 

***

Bellamy stared at the river before him, guilt spreading through his body like a virus. He was going to be responsible for the deaths of hundreds. All because he was a coward. 

He massaged his throat, staring intently at Y/N as she searched the water. 

His stomach dropped as he recalled the rage and disappointment that fueled her break down earlier. All pointed at him. 

The two locked eyes before she frowned and turned away. 

“I found it!” Jones called. 

Bellamy was pulled out of his stupor as he watched Y/N accept the radio in her arms, meeting the rest of them onshore. They waited for her verdict.

“It’s useless” she murmured in frustration, “it’ll take half a day to dry out the components at least”

Raven stared at the girl in surprise. Y/N shoved the radio in his chest, the dripping device reminding him of his failure. 

“Enjoy your freedom, Blake.” She snarled callously, pushing past him, retreating back toward the camp. 

“Franco wait!” He called after her, following the seething girl, trying to find the right words to make up for his mistake, “I’m sorry.”

She whirled on him, eyes blazing, fists clenched, “You think that makes up for what you’ve done?”

Bellamy shook his head, guilt wracking his chest as he tried to explain his actions to her, “No, but what did you expect me to do? I had no choice”

“Bullshit” she shot at him, “There’s always another choice” echoing Clarke’s words at him, “You think we would’ve let them take you? You think we wouldn’t fight for you?”

He was speechless, her ferocity stunning him as he scrambled to find the right words to say. His mouth opened and shut and Y/N shook her head and left him alone in the trees. 

***

The flares went boom as they streaked across the sky, Y/N closed her eyes and sent up a prayer, hoping the Ark would receive their message. They needed to see it. They had to. 

She couldn’t let anyone else die. Not when she could save them. Not when there was another way.

“Can you wish on this kind of shooting star?” Clarke asked, although Y/N wasn’t sure who she was speaking to. 

“I wouldn’t even know what to wish for,” Bellamy confessed, gaze dropping to the ground. She huffed, refusing to meet his gaze, still angry at him for ruining the radio.

He moved forward, stepping in next to Y/N, who refused to take her eyes off of the purple missiles in the sky. 

“What about you? What would you wish for?” He tentatively asked, eyes flickering to her profile. 

Her eyes met his, the pleading look causing the anger to shrink away, “Some peace and quiet” her mouth twitched playfully and the two eased into a comfortable silence as the flares streaked above them. 

This is a shorter chapter and one of my least favorites, but here it is!

Thanks for your feedback!

Please like, reblog, and comment!

Permanent Tag List (open): @begonebirds @iamaunicorn4704 @galacticstxrdust

Tag list (now open!): @chloe-skywalker @im-a-writer-right @galacticstxrdust @clarkewithameme @shatteredlovesick @your-typical-giggle @rhyxn @amongthewildthingss @furiouspockettoad @niammain @cxddlyash @lena-davina​ @kaylinfayezink​ @gingerxarmy​ @super-marvel-dale​ @travelnottogoanywherebuttogo​ @nerdbookish​ @valeskasecco

You wanna be added or removed let me know!

[kpop-fanatic-lover16]

Go ~ Wong Hendery ~

Words: 2375

Genre: fluff, angst

Warnings: violence, achohol, bullying

Sweaty bodies and loud shouts of cheering drowned your ears as you stood on your tippy toes, trying to see the football field and the activity playing on it. Within several minutes, you finally got a glimpse of the star football player crossing the touchdown line, winning the last game of the season in a perfect winning streak. The crowd erupted into cheers again, proud of the team for doing their best. This however, was not your top priority, as you were practically bolting down the steps of the bleachers to get to the field. Soft grass hit your sandals when you jumped onto the plane field; your boyfriend turned away from the huddle of football players and spotted you running toward him. It didn't take him more than a few seconds to realize what your intentions were making him pull off his helmet and open his arms. He accepted the bone crushing hug, lifting you into the air with the happiest feeling he's had all season.

"You did it!" you cried, pulling back to look at him. His face was sweating from the hard playing he had been doing and his breath was ragged. His arms dropped you gently onto the ground and his lips came down and kissed yours in a sort of grateful way. It didn't last very long, because some of his friends broke it off. The action made you pull back from the wild boys; you didn't mind the excitement because they had worked for it all year. Someone to the left of the field caught your attention, as they were slumped down on the bench, looking emotionally torn. Discarding the wild group, you made your way over to the person and plopped down right next to them.

"I know what's bothering you." you said, looking at his dropped head.

Yang Yang sighed deeply and straightened up to look at you. "Then tell me what you do."

"I already have," you replied, referring to the many times this conversation as come up. "Ask her out. She won't hate you, I know."

"Y/n, I'm too scared."

"You know," you began, thinking back to when your boyfriend asked you out. "When I was asked out, do you know what he said?"

"What?"

"He told me he was absolutely terrified to ask me. But he also said he was even more terrified about waiting too long and losing me forever."

"Wong Hendery has the bravery to follow his guts, I don't," Yang Yang sighed, linking his fingers through the face grate on his helmet. There was zero hope in trying to convince him to relieve his stress. At that moment, Hendery came running over with a huge smile on his face.

"Hey," he murmured, leaning down and kissing your lips, before he knocked Yang Yang in his shoulder. "There's a celebration party being held at Taylor's house, let's go!"

Yang Yang got up from his seat and jogged over to the locker rooms to shower and change, disappearing around the stone hall by the bleachers. Worry rippled through your chest. You wanted Yang Yang to just go and ask the girl he liked so much out on a date. So what if it didn't go as well as he would like? He'll never know until he takes the leap. Hendery squeezed your hand, telling you that he'd be back soon and then ran after Yang Yang to go shower as well.

A little while later, you were starting to feel bad. Your stomach had decided to play cramps on you and your head was spinning, but your condition wasn't bad enough to need the comfort of home. Currently, you were standing outside of the boy's locker room, waiting for Hendery to finish up. When he did, he was wearing a pair of ripped blue skinny jeans, a black men's silk blouse with gold designs and a leather jacket with black cowboy ankle boots. His hair was damp, his bangs, that parted down the middle, fell into his eyes as he looked to the right down the hallway and then left trying to find you. His eyes landed on you and another sun catching smile lit up his face as he made his way over to you, engulfing you in a hug.

"Are you ready? he asked, kissing your forehead sweetly. A nod was the confirmation before he pulled his duffle bag of gear back onto his shoulder and took your hand. The walk to his car didn't take very long and before you knew it, the car was driving on the road to Taylor's house for the after party.

Music was blaring from inside and out through the windows and there was already drunk kids on the front lawn. At this point, even Hendery was having doubts about attending this party; something just wasn't settling with him and it was almost like it was subtly giving him a warning. Unfortunately, you both ignored this warning and proceeded to walk into the party, even when that unsettled feeling was still boiling in the pits of your stomachs. It was loud inside and difficult to see where everything was. Hendery gently grabbed your waist and guided you over to the living room area where half of the football team was stationed. They all cheered when they caught sight of Hendery.

"The star player has arrived!" one of them smiled, proud to have Hendery as a teammate. Hendery nodded his head in a 'cool' way at the kind comment. One of his best friends, Lucas, was also sitting on the couch laughing and enjoying the celebration.

Hendery turned you slightly, speaking into your ear, "Sit with Lucas while I go get drinks. I don't want to loose sight of you."

The trust worthy bond you had with Lucas gave you no hesitation to go sit next to him. Once Hendery was satisfied that you were safe, he wiggled his way through the crowd to find drinks. With a happy smile, Lucas opened his right arm and offered one of his famous hugs. It made you feel slightly better, but not by much. This is when Lucas caught on that you seemed sick.

"Hey," Lucas's tone turned serious. It caught you off guard when he set his drink down on the coffee table in front of you and put the back of his hand to your forehead. "You are warmer than normal. Are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah," you replied, telling him the truth. You didn't feel good, but you weren't in a horrible condition. If the feeling got worse, you would take action. Lucas decided to keep an eye on you, but went back to enjoying himself. Hendery came back with two bottles of water and a random cookie. Of course, he couldn't control himself. You laughed mentally.

"Hendery!" one of the football players called over the music. It caught Hendery's attention right as he finished giving you the water. He let you curl into his side and rest your head on his shoulder. "We should go out on the town after this."

"Hey, you know I don't do that anymore," Hendery rejected, wrapping his arm around your frame and holding you close like he didn't want to ever let you go.

A little back story on this topic. At the beginning of your Senior year in high school, you met Hendery and his friends. The interesting thing about this story is that Hendery was actually abusive and a delinquent within the school. When Yang Yang met you in the library one day, he wanted you to have lunch with him and his friends. It was surprising to say the least that Yang Yang was friends with the most feared kid in school.

But things quickly started to change the more you hung out with Yang Yang and his friends. Hendery, hated you with a passion for starting to change his friends perspectives on life. It raged him so much that one day he cornered you planning to beat you up, but something stopped him. Something deep inside of him struck at his heart and all of the things you had taught and told him and his friends about kindness and the world, flooded his brain. He let you go, having no intention of hurting anyone ever again. This is why he was so afraid to ask you out after months of him being a changed person. He thought you hated his guts and would never want someone like him. But there was that voice again telling him that if he didn't make a move soon, he would loose you...forever. Since then Hendery has tried to be a better person for you. He stopped drinking and smoking, as well as putting a stop to violence.

"Oh come on, just one night." the guy started pushing the situation a bit harder, making you worried. "Why is it that once you get a girlfriend you change? Those of us who have girlfriends didn't change."

"Those girlfriends didn't change your life for the better good like mine did." Hendery defended you without missing a beat. That's just how he was now.

"Well let's hope Yang Yang doesn't get a girlfriend," the guy joked, slapping a hand on the youngest. Yang Yang's mood went down another forty percent after that comment, making you angry.

"Packer that's enough." Ten warned, kicking Packer's knee. This made a light go off in Packer's head.

"No," he began coming to terms with what he was thinking. "Let's see if the old Hendery is still in there."

Your eyes widened at the sentence. No, this could not be happening. Packer stared at Hendery for a moment and then decided to strike when he saw Hendery clench his jaw. "Your girlfriend –no, side chick– is a bit of a drag. I'm sure Mommy and Daddy would let her stay home when you feel burdened."

"Enough." Lucas warned, catching on to the conversation very quickly.

"Hey," Packer looked at Lucas with his eyebrows raised. "Hendery is a big boy. He can fight his own battles."

"You better not," Ten threatened, already knowing that Hendery would immediately go back to his ways to defend you. There was no doubt in his mind that Hendery would kill someone if it meant protecting you.

"I mean look at her she just leans into you all the time. She actually looks pretty sick right now. Sickeningly, clingy."

Hendery tore out of his seat and jumped over the coffee table before attacking his oppressor. Horror struck your body as you watched Hendery beat the living soul out of his fellow teammate.

"What do you know about her?!" Hendery bellowed, grabbing the guy's collar and pulling him close. "She bends over backwards for everyone! But one thing is for certain, I wouldn't let her do anything for you because you don't deserve it."

At Hendery's words, you began to cry. Everything you had done to change Hendery had been washed away by his anger. Ten and Lucas immediately knew why you were crying and proceeded to remove you from the party. Now you were feeling worse and just wanted to go home. Sobs rocked your body as you held onto Lucas who held on tight to you and right then and there, you wished you were at home.

The next morning, you woke up to the sound of your bathroom sink running. You glanced behind you to see Hendery washing his face and slowly recovering from his hangover. When he finished up, he came back into the room and startled at your awake figure.

"Good morning." he mumbled, climbing on top of the bed and kissing your forehead gently. Last nights events came flooding into your mind and you immediately sat up and grabbed Hendery's knuckles.

"I didn't hurt him or myself, my love." Hendery promised, watching you examine his hands and face.

"Hendery you scared me!" you scowled, dropping his hands and rubbing your face with a huff.

"I know I did and I apologize for that. But I wasn't about to let him talk trash about you." Hendery defended, squeezing your shoulder. "I love you too much."

"I love you more."

"Yang Yang asked out your best friend last night." Hendery spoke on a lighter note. Joy filled your sleepy body at the news. Finally, Yang Yang had gotten the courage.

"What did she say?" you gasped.

"She said yes." Hendery smiled. "They're having a coffee date this morning to get to know each other better. Yang Yang texted me before he went to go pick her up."

"I'm so happy for him." you sighed, falling into Hendery's chest and closing your eyes.

It was silent for a while, just the two of you. Hendery apparently had come in through your window last night and slept on the couch just to protect you from any harm and to also avoid the last night arguing at his own home. No matter what you had gone through to end up with Hendery, moments like these were worth that long fight. Even nights like last night weren't enough to tear the two of you apart. Hendery told you the story after the party when Yang Yang had said he was tired of people making fun of him for not having a girlfriend. His main motive for dating was not however the pressure and poking from his friends, but a true liking towards that beautiful girl in his history class.

"Hendery." you whispered.

"Yeah?" he whispered back.

"I love you."

"I love you more."

"But...we have to get to that Scollarship Brunch you agreed to go to."

"Oh crap!" Hendery yelped, jumping up from your bed and rushing over to the couch to snatch his shoes and get them on his feet. "Do I need to wear a suit?"

"Just wear something nice." you urged him to hurry since he still needed to shower and get dressed back at his house which was fifteen minutes away.

"Do I come pick you up?"

"Hendery, GO!" you laughed, accepting the air kiss he sent you before ducking outside of the window and climbing off the roof to his car.

"Goofball." you whispered under your breath.

[scoutception]

Ranking the 5 animes I’ve recently watched

Long story short, I’ve been taking a break and watching anime, something that I’ve only really experienced in small doses before, though in general I don’t really watch a lot of stuff nowadays (to my memory, the only anime I’ve watched in full is Danganronpa 3, so I’ll go ahead and say it gave me an aversion to it all). As the title says, I’ve gone through 5 so far, so I’ve decided to just type up my personal rankings and thoughts. If I had to say anything important before starting, it’s that 1. everything I list here is a very enjoyable and worthwhile watch, and I would definitely recommend giving any of them a try, and 2. this is just a personal ranking, and so it’s very biased. I might, for example, think whatever is number 5 is technically better than whatever is number 4, but still prefer number 4 for any number of reasons. I’m at least going to try to point out when that’s the case, but it’s still something to keep in mind. I’ll also be including information like number of episodes, what streaming platforms they’re on, which I’ll admit mostly comes down to Netflix, Hulu, and Crunchyroll, and whether or not English dubs are available, or only subtitles. Other than that, let the rankings begin. 5. Little Witch Academia

Number of episodes: 25. Language options: dub and subs available. Streaming availability: Netflix. Little Witch Academia originated as a short film released in 2013 as part of a training program for animators. It was only about half an hour long, but the fun cast and beautiful animation gave it a lot of charm, and enough popularity to spawn a second short film in 2015, the Enchanted Parade, which lasted for closer to an hour. Then, in 2017, it got a full series on Netflix, produced by Studio Trigger, which did away with any continuity from the short films, but kept the general concept. Little Witch Academia follows Atsuko “Akko” Kagari, who, after witnessing a magical show hosted by the witch known as Shiny Chariot, dedicated her life to becoming a witch, despite not coming from a family with magic in its bloodline. Despite managing to enroll in the academy of Luna Nova, dedicated to training witches, Akko finds the reality of it isn’t anywhere near what she expected; Chariot is ostracized by most of the magical community for portraying magic in a flashy, illusionist manner considered embarrassing, Luna Nova’s education is much more focused on tedious, small scale magic than what Akko had come to expect, the world at large considers Luna Nova and its magic to be weak relics of the past, something even its staff can’t argue well against, and worst of all, Akko is incompetent at magic to a downright abnormal degree, even for her normal origins, incapable of so much as riding a broom. Despite the constant demoralization, Akko receives help from one of the academy’s professors, Ursula, who puts Akko on the path to unlock the secrets of the Shiny Rod, Chariot’s personal wand, found by Akko on her way to Luna Nova. This isn’t exactly the most original series out there, and if you’ve watched pretty much anything involving non evil witches and magic schools, you’re not going to be too surprised. The main strength, writing wise, is the fun cast. Akko herself is a pretty entertaining main character, being very excitable and passionate, enough to keep likeable even with her many, many missteps throughout the series, but the rest of the cast is pretty good too. Characters like Sucy, Akko’s roommate obsessed with poison, mushrooms, and picking on Akko, the delinquent Amanda O’Neil, the mute technological genius Constanze, and Akko’s alleged rival, Diana Cavendish, who, though very haughty, has a lot more depth to her than you might expect, help hold the series together very well. Most of the series is pretty goofy and lighthearted, which helps keep it from feeling too cliche. Starting with the second half of the series, though, it gets much more story based, which might be a bit jarring for some people, but still manages some surprisingly sad moments. This is all helped by the great animation, as Trigger can always be counted on to provide, and the dub is good overall, with Erica Mendez especially perfectly capturing Akko. Overall, this is a fun watch, but it’s really not much special, so I can’t really put it anywhere other than dead last. If you want a fun, lighthearted romp that isn’t stuck to only 13 episodes, this is a good one to try. 4. The Pet Girl of Sakurasou/Sakura Hall

Number of episodes: 24. Language options: subs only. Streaming availability: Crunchyroll, Hidive. Firstly, don’t let the very questionable title give too many bad impressions. Sakura Hall, as I’ll be calling it, was originally a series of light novels by Hajime Kamoshida, with 10 main novels being released. The anime, produced by JC Staff, actually only adapts the first 6, though it ends rather conclusively regardless. This is also probably the most obscure anime on this list. Sorata Kanda is a rather unremarkable high school student attending the Suimei University of the Arts High School, forced to live in the very abnormal mixed gender dorm of Sakura Hall. Sakura Hall’s other residents consist of Misaki Kamiigusa, an extremely talented, and extremely weird and energetic, animator capable of creating anime almost entirely on her own, Jin Mitaka, the scriptwriter and childhood friend of Misaki, who is cool, mature, and has an almost chronic playboy streak, Ryunosuke Akasaka, the extremely reclusive, but talented computer programmer who mostly communicates through texts, and Chihiro Sengouka, Sakura Hall’s extremely irresponsible supervisor who prefers to leave the students to fend for themselves, outside of the occasional words of advice. Sorata is only stuck in Sakura Hall due to his refusal to abandon a stray cat he rescued, and intends on escaping Sakura Hall however he can to escape his roommates and return to normalcy, a plan that’s certainly not impacted by him picking up 6 more stray cats along the way. One day, a new resident moves into Sakura Hall: Mashiro Shiina, a relative of Chihiro and extremely talented artist, on a level only Misaki and Ryunosuke can match, who is also very unemotive and almost completely incapable of caring for herself, not helped by some rather odd thought processes (she’s almost certainly autistic, but they never actually clarify that). Sorata and some of the other Sakura Hall residents thusly become Mashiro’s caretakers, and are soon additionally joined by Sorata’s friend, the workaholic aspiring voice actress Nanami Aoyama. Sorata’s previously tedious life becomes defined by his struggles to find a direction to his life, his attempts at caring for and understanding Mashiro, and the various problems of the rest of the Sakura Hall residents. The main writing strength, is, again, the cast of characters. The characters are all very enjoyable, even the designated average guy, Sorata, and they all have their share of struggles, hidden depths, and development. The first half of the series is, for the most part, plain wacky, and while it does delve into serious moments more than a few times, it’s also prone to plain breaking the mood, either by starting them suddenly, or just as suddenly interrupting them with a gag. It’s enjoyable on its own, but it can be a bit hard to get into. The second half of the series is a big change of pace, becoming much, much more focused and serious, and for the better. Bitter topics like resentment against those who can outperform others simply through natural talent, and the risks of overworking, and the slippery slope mentality against accepting help that it can generate, are frequently brought up, and it does not shy away from how brutal reality can be. It’s never dark to the point of creating apathy, though, and it overall captures a very bittersweet portrayal of nearing the end of one’s teenage years, and preparing to become an adult. The animation is pretty good, and the voice actors all give memorable performances. Overall, this was probably the hardest series for me to get into at first, but sticking with it is very worthwhile. I can’t really say much about it, if only because I don’t want to risk getting into spoilers, but it genuinely is great. I was even considering placing it higher than number 4, but the next three things were stiff competition. 3. Gurren Lagann/Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann

Number of episodes: 27. Language options: dub and subs available. Streaming availability: Netflix, Crunchyroll, Hulu, Funimation. Here’s what I would bet is the second most popular anime on this list, and was more or less one of the grand finales to the golden age of Studio Gainax, directed by one of the co-founders of Studio Trigger, and is perhaps most memorably one of the series where Gainax didn’t completely mess up the budget by the end. Simon (pronunced see-moan) and his self appointed big brother Kamina live in an underground village, with Simon living a monotonous life digging tunnels so the village can expand, in hopes of finding artifacts and being awarded better dinners, while Kamina constantly causes trouble in his attempts to breach the underground and reach the surface. Simon is insecure and self deprecating, thinking he’s only capable of the job he already has while Kamina is extremely boisterous, charismatic, and capable of seeing the potential within Simon. The way to the surface is finally opened for the pair by the appearance of a giant mecha called a Gunmen, which are piloted by the beastmen, who control the surface and are out to exterminate any humans they come across. Simon and Kamina are saved by the appearance of Yoko, a human who lives on the surface, and a miniature Gunmen discovered by Simon, which Kamina dubs Lagann. Making their way to the surface and capturing an enemy Gunmen Kamina names Gurren, Kamina decides to take the fight to the beastmen themselves, and drags Simon and Yoko with him, starting what can only really be described as a rollcoaster ride of giant mechas, drills, and general insanity. The series honestly starts only about average, but starting about episode 7, the scale just starts going up and up, and doesn’t tend to slow down. It goes for bigger and bigger heights, making for some amazing action scenes, and doesn’t get desensitizing like some things would. The cast of characters is great, between characters like Kamina, being lovably boisterous and encouraging, Simon, who gets some fantastic character development, Yoko, the sniper who despite seeming just like designated fanservice has some great development herself, Viral, the recurring beastman commander who just can’t keep up, and Lordgenome, the absurdly manly leader of the beastmen, and that’s just listing a few. The animation is great, the soundtrack is very memorable, the dub is one of the best out there, especially with Kyle Herbert as Kamina, and the writing, despite just seeming like big fun robot show, makes a surprisingly great story. I unfortunately can’t go much more indepth without definitely wading into spoilers, but it doesn’t take too long to start paying off. Overall, if I had to try to rank without bias, this would actually be number 2 on this list. It’s a great ride, and one I can recommend pretty much without question. 2. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

Number of episodes: 64. Language options: dub and subs available: Streaming availability: Netflix, Crunchyroll, Hulu, Funimation. Here’s what’s certainly the most popular anime on this list, and what would be my number 1 without bias. There’s actually two Fullmetal Alchemist animes, with the original 2003 one going very off track from the manga and becoming its own thing, while Brotherhood, made in 2009, stays faithful to the manga. Fullmetal Alchemist follows the Elric brothers, Edward and Alphonse, in a world where the art of alchemy allows its users to transmute materials for purposes such as reshaping them into new forms, and operates on a principle of equivalent exchange, with every transmutation made relying on something being taken away. After being abandoned by their father, Van Hohenheim, and losing their mother to a plague, Ed and Al attempted the forbidden practice of human transmutation in an attempt to bring her back to life, only to fail, with Ed losing his left leg and right arm, and Al losing his entire body, forcing Ed to affix Al’s soul to a suit of armor. His missing limbs replaced with automail, a type of prosthetic, Ed becomes a government employed alchemist for the nation of Amestris, ruled over by Fuhrer Bradley, in hopes that he and Al can find a Philosopher’s Stone, an artifact said to be capable of eliminating the equivalent exchange requirement of alchemy, in hopes they can reacquire their natural bodies. Since things can’t ever go so smoothly, they end up involved in a massive conspiracy led by one known as Father, who commands Homunculi, artificial humans, who are themed after the seven deadly sins. By far the longest anime on this list, it’s also easily one of the richest. Almost every episode does something to move the plot along, and introduces a lot of important plot points fairly quickly, which helps keep the story interesting. There are many storylines going on, but all of them are both interesting and relevant, helped by the downright amazing cast Fullmetal Alchemist has to offer. From colonel Roy Mustang, out to become Furher to help atone for Amestris’ crimes, to Ling Yao and May Chang from the country of Xing searching for the secret of immortality, to the Ishvalan named Scar, out to avenge his people, who were the victims of a war of extermination waged by Amestris. As for characters closer to the main plot, Ed and Al are both great protagonists, with plenty of development between the two, and their interactions with Winry Rockbell, their childhood friend and mechanic, make for some great scenes. The antagonists are also great, with quite a few defying how one note themed villain groups like them can be, like the shadowy abomination Pride, the sadistic rat that is Envy, the independent Greed, and especially the extremely intimidating Wrath. The animation by Studio Bones is great, as is the soundtrack, and the dub is fantastic, helped by almost all of the cast from the 2003 anime reprising their roles. Voices like Travis Willingham as Roy Mustang, Christopher Sabat as Alex Louis Armstrong, Chris Patton as Greed, and Ed Blaylock as Fuhrer Bradley especially are fantastic. Overall, this is one of the best shows I’ve watched, period. I recommend it very highly, and almost wish I could confidently declare it number 1. 1. Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai

Number of episodes: 13. Language options: subs only. Streaming availability: Crunchyroll, Hulu, Funimation. Firstly, again, this is not something to judge based on the name. Secondly, yes, this is where all the bias on this list comes from. This is anime is actually only about a year old, so it’s surprisingly recent, and is also by far the shortest of all the series I’ve listed here. Rascal is based off a series of light novels by the same author as Sakura Hall, Hajime Kamoshida, and was produced by CloverWorks. Like Sakura Hall, the anime doesn’t completely adapt, only going through 5 of the 9 novels currently released, with a movie, of all things, adapting the 6th. You may or may not have heard of this anime while it was airing, but regardless, I’m here to spread the word of it, cause it’s a special place for me. One day, while browsing a library, high school student Sakuta Azusagawa notices a girl wearing a bunny suit walking around, not being acknowledged by anyone other than himself. The girl turns out to be Mai Sakurajima, an actress on hiatus that attends his high school, who has found she’s recently become invisible to an unknown number of people outside of their school. Sakuta identifies it as “Adolescence Syndrome”, a mysterious phenomenon that occurs due to the unstable psyches of adolescences, which causes physical effects on the world based on their biggest causes of stress. Sakuta has seen the effects of Adolescence Syndrome himself, with it causing physical harm to his sister, Kaede, and causing her to become a recluse, and somehow causing Sakuta to be scarred as well. Hoping to learn more about the phenomenon, as well as just hoping to spare Mai from a similar fate, Sakuta decides to solve the mystery of her syndrome, as well as those of other girls in each story arc after. The premise is pretty unique by itself, and it uses its potential very well, thanks to the grounded writing and great cast of characters. Sakuta is not your typical protagonist: he’s blunt, blatantly perverted, and more than willing to verbally pick on people with little to no provocation. He’s not even close to a bad person, though; he treats the friends he already has at the start of the series, and everyone else he proceeds to grow closer to, much more respectfully, and when the chips come down, he’ll do crazy things for other people with no hesitation. He’s one of the most refreshing protagonists I’ve seen in a long time, and has most of the best lines in the series. The rest of the cast is also great, especially Mai, the other main lead. In fact, the main focus of the series besides the Adolescence Syndrome cases is Sakuta and Mai’s relationship, which is very well written, to the point of being my favorite part of the series. It avoids so many stumbles a lot of other series can run into: the relationship is started up early, nobody manages to threaten their feelings, and any misunderstandings, current or even just potential, they take steps to work though. Even when she’s willing to jab at and mess with Sakuta, Mai is always affectionate and transparent with her feelings, and becomes progressively even more so as it goes on. It’s also just, a refreshing change of pace compared to most relationships in anime. The other main focus, the Adolescence Syndrome cases, are just as well written. Despite exaggerated situations like becoming invisible to people, or even causing a time loop, there are few times they’re played for laughs. The series takes it all very seriously, mostly because of the kind of factors that lead to the syndrome appearing. Things like an oppressive school atmosphere, where standing out causes scrutiny, and most decide to just follow the leader to avoid consequences, or the fear of your only friendships being damaged over minor reasons. While more positive than Sakura Hall, it takes the same care to show just how damaging issues like this can be. Even Sakuta isn’t above it: he’s rumored to have send some of his classmates to the hospital once, and despite being completely false, it’s ostracized him to the point that he considers himself lucky to have 2 whole friends, and he’s just accepted the mindset that fighting against such an atmosphere is pointless. There a lot of emotional moments throughout the series, especially the last three episodes, and it earns them all. It even shies away from fanservice most of the time, even despite the very title of the show (the bunny girl part was actually only the title of the first light novel, but the series just kept it for the whole thing) The animation isn’t too wacky due to the tone and grounded writing, but it has an appealing artstyle, and the voice actors do a great job as well. Overall, this is an anime that’s genuinely very good by itself. Even so, what is it that makes me so biased towards it? For one thing, it just hits some emotional soft spots a lot of other stuff doesn’t personally manage, through stuff like, once again, Sakuta and Mai’s relationship. The very interesting premise and general grounded nature also wins it a lot of points. But, ultimately, it’s not something I can really put into words. Might be because I watched it on a very weird day. Regardless, this is one I would definitely want everyone to give a chance, and here’s hoping the movie gets a DVD release soon. And with that, there’s to end to my rambling. Again, I would recommend everything I’ve put here to most people, but especially the top 2. I’m planning on watching some more anime, so I may make another ranking like this soon. Otherwise, till next time. -Scout

[gabelandescrocs]

The President’s Son - MINGI

Part 1/?? || 1356 words

Pairing: ReaderXMingi / ReaderXSeonghwa(in future chapters)

Genre: Fluff/Angst(?)

Summary: Taking care of the President’s son was never involved in your training but here you are, in the brink of insanity running after a 20 year-old boy and probably tripping and falling in love in the process.

++++++

A/N: *10-15 means En Route with Prisoner

Last week, it was an unauthorized trip to an ice cream shop.

Two days ago, it was an escape to the mall.

Yesterday, it was a date at a club with a random freshman he met at campus.

This special task has given you high blood pressure levels and extreme anxiety over your job trying to get through these tedious moments with the infamous son of the President, Song Mingi. You’ve been barely surviving, and your boss hasn’t exactly been keen on how you’ve been running the task given to you which was always to keep your eyes on him—to which you have failed to do so three times already and tonight, the fourth.

You were already done for the day when the head of security rings you up just as you were about to pull up to your apartment building. The President has called in all forces to search for his delinquent son, who has yet again escaped his guards on duty and run off into the night. How he did it was beyond you, but you give him credit for escaping top class security and manage to stay hidden for hours on end through the night before you could ping his location from his phone which was left in his dorm room. It didn’t take you long to know where he had gone after passing by a group of girls with their deafening chatter talking about meeting the President’s son at a frat party.

A huff that escapes your lips doesn’t go unnoticed as you escort him back to the vehicle and climb in to the passenger’s side.

“We are 10-15* to the palace” You speak into your comm as you pull out of the campus with two more escort cars and police riders at your flanks. Seonghwa, your partner, smirks beside you as he drives off with the entourage.

“Sir, you can’t keep running off like this without assistance-“your tone demanding only to be cut off by Mingi, jaw clenched and eyes in slits as he crosses his arms like a child being reprimanded at the back seat.

“I’m 20 years old, I don’t need assistance to live my life,” his eyes turn into thinner slits as he glares at you through the rear-view mirror. “Well your life isn’t exactly normal, sir. You can’t be left alone in places with no security or protection, the President assigned me to-“

“The President this, the President that! Aren’t you tired of taking commands from that old sleeze?”

You maintain eye contact with him, slowly losing patience every time he cuts you off. “This is my job, sir. It is my duty to follow any requests from the President.”

“Well, I’m his son and I request for you to freaking relax a little, yeah?”

“I don’t take orders from you, sir.”

“Stop calling me sir. You’re young! Don’t you want to have some fun and let loose for a while?” Mingi leans forward and rests both elbows at the back of the front seats. Your mind immediately wants to ask him to sit back down and put his seatbelt on for his safety but the amount of stress and exhaustion you’ve had from today has you dismissing protocol just this one time.

You nod, staring out the window as the city lights zoom by in thin streaks. “I do that on my free time, sir.” Which was supposed to be tonight but out of all the nights he chooses to go AWOL it had to be on the night before your day off.

“You sound like you haven’t had any fun in ages”

“Well, it’s not exactly entertaining for me to run around the whole city looking for you, sir.”

“Stop calling me sir.”

You exhale through your nose biting back your tongue as you finally pull up to the gates of the 4-story high, neoclassical palace right in the middle of 18 acres of land. Seonghwa notified the rest of your guards through your intercom that the three of you have arrived in the premises.

Passing through the front doors, you stop Mingi by the foyer and instruct him to raise his arms and keep both feet apart.

“What are you doing?” Mingi asks, as you search through his wardrobe for a pat down.

“It’s just standard protocol, you were left unattended at a gathering filled with unidentified individuals. We have to know there’s nothing on you.”

Your hands pat around and reach into the breast pockets of his suit as he scoffs at your robotic response. “We have to check everything. If you have drugs, we will confiscate them from you.”

“And what? Tell on my dad? How does it feel to be a babysitter for the President?”

“Like I’m back in high school again. The kid is just as immature but 4 feet taller-“ Your hand feels a thin plastic material from his right back pocket bringing out its contents between your to see a small packaged condom.

“I have more of those in my bedroom, wanna check with me?” a sly expression appears on his face with his hands in his pockets. What you would give to wipe that look right off in one swift move. In any case you could, if he wasn’t the President’s one and only son. For now, you just have to hold back every time the urge gets to you for the sake of your job.

“Only regular? I think I’ll pass,”

It was always like this with him, flirting, invading your personal space, even putting his arm around your shoulders were a constant hobby for Mingi whenever you two cross paths; how you’ve developed such an immunity to all of his sly remarks and suggestive advances since day one is beyond your training for the Secret Service.

Your colleagues on the other hand though have something else to say, Seonghwa constantly teases you because he thinks the little devil is into you. The thought of it completely sounds ridiculous each time it rings through your ears. You appreciate Seonghwa because the two of you are the youngest ones in the bunch of black suits and hidden gun holsters that protect the confines of this building and everyone around it, but you would appreciate it more if he’d stop trying to convince you—as he likes to phrase it: “the baby has a thing for his sitter”.

You hand the packaging to Seonghwa, and escort him back to his room, walking down the hall and up the staircase leading up to the executive residence for the President and the rest of his family. You pass more guards than usual on your way, the culprit being the individual walking behind you that decided to jump ship and crash a college party.

The three of you finally reach the door to his room and opening it for him and usher him in. He stops just a step away from you reading your emotionless face as you wait for him to enter the room. He lingers but releases a deep breath and finally walks in and you follow suit and Seonghwa stays back to man the door.

You hear him kicking off his shoes and jumping on his bed as you take a quick scan of his room and bedroom window—making sure it was locked this time. You looked back to him, with both arms resting behind his head, eyes still following your every move through the room checking his window and placing his phone back on his bed side table.

“The President requests your presence at breakfast tomorrow morning, please be up early.”

“The President... pfft,” the bitterness in his tone when he addresses his father always has you wondering why he had such a bad view on his father’s position. If you were born into the right family and was in his shoes, you’d be reacting more differently. Nonetheless, you never asked him why he likes to get on his father’s nerves either; personal questions was never really part of the job so you leave it be.

“If you even so try to open this window or walk out of this door unattended-“

“Yeah, yeah I get it. You’ll have my ass. I’ll be at breakfast tomorrow morning, don’t worry.”

“Good night, sir”