#he’s ‘single’ but has ‘things’ with like eight people but none of it anything very serious

[pansyfemme]

cringe guy who still refers to himself as a malewife years after it was relevant but still manages to burn everything he cooks and gives the worst head of all time

[faeriekit]

Health and Hybrids (XIX)👽👻💚

[I can't remember the original prompt posters  for the life of me but here's a mashup between a cryptid!Danny, presumed-alien!Danny, dp x dc, and the prompt made the one body horror meat grinder fic.]

PART ONE is here PART TWO is here PART THREE is here PART FOUR is here and PART FIVE is here PART SIX is here and PART SEVEN is here PART EIGHT is here PART NINE is here PART TEN is here PART ELEVEN is here PART TWELVE is here PART THIRTEEN is here PART FOURTEEN is here PART FIFTEEN is here PART SIXTEEN is here PART SEVENTEEN is here PART EIGHTEEN is here...nineteen...oy vey.

💚 Ao3 Is here for all parts (now featuring mediocre mouseover translations, only available on a computer)

Where we last left off... THE BART RETURNS! The earth rejoices! 🥳🎉 Physical therapy can be fun, even if it usually isn't!

Trigger warnings for this story:  body horror | gore | post-dissection fic | dehumanization (probably) |  my nonexistent attempts at following DC canon. On with the show.

💚👻👽👻💚

Danny learns a few more words with practice.

Foda is simple. If Danny is hungry, he can ask for foda. It sounds exactly like food, and when he asks, they feed him.

…Or they up his IV. Which. Danny’s tongue might still feel sore and nasty, but the doctors and nurses and millions of minders don’t seem that mad when he sticks his tongue out at them. Sometimes they even laugh.

They don’t even sound all that mean.

It takes Danny a good chunk of waking time for him to realize that he…probably is hooked up to something he doesn’t want to think about, since all the efforts of lifting and moving him haven’t resulted in a single bathroom trip since he woke up here.

Firstly: horrible.

Secondly: his legs are super, absolutely, positively immobilized, and if someone doesn’t give him enough medication quickly enough after it wears off, Danny is very aware that something is deeply wrong with them.

So. Uh. That’s…gross.

He learns bealo just as quickly. He isn’t sure what bealo means, per se, but when he says it, they up his medication until Danny can pretend he doesn’t have any legs again.

God niht is goodnight, unless Danny is feeling snippy, and then it’s just niht.

…The one lady who minds him always says the whole thing, though. Even when Danny’s mean. Like the one time he threw his rocket at someone.

Or the time he started ignoring everyone when they tried to touch him.

…Or the one time he tried to freeze his IV bag, and put everyone on alert because if he’d been human, that would have seriously hurt him.

“Sorry,” Danny’d whispered, even if it wouldn’t mean anything to her.

She’d patted his hand and meant it. Danny’d had to dry his eyes with his wrist. “Eall es wel.”

Anyway.

Danny hates being in the freaking bed every hour of every day. So when his “sitting up” exercises turn into “hey, let’s try the wheelchair” practice, Danny gets so excited-slash-nervous that he kind of feels like he’s going to throw up all the liquids he’s been injected with.

None of the regular people try to lift him. Instead the lady does it herself, scooping Danny up in very strong arms, the golden cuffs on her wrists weirdly warm on Danny’s skin. When Danny’s settled, his legs sticking out real weird and his back kind of sore, he’s…out of bed.

He’s. He’s not in bed anymore.

And. Sure. It’s temporary, but it’s not the bed. Danny can wriggle, and he can sort of palm the wheels underneath him with the heels of his shaky hands, and he can see so much more of himself than he has in ages and ages.

For one. Both of his legs are in casts. That’s. Not good. He can’t feel it right now, but the sight of fully encased legs…

Well. If he can transform that won’t be a problem. If. If he has to escape. But it is…it’s super scary. He mostly remembers being captured, but the…the other people had been focusing more on his thoracic cavity and his face and head.

…So why are his legs so bad? Did something else happen?

(It did, didn’t it?)

(…Didn’t it??)

His hands shake, but there’s something to all that grip training, or else Danny wouldn’t be able to paw at his neckline to look down his own shirt. Or, well, his cloth nightie, anyway.

It’s good that he looks, since, well…his chest is glowing a solid green.

Whatever should probably be scar tissue. Uh. It…isn’t. There’re gouges down his chest and a crater where his heart should be that probably should be healing over, considering, you know, he’s not freaking dead at this exact second (mostly??), but. Instead of, like, healed flesh, or, say, his insides, there’s a transparent green…jelly… holding him together.

He can see how the green bounces with his heart beat.

...Danny drops the neckline of his gown. His breath comes in choking bursts, eyes pressed into his eye sockets—he feels sick.

He is sick. He has been sick.

The humans are keeping him here because he’s a freak of nature and he’s broken from head to toe and the Guys in White carved his flesh out of his body and opened him up like a can of cranberry sauce.

He presses his hands to his chest, to his stomach, just trying to breathe for long enough that he doesn’t throw up his oatmeal and occasional juice and IV nutrition onto the pristine floor of his sickroom. The people around him all make sympathetic noises that don’t help because he doesn’t know what they mean.

And then he feels something weird.

Not all the sensation in his fingers are back. It’s easier for him to feel impediments than it is to feel textures—something that blocks him from moving, rather than anything sensory-specific. He can usually tell when he touches fabric, because when he moves too far, it pulls tight around his hand. He can tell when he’s on something solid when his hand fails to go through it.

There is something solid sticking out of him.

Danny’s heartbeat quickens. It’s not. It’s. There’s something in him.

And it’s not—it’s so solid. When Danny brushes his hands against it, he can feel his skin and his flesh move with it, trying not to dislodge the thing embedded in him. It pulls at his skin. He doesn’t know what it is.

His fingers tremble as he tries to brush over the object through his gown, trying to figure out its shape from faulty touch alone. It’s like waking up to find himself jammed with needles all over again.

People are talking around them. Danny doesn’t try to listen in. He’s scared. He’s so scared. Something’s happened to him, and he didn’t even notice.

Some of it is—hard. There’s a crinkling sound when he moves. Danny manages to pull his gown neckline back again to catch something of a glimpse, and all he sees is plastic.

He doesn’t know what it is.

He doesn’t know who to ask. He can’t understand anyone and he doesn’t know if he trusts them.

They put something in him. There’s something embedded in him.

He thinks he’s going to cry.

Something touches his arm—Danny flinches. His core tightens with stress as he puts a metaphorical hand on the button, ready to run and hide at any notice.

It’s the lady. He knows her.

No, he doesn’t. He doesn’t know her at all. He can’t talk to her in any way that matters. She’s not a doctor. He doesn’t know why she’s here, or why she’s keeping him here.

She’s nice. She fed him. But is that all it takes to trick him? To make him compliant? Pliable?

She stops touching him when he gets scared, her eyes worried. She kneels—closer than Danny would like, probably, but she keeps her hands to herself. Danny’s heart races faster, out of order, starting and stopping and starting again like a bad engine.

“Eow eart wel?” she asks from his left arm rest, a common question, so softly. Danny doesn’t know what it means. “Eall es wel. Ænlic eow, ænlic me. Bruce bræð wið me?”

She takes a big, deep, breath. Her hand rises slightly over her chest, following an exaggerated movement. Don’t panic. Breathe. Breathe like me. One, two, three.

Danny’s breaths are more choked. More panicked.

But when she breathes, he breathes with her—even with every stutter in between.

“Hwæt es woh[O3] ?” the lady asks, so gently it’s almost a whisper. Her pointer finger hovers over his body, but doesn’t touch—and eventually, Danny figures out she probably wants to know where he’s hurting.

But he’s not hurting. He’s scared. There’s something inside him, and he isn’t sure what it is. He presses the heel of his hand to the object. He feels something rigid refuse to bend inside his flesh.

There’s something of recognition in the woman’s face. “Inne cwic tima,” she says, more certain of answers outside the room, and darts away,

Danny wants to bounce his bound leg. He feels awful when anyone is in the room with him, considering how little of them he knows, but, somehow, it’s so much worse when he’s actually alone.

When she comes back, there’s a second person who walks through the double doors with her, in blue scrubs with ducks on them. They wave to Danny.

Danny…blinks. He feels numb. It’s kind of a problem.

They take it in stride, though; in their hands is a blank board and a chunky marker. The cap comes off, the new person scribbles for a minute or so, and then turns the board around so that Danny can see.

It’s a…person. A rudimentary outline person, sure, with some visible bones and organs to fill in the person-shaped outline. Danny can recognize most of them from anatomy class, although those memories are more…personal, now. A little more painful.

The person taps on the board. The person points to Danny.

Danny frowns.

The person turns the board back around and makes some Pew, Pew, Pew! sounds with their mouth, occasionally opening and closing their hand over the board to match the noise. There’s some more scribbling. When the board turns back around, there’s a violent smudge of marker on top of the drawn person’s drawn intestines.

The person takes their covered pinky finger and erases a little neat circle of marker in the intestines, mostly favoring one side. They draw a little arrow from the hole to the general outside-of-the-person blank area. Then another circle, with a thicker circle inside.

Danny recognizes the object jutting out of him. Oh. This is how he got it.

The person—probably a doctor, Danny guesses, or the surgeon who did this to him—do these people even need credentials, actually?—hands the board over to the lady. They hold out ten outstretched fingers, marker under their arm, and make a show of counting every one of the outstretched fingers with the opposite hand. Then they take the board back.

And then, when they write on the board, Danny can actually understand what they say.

Or, well, it’s numbers! The numbers are the same as his—the line and a circle is clearly meant to be a ten, and the little x is a multiplication symbol— they draw a 10, as clearly and a brightly as it could be against a stark white board, and add a little x 7, probably to indicate a week; the result is ten suns times seven, or seventy suns.

Danny feels his heart bounce in his chest. Danny would bet a whole lot of money that the number is meant to be seventy days. There is an end point. It’s not that Danny is free to be subjected to random anatomical whims—there’s a goal here. This was purposeful.

The little circle-within a circle gets erased. The hole is scribbled through as if it was never there, and the person makes a weaving gesture with the marker that Danny is certain is meant to be sewing.

Tears prick at his eyes. The lady gets close by him again, but Danny lets her. His hands aren’t good enough for wiping tears the way he wants to, yet. Help and company are good.

She gives him a tissue from Danny's bedside table. He takes it with a whisper of a grip.

“Seventy?” Danny rasps, tearful. Hopeful. Terrified of hope. He practically jams the tissue into his eye sockets.

The lady’s eyes go wide. “Seventy,” she repeats, marveling.

It’s enough. Nothing is perfect, but it’s enough. And if Danny's allowed to spend so long in front of the space window that he falls asleep in his wheelchair, well. It's not like he was in charge of where they went.

[wp-blaze]

Healing Inergy – inward energy and recovery

Many things vie for my time. There’s not always enough time to turn inward. Inward Home I still have a day job. My “home” work is deeply important to me as well. These inform my inner life constantly. My spouse, our dog, our home, and our neighborhood all receive my daily attention. Whether walking RB, […]

[sidekick-hero]

Written for @steddieholidaydrabbles, prompt "spring" | wc: 1.000 | also written for the Stranger Things writing guild prompt "new beginnings" to celebrate @pearynice's birthday 💜| tags: second chances, blind date, exes to lovers, modern au

Eddie often wonders why he can't say no to Chrissy. It's become as much a part of his life as his love for Metallica or his ambidexterity. Whenever Chrissy insists, "You can't stay home every night and mope, Eddie. It's time to get out there and meet new people. You should start dating again, Eddie. New city, new opportunities." he tries to reason with her. He explains that he's not moping, for heaven's sake, and that he's meeting lots of people through his guitar lessons. He insists that he's content to be single. But Chrissy is relentless, wearing him down until he finds himself clad in black jeans and a burgundy button-down he never knew he owned, heading to his favorite bar to meet the mysterious blind date Chrissy has arranged for him.

Chrissy hasn't provided much information about the guy, just that he's about Eddie's height, athletic, and apparently very handsome and 'dreamy' - whatever that means. Eddie isn't convinced that this is his usual type, nor is he sure that he fits the bill for what this guy might be looking for. But Chrissy has a point; it's been over five years since Eddie's last serious relationship, and none of the guys he's dated since have been anything more than casual flings. Maybe it's not such a bad idea to try something different.

Since moving to New York eight months ago - first as Chrissy's roommate, then as her friend - Eddie has been searching for a sense of purpose. Los Angeles had lost its allure; too superficial, too jaded, too artificial. The only real connection he had there was Steve, who left the city and Eddie years ago, leaving Eddie adrift. Eventually, Eddie came to terms with the unlikelihood of his rockstar dreams and decided it was time to face reality.

Hence his move to New York in search of a fresh start. And maybe, just maybe, a chance at a lasting relationship - one that can mend the Steve-shaped hole in his heart.

It's hope more than anything that brings Eddie to the Hideout to meet his blind date on a warm spring night in late May. According to Chrissy, the guy would stand out with his overly preppy attire - a stark contrast to the Hideout's dive bar atmosphere.

The bar is bustling, as usual for a Saturday night. As Chrissy predicted, Eddie spots his date almost immediately - not because of his outfit, but because of the familiar figure perched on a barstool, nursing a beer.

It's Steve Harrington sitting across from Eddie, every bit as captivating and alluring as the day they first met seven years ago, when they were both waiting tables in Los Angeles.

The moment Steve spots him is unmistakable and his wide eyes convey that Steve, too, had no idea that Eddie would be his blind date - a twist of fate that brings them together again after so many years and miles apart.

"Steve," Eddie croaks, his throat dry and his heart racing as he approaches. "I had no clue, I swear. If I'd known Chris was setting me up with you, I would've warned her that you'd probably never want to see me again. Been there, done that, right?" He chuckles nervously, realizing he's on the verge of putting his foot in his mouth - his usual tendency. "God, I'm so sorry, really."

Steve continues to stare at him, blinking as if trying to make sense of the situation. Slowly, like shifting tectonic plates, he returns to the present, acknowledging the awkwardness of being set up on a blind date with his ex.

His voice, slightly breathless, finally breaks the silence, accompanied by a faint smile. "Well, you didn't ramble quite as much on our last first date."

Eddie can't suppress the laughter that bubbles up from within him, recalling fondly their first first date. "I have no idea how I pulled that off, to be honest. I was so nervous, I thought I was going to puke."

Steve's laughter fills the air, drawing a grin from Eddie. "Yeah, you looked even paler than usual, and the bar for that was actually pretty low."

"Oi, just so you know, it's called alabaster skin and it's considered very sexy."

Steve lets his eyes roam over Eddie's slender form in a way that still manages to fluster him, heat creeping up his neck and onto his cheeks.

"Sure," he agrees easily after a moment's pause. Then, meeting Eddie's eyes, Steve continues, his tone serious. "Listen, I had no idea you'd be my blind date, but now that we're both here... maybe we can catch up? It's been a while, and truth is, I miss you. I've been thinking a lot about you, about us. I know we broke up for a reason, but I feel like... maybe we could've tried harder, y'know? I could've tried harder."

That's so Steve, Eddie thinks, feeling a pang in his chest. He's never met anyone who wears his heart on his sleeve the way Steve does.

Pulling a five-dollar bill from his pocket, Eddie places it on the bar before reaching out to Steve. "Wanna get out of here? Take a walk and talk?"

"There's nothing I'd rather do," Steve replies, intertwining their hands as they leave the bar and step out into the warm, spring-scented night air.

They find themselves in a nearby diner, where they spend the night talking - about their past, their present, and, tentatively, their future. They only part as the sun begins to rise, a soft kiss goodbye all they allow themselves to end this magical night.

A kiss and a confession.

"I'm so glad we got a second chance, Eddie," Steve whispers, voice full of sincerity. "I don't want to start it off with a lie.A friend stood me up; that's why I was at the bar. Not as your date."

Spring, with its promise of new beginnings, has never smelled sweeter, Eddie thinks as he kisses Steve again with a grin on his face.

[gococogo]

Hello would it be ok to have a destiel fanfic with prompts "Just like we promised" and "I've missed your touch" i love ur work <3

Prompt 1 | Destiel

Synopsis: Dean has been out on a hunt for over a month and hasn't called Cas at all. He's still getting use to this whole fucking an angel thing.

Word Count: 2.9K

Pairing: Dean Winchester / Castiel

Warnings: Angst. Sappy. Smutty.

Notes: It's more than okay to want this. This was a pleasure to write and I hope you enjoy what i created! Enjoy!

The pacing became a constant thing on the fourth week. On the fifth, the nail biting had started. A bad habit he’s picked up from Sam out of all people, a nasty human habit. But the satisfaction behind it to relieve stress almost calms Cas’s nerves. He had paced from the main foyer to the kitchen to Dean’s room. Dean’s room is one of the main places that Castiel had resided.

When the sixth week came around, Cas’s nails were all chewed off and he had began picking at the skin around them. Dean was meant to call an entire week ago. No SMS either. No even a single prayer. Complete radio silence.

Sam had given Castiel Charlie’s number in case he got bored. Dean had made a comment about Charlie’s Angels. Something Cas didn’t understand until he had looked it up on his own phone later that day. But Sam had insisted yet Castiel declined saying he would be perfectly fine, for angel’s cannot feel human depths of boredom, just passing time.

One thousand and eight hours and six minutes to be exact. So, the angel isn’t bored per say, just very, deathly worried about Dean. And Sam.

The fourth day of the sixth week, the chunk and click of the bunker door snaps Castiel out of his trance in the main foyer. He stands up from where he sits at the table as laughter and voices burst into the bunker. By God is it good to hear their voices but at the same time it brings out so many bad emotions that vibrate his being and make him grind his teeth.

Sam is first to walk down the stairs, a duffle bag slung over his shoulder and a grin upon his face. When he spots the angel, his smile faulters. He tries his best to play it off but Cas sees the uncertainty.

“Oh, Castiel!” Sam says more surprised than anything, “I didn’t expect you to still be here!” He speaks as if the conversation they had over a month ago never happened. Which only -what’s that word Dean uses- pisses him off even more.

“I’ve been here this entire time,” Cas grumbles.

Which is below an angel of the lord like himself but the frustration flickering around inside of him is something that he hasn’t felt in a good while. Probably since apocalypse days.

“Cas!”

All eyes go to the older brother making his way down the stairs. Unlike Sam, Dean isn’t unscathed. His lip is busted, and his entire right eye is blackened. His eyebrow is split, and three gauze strips hold it together.

As soon as Dean comes down the last set of stairs, Cas is already across the room pushing past Sam to press two fingers to his forehead. The hunter straightens up at the sudden wellness that comes over him. His bruising disappears and fades into yellow and the cuts and scrapes heal without a scar. He goes to thank the angel but all he sees is a very frustrated one in front of him.

“You were suppose to contact me,” Castiel speaks firmly. Like angel of the lord firm. “But I received none of the sort.”

Sam goes deathly quiet behind them. He places his duffle bag of guns and knives on the table which make a louder noise than he originally intended. As if the sound is cutting through the thick tension in the room.  

Dean sucks in air through teeth as he tries to avoid eye contact with the angel. But it doesn’t matter where he looks because Cas is only a few inches from him. So those deep blue eyes is all he sees.

“The hunt got very busy, Cas you know how it gets,” Dean argues poorly as he shrugs his shoulders. “We didn’t have time.”

“We had plenty of time,” Sam comments from the table.

Castiel slowly turns his attention towards Sam with a frown. All while Dean looks to his brother with a look of betrayal mixed with disgust. Sam swallows thickly and picks up his duffle bag.

“I’ll go put these away in the stash,” Sam grins sheepishly as he scoots himself across the room.

Blue returns back to green who looks more like a hurt child than anything. And all that anger and frustration is slow to wash away as Cas brings a hand to Dean’s cheek. The hunter flinches away slightly at first but stays in the warm touch of the angel.

“I still don’t know what I’m doing, Cas,” Dean murmurs.

The angel lets out a deep sigh that has his shoulders drooping. Oh Dean.

“I’m…” The hunter clears his throat, readjusting his tone to something more manlier. “I’m still very new to this. To us.”

Cas holds Dean’s face in both his hands, almost engulfing his face but the hunter stays so still. Why still keep up this façade that doesn’t work on the angel? He’s seen him break and cry and become soft so many times. Why still keep up daddy’s good lil soldier in front of him?

A soft kiss is planted on Dean’s forehead over his once black eye. Then, like all the other times Cas has kissed Dean, he kisses the hunter gently and warmly. The heat that the angel radiates is like a furnace yet so inviting.

Dean grabs onto Castiel’s trench coat as he leans forward, deepening the kiss a little. In this moment, Cas can put his own irritation aside for this. He holds Dean, taste the hint of jerky on his mouth from the trip here. It isn’t the most pleasant of tastes, but Dean has kissed him with worst. Much worse.

Calloused hands make their way under Cas’s coat to his waist. This, this is something the angel has missed. Even if it has been a month and two weeks. Too long for his own good.

Unlike Cas, Dean pulls away to inhale a breath of air. The hunter smiles something wicked and Cas’s eyes slightly widen. Dean’s fingers loop into Cas’s belt and flips the buckle open a little too swiftly and a little too eagerly. A soft grip latches onto his wrist, stopping him in his movements. Dean raises a brow at the angel.

“I don’t think Sam will be too impressed if he catches us out here,” Castiel points out sternly, “Like last time.”

Dean barks out a fit of laughter, the memory coming to mind of Sam’s horrified face at the sight of the two. Dean splayed out on the table with the angel over him, his blue eyes as wide as saucepans. Both stark ass naked with the angel’s white butt out on full display.

“Why not?” Dean chuckles out.

Cas can’t help but roll his eyes. With his grip still on Dean’s wrist he begins backing up slowly across the foyer, dragging Dean along.

“You worry too much,” Dean grins.

“I don’t think I worry enough,” Cas bites back playfully.

Dean stops the angel and draws him into for another deep kiss. One that has him gripping the back of Cas’s hair and looping his fingers back into his belt. Dean pulls away but only mere millimetres, not wanting to stay away for too long.

Those green eyes lock onto the angel and Cas won’t lie, he’s missed those emeralds. He runs a thumb over Dean’s freckled cheek and smiles softly when he sees that everything is the same. No more bruises or cuts. Dean follows the notion with a side eye, almost wanting to pull away but staying still and stiffens under the touch.

It takes both of them a good while to get back to Dean’s room. Having to push the hunter there rather than drag him along since he kept stopping Cas. He isn’t vocal about it but he can tell that the hunter can’t keep his hands off of Cas.

Clothes come off a little too easily and Cas can’t help but frown when he spots more cuts and bruises on Dean’s frame. With soft touches, Cas heals them without a second thought. Dean shivers under the touch, his eyes tracking every movement. With a warm glow, Cas heals a deep purple bruise on Dean’s chest that has the hunter breathing a little easier. But with that he pushes Dean back onto the bed. The springs creak under his weight and he disrupts the perfectly made blankets. Cas’s work.

Dean tries to sit up on the bed but is pushed down again when Cas straddles his lap. He runs his hands over Dean’s body once more, making sure that he hasn’t missed any nicks and cuts. He could heal Dean in one go, but where’s the fun in that?

“I’ve…” Dean hesitates, adverting his gaze downwards to the angel’s hands. “I’ve missed your touch.”

“Hmm,” Cas hums at that with a smile.

“I wish I had called,” Dean continues. “Or sent a text. But I’m scared alright. As stupid as that sounds.”

The angel’s smile falls at that. To respond to that, he clasps the hunter’s face in his hands and kisses him softly unlike before. He moves his hips down on Dean as well, making the hunter squirm under his weight. Maybe he can forgive Dean after all.

In between the kisses, the angel mumbles out, “It’s not stupid at all.”

The result of watching Dean’s face go beet red is a reward in it’s own. Cas kisses him again, humming into his mouth with satisfaction. Such a human thing to do. How much he’s changed since being around Dean. He’s changed him so much. Does Dean realize just how much he’s done for the angel? Or is he blind to that fact? Maybe he might have to ask him one day. But not now.

Not when he feels Dean’s grip tighten on his hips, wanting him to grind down harder into him. The friction is something that the hunter craves at this moment. He grows hard and his dick rubs in between the angel’s cheeks. Precum leaks from Dean’s dick, making the glide easier.

Cas sits up slowly and as if out of nowhere, he holds Dean’s bottle of lube in hand. Dean’s stares at it bug eyed for a moment but doesn’t question it because he knows he left that in the bottom draw of his dresser. Where it normally stays. Either Cas miraculously brought the bottle to his hand or it was always on the bed and he just didn’t see it. Either either, both make sense for the angel.

“Let me,” Dean says as he takes the bottle from him.

Lathering his fingers up generously, Dean a little too eagerly brings his hand around Cas’s ass and inserts two fingers. The angel grunts at the sudden penetration, his eyes fluttering shut. With Dean’s other hand as he sets a quick pace to open up Cas, he kneads his thumb into the angel’s hips. Holding on as if he’s going to fly away with those wings of his.

Cas towers over Dean, scrunching up the blankets into his fists next to the hunter’s head. More lube is added and then a third finger is fitted right to the next others. Cas’s breathing becomes heavy, every nerve in his body buzzing and every inch of his grace humming. He can feel everything a little too well for his own good. The stretch of the three fingers, the way his hard cock rubs up against Dean’s, the way that he’s been wanting to feel Dean’s touch once more. Too much.

Deeming the angel ready, Dean brings his lubed fingers to slick his own dick up. He exhales shakily, holding himself together by a thread. The entire hunt, the Angel of Thursday was on his mind yet he was too coward to send a simple prayer. Next time. Next time we won’t be so stupid.

Cas exhales shakily, opening his eyes to meet a lustful green graze. The angel looks into those eyes fondly with a smile coming upon his reddened lips. He kisses Dean again, this time deepening it and grinding down on the hunter again. Dean grunts under him and digs that thumb into his hip a little more.

Dean guides the head of his dick to Cas’s ass, rubbing himself between his cheeks a few times. He pushes the tip of his dick in, humming in the kiss at the warmth he feels. He pushes in a little deeper and breaks the kiss, his face scrunching up into something needy. Cas continues lining Dean’s exposed neck though with small kisses, sucking and biting lightly. Dean groans as he grabs onto the angel’s hips with both hands to help guide him down.

Cas winces but moans something whiny into the hunter’s skin. He still smells like the hunt. Gun powder, cheap pharmacy cologne and musk. Dean grunts with every push. He fucks into Cas eagerly, but the angel isn’t going to stop him. He’s enjoying this too much. He’s missed Dean too much to let this pass. His body buzzes and constricts with pleasure that he can’t help the noises that comes his mouth. He can feel himself shaking in the hunter’s hold, his grace vibrating within.

Dean pushes Cas down onto him until he’s flush against his hips. The angel groans and breathes heavily as Dean only gives him a few seconds of adjustment before he begins a quick pace again. Each time he thrusts into Cas, he brings the angel down just as hard that gets a satisfying grunt from him.

The hunter sits up suddenly, still holding onto Cas so that they’re flush against each other. With each movement, Cas’s dick rubs up against their stomachs. The angel holds onto him as he lets the hunter fucks out everything from the hunt. Dean groans deep within his throat as he keeps moving at a constant pace, thrusting into Cas on his lap. It’s more of an awkward bob at this point, both being too desperate to do much more. But both are satisfied right now.

But Dean wants more.  Suddenly, he flips and throws Cas onto the bed with little effort. He grabs onto the back of the angel’s knees and pushes his legs up so that he’s almost folded in half. He lines himself up again, this time slipping in easier than the last.  

The new angle has Cas shivering and grunting with each thrust into him. He digs his fingernails into Dean’s shoulder, unable to gain control of the delicious noises coming from his throat.

Through shaky pants, Dean is able to grumble out a deep, “I’ve missed you.”

Another shiver runs down Cas’s back, earning a whimper like sound from him. The hunter’s cock passes by that sweet bundle of nerves inside of Cas that has him grunting with each movement. Cas wraps his legs around Dean, holding him close as the hunter’s thrust become short and shallow. Dean comes down for a sloppy kiss, mostly broken by breaths of shaky inhales.

“I’ve-“ Dean pecks Cas on the mouth, cutting him off. “missed you-“ another kiss, “…too.”

Dean brings a hand down to wrap about the angel’s leaking cock, flicking a thumb over his tip with every stroke. Cas arches his back the best he can in the position he’s in and startles out a cry. By God, he can feel himself getting close. His body buzzes and feels like tv static with just a simple touch. He doesn’t want this to be over already, but with Dean abusing that sweet part inside of him he can’t hold on at all.

Cas chokes out a strangled cry as his whole body and grace feels like it’s going to explode. He releases hot strips into Dean’s hand as he digs his bitten nails deeper into the hunter’s shoulders. He heals the bruising before it even comes about, even in his stare of high. Dean keeps fucking through his orgasm, making it ten times more intense.

“Dean,” Cas grits out.

With a few couple of more hard thrusts, Dean drives his cock deeper into Cas as he reaches his own orgasm. Dean stiffens up, unmoving as he cums hot and deep within the angel. Who would have thought. Fucking an angel of the lord.

Cas shivers at the new sensation of the warmth inside of him. He grits his teeth, holding Dean in place. He doesn’t think he can handle the hunter moving at this given moment. Both stay still for a good few minutes, a panting and sweaty mess. Cas can’t help but shake faintly, his breathing ragged and uneven. He can feel his grace is all over the place and he tries his best to collect himself.

But it’s very hard when Dean lands on top of the angel with an audible, “Oof,” slipping out of the angel in the process. Cas places a hand on his back and gives him a light pat on the shoulder. But Dean doesn’t move and inch, his face flat against the nape of his neck.

“I’m coming with you next time,” Cas grumbles out.

Whatever Dean says next, it’s lost into a mumble and jumble of words in the angel’s neck. This earns a short chuff from the angel, knowing full well that the hunter can’t stop him in doing so. What he says goes. But right now, he’s fully content in laying in for a few minutes. He’s fine in letting time pass by when it’s with Dean Winchester.

-

Have an amazing day/night ;)

[nyanggk]

20 DAYS BEFORE HEAVEN — l. hs

⋆*✩⑅◡̈⃝* — news reached your school that a boy in your class has passed away and the last thing expected was for the the reaper to show up inside your room and make a bargain with you. He gives you the chance to go back 20 days to save a boy you barely knew under one condition. the question is, would you do it despite the danger?

⋆*✩⑅◡̈⃝* genre(s) — highschool au, strangers to lovers, romance, angst, supernatural

⋆*✩⑅◡̈⃝* warning(s) — profanity, suicide, internalising disorders, bullying, sexual assault, victim blaming

⋆*✩⑅◡̈⃝* wc. : 15k+

— dont forget to reblog, like, and comment about what you thought abt the fic!! lastly, thank u so so much to our dearest best girl, sei who made this banner for me !! you will forever be remembered ♡ teaser

OCTOBER 15  ༉༊

Ever since you were a mere infant, you loved the rain. Being brought into the world in the rainy month of June, all your birthdays were greeted by a storm. When you were eight years old, you and your parents decided to go to the theme park for your birthday. However, your plans for outside fun were soon soiled when the rain started pouring the second you'd entered the premises. 

Instead of being dejected, you were ecstatic. With a wide smile coated across your porcelain childlike face, you ran into the pouring rain with open arms, not giving a single fuck about your hair, clothes, or shoes getting wet nor soggy. In the background, you could hear your parents yelling at you to go back and take shelter, but you tuned them out, in love with the feeling of rain dropping against your skin. 

The next day, you woke up with a boiling hot fever. Snot was dripping from your nose, reaching your lips. Being the curiosity filled child that you were, your tongue darted up to taste it, pleased to say that you weren't disgusted by the taste but never willing to admit doing the action in front of anyone. Along that was a pounding headache and a series of sneezes but you didn't regret your actions, not one bit.

Years have gone by and sure, people change. You can say that you have for sure. You've grown taller and quieter. Though, you're still you. The same girl who loved to become one with the rain.

It rarely rained on the city of Seoul but either way, whenever it would, you'd be overjoyed. They say that if the sunny day is excitement, then a cloudy day is a well-earned chance to rest your eyes and cleanse your soul. It's a chance to daydream and breathe in a calm, reflective mood. Those very words expressed how you viewed the much-hated weather.

But today, the sky seemed as if it was sobbing— an overcast day if you would. The clouds were darker, more terrifying compared to the bright and shining ones you would see every other day in the city whenever the year would soon end.  

The rain pooled on the ground, creating muddy puddles as you walked towards your school building. A striking yellow umbrella in one hand, protecting you from the droplets of rain while the other hand grips your jacket tighter, trying to obtain more warmth.

Stepping inside the building, you shake your umbrella, trying to get rid of the water that clung to it. The water detaches itself from your umbrella, lightly sprinkling everywhere. After, you put it somewhere inside of your locker where you were sure none of your papers would get soaked.

For some odd reason, as you walk down the hallway towards your classroom, you can't help the heavy feeling that's weighing on your chest. You wonder, was there a possibility you missed something? Did you have homework that you forgot to bring? Was there supposed to be a quiz today and you didn't study? No, none of those could've been it. Being the honor student that you were meant you had to be ahead of every lecture, assignment, project, and anything that correlated to your academics and you did just that. You always carry with you a planner that holds all your schedules and work deadlines so that you could rest assured that you never missed anything.

Loud chatter fills your ears as you step inside your classroom. Some of your classmates sat atop of their desks while the others stood up as they huddled up with one another, gossiping, you assumed. You lay your belongings on top of your table, taking a seat beside the window so you could look out and watch as multiple students ran to enter the school gates, practically drenched by the rain with only their bags to shelter them from the pouring rain. A few more minutes pass and you finally hear the school bell ring, signaling that classes were starting.

Your classmates hurry to resume their places back into their own seats, not wanting to be caught out of place by your advisor and have an earful early in the rainy morning. The chattering and the noises stop when your homeroom advisor enters the room with a somber look. She takes her eyeglasses off with a sigh, resting her palms on either side of her desk upfront. 

She's tense, you could easily tell. It makes you wonder what had happened for her to act like that as you fix your gaze onto her completely. You're used to your advisor's usually bright and bubbly expression whenever she comes skipping inside the room so for her to turn like this means that something awful must've happened for her aura to stray so far from her usually energetic personality.

"Alright, guys. Can I have your attention please?" Your adviser calls out. All eyes fixate themselves on her figure, giving her the attention she wants as they wait for her to continue. "I have some very sad news that I need to share with all of you. Your classmate, Lee Heeseung," She sighs out as if merely speaking the boy's name is hard for her. "He... He won't be with us anymore."

A moment passes in silence before one of your classmates stands to speak up. "Huh?" He wonders. "Did Heeseung transfer?" He asks, voicing out your own thoughts.

"No," She answers, shaking her head "l hope that was the case." She whispers.

This time, a boy with strikingly white hair and pale skin raises his hands before standing up. This time you were familiar with him. His name, based on your recollection, is Park Sunghoon. Like your other classmates, you've never interacted with the boy. Thus meaning that you knew little to nothing about him. The only thing you could remember about him was his face and that he belonged to the same popular friend group as the boy in question, Lee Heeseung. "Then where is he? He didn't even bother telling us where he went and hyung never does that." He says.

"H-He... Uhm," Your adviser stutters before tightly closing her eyes, gripping the edges of her table even tighter to the point where her knuckles turned white and her nails dug into the wood. You can tell she's holding her tears back as much as she can. As to why, you're still not sure and you stay seated there, waiting to find out.

With a deep exhale, she finally continues. "Lee Heeseung won't be joining us anymore. Last night, the police found his dead body inside his apartment and that they've suspected that... that," Her voice breaks when she continues, saying, "He had overdosed on sleeping pills the night prior." 

Time seemed to have passed and yet, no one dared to move in their seat when those words left your advisor's mouth. Your classmates looked shocked, faces showing disbelief at the news she had just dumped on them.

"W-what?" You hear one of your classmates ask. You remember his name being Jake.

Sim Jaeyun. Member of the soccer club and Lee Heeseungs closest friend.

You had seen the two boys bond with each other all around campus. Lee Heeseung and Sim Jaeyun were in the same class as you as well as some of their other friends but you've observed that the two were the closest to each other despite the latter being a year younger. Although Lee Heeseung was older, they had managed to form an incredible friendship that you envied, so truly envied. 

You're no outcast per se, you just detested the company of people and prefered to be alone, wanting to focus on getting out of this hell hole than creating connections. However, even loners yearn for some company from time to time. You've just never bothered to scout for the right people that matched well with your personality.

Resuming, the poor boy is frozen in his seat, looking as if he was about to break down. Your eyes are trained on the way he clenches his fist into a ball with overwhelming amounts of force. It wouldn't be a shock to you if you see his hand bleed due to his nails digging into it.

"I'm sorry, Jaeyun." She apologises, her expression sad as she looks at the boy. "I wish it was a lie too but it's true, he's dead."

"Th-That can't be! We were just talking about what we were going to do for his bi—" All of a sudden, he stops talking. His eyes turn wide as if something had just dawned on him and his hand comes to cover his mouth in shock. You can see the boy's whole body start to tremble and you knew he going to break down into tears any minute now. Sim Jaeyuns chair screeches back as he runs out the room and your teacher does nothing to stop him, understanding that he was Lee Heeseungs closest friend and that this whole news is even more haunting for him.

You watch as all your classmates bow their heads down, a heavy feeling looming around the room as everyone mourns Lee Heeseungs death. Some even start crying in their seats; one of them being Jay, otherwise known as Park Jongseong, another one of Lee Heeseungs friends.

"Heeseungs family will be having his funeral tomorrow and... I hope you all can come." Your teacher says. "We won't be having any lessons for the entirety of this day and you can all go home early. We just want to give you all some time to mourn such a bright student's unfortunate death. Class dismissed."

Now, you've found the reason why the air was so gloomy and why the rain didn't seem to stop no matter how long it's been pouring. It was because the sky was crying, mourning the death of Lee Heeseung.

"Y/N? God, I just heard the news."

As soon as you step inside your home, your mom is there to envelop you in a warm hug. She places your head on her shoulder as she caresses the back of your hair— something your mother has always done when consoling you.

"I wasn't even that close with the guy." You say, words coming out automated as you assumed she was talking about the suicide announcement that your advisor had made not even an hour ago. "How did you find out anyway?"

"Mrs. Lee told me." She says, frowning afterwards. "Don't tell me you didn't know the Lees are our neighbors?"

Your expression is a dead giveaway that this is new news to you. You're never one to dwell on your mother's business since you had no interest in gossiping nor did you have time to with all the studying you were doing. However, it does come out as a surprise to you that Lee Heeseung lived close to you and yet, the two of you never seemed to have bumped into each other.

"Gosh, YN. You really should stop and listen in sometimes. I know I'm your mother and I'm supposed to be happy that my child is a genius but I don't want you to waste your youth." Again, she's frowning at you.

What's so bad about wanting to focus on school? It's not like being stupid will make a difference.

"It's fine mom. I'm okay." You assure.

"Nonsense. I'll tell you what, I'll go into the kitchen and make you some soup. You can go and take that upstairs. You're looking too thin these days." Once again, her motherly nature surfaces.

"Sure, Mom. That'd be nice." She smiles at you, feeling satisfied with your answer and afterwards scurrying into the kitchen to bring you some food to eat.

You lay down on your bed, staring at the blank ceiling of your bedroom. The chicken noodle soup your mom had made for you sat cold and untouched on top of your desk, making no move to eat it.

Lee Heeseung isn't a close friend of yours nor was he an acquaintance. He was just simply a boy in your class that seemed to have his life put together. From what you knew, the boy had excellent grades, powerful friendships, and skills that exceeded everybody's expectations.

He was a boy with a smile that could rival the suns. 

You remember catching sight of him while he was talking with one of his friends. The other must've said something extremely funny because that day, you were graced to see the way Lee Heeseungs eyes crinkled in happiness, his nose scrunching in glee, and his teeth on full display as he laughed; his head thrown back and his protruding adam's apple bobbing every time he gulped while doubling over with laughter.

"That's all I knew of him." You lie. 

But why was his death affecting your mood this much? Maybe because he was such a nice and talented boy that you saw it as a great shame he had to go so early.

Eventually, your mind wandered around why he did what he did. Granted, you knew nothing about the boy's personal life but you could only imagine how hard it was for him to push himself into committing such a horrific act.

He took his life. 

Was it because behind that bright and perfect smile was a boy bearing a shattered soul? What drove him to do something like this?

You're a quiet person and you usually stay in your own company. You don't like big crowds and you loved it whenever it rained because it made you feel at peace whenever you listened to the way it pitter-pattered, drenching everything and anything blocking its way, but today, you just wished it stopped. 

The rain reminds you too much of Lee Heeseung, the boy who took his life and the rain is making you feel restless.

You hope wherever he is right now, that he's finally at peace with himself. You hope that he's happy and that he can rest. Again, you never bothered to get close with anyone, meaning you never knew Lee Heeseung personally but you wish, for once, that you could have done something, anything, to change his mind.

OCTOBER 16 ༉༊

As you open your eyes to greet a new daydream, you immediately frown. The skies are so dark and bitter that you don't even notice that it's now morning. There's no sign of the bright warm sun on top of a blue horizon nor are there any white fluffy clouds covering the sky. 

A storm is brewing and it's evident it'll hit your area soon. 

Tempestuous, bleak, and angry. 

The heavens are angry. 

It's the next day but you didn't get a wink of sleep. You supposed it was because of the never-ending thoughts that flowed inside your head. 

It may have been two days since Lee Heeseung died, assuming that he killed himself at the strike of twelve on his birthday. You still can't wrap your head around it nor can you stop wondering why it's affecting you so much. 

Still, you begrudgingly get up from your bed. You look around and everything is the same spot it used to be and nothing has changed. Your books are still in the same place on top of the shelves, your cabinet is still open like how you left it, heck, even the wall clock that's been there for five years is standing strong. So why is it that you feel so lost? 

Fuck Lee Heeseung. 

"Can you stop occupying every single space in my brain for at least five minutes?" 

The boy is dead yet he's bothering you even more than when he was alive.

You groan once you hear your bitter thoughts. Immediately, you realize how cruel you were being and you mutter a silent apology to the boy in heaven before falling back onto your bed. 

A soft knock on your door catches your attention as your mom's head peeks through the space. "Darling, Are you awake?" 

You sigh. "Yeah. I'm up, Mom." You reply dryly, feeling the symptoms of a headache brewing inside your head.

"Great. Get ready, we're going to Heeseungs in a few minutes."

Lee Heeseungs funeral was a poor sight to witness. 

Everybody at the funeral was either crying, yelling out for the dead boy to come back, or had a sad look on their face. Bouquets of pretty and colourful flowers decorated the place and you wished you got the time to bring one for him too. There's also a huge chandelier hung in the middle of the room and rows of chairs adorned the place. At the front is a huge picture of the boy, smiling brightly like how you've mentioned before; lively and perfect. If only the casket holding his dead body wasn't there, then you might have smiled too.

The room was packed with Lee Heeseungs friends, relatives, and classmates. You even spot some of your teachers in the room as they pay their respects and you're not at all shocked when you see the school principal there either.

Your school principal is a fake, to say the least. You've watched him work and you've seen the way his face falls and scrunches in disgust when a person's back is turned to him. When he doesn't get his way, he manipulates people like the bastard he is just so he can get what he wants. You scowl as you watch him look into Lee Heeseungs casket, fake tears rolling down his cheek, continuing his act to seem like he cared for his students. You choose to ignore his presence for the time being because this night isn't about him, it's about Lee Heeseung and you intend to keep it that way.

A couple dressed in white stood at the front, right beside Lee Heeseungs coffin, catching your attention. 

Trailing behind your mother, you follow as she walks towards the said couple, greeting them with a sad smile, proving the hunch you had that these people were Lee Heeseungs family. 

"Hello, you must be YN. " The woman says, smiling fondly at you as she reaches for your hands, holding them inside hers and although her hands were cold due to the air-conditioned room, you let her. "Heeseung told us so much about you." 

At her statement, you're only able to reply with a confused smile. This confuses you because as you recall, you've never had any sort of interaction with Lee Heeseung that'll leave him wanting to tell his parents about you. You weren't close friends, nor were you ex-friends. So why does it seem like his mother already knows a lot about you? 

"Mom!" 

Suddenly, a boy who looked a few years older than you yelled from a few meters away, effectively catching your attention. He takes a quick jog towards you and scratches the back of his neck, awkwardly. "Hi, I'm Lee Heewon. Heeseungs older brother." He introduces, stretching his hand towards you. 

"It's nice to meet you" You smile politely, grabbing his hand before releasing it. "I'm YN." 

Lee Heeseungs older brother nodded, however, it seemed as if he already knew that. 

He reaches to wrap his hand around his mother's waist, whispering something to her. She replies with a confused look, scrunching her brows together and eyes squinting in confusion, yet she replies with a nod either way. Lee Heeseungs brother pulls away, looking at you and then asking if you would follow him. 

Although confused, you agree. "Mom I'll be right back, okay?" You tell your mother who is now sitting on one of the chairs, talking with Lee Heeseungs parents. She simply smiles at you and agrees, letting you off on your own with the boy before turning back to their conversation.

Looking back at the male, you nod as he gestures for you to follow him towards the corner of the room, where not that many people were around so the two of you could have a conversation in private. 

"Hi, so uh. Listen." He starts, eyes unable to look at yours as they shift everywhere, feeling awkward. "Heeseung-ie... he told us a lot about you because— uh, y'know what, I— I don't think it's my place to tell you this." 

"Huh?" You reply, stunned.

"Sorry, forget it." He dismisses. "It's just... he said he was going to do it." He finally heaves out. 

By the way his hands started getting clammy and shaky, you could tell the boy was nervous to tell you something. "I'm sorry but I don't understand what you're trying to say." 

He releases a hefty breath befor continuing, "Heeseung, he likes you, or at least he did." He whimpers at that, hands coming up to comb his unruly hair. "He would talk to us a lot about you and we always teased him about it because... he just couldn't confess to you." He finishes with a sad laugh. "B-but now, he's g-gone and..." His voice trails off and his face wears a sad smile as he remembers the moments he spent with his dear brother. 

Upon hearing those words, you stood rooted to your spot, unable to form a coherent sentence to respond to him. Like you've said before, you and Lee Heeseung were never close so when you found out that he had that big of a crush on you, so big that he couldn't help but tell his family, you were speechless, to say the least. "He... likes me?" 

The older male chuckles, incredulous. "You didn't know?"

You shake your head in response, "We weren't really close." 

"Damn, if Heeseung-ie heard you say that right now, he probably would've cried himself to sleep. The guy basically only had eyes for you." He comments, shaking his head as he laughs at the possibility.

Lee Heeseung likes me.

A sudden memory from about twenty days ago flashes in your mind and you're reminded of the time when you found a cute letter that was slid inside your locker on one warm afternoon.

'Hi, Y/N! If you're free, can you please meet me on the rooftop after classes end? 

- your secret admirer ♡' 

The short yet adorable note made your heart flutter and your chest bubble up in excitement as you read it. No one had ever bothered to confess to you, much less become your secret admirer. With you being so focused on your studies, you never made it a task to make yourself look good to please yourself and even more for other people. Of course you never want anyone to see you at your worst but at the end of the day, you don't really care as long as you don't look at yourself in the mirror.

After reading the letter multiple times, you finally concluded that you'd spent enough time fangirling and so, you eagerly folded the note and put it in a safe place inside your locker afterwards.

You were a loner, had no friends, and were basically isolated from everyone. You did feel sad about the fact you couldn't go to someone and gush about the letter to them— with no friends or siblings to approach, to whom were you supposed to go? But as you stood there alone on top of the rooftop with the sweet letter at hand, you were glad you didn't have anyone as you were greeted by no one other than the faltering light of the sunset.

No sign of anyone and certainly no signs of your secret admirer. 

So it was him. 

Lee Heeseung, you fucking coward. 

'Why did he not show up? Was he too embarrassed? What on earth did I even do to make him like me? Well, if he bailed on me just like that then he mustn't have liked me as much as his brother says he does.'

So many questions flew around your head that you didn't even notice that long gone was Lee Heewon, older brother of Lee Heeseung and instead, your mother stood in his place. The tapping on your shoulder is what brings you back to your consciousness, your eyes turning to look at your mother as she continues to look at you in wonder.

"Sorry, just spaced out." You apologise, blinking.

The evening goes on smoothly— as smooth as you'd expect a funeral to be. You saw his friends there; Sim Jaeyun, Park Jongseong, Park Sunghoon, and a few other juniors that you've seen around campus. Although you had so many questions in mind— so many questions to ask him, you brushed them off and prayed for his well-being up there with God instead, hoping that he was no longer suffering. 

His father, along with many others, gave tribute to the boy in the form of a long and heartfelt speech. With suicide grief, they’re dealing with trauma on top of the loss. With most people who die by suicide, it’s usually violent or tragic in some way— like what happened to Lee Heeseung. So, the person grieving has to deal with the fact that a person chose to take their life and that is how they died. That changes the grief process entirely.

Death can be tragic, like a murder or a car vehicle accident. But the stigma around suicide still exists today, and so family members have to contend with that piece as well. It makes their grief different.

"... I'm sure to everyone here, you all know that Heeseung was a kind and caring son. He was also a hardworking and honest student. A fun and talented friend." He continues. Your eyes danced across the room and situated themselves on his friends that were sitting in front. All of them were crying, gripping each other closer as they hugged one another, afraid that if their grip loosened, one of them might leave the others behind— just like their fallen sibling has. "And I'm sure he was a wonderful stranger to many of you as well."

"We'll never accept his death, for our Heeseung was one of a kind. Our family will continue to carry the sadness of losing him as grief is not something we ever get over, and it doesn’t ever stop. What we'll learn to do is grow around our grief, to encompass it and incorporate it or manage it into our own life,” He says. “We walk with it.”

“Every time you turn around— there’s a reminder of him, there’s a statement, there’s a feeling, there’s an emotion— and we ask you to not look past it,” His father says. “As we walk with this grief of losing him, we also hope that you don't forget him. Even though he isn't here anymore— physically, our family hopes that you'll still carry your memories of him inside your heart. Where he'll be forever until we see him again."

It's already nine in the evening when you get home. Feeling exhausted, you step inside the darkness of your room with a sigh, carelessly tossing your bag onto your desk as you plop down on your bed, staring at the ceiling— something you've been doing so much as of recently.

"Lee Heeseung..." You say to no one in particular. "You're such a loser" 

"Ouch," a voice suddenly says. Your eyes unnaturally widen in shock as you sit up from the position you previously laid in because as far as you knew, there's no one in your room besides you. Looking at the knob on your door, you see that it's locked, making it even more impossible for someone to come inside without you noticing. "That was a little harsh, dont you think?"

But finally, there, in the corner of your room, you watch as the figure of a boy suddenly appears out of thin air. He stood there with a smirk playing across his red lips. He has stunningly dark hair, a pointed nose, and cheeks that look lively and soft. You would assume he was just some normal boy who slipped into your bedroom but the intimidating dark aura that coats his figure, spreading throughout the space of your room says otherwise. 

A sense of fear envelops you as you stand up, stance as if ready to fight. "Wh-who are you!?" 

"Ah, that's a complicated question, y'know. I go by many names." He says. "Some call me the Grim Reaper, some call me Death but I prefer the name Sunoo the most so make sure to call me by that!" 

What 

the 

actual 

fuck 

?! 

Sunwoo— or whatever his name is, smiles deviously at you. His eyes crinkle in amusement as he watches you with your mouth agape, struggling to wrap your head around the fact that an otherworldly being might actually be in your room wearing a plaid shirt and Nike sweatpants. 

"Th-this can't be happening. This is all just a dream." You say, smiling freakishly as you move to pinch your arm, hoping to wake up from whatever nightmare this is, but all you do is yelp at the pain you've caused yourself. Feeling the pain you inflicted, your eyes take frantic turns looking at your reddened arm and the magical being sighing defeatedly at you.

"Listen," He calls out for your attention. Hearing the authority in his voice makes you tense up, stopping all your actions in the process. Your ears are tingling for some unknown reason but you can only guess that it's because of the overwhelming amount of panic being struck in your veins. "I'm here because I need a favour from you—" 

Before he could continue with what he was saying, you cut him off "No! No, you can not have my soul!" You scream out, hugging your body tightly around your shaking arms.

His eyes widen, index finger coming up to his lips to shush you "Stop. I'm not here for your soul—" 

"Good because I'm not giving it to you anyways." You humph. You're still scared of the boy as his powers and true intentions are still unknown to you. However, hearing that he isn't here to take your soul just yet is already enough for you to relax and gain some sort of fake confidence. 

"Will you stop cutting me off for a goddamn minute!" He shouts in a whispering manner. "I'm starting to regret coming to you for help." 

Your eyes squint. "What did you just say?" 

"Okay," He says before releasing a breath. "Do you want Lee Heeseung to come back?" He asks you slowly, watching your every move as if he expected you to scream out for your mother if he's not careful. 

Thankfully— or not, you don't. All you do is stand there, unmoving. In a swift move, Sunoo pushed himself off the wall he was leaning up against and made a cautious step towards you. 

"Do I want to... what?" 

Sunoo sighs in relief, thanking his familiars that your body hasn't frozen due to shock and that he doesn't have to collect another young body again. "Do you want Lee Heeseung to live again?" 

"H-How is that even possible to begin with?" 

"I can make it happen. I can send you back twenty days from now to when he was still alive and you can change his future." He explains. "Only if you are willing to." 

"Why me? Why not his friends? I'm sure they'd be willing to help. " 

The Grim Reaper shrugs, "I simply don't believe they can change the outcome and besides, I wouldn't have chosen you if I didn't think you could do it." He explains, smiling softly at you.

You stay in place, taking a moment to catch up with your thoughts as well as the events that are currently taking place. The reaper, who took the form of an incredibly charming looking boy, is inside your room asking if you would be willing to go back exactly twenty days so you could— 

Wait, what? 

"Twenty days? Why twenty days? There must be some sort of reason." 

"Because it took Lee Heeseung exactly twenty days to decide whether or not he was going to kill himself or not." Hearing that, you nod.

"And what will happen if I fail?" You ask, looking him in the eye. Afraid of what the answer might be, you caress your earlobe; a habit you had developed over the years when you would get nervous. "There must be some sort of consequence for tampering with time like this."

"I'm afraid there is, yes." The Reaper answers, head bowing in defeat. "Apollyon. If he finds out that I've messed with the cycle, he's going to try and do everything he can to stop you. He might hurt you or Heeseung I’m not sure. Although he can't kill you, there’s a possibility he might hurt you if you defy him." He exhales. 

"But don't worry too much about it." He composes himself and continues, "I'll try and do everything I can to stop him. If you succeed, then Lee Heeseung will come back and he'll be alive." 

This creature in front of you, this conversation, it all feels surreal. Naturally, your mind jumbles through all the possible horrendous outcomes of this bizarre situation. Someone could get fatally injured— not just you but the innocent could too. Is the life of someone you barely knew really worth all the pain you might cause someone else? Is it worth it to play this dangerous game of tag with Apollyon?

Lee Heeseung is someone you barely had no connections to. Besides the fact that you share a few classes together and have interacted even fewer, you knew nothing of the boy. The only feeling you have of him is a slight distaste but even that seems like a lie.

If only you didn't know that he was such a good person. If only you didn't know that he was a volunteer tutor at the daycare. If only you didn't see how many people loved and cried for him when they heard the news. If only you didn't know that he committed suicide on the same day as his birthday. If only you didn't see the way his bullies punched him.

Maybe, just maybe, if you didn't know any of these, you would've declined. But you couldn't.

Why is it that even despite hearing the danger you'll face, you're still yearning to agree? 

If you had the chance to save someone's life, wouldn't you debate on saying yes as well?

There's a risk of you getting harmed but you throw that away because there's only one thing that occupies your head. 

"Don't worry too much, once you've completed your task and I'm assured of Heeseungs future, I'll take you back to the present." His smile somewhat brought a tinge of comfort in you, finding a small bit of relief at the small gesture which only further jumbled your mind.

"I... fuck— Okay."

Lee Heeseung can come out of this whole mess alive. It's damn worth a try, isn't it? There's a possibility that everyone will be able to see that endearing smile again. You can save him from his unfortunate future. And lastly, you can give his grieving family their son back. 

So, with feigned bravery, you nodded before breathing out heavily, eyes locking with Sunoo's. "Let's do it."

Upon hearing your agreement, he expresses his happiness with your decision with an excited giggle. You're left once again to debate whether he was actually supposed to be what people called 'Death' as he claps his hands, finding him inconveniently cute. "Yes!" He cheers. "Tomorrow, when you wake up, it will be September twenty-five— exactly twenty days from now. Everything that happened before will be the same, except for the things you will change, of course. Remember YN, you only have one shot at this. I'll be with you along the way so don't hesitate to call me if you feel like you're being watched or just simply need help. I'm rooting for you."  

Change Lee Heeseungs fate. Sounds easy enough.

The Reaper— I mean, Sunoo grabs your shoulders and you still as he pushes you gently so you could sit on the edge of your bed. You give him a weird look but say nothing in return, getting the signal that he probably wanted you to go to sleep now. 

"Good luck, Y/N." You hear him whisper before your eyes close, suddenly feeling incredibly heavy as you fall into an effortless slumber. Being an insomniac meant that you didn't spend a lot of time sleeping at night. But as the moon shone, joined by the soft sound brought by the pitter-patter of the rain, you fell into one of the most comfortable slumbers you've had in a long long time. 

"Y/N! Darling you're going to be late for school!" 

The piercing sound of your mother's voice mixed with the relentless knocking on your door makes you jolt awake. Indeed, as you turn to look at the huge clock in your room, you're late. 

You bolt up, making a beeline towards your dresser, grabbing your uniform and hurriedly putting it on, not caring to bathe or comb your unruly hair. However, when you catch sight of your calendar, you stop, limbs frozen in place as your eyes focus on the piece of paper. 

September 25... 

'Fuck, so that wasn't some weird dream after all.' You physically slap yourself for forgetting such crucial information, your forehead stinging because of your actions�� though, you don't have the time to look if a red mark shaped like your hand is imprinted on it or not, before shrugging it off and focusing on continuing to put your clothes on. If you don't get to school today then you'll miss an important chance to find out something about the boy— and no one wants that.

After saying goodbye to your mother, you step outside, the rays of sunlight hitting you. The warmth of it makes you feel cozy in contrast to the feeling of the heavy rain you've been experiencing since a day ago— or should you say in the future? You have no idea.

"This time travel shit is messing with my head."

"Just stop thinking about it and it'll be easier." A voice says, popping out of nowhere, making you jump.

"Will you stop doing that!?" You scream out, feeling lucky that no one is in the vicinity to witness your outburst. "Seriously, you're going to give me a heart attack before I even get to Lee Heeseung."

"By the way, why do you call Heeseung 'Lee Heeseung'?" Sunoo asks. "Sounds a bit too formal for a classmate don't you think?"

"That's because we aren't close." You reply monotonously as you fish for your planner inside your bag, sighing gratefully once you've found it.

All you get is a hum from the boy before he disappears and you let out a satisfied hum of your own, happy that he's left you alone to do your own bidding.

As you step inside the establishment of your school, you go straight to the destination of your locker. After entering the right combination, it prompts open with a click and there, you see it. Your heart flutters the same way once again as you see the familiar note but this time, it makes you smile sadly, knowing what'll happen to the sweet boy who gave it to you— not to mention how he stood you up that evening either, or this evening? You still have no idea why your secret admirer, who you now knew was actually Lee Heeseung, ditched you when he was supposed to confess but you're sure as hell that you're going to find out why. 

Instead of putting the letter back in your locker as you did before, you grasp it in your hands, making the sudden call to look for the boy who gave it to you, wanting to see that he was alive and well. 

However, as your eyes scan over the halls, you find no traces of Lee Heeseung. A sudden feeling of nervousness consumes your chest as you look around for him but fail to spot a single trace of him or his friends. Before you get a chance to search the school grounds for him, however, the school bell rings, signaling that classes are going to start soon. Begrudgingly, you make your way inside the classroom you've been in several times before. 

The looming feeling of nervousness drops, your breathing fastening when you finally catch sight of him. 

Lee Heeseung is there, sitting on top of his desk, his nose wrinkling the same way his eyes are. His smile is bright and it showed his perfect teeth as he laughed at whatever conversation he and his friends were having. 

You don't care about the conversation, you care about him being there, looking so real that you almost ask yourself if you were dreaming until you remember what you're here for and why you've gone twenty days back into the past.

After finding out from his family that he likes you, all of the longing gazes and the shy smiles he sends you whenever the both of you make the smallest and shortest eye contact are now so crucially visible to you it hurts that you were so dense before not to notice. 

As you make your way towards your usual seat beside the window, you almost miss the way his eyes trained on you and the letter you held inside your hands. 

Lee Heeseung, why is my heart hurting? 

From the corner of your eye, you can see the way he bites his lip nervously as you open the letter he sent you. 

Like before, nothing has changed in the letter; it's the same words, the same question, the same handwriting, and the same stupid little heart that he put at the end of the note. You smile adoringly at the letter, folding it neatly before tucking it inside your bag as if it's a treasure.

From across the room, Heeseung suppresses his grin when he catches you reading the letter he slid inside your locker. His heart bubbles up in happiness to see that you didn't gag at the sight of it, knowing that you weren't the romantic type and basically never showed any kind of interest towards male suitors. Even though you barely ever throw a glance his way, his heart seemed to have a mind of its own when it fell for you. He admired your effortless beauty and the way you were so driven to always come out on top.

The first time he saw you was years ago when you had just moved into his neighborhood. He remembers looking out of the window, annoyed at all of the noise the truck hauling your furniture was making. His scowl immediately left his face however when he caught sight of you trying to pick up a box that looked like it was twice your weight. From his window, he watched as your small, flimsy body struggled to carry just one box inside.

He could have offered some help but the thought flew way past little Heeseungs mind as he was too shy to approach you at that time. Years have passed and it seems as if nothing has changed over the years. Sure he's grown taller, and gained more confidence— he could even say he was more attractive than most. But whenever it came to you, all his ego seemed to fly out the window and he would go back to the same shy boy he used to be.

However, nearing the age of nineteen he's grown tired of it all. That's why he slid that letter inside your locker, opting to make a big change. Its purpose is to finally express to you his undying feeling of admiration. And he's determined to pull through with it.

After minutes of hearing the same lecture, the school bell eventually rings, signaling that classes are finished and that you can all go and take your breaks. Yes, this meant lunch for your growling stomach. However, this is also the time Lee Heeseung is supposed to confess to you on the rooftop but will eventually fail to do so and you ought to find out why he stood you up. So, you hurriedly gather all your things, trying to catch up to the boy so you could follow closely behind him.

Making sure none of your stuff got left behind, you dash towards the door, eager to follow the said boy when a sudden voice calls out to you. "YN, Can I talk to you for a second?"

Fuck. You forgot today is the same day your teacher asks you to stay behind in class. It's so he could talk to you about the details regarding the literary contest in Busan that the school is going to compete in in three days. As the top student in your year, you're good at many things that involve using your wit, intelligence, and logic— physical labor isn't your strongest asset, thus, you're always the top option whenever it comes to district competitions.

The conversation doesn't go the same as before— the result of your intention to leave immediately. However, it doesn't end as quickly as you'd like it to. Your English teacher is known to be a chatterbox throughout the students of your year as he's known to beat around the bush, prolong the conversation, and dwell on non-school related topics— all of which you don't appreciate at the moment, but either way, much to your distaste, the conversation goes longer than you want it too. 

If this continues, you might not be able to catch Lee Heeseung at all and he'd think that you stood him up.

"Right. Great. I understand. I'll make sure to send you an email if I have any questions just like you said. Bye!" You say all in one breath, giving the man a thumbs up before sprinting out of the room, giving him no space or time to open his goddamn mouth which smelled like outdated anchovies by the way.

Frantically, you search every hallway in your building, desperate to find Lee Heeseung before it's too late. As you near the corner leading towards an exit, you hear a loud slam— as if something or someone was thrown against the lockers, followed by a thump as it hits the ground. 

Peaking at the edge of the corner, careful not to be seen, you see three boys huddled around one guy who looked vulnerable amongst the others and you immediately recognise who these people are. To any outsider, they would assume that these people are your typical high school bullies who liked to pick on people for fun but no.

These people, they're dangerous.

Associating oneself with these people automatically gives you a free pass into doing whatever wrong you can imagine. With their leader being the son of the biggest investor of your school, Choi Yeonjun, meant that every teacher, staff, and even the guidance counselor you're encouraged to approach for help will turn a blind eye to their actions as they tell you to forget the events ever happened. Beside him is Choi Beomgyu, a boy with undeniable anger issues. One trigger, one wrong action or move will have you six feet underground with him waving you off.

"Yah, Heeseung." One of them squatted down beside the said boy, who stayed seated on the filthy ground. You could only assume that the third guy who's squatted down beside him is Kang Taehyun as with him, their trio would finally be complete. Your eyes go wide as the realization hits you that the boy being picked on is actually Lee Heeseung, the boy you've been searching for for the past five or so minutes.

'So this is why he couldn't meet me at the rooftop before.'

When Lee Heeseung doesn't give any sort of reply, they scoff in annoyance, throwing a harsh kick on his stomach. Although you weren't the one hit, you wince in pain as you could only imagine the torture Lee Heeseung is going through.

"Come on, Heeseung-ssi. Just do as we say and we'll stop bothering you." Kang Taehyun says, grabbing a fist full of Heeseungs hair in his hands and forcing the boy to look up. "It's that simple."

Now, you can see the boy's face clearly— all thanks to the asshole that was pulling his hair away from his face. Lee Heeseungs lip is bruised up and there's a stray line of blood dripping down towards his chin. There's also blood gushing out from the damaged skin of his cheekbone, undoubtedly punched. By who? You have no idea but you could only guess it's from one of them.

"Fuck you." He spats out to the boy who's gripping his hair, blood mixing in with his saliva. From his position standing up, Yeonjun only scoffs in utter disbelief, poking his tongue on the side of his cheek to show his impatience.

Kang Taehyun wipes his face slowly using his hands. You can tell he's annoyed however he doesn't show it. Only showing how his temper has been running thin, and now, even thinner because of the blood mixed with saliva running down from his eye all the way to his cheek. "You son of a bitch!" He screams out before throwing a nasty punch at Lee Heeseungs already damaged cheekbone, worsening the wound. "Why're you defending that whore anyways, huh? I thought you liked that quiet kid in your class. Did she get too boring or did she finally find out how much of a stalker you are?"

Closing your eyes, you take a deep breath trying to calm yourself down but it seemed that doing so only made it worse as now, you're focused on their voices, their words, and at the way, every kick, punch, and slap is directed towards Lee Heeseung. 

The three of them let out an annoyingly loud laugh and it makes your skin crawl. Tearing your eyes away from the scene, you lean against the wall, unsure of what to do. You're sure you want to help Heeseung but the question is how? 

You're itching to do something, anything just to make all of it stop because you can't bear hearing his grunts every time they throw a punch his way or his small screams of pain as they kick his stomach. Lastly, you can't bear hearing their insults, the names they call him. Lee Heeseung doesn't deserve any of it but what can you do? There's only a handful of options you can think of that may benefit the both of you in the outcome. You can't just go out there to fight them. You're no boxer and you're certainly no athlete. One punch from them can easily knock you out, rendering you useless. The option of going out there and threatening them with a weapon isn't good either. It's three against two and you dont think Lee Heeseung can even stand up and fight so really, it's just you against three well-built bullies. 

Running out of time and favourable solutions, you choose to run. With all the strength you could muster, you dash away from the scene, running out of the building, praying to God that you find someone, anyone who you know is willing to help you fight against them.

His friends are your first option so you scurry around trying to find at least one of them when finally, sitting there at the bottom of the stairs leading towards the rooftop, you see Sim Jaeyun with his head propped up on one hand that rested on top of his knees and the other on he's using to scroll through his phone, seeming as if he's impatiently waiting for someone.

"Sim Jaeyun!" You're out of breath but you don't stop for air as the only thing in your jumbled mind that stays coherent is your drive to relieve the boy in need from his pain. "It's Lee Heeseung! He's… They're beating him up and I—I don't know what to do. Please help him." You ask, voice desperate and pleading.

Sim Jaeyuns eyes turn wide, immediately jolting up from his seat as he gestures for you to lead the way. The boy doesn't ask questions like "What happened?", "What's wrong?", "Is he badly hurt?" as his mind is too occupied with the thought of his brother being in trouble. The boy follows you as the both of you sprint back towards the same corner you had initially found Lee Heeseung and finds that the four of them are still there.

At the sound of your heavy running footsteps, the three of them turn their heads towards the both of you, followed by Lee Heeseung whose head felt heavy due to the endless beating he's received and the amount of blood he's lost. As the man beside you takes the scene of his friend looking battered and beaten, rage fills his veins as he lunges towards the three of them, not giving a damn even if he's outnumbered. You had guessed that Sim Jaeyun is stronger than he looked with the way three of them are struggling to contain the outraged boy. 

While they're preoccupied with each other, you use this as a chance to come to Lee Heeseungs aid. Running up beside him, you crouch down to his level, cautiously pushing his bangs away from his face so you could inspect his injuries. His wounds have gotten worse, bigger and bloodier. His lip is completely busted, swollen and full of cuts— even worse than when you left.  His cheeks are purple and swollen and you're angered to have found a new injury directed towards his left eye. Looking at him now, you can't help but feel like shit for leaving him alone to suffer at the hands of Choi Yeonjun and his friends, feeling useless that you couldn't have taken them all at once— like his friend is doing.

"H-Heeseung?" You ask him in a whisper, cupping his swollen cheek in your hands so you could turn his head to look at you and so that he could feel you there. He winces in pain and you immediately retract your hand, afraid to hurt him even further. "I-It's me, YN." You smile nervously, shy to have been so close to him.  "You're okay now. I got your friend? Sim Jaeyun, right? He's here."

Upon hearing that, he smiles dreamily, as if out of it before sighing comfortably, closing his eyes and passing out after due to exhaustion. "H-Heeseung?" You call out, stuttering as you tap his cheek. When he doesn't answer, you panic, quickly turning to Sim Jaeyun who just threw a punch at Choi Beomgyus face, knocking him to the ground. "J-Jaeyun! H-Heeseung isn't… He passed out, Jaeyun. I don't know what to do." You whimper, feeling helpless.

Endless punches, kicks, and shouts were exchanged by the four of them with Sim Jaeyun miraculously coming out on top. 

"You fucking bastards!" He screams, swinging his fist at Choi Yeonjuns face. Afterwards, he grabs the boy's collar, pushing his face closer as he threatens their leader. "I thought I already told you to stay away from him?!"

"Aw come one, Jake. You act like you're so different from us." One of them manages to cough out.

The boy is fuming as he takes in the unconscious figure of his dear friend lying on the ground and your distressed figure beside him, trying to make Lee Heeseungs unconscious body as comfortable as you can. There's a line of sweat coating his forehead but that's the least of his worries. Kang Taehyun is down on the ground, writhing in pain while clutching his stomach. Choi Beomgyu is leant against the wall as he spits out the blood that pooled inside his mouth, body swaying in dizziness. The only one left standing is Choi Yeonjun but you doubt he'd last long as you're proven right as he's immediately knocked down to the ground by the other.

"I swear, if you touch Heeseung hyung again, you three are really going to pay." He seethes out as neither of them reply, too tired and beat up to do so. Afterwards, he takes quick steps towards the two of you, immediately hooking Lee Heeseungs arm around his shoulders as you help him, the three of you exiting and going towards the nurse's office.

You're flabbergasted, to say the least. This is the first time you’ve ever witnessed a fight happen first-hand and you have a feeling this won't be the last if you keep associating yourself with his friend group. This side of Sim Jaeyun is unknown to you— as any side of him is. Having only known the boy as a mere bystander through the year, you had expected the boy to be an adorable puppy— much like his face. A happy-go-lucky friend that's cheerful and always ready to bring a smile to your face, not a punch. Perhaps you've judged too quickly as not everyone is the same as their cover shows. However, what makes your mind confused the most is how there's not a single ounce of fear in your body as you stand beside the boy.

The way his body moved so naturally in that setting made you wonder whether he's done this before, fighting. It seemed as if they had a history together, based on the words Sim Jaeyun let out in anger as he defended the older.

Speaking of the boy, you wonder what the reason for Choi Yeonjun and his crew targeting Lee Heeseung is— as you know they don't just mess around with random people. This eventually takes you back to the conversation they had prior to when you called Sim Jaeyun over for help. Lee Heeseung did something they didn't like, that's for sure. What is it? You have no idea but you ought to find out.

This might be the reason Lee Heeseung chose to take his life. The beating, the constant haunting done by the trio. Whether your hunch is fact or not, you'd do whatever it takes to find out, because after all, saving him is the reason you agreed to be sent back despite the danger, right? You only have one chance, so there's no room for failure. Soon enough, the creature named Apollyon is going to find out and you know for a fact that when he does, you're going to get hurt— much like how Lee Heeseung is right now. Standing beside Lee Heeseungs unconscious body which lay peacefully across the hospital bed placed inside the nurse's office, you can't help but feel a sense of responsibility to look after the boy when the creature does come and try to hurt the both of you. You wonder, is there a possibility that he's already found out? Within a day? Was this his doing?

Your mind buzzes as questions flow endlessly and you make a point to ask the Grim Reaper or rather, Sunoo, about this later, hoping that he can spare some details about what's going to happen.

You almost forget the fact that Sim Jaeyun is standing there beside you until he speaks. "I'm sorry you had to see me like that, YN." The said puppy-dog-faced boy apologizes, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.

"O-Oh it's fine, really. I understand." You try to assure him but your tone seems to have betrayed you. "I'm just glad Lee Heeseung's going to be fine."

"Yeah," Sim Jaeyun agrees, rocking his feet back and forth as he nods. "The nurse says all he needs is some ice and rest and then he'll be good to go."

You nod in understanding, happy that the damage dealt was minimal. There's a moment of silence that passes between the both of you as the other is unsure of what to say next. 

"Say, YN. I-I actually have a favor to ask you." He says smiling sheepishly, digging his hands inside the front pockets of his pants. You let out a hum, prodding him to continue as your eyes stay glued to the way Lee Heeseungs chest heaved every time he breathed. "If… um… Can you keep what happened earlier a secret?"

You tilt your head to the side as you tear your eyes away from Lee Heeseung to look at him. "Don't you think Choi Yeonjun and the others will tell someone before I even peep a word in?" You reason.

"They won't tell anybody about it, I'm sure." He assures you before sighing deeply, looking back and forth between you and his palms— as if he's debating on whether to tell you something. Noticing this, you give him an encouraging smile, motivating him to continue. This seemed to have worked as he finally found the courage to open up to you. "I've known those guys a while back. I— I'm not proud of my past with them. Those guys have big egos. They aren't going to admit to anyone they lost a fight with three against one."

Laughing at how convenient this all is, you ask "You used to be friends with them?"

"Yeah, I— um… used to." He answers. "We used to get into all sorts of trouble. Luckily, Heeseung hyung pulled me out and I left that life behind."

Nodding, you take the information in, failing to find the right words to reply with. Clearly, you aren't as observant as you thought you were as you had barely even noticed how Sim Jaeyun used to be in the same group as them. "It's a good thing he knocked some sense into you then." You conclude.

"He was great, really. He saw the good in me even when I didn't— when no one did, and I'm forever going to be thankful for that."

"You're a good guy, Sim Jaeyun. I'm glad Lee Heeseung has a friend like you by his side. And don't worry, I won't tell anyone about what happened today, I promise." You smile at him and he smiles at you back. 

After a while, he tells you that he'll be right back, informing you that he's going to go and tell the others what happened. Understanding the worry the others might have been feeling at the absence of two of their oldest, you nod, allowing him to leave you as you stay beside Lee Heeseung so you could provide him with some company when he wakes up.

"Oh, and YN— fuck. Wait, sorry. Is it okay if I call you that?" He asks and you nod, appreciating how he's asked you for your consent at the smallest thing like calling your name. He gives his own nod back, biting his lips to conceal his grin. "Great! And call me Jake, yeah? And I'm sure Heeseung hyung will appreciate it if you just called him Heeseung instead."

A few hours passed and it's already three in the afternoon. Classes are almost done and you're happy to walk into the nurse's office hearing Lee Heeseungs voice talking and laughing, his body is now well and awake. The six of them came in about thirty minutes ago and you left for a moment to provide them some privacy. 

Upon your entry, his gaze locks with yours and all chattering and banter seem to stop as all heads turn to look your way. Now, all their attention is directed towards you as their expressions vary between shocked and speechless to mischievous and teasing— the latter being directed mostly towards the boy who laid in bed. It's not only theirs but his too. Lee Heeseungs eyes, you mean. You fidget with your hands from where you stood as heat pools across your cheeks, offering him a small, shy smile.

"Hi." Whispering, you wave a hand curtly towards his way. "You okay… Heeseung?" You ask, your voice faltering towards the end when you had said his name as you threw a glance at Sim Jaeyun, who you now refer to as Jake. He gives you a satisfied grin and a thumbs up, appreciating that you had accepted his previous request.

Calling him just by the name 'Heeseung' is still new to you and it sends your tongue into a frenzy every time you say his name as a rebellious surge of heat makes its way all throughout your body. Still, you love the feeling it gives you when it rolls out.

Heeseungs bambi-like eyes seem to widen, heat making its way to his bruised up cheek, seemingly forgetting your question as cheers and screams erupt around the room. Clearly, the younger ones like to tease their oldest. You're sure of this because of the way Park Sunghoon pokes Heeseungs shoulder, snickering at the older. Heeseung throws the boy a playful glare whilst telling him in a whispering manner to shut up. This doesn't seem to be the remedy for his problems however as now, everyone seems to be doing the same all at once; poking, teasing, snickering, and smirking.

You can't hide your own giggle as what you had expected to be an awkward check up on the boy had turned into pure chaos as you use the back of your hand to hide the grin on your face.

"Alright guys, that's enough." Park Jongseong is the one that finally shuts the others up, Heeseung throwing a thankful glance at the boy. "We'll leave you guys alone for a bit. I think Heeseung hyung has something to say to YN?" He inquires, casting a knowing glance towards the oldest who's now blushing an even deeper red than before.

The rest erupt into cheers, patting his shoulder as they make their way outside the door. Before they go out of sight, they give you a small wave, seemingly shy now that they're in front of someone they don't know as they sport a few small teasing grins. You bid them your own farewell, shaking your head at their nonsense, leaving Heeseung and you alone inside the nurses office.

"Um…" He starts, chewing the bottom of his lip, a nervous habit, you assume he has. "Hi, YN."

You tilt your head, smiling at him, happy that he's okay and finding the situation silly as you could only guess what's about to happen next. 

He's going to confess, like he initially planned.

"Hi, Heeseung." You reply, simply. "How're you feeling?" You ask.

His eyes widen, seeming to have forgotten his current state as he realizes and takes a look at the multiple bandages covering his healing wounds. "O-Oh! These? These are nothing. I'm okay!" He assures you quickly, shaking his arms in front of him as if to show you he was well.  "Nothing I can't handle."

"Don't tell me you're used to getting beaten up, Lee Heeseung. I never took you as a scuffler." You say in a teasing manner. 

For the umpteenth time since seeing him in a conscious state, he widens his eyes cutely and he's quick to deny your playful accusation. "N-No! That's not what I meant! I don't get into fights, I swear!" He says, shaking his head cutely and it makes his hair sway. "I'm a good guy. You can ask Jake!"

You shake your head, finding his reactions funny. "I know, Heeseung. I'm just messing with you."

Taking a look inside Heeseungs mind, it's filled with thoughts of you; how you're talking to him right now, how he's managed to say coherent words to you, how pretty you look, how you're looking at him, how he's in the same room as you are. He's in chaos right now, trying to calm his fastening heartbeat. 

He's always found you so beautiful, his adoration only growing as he grew taller. In his mind, he thinks that you probably don't pay attention to him much but still, you have all of his. He's seen the way you act around your parents, so caring and gentle. How you're so unbelievably smart, winning all the competitions and gaining the highest marks. How passionate and driven you are when you set your mind on something. Those were only some of the things he loved about you.

Out of the blue, he takes a deep sigh. "Y-YN…" He calls out and you reply by humming as you tilt your head, waiting for him to continue. "I actually have something to tell you."

His face has only grown hotter by the second, trying to gather the confidence to finally tell you what he's been dying to confess for years. In a way, you feel as if you're cheating, already knowing what he's about to do and thus, lacking the suspense you're supposed to feel. But you can only feel a tinge of guilt as you take a look at his expression, so adorable and deer-like while you wait for him to confess. 

Still, you feel giddy regardless of knowing. "Yeah? What is it?"

"I— I've actually liked you… for a while now." He says, shyly, looking at your expression. "This might actually seem kinda weird— is it? Umm, I-I don't know. Sorry, this is so awkward. I'm awkward! Not you!" He rambles on. 

"This is definitely not how I wanted this to go." He mutters the last part mostly to himself but still, you hear it. Giggling at his antics, you shake your head, using the back of your hand to cover the shit-eating grin that's on your mouth, not wanting to make him feel embarrassed any further as you tell him to go on. Breathing out, he clears his throat before speaking, " I-I like you, YN."

Although you already knew that, your heart still seems to be flustered, beating faster than you had expected. As you take in his confession, a surge of heat dances across your whole face, much to your protests. Truthfully, you're not sure what to reply and you have no idea where this side of you that's all shy and playful came from. Does he bring out a side of you that even you were unaware of having? Maybe. Talking to him seems so comforting, so calming that it seems to just come out naturally when you're around him— albeit, this is the first time it's happened. 

Did you have any interest in Lee Heeseung before knowing what happened? 

'No, no, I definitely didn't.' 

Way to make it more obvious, smartass.

Okay, so maybe you did have some interest in him way back then. It was a simple crush really. He's your classmate. You found him nice to look at. You also found out that he's an incredibly nice person. Thus, just for the sake of having someone to crush on, purely for inspiration purposes, you chose him, reasoning that he's the best candidate and suited your 'ideal man'; tall, big and pretty eyes, tall nose, pouty lips, huge ears, prominent Adam's apple. You inwardly sigh whilst rolling your eyes, realizing that you've been describing how Lee Heeseung looks and him being your 'ideal man.'

Being the introvert you are, you never bothered to make a move and confess to him about it, nor did you assume that he was the secret man who left a love letter to you so he could confess.

Would you have still saved him if you were oblivious to the fact that he loved you? Yes, definitely. There were no questions asked about that. But now he's here. Sure, you admit this isn't how you expected him to confess to you; him laying on a hospital bed, all bruised up after you had just helped save him from a fight, but it's real and true and that's all you desire in a man.

"R-Remember the love letter that you got this morning? That was actually me. I'm sorry I didn't get to confess to you on the rooftop like I said I would. And I'm sorry I'm confessing to you like this." He says, apologising although it's not his fault. "But I'll take my chances and ask anyway. YN, would you… err… mind dating me?"

And now, the answer seems so simple, so clear. You like him and he likes you. What idiot are you to pass up a chance to fall in love with someone like him? Taking this mission on, you didn't expect to come out of it with a potential boyfriend. That is, if you succeed in saving him. 

You're still not too confident, thinking that you aren't the best person for this as changing someone's mind about committing suicide when they're so set on doing so is harder than you it let's on to be. However, The Grim Reaper's words resonate in you, reminding you that you're the only person that can do this, and so, you'd like to think that being close to him like this will help and also because maybe acting upon your feelings doesn't seem so bad. Even if there's a chance he might leave you heartbroken in the end.

So, yes. "Yes, I'll gladly date you Heeseung. I'd be really happy to." 

And now, you're really in it. You're going to save Lee Heeseung.

SEPTEMBER 26 ༉༊

After Heeseung had confessed to you in the nurse's office and being the head-over-heels man that he is, Heeseung immediately sprang up the idea of the two of you going on a date this Saturday— which is tomorrow. Grinning, you happily agreed, completely forgetting the literary contest you had to prepare for. However, as of the moment, that's the least of your worries because if things go according to how it happened before, you'll win the contest in Busan and go back home with a medal and certificate in your hands.

Leaving with each other's phone number, you bid the other goodbye, wearing the same identical grin on your faces. Leaving the room, you left with the promise of meeting each other again tomorrow lingering in the air while the last school bell rings.

That confession would've never happened if you weren't given the task to be sent back in time to save him. Although it's irrelevant, now, you hold no grudges towards your secret admirer because the reason he couldn't meet you wasn't because he stood you up, but because he was actually getting beaten up. If you didn't opt to search for the boy, the fight would've lasted longer, leaving him with an even more horrible outcome.

Currently, you're sprawled across your bed with nothing to do but think and reminisce about the events that happened and that're going to happen. You opt to think of a course of action ahead of time, trying to remember all the events that are going to take place in the next twenty days so you could maneuver around it.

Tomorrow, instead of going on a date with your highschool crush, you stayed in your room to practice for the literary contest and the same will happen tomorrow.

On Monday, you and a few other willing students who want to show their support for the school will go to Busan. This leaves you wondering if Heeseung was there because when school work is involved, you don't pay attention to anybody else but the work at hand. So it's hardly unlikely for you to remember or to even notice his presence. But in the end, like you've said, you'll win and come home happy as the rain will start pouring on your way back home. The next day, you were absent as you had played in the rain the night prior, rendering you sick and unable to go to class.

Amidst your thinking, a gust of wind suddenly made your windows fly open, curtains swaying wildly. Your heart rate slightly picks up, suddenly feeling nervous as chills run along your arms, giving you goosebumps. You sit up and kneel on top of your bed, peeking out the opened window only to see a cat walking along the roof of your neighbours house. This makes you calm down, sighing in relief as you close the windows shut. Suddenly, you hear a whip of air followed by a thud coming from behind you. The sound makes you turn quickly, eyes widening in shock to see Sunoo there, looking out of breath.

"Sunoo! For the last time, will you stop scaring me like that!?" You scream as you rush to stand up, stopping once you're in front of him as you hold a hand above your beating heart.

But all he gives you is a guilty smile. "Sorry, YN. It's fun seeing your reaction every time I scare you."

Rolling your eyes, you huff at the boy, crossing your arms at your chest. "It's not funny, you ass." Your eyes narrow, leaning your face close to his. "Where have you been anyways? I've been waiting for hours." 

"Nowhere. Just trying to keep things unnoticed as much as I can." He shrugs as if it's nothing, pulling your desk chair back to sit. "Anyways, I have good news." He smiles widely, making his cheeks look plumper.

"Yeah, well that sucks because you have to answer my questions first. I assume you saw what happened today." You ask, quirking your eyebrows up, daring him to protest and you let out a satisfied hum when he only replies with a nod. "Say, what happened to Lee Heeseung before? I was busy preparing for a contest back then, I barely took notice of him." You casually ask, turning your back to him as you start walking towards the small shelf at the corner of your room.

He sighs, the cheerful and bubbly aura on his face wavering, showing remorse and pity in its place. "Heeseung went into a short coma after almost getting beaten up to death." He starts and you listen with wide eyes, shocked that you were so preoccupied to the point where you didn't know that something so life-threatening happened to one of your classmates.

As if to reminisce about the past incident, Sunoo looks outside, moonlight hitting his face as he admires it. "That day when he was supposed to meet you at the rooftop, he got stopped by those three. They started beating him up because he was a witness to something horrible they did. Heeseung wouldn't agree to turn a blind eye like they wanted him to so they beat the crap out of him. He got beaten up over and over after he woke up and was well enough to go back to school again. His family isn't that rich and they already have trouble paying their usual bills. As you know, hospital bills aren't cheap and they have to work themselves to death just to pay their debt. Heeseung could tell they were all having a hard time because of him." Picking up a random pencil on your table, he starts fidgeting with it, twisting the object between two fingers as he continues to tell you Heeseung's story.

"Heeseung changed after that day. He suddenly got more serious, more stoic and he even stopped hanging out with his friends all together. He stopped doing everything he loved and drowned himself in work. He was still getting beaten up by those three until all of it became too much to bear for a high school student. That, along with carrying the guilt of knowing… N-Nevermind. Eventually, you know… He… He killed himself."

"So if I didn't arrive there at all he would've gotten into a coma and all of this would've happened?" Sunoo nods sadly, speaking the truth. Your heart feels dejected and hurt as drops of what would usually be rain but —are now replaced with tears of your own— make their way down your face for the first time in what seemed like forever. Your thoughts are scrambled, filled to the brim with emotion, when suddenly, you remember something that doesn't quite make sense to you still. "You said he was a witness to something, what was he a witness of?"

"I-I don't know if it's my place, YN." He's hesitant to say as he tries his best to avoid eye contact with you. Already feeling the guilt of not knowing something so vile happening to someone, you're speechless when he doesn't tell you.

"Oh for goodness sake! You already brought me back here against the universal laws, I'm doing this with the fear of me and the people around me getting fucking hurt. I'm sure you can tell me what he saw." You scoff. Still, he seems conflicted about whether to tell you or not but his hesitance only annoys you so you press him on even more. "What did he see, Sunoo?" You ask, pausing in between words.

"YN… I-I really think you should ask Heeseung, instead. I won't be able to give you the full—"

"Just tell me what you know!" You scream out. "I'm so sick of this! You want me to help him yet you give me nothing to go off of. How am I supposed to save him if you won't tell me why he's getting beaten up?!"

"That's the thing! You've already saved him, YN!" He replies back enthusiastically, hoping you'd change your mind. "You're a smart kid YN. I'm sure you know what the butterfly effect theory is, don't you?"

You pinch the bridge of your nose in annoyance. "Yes, I do and what about it?" You deadpan.

"You managed to save Lee Heeseung from his coma! Meaning, his family won't get flooded with debts and he won't feel guilty for being the reason for it. That's enough to lessen the pain Heeseung felt and he won't be pushed to take his life anymore." It sounds absurd but his theory pans out right. With you arriving early to the scene, Heeseung didn't get beaten to the brink of death, saving him from his coma and lessening his feeling of being a burden. It seems like a small change but the effect is massive. Just like what the butterfly effect entails.

"We can go back right now while they still don't know about it and you won't be harmed." His offer seems too good to be true but you see no signs of error with his plan.

But still, you're bothered, itching to know what Heeseung has seen. "If we continue now won't Heeseung still get beaten up by those shit heads?" 

"He'll fight back this time. With you and the others by his side, his resolve is now stronger." He's not telling you the whole truth.

By the way his hands are moving and the tone of his voice, you can tell he's lying. He might be an otherworldly being but the boy doesn't know anything about being a good liar.

"And what about the thing he witnessed, are you willing to tell me now?" You ask, leaning your body weight onto on foot whilst crossing your arms over your chest.

"No." He tries to answer simply. However, you notice the way his jaw clenches along with his fists whenever you touch upon the subject. "You don't need to know about that, YN."

"And why is that? You've told me useless information before. Surely this isn't any different than those." 

"It is, YN." He tries convincingly but in the end, his gaze falters as he locks eyes with your persistent ones, finally realizing that you weren't going to stop asking until he told you. So with a sigh of defeat. "Five days ago, when Heeseung was on his way back home from school, he saw a girl being assaulted by those people who beat him up. Before they could do anything to the girl, Heeseung managed to rescue her and get away. In the original timeline, Heeseung and the girl will press charges and fail. The girl… she'll continue living her life in fear of them coming back. She blamed Heeseung for not being able to do anything. She said that if he couldn't help her put them in jail then he should've left them to do what they wanted with her; that it was all his fault."

'Ungrateful bitch.'

You don't have any idea who the girl is but your blood feels like it's going to boil through your skin with your hand itching to touch a certain someone's cheek. Despite what you know she's been through, all you feel is hatred and malice towards the girl as there's not an ounce of sympathy as you're unable to wrap your head around her thought process.

"How can someone be so ungrateful!?" You scream out in shock. "He's just as much of a victim than she is and she has the fucking audacity to blame him? The person who saved her?" You don't expect a reasonable answer from the boy, more so saying it out of disbelief and anger.

Far from his usual bubbly self, Sunoo only replies with a nod, seeming to be ashamed as he bows his head down, unable to look you in the eye.

"Why did you keep this hidden from me?" You sigh in exasperation, nudging your chin towards him.

"She… She's actually my sister, sadly." He smiles both in shame for her sister's actions and sorrow for what could have almost happened to her. "I guess I was just ashamed."

Speechless, you stammer for a few moments, mouth open and closing in shock as you try to compose a more coherent sentence. "Wow, I guess we can't really choose our relatives, can we?" You sight out, smiling sadly. "I'm sorry for talking crap about her like that."

All Sunoo does is shrugs. "It's okay. She wasn't always the best sister." 

"Okay then. As long as Heeseung is fine, I'm willing to go back." You breathe out, patting the sides of your thighs to ready yourself. Sunoo smiles at you, nodding in appreciation.

OCTOBER 16 ༉༊

Opening your eyes, you're met with the same frost that the rain brought you like the last time you went to bed. The only difference your half-awaken body could comprehend is the amount of pillows suddenly decorating your bed— not to mention how hard the one placed on your back feels. Gripping the blanket tighter around your body, you turn in place, humming in satisfaction when the pillow wraps its arms around your waist tighter. In your state, you snuggle deeper into its warm embrace.

You stay like that for a couple of minutes, trying to catch your dreams as you relish the comfort both your pillows and blankets were giving you when out of nowhere, a chuckle breaks its way through your ears, catching you off-guard. With wide eyes, you turn around in a quick motion and sure enough, like a male lead in a teenage romantic drama, Lee Heeseung is laid there beside you on the bed, looking at you with stars in his eyes. Seeing your expression, he giggles and it feels like he's serenading you with tooth rottingly sweet songs while his nose crinkles with glee as strands of his hair decorate his puffed up face.

In this moment, you could tear up. In fact, that's just what you do, you burst into tears the moment you lock eyes with him. Sobbing, you bury your head at the crook of his neck as your hands wrap around his waist tightly, afraid to let go because you think that if you do, you might wake up. Your own tears stain his neck but he doesn't seem to mind, more so showing concern towards your actions. He pats you in the back, asking you what's wrong, but you only reply to him with a defiant shake of your head and a hard squeeze as he tries to take a look at you.

"YN?"

He's alive and he's laying down beside you. Your heartbeat is fastened, stupefied by how you could feel his touch on your skin, how you could feel his breath on your forehead, and how you can feel the beating of his heart through the thin layer of his plain white t-shirt. He’s the only thing you can feel and you’re over the moon by it.

“H-Heeseung.” You hiccup, leaving his neck to look at his face as you cup his cheeks with both hands. “You’re here.” You breathe out, chuckling as you smile through your tear stricken face.

His eyes are filled with worry as he looks at you, hand coming to mirror your actions as he wipes the stray tears that left your eyes. “I’ve been here since yesterday, baby. What do you mean?”

Although you’re confused by how Lee Heeseung, your classmate who had just confessed to you, is in your room, sleeping beside you, you don’t question it. Wanting to indulge in the moment longer, you bury your head in his chest in a hug, overjoyed by the outcome of your crazy adventure. Truely, it's a blessing in the skies to have Heeseung beside you, living and breathing. What’s more lucky is how your relationship with him has seemed to blossom after your obscure confession, but you wouldn't have it any other way because right now, Heeseung will be right beside you, always— just where you want him to be.

“Did you have a nightmare again?” He pouts with furrowed brows. “I didn’t cheat on you in your dreams again, did I? Dream Heeseung is actually such an asshole.” He finishes by rolling his eyes in disgust.

He’s insulting himself and normally, you would be against it, voicing your distaste through your inner thoughts, however, instead of doing that, you laugh, finding his humor comforting while his body is pressed against yours.

Now, you don’t mind the thunderous rain anymore. With Heeseung beside you, you feel like you can have a positive view on everything bad that gets thrown your way. Besides, what's the worst that can happen? Him dying? No problem, you have a reaper as a friend to help you with that. 

Although yours and Heeseungs relationship hasn’t been online for that long, you’ve come to the realization that in your case, time is irrelevant. Time is complex and always changing. Some may say that time goes by too fast and for some, too slow, however, there is one thing you know that will never change, and that’s Heeseung. With time, your admiration for him will only grow, turning into love and the next is what’s beyond that. As you watch the way his eyes shine every time he talks, you dive in deeper, willingly drowning yourself in him until he’s all that you can see, hear, feel, touch, and taste. With time, the both of you will grow, change, and mature, but that doesn’t scare you. You aren't frightened that he might turn into someone else and leave the highschool Heeseung behind him, no, because like time, Heeseung is ever so changing.

How you know your relationship was formed might not be what others perceive as normal, but to you, it’s perfect. No matter how many lives you live nor how many universes there are, you’ll still choose him because at the end of the day, who doesn’t want Lee Heeseung to sing them to sleep. It’s like walking around with a spotify premium wherever you go!

Nevertheless, you’ll protect him and he'll do the same for you. With this frail and useless body of yours, you’ll defend him. It doesn't matter who you're dealing with or how big the problem is because he knows that you’ll be there by his side. With that thought and your love in mind, Heeseung feels like he could conquer the world— not that he wants to anyways. All the things he wants in life are already right in front of him, in the shape of you. Sure, it’s short, messy, and can get incredibly emotional at times but that doesn’t matter because he wouldn't want you any other way than yourself.

"Belated Happy Birthday, by the way." You whisper through your tears..

From outside the water stained window of your room, two prying eyes are peeking in, looking at the loving couple sprawled across their room on a rainy day.

“Sunoo, you’re lucky this didn’t cause any trouble with the time cycle.” Apollyon says whilst sighing in defeat once he turns his head and notices that the reaper he came here with just continues to blatantly stare at the both of you with longing in his eyes. “You’re new that’s why im letting you get away with this but I'll have you know that if you do something like this again—”

“I know.” The boy simply replies.

Tired, he shakes his head at the boy in defeat. Like the other, he turns his head to look at the unknowing couple happily talking to each other. Heeseung leans his lips near your ear, whispering. You listen to him eagerly, eyes growing animatedly wide once he’s finished and a feverous red-hot blush coats your face. He leans away to look at your reaction, however before he could, you turn your head away, slapping his chest and pointing a lecturing finger at him afterwards. 

“They’re good for each other.” Apollyon comments, complimenting the both of you. “You’re more suited to be cupid instead of reaper, don't you think?” He jokes which the other only shrugs in response.

“By the way, about the soul you're looking for—”

“Leave it.” 

Apollyon stops and looks at the boy with disbelief written across his face. “A-Are you sure?”

“I'm sure. She deserves peace and I’m not going to be the one taking it away from her.” Sunoo says, smiling even though his heart felt like it was chipping away.

“Besides, she killed herself to get away from me, didn't she?”

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[brandwhorestarscream]

elite trine x elite trine

I'm telling you right now that Starscream is the one getting sparked up, solely because he is such a size queen and demands double penetration every single time the trine faces. Double the spike means double the transfluid, and even though they're all stocked up on contraceptives, eventually having his gestation tank so full bites him in the aft.

Now, the elite trine are old lovers. They've been around a long time. You will never convince me that they didn't have at least one litter of sparklings sometime before Vos fell. Probably more. They all died in the fall. So Starscream knows what this feeling is--the swelling, the nausea, the sudden rampant hunger.

And he's in denial.

He's terrified. This can't be happening! Not now, not again, not here! Not while they're stranded on earth, not while he and Megatron are at their very worst, not when Vosians are on the very brink of extinction and there's less than a hundred of them left! No, no, no! This could not be worse, it really could not be any worse-

There's nine of them.

Starscream screeches in devastation and anger and a million other emotions when he bears his spark before a mirror and there's more than three, more than six, and sure enough seven, eight, nine teeny tiny sparks like little sprinkles of stardust orbiting around his. That's nothing crazy for a seeker, they always have sparklings in threes, but nine! It's just him and his mates--there's the rest of the airforce, of course, but they're not a proper aerie! He can't possibly terminate them, not when Vos's people are one bad battle away from total annihilation, but he can't keep them!

He dusts off some old protocols and tries desperately to put the sparklings into diapause, refusing to breathe a word of their existence to anyone. With their growth frozen he can double his efforts to finish this war and then they can go home and the little ones can be born safely. That's the plan, anyway.

Unfortunately, diapause takes a lot of energy. It has to keep all of the sparklings suspended in what is essentially a cryosleep funded by his own body, for all nine of them, and that's got very serious demands on his frame. Demands that he can't realistically cater to for long. He's very sneaky for awhile and does everything in his power to distract, misdirect, keep anyone from noticing the extra fuel going missing, but it's not long until Soundwave catches him. Recognizes the shift in his EM field and the way he walks, and promptly rats him out to Megatron.

Big boss is far from happy, but is honestly more exasperated than anything. Of course. If anyone was going to get themselves knocked up during wartime, it would be Starscream, wouldn't it? Then, he does something that's worse than anything he's ever done before:

Assigns his SIC to desk work

Starscream is seething! His position as air commander has been handed over to Thundercracker (who's none too pleased about the situation either), and he's been taken off active field duty for the foreseeable future. He's more prone to making mistakes and having lessened reaction time in his "condition", and Megatron wants these new seekerlings born healthy. Which will be kind of hard if their carrier gets himself blown up, so Starscream is stuck at the base devising battle formation strategy and barking at the air force not to get sloppy in his absence.

His two mates are no help either, he'll grumble to anyone that will listen. Skywarp's been following him around like a lovesick puppy and always wants to feel his belly and coo nonsense to his chassis, and no amount of wriggling away will get him to stop. He's so clingy its suffocating, always sneaking cheeky kisses and tummy pats. He thinks Starscream is just more and more adorable the more his belly grows 🤭 and Thundercracker remembers perfectly all the things Starscream likes when he's expecting, exactly what kind or sour snacks and how he likes the cushions for his wings, and also has the dietary supplement table memorized. If he's having 9 bitties they'll each roughly be X amount of weight when 30% grown so he needs to drink at minimum Y number of cubes a day to keep up with their growth demand and-

So on and so forth. Overall, they're excited, but deep down... they're all individually terrified of loss. When Vos was bombed, the seeker population lost 95-98% of it's members. They lost everyone, every parent, aunt, uncle, cousin, and distant relative: it's only by sheer luck that they survived. Their previous litter of bitties was lost then, though they don't know how they died. Every familial bond they had shattered that day and the bodies were never recovered. They don't know if they suffered. They don't know if they were scared. They don't know if it was instant or if it was dragged out and torturous. All they know is the deep, gaping loss left behind by the lost sparkling bonds still ring so painfully and clear-cut it's near debilitating sometimes. They're afraid that the autobots will take these ones away, too: that they'll die at the hands of bigoted grounders that think they don't deserve to live just for being children of the sky. They're so afraid that they won't be able to protect them, and that they'll lose them, too.

It shows in the way Starscream paces and mumbles feverishly to himself at 3 a.m. It shows in the way Skywarp becomes vicious and bloodthirsty on the battlefield, and it shows in the way Thundercracker carefully curls his shaking hands around his mate's belly in the middle of the night when he thinks they're asleep, muffled sobs overlayed with whispered prayers to please, please let this time be different.

When the bitties finally arrive they're in little eggs, 9 perfect little spheres with rubber outer shells and stuffed to the brim with gelatinous filling. Every egg pulses strongly with the force of the infant spark within, and they can see outlines of their children, all curled up in the fetal position and almost ready to hatch. They've already prepared a nest for their eggs, a perfectly warm and secure spot where one of them will always be there to watch them. Mostly Starscream, as the other two have more work to do, but he doesn't mind. He can read and draw up plans while sitting next to them, occasionally reaching to turn them if he thinks one looks cold, and making sure to talk to fill the silence. Sometimes to them, sometimes to himself to narrate what he's doing, just so the sparklings know they aren't alone.

When they start to hatch Skywarp and Thundercracker both get a frantic keysmash text from Starscream falling out of his chair, then another with ITS TIME!!!! followed by a blurry picture of their nest, and one of the eggs has a noticeable hairline fracture in it. Skywarp, bless his spark, is so excited and also very much not thinking straight, grabs Thundercracker's hand and forcibly sprints out of the command center dragging him along. It takes him a full 10 seconds to realize his mate is telling him to, "Just teleport us!"

"...oh yeah!"

They arrive just in time to witness the birth of their first son: a darling little seekerling that's all blue head to toe with a deep gray faceplate and Skywarp's eyes. These babies are tiny, as there are nine of them, they can easily be cradled in their hands. Skywarp moves to pick him up and promptly gets nipped at: Starscream laughs, and lowers his helm to chirp at the little one. Bitty responds in turn, knowing instinctively that this is his carrier, and reaches out both tiny servos to him.

His siblings come quickly after, all range of lovely color combinations: a red and purple one, white and blue, black and white, on and on it goes! They're all beautiful and healthy, and the proud parents give them all names befitting Vosians, as well as a solemn promise: to never, ever let anything hurt them. To love and protect them now, for always, and forever 💖

[ecoamerica]

Watch the 2024 American Climate Leadership Awards for High School Students now: https://youtu.be/5C-bb9PoRLc

The recording is now available on ecoAmerica's YouTube channel for viewers to be inspired by student climate leaders! Join Aishah-Nyeta Brown & Jerome Foster II and be inspired by student climate leaders as we recognize the High School Student finalists. Watch now to find out which student received the $25,000 grand prize and top recognition!

[erinfern0]

request

chishiya x reader where they are dating pre-borderlands and they have to hide their relationship when they get transferred to that world/reach the beach !

★・・・・★・・・・★

universe: alice in borderland

warnings: death, torture mentioned

★・・・・★・・・・★

While tidying your room at the beach, you started to feel more nostalgic every second of sorting your clothes or going through all of the stuff on your desk to make it look decent. your mind has been interrupted lately. Every time you had a little moment of free time you would think about the past and how good would it be to be back. How many nights were you crying your eyes out about it? You're not sure.

Every problem you had before getting to this world seems ridiculously simple to you now.

Way back the only problem you had was to find at least a couple of minutes a day to see your beloved one. Chishiya's schedule was always full since most of his time he would spend at the hospital. You could understand it, you loved him no matter what, and whenever you got a chance to see each other - you would use that time in the best way possible. To make it up to you, he would take you to cozy bars and restaurants for dinner or just spend the time watching TV and cuddling on the couch. Chishiya was always tired, obviously, you knew that, but he would still make sure you fall asleep first. You would often find him sleeping on the floor or by the dining table in various uncomfortable positions, mostly surrounded by tons and tons of medical books.

Well, while dating him at first you had no idea that your feelings are gonna develop so fast that by the end of your eight months together you decided to find an apartment. You loved the area since it was close not only to your job but also to Chishiya's hospital. Unfortunately, it didn't take long for you to realize that you would spend most days alone there. None of you found it a problem, you would just use all the time you had possible.

Chishiya wasn't a very touchy person, he was a man of his word and act. He would help you with the cooking on his days off, sometimes even cooking by himself to surprise you. He was a great cook but a very tired and overwhelmed one so you wouldn't ever expect him to do that more than once a week. He never forgot any anniversaries, birthdays, or holidays. Gifting you was his favorite way of showing you affection even if he never seem to like it. Whenever he promised you something, no matter what it was - he was going to make that happen. Every single time. Also, even if he never seemed to like touching, he would find himself cuddling you in your sleep or when you were watching movies. Playing with your hair or clothes has always been very relaxing to him. He also adored watching you going through your day. Whenever he was home, he would sneak behind you while you were washing the dishes or cooking, maybe sometimes when you would bring some work home. He adored you and would smile every time you were together, even through the toughest of days.

You supported each other no matter what, you were always there for each other and honestly, you were always open about your emotions. Arguments weren't your thing. You would calmly explain everything to each other and try to get the other side to find the best possible compromise.

Now, you could only dream about getting back to how things were.

As soon as you finished your first game, Chishiya told you to act like you don't know him next time. He knew that people would use your relationship to their advantage, trying to separate you or just use one of you to get rid of the other one. No matter how much it hurt, you understood him and decided to do everything as he said. You wouldn't participate in games together until they were group ones. That would always give you additional chances of surviving since some of the games would let only one player win.

Every time you were alone, you would talk about anything other than games to just try to act as if things were normal. Both of you were aware they were not, but that was the least you could do, right?

You thought things couldn't get worse for both of you. Well, they eventually did. Joining the beach was better than you expected in most cases, but it ruined your relationship. You didn't even know if you were dating anymore since you wouldn't talk that much. On your first day, you realized that being open about your relationship wasn't an option. You just needed a single, quick look at Chishiya's face to understand what was going on. He didn't trust any of those people, maybe only Kuina a little bit later on. You stepped aside and decided to play his game. He made up a story that you met each other at your third game and you had luck ever since. Most of the time you both would just play dumb, so people wouldn't mind you. You acted as if you didn't understand the game dynamics and they were all just kinda random. The truth was, it took Chishiya only three games to get the scheme and predict what will be the last option. He was incredibly intelligent, which is one of many things you love about him so much. You were never too far behind him tho, since you were the one who after hearing the rules of a game would think of your strategy, mostly trying to cheat your way out without breaking any of the said rules. You were a great duo and you loved that you could always depend on each other.

The problem began when the Hatter wanted to test both of you to see if it was a good decision to let you stay. You were sent to a game together with a couple of people from the beach. The shock on everyone's faces was unforgettable since you and Chishiya were the only ones who got back. You couldn't explain what happened, you were just in too much shock to understand it. Chishiya had to be the one to explain that the reason you survived was that you didn't tell other people anything. What did you know? Well, the rules of the game were really simple. It was just a regular guessing game from which you would get a sentence based on a couple of simple verbs and adjectives and you had to guess what they describe. The game had to last 120 minutes and after that, every person who wasn't eliminated could just leave. Something you noticed was that the answer was hidden in one of the previous sentences. You could hear at least a couple of words before your turn. Everything was connected to each other and all you had to do was memorize previous words.

All fourteen players sat down in a circle and all of them would get one sentence per round. After the round, the person who either didn't guess or took too long to guess would be electrocuted. You sat right next to Chishiya and you could talk in between rounds. After the first one, you explained how to win since you noticed the pattern. Your man only nodded his head and looked in the other direction for nobody to notice something was wrong.

The true problem began when the about of people in the game would get smaller and smaller and eventually it was only three of you and 29 seconds until the game was over. If the woman who was sitting opposite you would get her answer right, you had to be very very quick to get Chishiya some time to figure out his answer. To your fortune - she wasn't right and the time run out before she stopped getting eliminated. Since it was only the two of you, you expressed your joy by running into each other's arms, you couldn't even see anything because happy tears covered your eyes.

When you were back, you had to act like strangers again and that was killing you every single second where you could only look at the love of your life from far. He would occasionally talk to you in public, but only if he really had to. You couldn't even think of touching him or holding his hand, obviously. Yes, he would sometimes sneak into your room to sleep there, but after some time it got too dangerous since drunk people would occasionally get into the wrong room. That was keeping you both safe but sometimes you felt as if it wasn't enough.

Getting back to tidying your room wasn't that easy since you were already crying about all of the memories you just recalled. You just sat on your bed, trying to catch your breath as you heard someone opening the door. It was your day to clean the pool with a couple of other people so you just thought it was one of them.

- I'll be downstairs in a couple of minutes, I didn't forget. - you said.

The person didn't leave, just closed the door and moved toward you. They quietly kneeled in front of your face, covered by your shaking hands, and moved them away.

- I'm so sorry, sweetheart. - whispered a way-too-familiar, calming voice.

You looked at the person in shock. It was the first time in weeks since Chishiya got even close to you, and now? He was right there, in front of you with that smile and warm, loving eyes. You needed him more than anything and you were so happy that after all, you'll always be his lover, he'll always be there for you, just not as he normally would. But when everything isn't normal, you too need to adjust and now you knew - you don't have to worry. Just one look at him melted your heart, and you could feel as if you were right where you belonged.

[ljf613]

Alright, been a while since I said anything really Problematiqué on here and I'm bored, so I'm going to stick my hand in the hornet's nest and say that this so-called Barbie/Oscars "controversy" is dumb and contrived and incredibly absurd.

For those of you who've been living under a rock for the past couple of days (or just avoid listening to anything about Barbie and/or the Oscars, which is very sensible of you), here's a Twitter post that summed up the situation:

In other words, the very fact that Ryan Gosling was nominated for Best Supporting Actor while Margo Robbie was passed over for Best Leading Actress and Greta Gerwig was passed over for Best Director is Terrible and Misogynistic and entirely the fault of the Patriarchy.

This has got to be the most absurd take I have seen this year. (Granted, "this year" has only been about four weeks, but the point stands.)

Let me explain some things to y'all:

Barbie received EIGHT Oscar nominations. (That is, in fact, a fairly impressive showing for a glorified toy commercial.)

One of those nominations was for America Ferrera as Best Supporting Actress.

Are you guys following? Eight nominations, and apparently none of it matters because the movie didn't happen to get the two specific nominations certain people wanted it to get. And not only that, but y'all want to tear down an actor who was nominated for an award that neither Greta nor Margo was even eligible for. Seriously? Don't you people have lives?

Now, I've heard that Ryan Gosling has come out and basically said that Margo should have gotten the nomination instead of him. (I haven't looked too deeply into this because I just Don't Really Care Enough.) If that's true, it's pathetic and nonsensical.

Ryan didn't take the nomination away from either of them. He was nominated for Best Supporting Actor. It's not like Margo or Greta would have been nominated for that award if not for him, and I am almost certain that nobody on the nomination committee (or whoever decides these things) was sitting there saying, "Well, we gave Ryan Gosling a nomination, and therefore we shouldn't give one to Margo Robbie or Greta Gerwig." (I am so tired of the "someone else has something I don't and that's Not Fair and therefore they must be oppressing me" narrative.)

(As someone who didn't actually watch the movie or follow it all that closely, I can tell you this much: I saw lots of people talking about how hard Ryan Gosling was working to get this part right, and how well he did. I don't remember a single post saying the same thing about Margo Robbie. Maybe, just maybe, he got a nomination because he did an above-and-beyond spectacular job and deserved it-- and she didn't? Just possibly?)

Also, an actress getting passed over for a Best Leading Actress nomination CAN'T be misogynistic. You know why? Because who gets that nomination instead? That's right-- some other woman. And as for Best Director, there is a woman who's been nominated for that award (Justine Triet for "Anatomy of a Fall"), so it's not like they were deliberately trying to make sure no woman got the award-- they just didn't feel that Greta Gerwig made the cut.

And even if you pretend we're living in some imaginary universe where the nomination committee deliberately snubbed Margo and Greta while nominating Ryan for Sexist Reasons, why would they have given a nomination to America Ferrera?

In short, whatever the reasons Margo Robbie didn't get nominated for Best Leading Actress and Greta Gerwig didn't get a Best Director nomination, they do not and cannot include:

The committee hated "Barbie" for unspecified Patriarchy Reasons.

Ryan Gosling stole the nomination away from them.

The committee liked "Barbie" but hated all of the women involved (for Patriarchy Reasons).

[mtkanna]

while i'm here: Jakob Ingold Teeth. what's the deal with em

so. none of the narzissenkreuz documents have a specific time frame on them. the closest we get to one is the knowledge that basil elton fought elynas during or immediately after the cataclysm 500 years ago, meaning everyone from the institute was born pre-cataclysm. this also gives us an idea of when the siege of poisson took place (also pre-cataclysm.) seymour says he was dormant for approx. 493 years, so there's roughly seven years between the cataclysm and the explosion within elynas that kills mary-ann and damages seymour.

But What About The Rest. there isn't a single date or even a rough estimate of time passing, and most of the documents are from rene, who we know grew increasingly paranoid and manic as he did his research, so any timeframe he gave would be... confusing, probably.

we don't know when things happened, which is a problem. we also don't know how old anyone is, which is a problem. and it's not like we can just guess.

mary-ann, alain, jakob and rene were all younger than eighteen while they were in the narzissenkreuz institute. alain was a child prodigy and considered able enough to work in a laboratory with an assisstant; though this doesn't tell us much, as we know there are workforce shortages because of the cataclysm. rene and mary-ann are given no identifying features for their age.

But Jakob. jakob. there are a few inferences we can make for him.

at the time of the trip to the vourukasha oasis, jakob only had three adult teeth. if we're to take that at face value, that places him anywhere between eight and ten. but can we really trust that? at this point, he's already been transformed, so we can assume his physiology isn't like a regular human's. rene and jakob have the same bodily composition, and rene has all of his adult teeth. most people have lost their baby teeth by the time they're twelve, but they can last until later.

which begs the question: Do Abyssal Beings Have Teeth?

some do. kind of. one of the rewards for childe's weekly fight is a tooth; this is actually from celestial voyager, but it's abyssal and fully-developed, so even though it's a sea creature we can assume Tooth Development is possible. which means loss and pushing in of new teeth. or they could just regrow their teeth, because if i'm reading into this right jakob's body has a composition kind of similar to elynas', which is similar to durin's, and we can pick up durin's teeth every other day.

so. we can estimate rene and jakob's age, now! rene is anywhere from twelve to fourteen at most, and jakob is likely eight to ten. which is where i throw a spanner in the works--Fucked Up Teeth Genes. while it makes sense for tooth presence to be used to rationalise maturity--nobody in the institute at this point is an adult save for lyris, and rene's very wary of the other adults around him--and be seen as a measure of experience, it is also entirely possible that jakob ingold formerly baker has a family history of just Not Having Enough Teeth, and i for one think that's the funniest option for why we're doing Teeth Measurements for aging.

this doesn't change that we don't have ages for mary-ann or alain. i'd say that alain and rene are around the same age, mary-ann's a year younger than them, and jakob's the youngest of their group. but we just don't know enough to say anything for certain

[ephemcrality]

[ yigit kirazci, cis man, he / him ] — whoa! KAAN DEMIRCI just stole my cab! not cool, but maybe they needed it more. they have lived in the city for TWELVE YEARS, working as a MAGAZINE EDITOR. that can’t be easy, especially at only THIRTY EIGHT YEARS OLD. some people say they can be a little bit INSECURE and PARANOID, but i know them to be PROTECTIVE and FAMILY ORIENTATED. whatever. i guess i’ll catch the next cab. hope they like the ride back to QUEENS!

basics:

nicknames:  none

sexuality:  bisexual with a leaning towards women

date of birth:  february 27th

zodiac sign:  pisces

hobbies: reading, writing, the history channel, his herb garden, cooking, learning languages/studying linguistics, fashion, beard care & fancy beard oils, drinking wine at the end of a long day, is known to do origami when nervous, swimming, poetry

dislikes: the cold, reality tv, the color beige, crowds/crowded places, tea (leaf water)

languages spoken:  turkish & english (fluent), arabic, spanish, german (conversational)

religion:  raised muslim, loosely practicing

++ so much more to know, under the cut!!

family:

mother:  living in turkey still

father:  deceased

siblings:  one younger sister - wc on the main!

birth order:  eldest

spouse / lover:  single

children: none

pets: two cats

notable close relatives: none involved

best friend:  npc/wc - message me!

rival:  npc/wc - message me!

crushing on:  npc/wc - message me!

friends:  npc/wc - message me!

backstory:

TW: abandonment

with strict workaholic parents and overbearing relatives with a constant stream of ideals (that the demirci family never seemed to meet), kaan and his younger sister grew up pretty much fending for themselves. his parents were rarely home, and though they lived well above ' comfortable ' and wanted for very little, he struggled in school to make friends, he struggled at home to keep everything afloat, trying to be the glue for the family while also not losing himself to his own desires.

he loved to read, and was a great student. in his early teen years, his parents got divorced, and though he and his sister stayed with their mom... they hardly saw her after that. she would disappear for weeks at a time, and when kaan came home once to realize none of the bills were paid, the lights shut off... he knew she was probably gone forever, and he was all that his sister had now.

eventually, his sister's career took them from istanbul to the states, where he worked two, three jobs at times to support them. it was difficult, going from fairly affluent to struggling to make ends meet, but kaan put in the work, and made it happen.

it was difficult leaving his partner, and the few friends he had, back in istanbul, too. even now, kaan feels he hasn't fully settled into new york city, over a decade later...

writing has always been his truest passion - kaan wishes to be published, or work as a columnist, anything besides editing, which is his job now. it was a slow climb; he faced a lot of social struggle, almost losing out the job due to narrow-minded individuals who doubted his english ability.

but in the end, he earned the position, fair and square, working as a senior editor for a prominent lifestyle magazine. (think cosmopolitan/scarlet from the bold type). it's boring work, but pays well, and keeps him in the city to be close to his sister, who remains the most important person in his world.

he's dreamed of having a family of his own, of becoming a published author, of owning his own home, of adopting more cats... but somehow, he falls short of ever completing things for himself, always doing whatever it takes to help others.

[sneezemonster15]

Hi! What do you think about this?

Is it true? Or ss shippers spread lies as always?

Hi.

It is legit. And he isn't wrong. However, Sakura is not really the heroine in this story, Sasuke is. One of the anime's directors also said this btw, lol. It's very hard to not see it. But Kishi obviously cannot say that in his interviews. He can't openly talk about the gay love story that he wrote in shounen. Sakura is a girl in the same age bracket and in the same team and she is used as a plot device to develop Sasuke and Naruto's dynamic. So she is given the epithet of heroine when the truth is that Sasuke gets all the tropes and visual imagery that a heroine gets in a love story. Naruto and Shippuden are love stories. And that's just a fact.

Kishimoto also said that he wrote team seven as a love triangle. SS think that Sakura is the centre of this love triangle when the very evident truth is that it's actually Sasuke. Lol. But they just conveniently skip anything that does not act in their favor, they are cute like that. They twist everything in the manga to suit their insane theories and when that doesn't work, they use novels.

Anyway, the excerpt of the interview you shared doesn't really speak in favor of SS. All Kishi is saying is that he felt embarrassed writing that scene. Honestly, Sakura WAS very cringe in that scene. She is obviously a fangirl, always was. She rebukes Sasuke because he doesn't share a single word with her, doesn't tell her anything. I find it very funny when people hype up team seven dynamic when one of the members doesn't even willingly talk with the other but is always ears for the third one ie Naruto. I don't know what makes SS feel so proud because the truth is Sasuke doesn't show a willingness to talk to Sakura at all. It's Always Sakura who tries to get his attention or get in close physical proximity with him.

Regardless, at first Sakura does seem like she is handling it maturely, without trying to manipulate him.

She is right when she says revenge in itself won't bring Sasuke happiness. Sasuke also understands this, and it thaws him a little towards Sakura. Which is why he relents and explains in more words than he has ever said to her, that his goals are central to his existence and he must do everything to make them materialize.

Kishimoto deliberately makes it cringe after this though. Sakura keeps talking about Sasuke as if they were a couple. Sakura says - "Revenge won't bring anyone happiness, neither you Sasuke, nor me."

Lol. How exactly does she figure what she feels is important to Sasuke when he doesn't even talk with her? Lol. Why and where does she think she fits in this whole equation? Sasuke is right, him wanting to avenge his clan has nothing to do with Sakura. Or Naruto. Or Kakashi. So why does she think it would matter to Sasuke how she feels about it? And so he tries to explain it to her because he is a kind boy and doesn't deliberately want to hurt her feelings for no reason.

But she really makes it worse after this, by making it all about herself.

She compares her loneliness, she who has parents, friends, and teachers to care for her, with Sasuke's loneliness. Who has no family. And none of the people in Konoha understand what he has been through, no one was there to care for him when he went through hell, all alone as an eight year old. Being with Naruto starts to heal him, like Oro notices very keenly, but then Itachi's visit happens and everything is unraveled.

She compares her apples with his oranges. Seriously, she has no sense of proportion, does she? What an insensitive thing to say to an orphan. And then, when Sasuke is not affected at all, she confesses to him. So. Much. Cringe. First time I saw this scene, I was like, haven't you embarrassed yourself enough? I was just trying to reconcile to the fact that you mocked Naruto for his orphan status, and then you say this to Sasuke?

I am sure everyone here knows people like her who make everything about themselves. It's quite exhausting to talk to them. But Sakura reminds me of this character, hardship one upper. Lol.

Kishi is such a sensitive writer when it comes to writing emotions, he writes the emotional scenes, especially with Sasuke, with such nuance and delicacy. And then here's Sakura, just crowding up the station with her freight train like confession that morphs from caring about Sasuke's feelings to caring about her own.

It started with - Sasuke you won't be happy even if you got revenge.

To - I won't be either.

To - I won't be happy if you left because I would be as lonely as YOU if you did. (And no, it's not the same as when Naruto tries to stop him from leaving, because for one thing, their love is mutual.)

To - Because I love you. So stay in the village for MY sake.

To - Or take ME with you.

Which is really sad. Because the reason why Sasuke mocked Sakura and called her annoying in chapter three in the first place was because she compared her predicament with Naruto's. She really has no sense of proportion, does she? What does she even know how it feels to be in Naruto's or Sasuke's shoes?

Which is exactly why Sasuke mocks her back. Which she remembers and even reminds Sasuke about it.

This is so ironic. It's her core memory about Sasuke and yet she really learnt nothing from it. Nothing. Sasuke schools her about the difference between her predicament and Naruto's back then.

And he schools her even in this scene.

Sasuke realizes that Sakura has not changed at all. She does the same thing here that she does in chapter three. She fails at understanding both Naruto's and Sasuke's feelings. And makes it about herself both times. Well, she is consistently portrayed as a self absorbed, narcissistic and entitled girl, who must acquire whatever she wants, even Sasuke, who doesn't want her back. Because blimp sized ego. She was trying to manipulate Sasuke so he would stay, for Her sake. She constantly overestimates her importance to both Naruto and Sasuke and fails every single time. Lol. Like when she fake confessed to Naruto thinking Naruto would jump at the chance to get it on with her and quit Sasuke and then she gets rejected lol after which Naruto confesses to Sasuke on the bridge and pledges to die with him. She again attempts to confess to Sasuke at the end of war arc and she again makes it all about herself. Because Sasuke's wish to get justice and reform the world is equal to her wish to have him stay with her because she can't help loving him. Lol. She is such an embarrassment man.

Finally Sasuke has had enough, this was a very satisfying panel btw. Idc if people take offense. But it's not a coincidence that every single time Sasuke gets triggered and calls Sakura annoying, it's always in response to her saying something very selfish, insensitive and disproportionate.

SS can give however many ridiculous (non) reasons, painfully twisted beyond recognition, but lol, they are just trying to cope.

Sasuke is a very perceptive person, deeply attuned to how different people think. He knows Sakura's true nature. He knows how shallow and self centred she is and that her treatment of people is full of artifice. That is why Naruto stands apart and one of the major reasons Sasuke likes Naruto is because there's no artifice in him. What you see is what you get, warts and all, his closetedness is also a part of his personality. Naruto is honest, raw, unrefined and gritty. He doesn't mix words, he is not really very skillful with them. And he doesn't care. Because what matters to him is his emotions, he wears his heart on his sleeve proudly, and Sasuke is in awe of his emotional generosity, just as Naruto is in awe of his intensity and resolve.

Coming back to the interview, Kishi is talking about how fans could perceive it (and SS have) as if they were lovers because Sakura gets so weepy and mawkish, announcing her confession in such a cloying manner. And this scene uses the common trope of the aspirational male character leaving the village to accomplish something and the heroine trying to stop him from leaving, punctuated by heavy emotional beats. But that's just the surface level reading of this scene isn't it? Kishi loves his parallels and his foreshadowing. He is very careful about the way he develops his characters and he won't write them to deviate from their characterization without a reason. Sakura has given Sasuke no reason to actually like her, in fact, she only underscores her inherently shallow and self absorbed personality with everything she says, which has undergone no change whatsoever till date.

Kishi painstakingly keeps her character consistently unchanged even in Boruto. She is the same manipulative, emotionally violent, self centred and egotistical person in Boruto, Gaiden at least, who treats her own daughter so badly when she asks Sakura uncomfortable questions about Sasuke.

Anyway, concluding this winding answer, this scene is quite cringey and Kishi is right in saying that it was embarrassing, because Sakura makes it so. Every. Single. Time.

It's so funny to me that fans simply ignore the fact that the emotional core of this story is based on the concept of truly understanding each other and empathizing. Sasuke doesn't give up till the end and only relents after Naruto lets him know of his feelings that finally resonates with Sasuke. Which finally makes him realize that he is not alone, and it makes him cross over to Naruto's side. Naruto makes a fine profession out of it for heaven's sake, his talk no jutsu being the tool of his trade.

Sakura never understood Sasuke. She never even attempted, she always kept on about her own needs regardless of how Sasuke felt about her or even generally. No one understood him, not Sakura, not Itachi, not Kakashi, no one. Until Naruto. That's why the story ended with their reconciliation. And not the war arc. Because the story is about them.

[arionawrites]

— carina jeane: the spark (working title)

the cj series, part one

GENRE: fiction, modern fantasy, coming of age-esque, some action, some drama - and, of course, very queer.

SETTING: in a little town called harlstone, washington, where foggy mornings make every day start like it's the end of the world and where there's enough forest to swallow the town whole.

TROPES: found family, childhood friends to enemies to lovers, forced proximity and also the exact opposite of forced proximity, dark secrets, redemption, emotional scars, and more!

TAGLINE: seven people, some strangers and some not, have no choice but to work together when something sparks within them.

— the characters

carina jeane castillo

a seventeen year old senior in high school, struggling with her academics and on the brink of not being able to graduate. she lives with her parents, who don't give her the time of day, and she has two older siblings - alrick, who is eight years older than her, and mariella, who is eleven years older than her. she was ten when alrick moved out, and she hasn't heard from either of them in years.

carina is empathetic and compassionate. she overthinks, she's timid, and she struggles with an obsessive, addictive kind of personality. she has no friends, no family that seems to care about her, not even a teacher that sticks up for her from time to time. despite being surrounded by people, she is horrifyingly alone.

alfred "alfie" alexander farwell

a twenty two year old who keeps debating if he should seek out his passions, of which he admittedly has none, or if he should apply for med school like his father wants him to. a people pleaser with anxiety, he works as a data entry clerk at a local dry cleaners and lives by himself in a small, scrappy apartment in the run down part of town.

he lost his mom when he was fourteen, and, in the same month, his childhood best friend, theo, switched school and moved to the other side of town. despite harlstone being so small, it was like theo moved out of state, the two of them growing distant and losing contact almost instantaneously. alfie's father is a kind, hard working man, who became distant in his grief and unknowingly put a strain on his relationship with his son, who now is willing to do almost anything to get his dad's approval. even, maybe, applying for med school.

theodore "theo" james davis

a twenty two year old gas station employee who lives in the apartment above his mom's garage. gay and not totally okay with it, theo tends to lean towards anger and frustration rather than addressing his emotions properly or communicating how he really feels. his mom, who raised him as a single mother, is a wonderful lady who tries her best to help her son despite his constant insistence towards being able to take care of himself.

after making a lot of questionable financial decisions when he was nineteen and twenty, theo is currently struggling with digging himself out of this hole he put himself in and keeps making more mistake along the way. including getting arrested for petty theft. something that he can never let his mom know about, of course, which is why, when asked to give a name and number in order to get him bailed out, he said the first person that came to mind. his old best friend that he purposefully abandoned, alfie farwell.

elena rylie ashford

one of the ashford twins, elena is freshly twenty one years old and runs the social media pages for a local, yet fairly popular, bakery. the same bakery, actually, that both her twin sister and her boyfriend, nick, works at. the only worries that elena has are what trend to incorporate into her next post and how much more she needs to save up before her and her boyfriend can get an apartment together.

elena is an optimist, but she's also a bit self righteous. in contrast, though, she's also very soft hearted and takes things very personally, and she's easily squeamish - a combo that ultimately makes her very sensitive to the world around her and the people in it, often leading her to be extra emotional about things that probably don't warrant it.

evelyn rose ashford

one of the ashford twins, evelyn is freshly twenty one years old and works in the same bakery that her twin sister runs the social media accounts for. despite hanging out with her sister and nick every day, evelyn can't help but to feel as if she's being left behind - elena is in a pretty serious relationship with someone she's saving up to move in together with and is trending weekly online for her well crafted posts, but the only thing evelyn seems to be doing right is making baked goods.

evelyn is very self deprecating, looking down on herself and comparing herself to the people around her, especially her twin. she gets jealous of the lives that other people live because she feels like she's incapable of having the happiness that they have. she's also impatient with everything other than baking - she wants things to be better and she wants them to be better now, but she also believes she doesn't deserve better at all. a restless pessimist.

walker oakleigh truett

the second youngest out of five, twenty year old walker struggles every day with standing out amongst the crowd. his family owns a local bed and breakfast called Truett Trails and he happily works as a clerk, housekeeper, and anything else they need him as. however, his siblings are all moving up and out of harlstone, accomplishing incredible things and making their parents proud. even his little sister, who just graduated high school a year early and has a full ride scholarship to the college of her dreams.

walker is a shadow in his family, the one that doesn't do much, who doesn't even really know what his own interests are because he's always tried living up to what his siblings were interested in. he's awkward and meek and almost boring in a way, not having the sense of self that one usually needs to be interesting to others.

wrenley mylah crawford

a nearly twenty three year old who lives with her friend, eleanor dulley, wrenley stays on the safe side to say the least. ever since she was little, her family was a bit unstable, losing jobs and getting evicted and starting fights at every corner of the road. the instability made her scared of the unexpected in life - she never knew what might happen next, but she knew that it wouldn't be good.

wrenley keeps herself in a bubble to avoid getting hurt, never going out unless it's to her jobs at the coffee shop across the street or the bookstore around the corner. she's paranoid and anxious, and her fear of the world leaves her ignorant to all the good things out there, convinced after a rough childhood that nothing can ever be as good as the movies make it seem.

— the story

nothing big ever happens in harlstone.

it's a small town on the coast of washington state, one often overlooked by their neighboring villages and cities. the people are quaint and quiet and peaceful, content to live their lives as they always have, as they always will. carina jeane's been here her whole life, and, unlike her older siblings, she's fairly sure she'll never get to leave. she'll be here forever, living the same day to day, until she dies.

but then, for the first time since her brother moved out when she was ten, something happens. something changes.

it starts as a spark beneath her skin - barely noticeable, but still undoubtedly there - and then it grows stronger, grows restless, grows angry and bitter and violent, until it explodes out of her.

and carina creates a storm.

status

3/6/23: outlining and developing in preparation for camp nano

taglist (ask to be added or taken off please!)

@sarah-sandwich @themugglemudperson @wildswrites

[espectres]

MP100 VAMPIRE AU NONSENSE.

Basic rundown, in your usual everyday modern world, vampires are a thing! Extremely rare, extremely unbelievable, don't live among humans, or do they? They actually do, yes, for they are excellent shape-shifters who have evolved enough to gain the ability to walk into the sunlight long enough so that it isn't suspicious to any human.

( tw: mention of child abuse & abandonment, somewhat detailed description of decapitation and neck injury. )

"Claw", known as "Fang" in this au, is an organization of vampires with the unrealistic goal of world domination, led by one of the oldest & strongest vampires to have existed and remained alive for the past two centuries, Suzuki Toichiro. While their goal might seem childish, their ways are far away from any joke, kidnapping people to turn them into vampires is their specialty, and turning random people into vampires just on a whim and leaving them to suffer the transmission horrors is not far from their deeds either.

Shou, Toichiro's firstborn, is a Dhampir, half a vampire born to a human mother and his vampire father, and as far as things went in the first eight years of his life, he was simply a human with no vampire features, he gained these after his mother abandoned him, unable to bear his father's growing cruelty and violence. Shou's transmission, done by his own father, was an experience, and it was an astonishing success, a Dhampir with all vampires strengths, and none of their weaknesses, but could very much get killed in the classic ways.

Enraged with the way he was treated by his father & the existence of Fang as a whole, Shou decides to have his revenge by murdering every single vampire in the organization, with his own father on top of the list.

Vampires don't age physically, Shou's true form remains that of an eight years old. Chronologically speaking, he isn't ancient like the majority of his kind. He is thirteen, he looks thirteen, too. Once you get a good hold on your shapeshifting, you can look any age you want. There is a limit to how much you can change your features, tho. Shou even keeps up the mild shapeshifting in his sleep, looking like the teenager he is instead of the child he was when he was turned. It’s that instinctive for him, being in hiding.

The last couple years of his life was spent hunting down vampires, making a team of those who agreed to join him in taking down Fang, and freeing Vampires who were forcefully taken in, all while concealing his identity as the culprit of many crime scenes. Toichiro isn't an easy target. He's constantly moving all around the country, and Shou aims to take down as many vampires as possible before he would have to confront his father again.

Shou likes to call himself a miracle of genetic engineering, he thinks it's funny.

Feasting on humans ends up with two possibilities, either the victim survives to become a vampire, or is killed by the vampire culprit. The later option considered the kindest for many reasons, but those working at Fang never consider it, aiming to get more and more soldiers under their grasp. Shou isn't a fan of hunting humans for blood, in fact he has never needed to do it even once, anything he drank was either ready & served to him when he was with his father- or something he got from emergency rooms in the hospital, not asking about the details in the best decision if you ask me.

Vampires can tolerate the sun for short amounts of times, like walking from one place to another, but dhampirs like Shou don't need to avoid the sun at all. And while some vampires can tolerate some human foods with many many exceptions, Shou can digest anything without a problem, he still doesn't get any nutrients from human food, but that doesn't stop him from enjoying it. And aside from things that straight up kill a vampire, none of their weaknesses work on him.

The best way to kill a vampire is to decapitate them, and the best way to decapitate them is to twist their necks from behind, a broken neck is the worst injury for a vampire, it takes the longest to heal with their regenerative ability, it's enough if you plan to deem your opponent paralyzed for a few minutes, but if you gotta kill that vampire, then you twist until the head is in your hands and the body is on the floor.

" What about a heart? "

And Shou falters, the red stained straw falling from his lips, revealing his fangs and their sickening white colour, slightly tainted by his drink. He never falters.

❝ What? ❞

" A heart, the books said- "

❝ Don't worry about the hearts. ❞ He cuts short and sweet, a reassuring smile hiding away the sharp teeth, and his gaze shifts to his drink again, crimson and shimmering and basking in the sunlight pouring through the window. ❝ They're too hard to get to. ❞

[rhysbradley]

QUICK STATS ;

Name: Rhys Thompson Bradley

Nicknames: None - just Rhys

Age: 38

Gender & pronouns: Male & he/him

Sexuality: Heterosexual

Time in Wilmington: From the age of four to 18, then the age of 30 onwards

Occupation: Owner of TRIC

Neighbourhood: Masonboro

Relationship status: Single

Face claim: Theo James

Please read below for his introduction !!

TW: Death, pregnancy, abortion

Rhys was born in Kent, England and was raised by his single mother. She never mentioned his father, and that was absolutely fine until she grew very sick, very fast. She passed away when he was four, and that was when Rhys learnt who his father was.

He was a mayor of a town in the US (Wilmington) and he met Rhys' mom when visiting the UK for business. Robert Thompson had a one night stand that resulted in a bastard son, and he wanted nothing to do with him apart from send his mother money each month to make sure they were cared for.

That was until Rhys' mother grew sick, and she begged and pleaded Robert to take in Rhys so he didn't fall into the system. Begrudgingly, the guilt got to Robert and he agreed to care for his son. Rhys' mother passed away and he moved to Wimington, to live with his father and the rest of his 'family'.

His childhood was pretty bleak. His father barely tried to bond with Rhys, his stepmother barely acknowledge his existence, and he didn't feel any warmth towards his siblings. Trauma came again when Rhys was eight, and his father was found dead in the family home. Things for him became pretty miserable at this point, and he was like the quiet, weird kid in school who everyone knew was the black sheep of the Thompson family.

But then he went to high school and massively distanced himself from his half-siblings, and began to grow into his own person. Here he made friends for life (WCs????) and started to thrive. The second he turned 18, he left town to get away from the Thompson's.

He dabbled in jobs here and there in other States, then moved to Australia. He worked there for some time, then onto New Zealand, South East Asia, and across Europe. It wasn't until things came to a halt when he spent one hot and heavy week with a woman in Koh Samui and she fell pregnant.

He was STUNNED and panicked at the thought of becoming just like his dad, and so he was ready to give up everything for his child. However, the woman came to the decision to have an abortion, and Rhys supported her in this.

Absolutely horrified at who he was becoming, Rhys made the decision to return to Wilmington. He had decided he had grown enough as a person and pushed enough distance between himself and his family that they weren't going to bother him anymore (lol).

He decided to enrol in classes to get a business degree, and he now owns TRIC in Wrightville Beach

WANTED CONNECTIONS / IDEAS.

Anyone from an affluent family in Wilmington: Growing up a Thompson, Rhys probably met a bunch of other kids from affluent families in town because his dad and step-mom probably rubbed shoulders with them to try and get votes for Robert to become Mayor.

High school friends who turned friends for life: Now this one is a biggie. I HC'd that the friends Rhys made in high school pretty much became his family. This was a family HE chose, and they're still best friends now after all this time. He would do ANYTHING for these people. They're his rock, entirely.

High school sweetheart: I wouldn't say Rhys was 'popular' in high school, but he had a good solid circle of friends at this time. She would've never been introduced to his family because he hated them.

Regulars at TRIC: While Rhys is the owner, he actually spends a lot of time behind the bar serving drinks and talking to people. He likes to be hands on, and he likes his customers to feel they can trust him, and tell him if something is good or shit, and what he can do better on. Plus he loves talking shit to anyone all every day.

Exes: Rhys has definitely had a relationship or two since he returned to Wilmington when he was 30 (he's now 38). Tldr he pretty much has attachment issues because his mom died when he was four, and then his dad died when he was eight. Plus his step-mom is a bitch sooooo. He struggles with attachment to other people.

Hook ups: Because Rhys struggles to attach, he's pretty great at hook ups. He will sleep with you then leave before the morning. He won't leave his number (unless you're incredibly hot).

Friends with benefits: He won't necessarily sleep with a woman more than once, unless she's hella his vibe and is great in bed.

People he travelled with: Kinda niche connection because it means your character needed to have travelled the world a bit, but while Rhys is pretty independent, he would've loved having a travel buddy for a while.

People he met in other States between 18 - 20 years old: Before he left to travel, he hopped around States in the US to earn some money and to travel a little bit.

[thepalmofyourfreezinghand]

I think a lot of fans are missing the point in why we are disappointed in Taylor.

Like we know that we have no say in her life and we don’t know her personally. But the problem is that it goes against the character that Taylor has always portrayed herself to be, and that’s something that her fans are, rightly, struggling with.

You can’t tell me that Taylor isn’t aware of some of the things he’s done and said, especially when some of it was just a couple of months ago. She lurks on her fans. This is all her fans have been talking about for days. BuzzFeed reached out for her or her team’s comment. Like, she’s aware of it. She has to be at this point, and instead of cutting back on being seen with him. It’s like she’s saying that she doesn’t care and decides to still be actively seen with him. We all thought that Taylor was against those things that Matty has shown himself to be, and yet…maybe it’s becoming clear that she’s not.

Like I realize that her and Matty have been friends for years, but that still shouldn’t matter. How many of us have taken a step back from a friendship when that friend says or does something that we don’t agree with??? We know that Taylor hasn’t had any trouble cutting people out of her life before (i.e: Karlie, Todrick). Again, what has all of us so upset and disappointed is the fact that Taylor is aware of these things and very clearly may not care and is choosing to be seen with him because he’s helping her feel better. Like the issue has never been that Taylor is rebounding. The issue has always been *who* she is rebounding with.

Her Jewish and PoC fans are allowed to see this as a slap in the face, and if any fan feels that right now they can’t support Taylor, then that’s fine. It is their choice, and no one should be made fun of for it.

Yep, all of this! And just to be clear, I don’t think you absolutely have to cut out of your life people who are problematic. There are shades to this, it’s not all back and white. Maybe you can talk to them and try to change their mind or whatever.

For example, I have male friends who make sexist jokes sometimes. They’ve been in my life since I was eight/nine years old. I know they’re not really sexist, they just think that making some jokes is nbd. EVERY single time they make those jokes, though, my female friends and I look at them sideways and tell them to stop. EVERY TIME. We’re still friends, but we speak up when they cross a line.

It’s not that difficult to care. Personally, I care and I call out people in my life when they behave badly. I thought that was normal? Apparently not.

And yeah, NONE of my friends has ever joked about what Matty has joked about. That goes beyond anything I could tolerate from someone I call “friend”. I literally sent the buzzfeed article to three male friends of mine and they were all disgusted. What kinda friends do you people have that you think what Matty said is nbd???

[lefemmerougewriter]

The Corona Blues: Cass the Space Pirate, Her Blue-Eyed Pirate Girlfriend, and Raps' Momentous Choice

Summary: After a mask mandate and lockdown are imposed in the Kingdom of Corona, in response to a contagious "invisible" virus spreading, citizens are restless and hostile toward Raps, as their sovereign. Varian vows to stay behind and help the citizenry, while Raps leaves. She wants to clear her head. Later, while her sketchbook dries, she wades into a stream and falls in thanks to tremors from a nearby spaceship landing. A decorated lieutenant, and accomplished space pirate, comes to save her. The woman has a familiar face, with her mahogany pigment shining in the sun. Its none other than Cass. After meeting Cass's new pirate girlfriend, the captain of a massive spacefaring vessel, Raps makes a far-reaching decision which will impact not only Cass and her girlfriend, but herself and the people of Corona thereafter.

Characters: Marika Kato, Rapunzel, Cassandra, Varian, Eugene Fitzherbert, Misa Greenwood, Kane McDougal, Coorie, Hyakume, Schnitzer, San-Daime, Luca

Friendships: Rapunzel & Pascal (former?)

Romantic pairings: Rapunzel / Cassandra (former?), Cassandra / Marika Kato

Words: 4000+

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/36110716/chapters/136737880

Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/1425409282-the-corona-chronicles-cass-the-space-pirate-her

Quotev: https://www.quotev.com/story/14508344/The-Corona-Chronicles/2

A/N: Sorry that it's been over two years since my last update! I really wanted to publish this a while ago, but a lot was happening in my life. There were preparations for a trip to Italy throughout 2022, even as I still wrote eight fics (like those in the High Guardian Space series) primarily at the beginning and end of the year. And then I moved into a new place in March 2023. With that on top of job stresses, it took until the end of last year for things to settle down. When I wrote the first chapter in December 2021, I had no idea about what was going to happen in the years ahead. I may end up writing a third part. This chapter sets the stage for a possible third part. As a reminder, in this story, Cass is a Black woman.

Work Text:

Back in the castle, Raps was pacing once again. She had locked the castle building and prohibited anyone from entering. She made a snap decision she'd go out into the city, among the people. She couldn't be cooped up forever. Varian wanted to know if she really wanted to pursue this course of action or not. "Are you sure about this?" She nodded. She needed to hear what the people had to say. She was their sovereign... after all. This made Varian very afraid. He had heard people's anger toward her. He realized she had to experience it first-hand. Both put their handmade masks. Varian wore a black cloth mask, with black straps. Raps wore a purple and yellow mask, with intricate designs, that she had colored herself. She would not be content with a single color, as she liked vibrancy.

As she walked out of the castle, and locked the door behind her, she got a taste of this anger first-hand. One onlooker heckled her. "Boo!" he shouted. He then pointed. "YOU got be the virus!" Unfazed by this clear lie, she continued moving forward. Varian used his alchemist staff to trap the person in amber. No dissent to the royalty would be allowed. Most in the town followed the posted ordinances, but some did not.

Those who refused to abide by the regulations had started to come together, loosely, into a grouping they called the Anti-Rapunzel Alliance, or ARA for short. Those who led the organization did not believe in any governmental system, state, or anything like that. They didn't even think of themselves as leaders, claiming the group was "leaderless," another lie that anyone could see through very easily. They called themselves anarkhists. They would always be a thorn in the side of Raps, especially after the passing of her parents a year prior from old age. The ARA had been annoying Raps for years. She was aware of their violent activities. She did not worry about them. She did not see them as representative of the people. That sentiment was accurate, even though their support was growing every day.

She was jeered and booed as she walked through the city. People did not feel she had done enough to protect them from what was being dubbed the "Corona-Ailment," or ca for short. She shared their sentiments since she did not know if she had done enough or if more could be done. She wracked her brain with these questions every day. The ca crisis was always at the top of her agenda. She was exhausted, tired of running the city, and the kingdom, almost entirely by herself. She wished that Eugene had been there, as he had gone on a voyage to one of their allies across the sea, specifically to Avalor. Instead, she had to do this without him. She sighed.

The viciousness and nastiness toward her by those in Corona had deeply affected her. Varian expected this would happen. This is why he hoped she'd decide to stay inside the castle. This belief was misplaced. If he had known Raps as well as he thought he did, then he'd be aware that she liked to take risks, no matter the costs. Some people in her position would cry. Her emotional strength allowed her to weather heavy criticism, at least in this case. Sometimes Pascal would help her through this. She couldn't even rely on him this time. She had left him in her room, letting him sleep away without bringing him with her.

She turned to her trusty confidante, her royal science advisor, and royal scientist. "You can go back to the castle, Varian. I want to be alone." He didn't want to leave. He felt obligated to help her, especially since he had caused so much trouble for her in the past. Back then, he almost overthrew the government. Even still, she justified her response, at the time, noting that she only pushed away his pleas for help because of pressing demands on her as the royal queen of Corona. She couldn't spare anyone back then. "I…want to stay," he remarked. She shook her head. She wouldn't let him do that. "LEAVE!" she shouted and pointed back at the castle. She glared into his eyes. He cowered and turned around. He did not want to cross her. He realized that giving her some space was the right thing to do.

As he crossed the bridge and walked toward Corona, and the royal castle, Raps went the opposite way. She had to clear her head for a bit. She wanted to sit by the stream and watch the water cascading across the rocks. That always calmed her down, even when times were tough. It made her feel better about herself. She found a nice spot: a rock which overlooked a bubbling stream. She then pulled out her watercolor paints and sketchbook. Every day, week, and month, she believed that her art had improved.

In the past, she had disguised herself as "Robin Rap," putting on a mask, fake wig and beard, and a robe with a hood. She secretly set out art displays in the street during the night. This led to curiosity and excitement from those across Corona and the nearby lands. However, since ca had begun spreading, she hadn't taken on the persona, perhaps contributing to lower spirits among the populace. It made them more prone to feelings of utter despair, hopelessness, and anger toward her. Not everyone in Corona liked her as the monarch, in part due to her gender. Others saw it as a step forward to have a break from a line of male rulers which went back eons.

She yawned and stretched, leaving the sketchbook out to dry. If she put it away now, it would ruin not only the page she had sketched but also others inside the book as well. She walked into the stream bed and sensed the cold-water coursing through her toes. She wished she could stay here all day. This place of bliss would not last forever. Out of nowhere, tremors from something far away, shook the ground. It caused her to shake. The reverberations came ever closer, becoming so strong that she lost her balance and fell into the streambed.

She complained. "Fuck! My dress is all wet now…UGH!" she yelled. Trying to regain her balance, she slipped on a rock, and hit the stream with a thud. She began to cry. Even a queen could be taken down by something as small as a rock with moss on it. "Help! Won't someone please help me!" she shouted into the distance. She half-believed that no one would lift a finger for her. She resolved to give it five minutes, then she'd crawl out of the stream on her own. It was a time like this that she wished Eugene had been there, or anyone else who could be just as loving. The latter seemed very unlikely.

She sat as the water passed around her, through her soaked clothes. She grumbled and had given up. Suddenly, a woman dressed, in a what looked to be a fancy lieutenant's uniform, with epaulets on the shoulders, and a sword on the belt, approached her. She outstretched her hand, its mahogany pigment shining in the light. "Let me help you, Ma'am," the voice bellowed. Raps looked up. It was none other than Cass, whose mahogany skin almost sparkled. She blushed. She was surprised that Cass was there and even more embarrassed that she had to be helped out of this... unfortunate situation. Perhaps they could start again, with a healthier relationship. After all, Cass was an independent woman now. Raps had no power over her, unlike in the past, when she has been employed as a lady-in-waiting, a servant, and handmaiden all-in-one. It was a master-servant relationship. Cass had obliterated that when she subsumed the Moonstone's power into her own body, wanting to determine her own destiny. Although her motives were justified, her actions could be extreme and destructive, thanks to Zhan Tiri's mental manipulation.

"Cass…is that you?," Raps asked inquisitively. She nodded. "Yes, and I'm here to save you…princess, I mean...queen." She pulled her out of the riverbed and onto the dry land. Cass chuckled. "I didn't know you’d get so wet before you saw me…that must have been quite an experience." Shamefaced, Raps pounded against Cass, clearly annoyed. Her face was the color of a ripe tomato. "Come on, that’s not fair…," she said. They had a good laugh together and Cass helped Raps get up. Looking at her clothes, she remarked, "That's quite a look for a member of the royalty…what would the people of Corona think if they saw their queen drenched to the bone?" This comment got to Raps too, who pouted in response.

She quickly regained her composure. She grabbed her now-dried sketchbook and smiled. Before she could say anything, Cass interjected. "I'll bring you to my ship…there's some dry clothes there." She nodded curiously. Her...friend now had…a vessel…under her command? She thought that Cass would be some lone wanderer, or something. At least that's what she expected. Even so, she did not know what was in store for her. Originally the plan had been to bring a fleet of medical ships to the surface. Marika had called them back to the starship, saying that she and Cass would survey the situation first, then report back.

They reached the dinghy, sitting in a nearby field, with the cockpit closed, so no miscreants got inside. She saw a pinkish orange-haired woman dressed in space pirate regalia leaning against the ship. "Hey, Cassie," she began. Pointing at Raps, she asked, "who's that you have there?" Raps started to say something. Cass spoke first. "This is my friend…Rapunzel Fitzherbert, you know, from Corona, whose distress call we got on the Bentenmaru." Marika understood but was confused. Was this woman really a queen? She didn’t get the vibe from her at all. Perhaps it was the wet clothes. "Nice to meet you, Ms. Fitzherbert. I'm Marika Kato, the captain of the Bentenmaru…and I’m Cass’s friend." Cass rolled her eyes. "Girlfriend. She's MY girlfriend." Raps was surprised. In a year's time she had gotten a girlfriend and...her own ship to command! Cass had been busy... in her estimation.

"Nice to meet you, Ms. Kato. You can call me…Rapunzel or Raps. I'm not really about all these formal titles." Marika chuckled. She shook Raps' hand. "Nice to make your acquaintance too. Cassie told me about you…in fact, she's the one who pushed us to come here." That was only half-true. Cass and Marika had jointly agreed to come there, not one of them deciding it on their own. Knowing that Raps probably had feelings for Cass, she thought it would be better this way, since it could allow them to reconnect better. Although Cass knew that Marika wasn't being entirely truthful, she let it slide, this time. "Yeah, that’s what happened," she said sheepishly. After that, Cass opened up the cockpit of the dinghy, and showed her where the spare (and clean) clothes were. She even got her a bag for her wet clothes, which she'd dry later. Since Cass had left, Raps had started doing more tasks by herself, without servants.

It's awkward to be with a girl you once loved and... their new girlfriend. So, she tread very carefully. She didn't want to cause any problems for Cass or for herself, for that matter. Even so, she couldn’t stop herself from blushing. And Marika noticed. She watched Raps like a hawk. Although she had only been with Cass for about a year, she could be somewhat jealous, especially since Cass was her first girlfriend. Surely, at the academy, girls had fawned over her, like no one's business. Once she helped her friend get together with her lover, also a girl, on a mission that involved the entire Bentenmaru crew. It was a huge endeavor, to say the least. All of this colored what was happening at the present.

Raps eased the tension pretty quickly. She decided to confide in them about what was going on. "I'd like to get away from here, away from it all...things are not going well in Corona." Cass was surprised. What could have gone wrong? She was unsure. "There's this contagious virus that’s spreading...and people are getting restless. No one is helping me combat it...at all." Her latter statement was somewhat untrue, as Varian had done his part to help her. This made Cass and Marika even more curious. Rather than Cass getting in a word, Marika asked a question. "So…can we catch this virus?...I don't wanna make my crew sick." Raps moved her head from side-to-side. She had to tell the truth. "I guess so. The number of cases have been rising...it's not that many yet. I mandated a lockdown and that everyone wear cloth masks to protect themselves. It has made people very angry at me. Even Varian refused to leave."

She stamped her foot on the ground and gritted her teeth. This situation had brought back her fears about being a ruler. She didn't think there was anything else she could do. Perhaps it would be better if she wasn't there at all. She grabbed Marika's hand. "Can you please take me with you into space?" she pleaded. "I really don't want to be on this planet anymore. I have to get away." Marika wasn't sure this was a good idea. She looked toward Cass. She needed her approval before agreeing to Raps' request. Cass asked Raps directly, "Are you sure you want to do this? If we take you with us, we might not be back for a while." She nodded.

They all packed themselves into the dinghy's cockpit. Although most dinghies were single-person, this one had seats for up to three people. Marika closed the visor and told everyone to strap themselves in. Raps and Cass easily followed her instructions. Pressing some buttons, the engine began to roar, and the ship quickly took off. The landing wheels retracted and they went soaring through the sky. Raps was amazed. As they flew up through the air and above the trees, their ship passed by the island kingdom of Corona and over the Bay of Corona. A small schooner arrived in the island’s port. A young twenty-six year-old man, with light skin and short brown hair, was aboard.

Cass turned to Marika. She asked, "you wanna play THAT song?" She smiled. That was fine with her. Pressing a button, a tray came out of the console. She pulled out a transparent plastic case, adorned with a paper cover of a black-haired and pink-skinned woman wearing a black t-shirt, black-pants, and holding a guitar with a black strap around her body. A black heart was behind the woman and two words stood out on the cover: "Bad Reputation." This three-part case, made from a synthetic polymer, had liner-notes, and a back card. The two sides were hinged together. She carefully pulled out a reflective thick thermoplastic disk. It was adorned with images of the same woman, but in a circular fashion. The disc itself the following words: "Bad Reputation – Joan Jett – 2012 Re-Issue." Cass had picked it up when she and Marika went to a flea market, as some called it, during their travels.

Putting the disc in, she pressed another button. The tray retracted. She pressed a third button, looking like a small rightward facing arrow. It had one small word: "Play." Like magic, the music began playing out of speakers, although Raps wasn't sure from where, as any speakers seemed invisible. Cass and Marika began singing along. Raps started to get in the mood of it too.

"I don't give a damn 'bout my reputation / You're living in the past, it's a new generation / A girl can do what she wants to do / And that's what I’m gonna do!"

As the song began playing, they all sang along. Their voices were so loud that people could hear them on the island below. One of those people was the brown-haired man whose boat had arrived on the island's docks: Eugene Fitzherbert. His light brown eyes spotted the dinghy flying through the sky. He saw a woman with blonde hair inside. He was taken aback. "Blondie?" he asked confusedly. He wondered why the woman he loved was speeding away from the planet at a high rate of speed. He didn't even recognize Cass, nor he did know who the other woman inside the ship (Marika) was. People across Corona, including Varian, looked up at the sky in amazement.

In no time at all, the dinghy made its way through the atmosphere and into outer space. It came close to a massive starship, which was painted in a mix of black and magenta colors. The vessel had a cylinder-shaped main body and a coned bow, a design often used with rockets. The ship's emblem and name were on the side: Bentenmaru. There were four fins on the rear. As they came closer, Marika spoke into a receiver. "We’re coming back. Our mission has concluded. No need to bring any additional ships at this time. And we have one new passenger." A woman with little tone in her voice answered: "Affirmative."

This was Luca. She often did not interact with her fellow crewmates and only commented on her work. Her voice's tone usually remained the same unless when she was really stressed out. At times, she could irritate crewmates by saying she saw something but when she was asked about it, she wouldn't reveal it. Other times, she claimed she saw something but when asked, she said she told them nothing. Her attitude differed from the friendly and supportive medic (Misa), the laid-back and friendly helmsman (Kane), the fairly friendly and often amused radar/sensor specialist (Hyakume), and the fairly relaxed electronic warfare specialist (Coorie).

Soon after docking, Marika jumped out of the ship, followed soon by Cass and Raps. She brought them to the vessel's bridge, which had two levels. They entered through the upper level. The lower level had the steering wheel and consoles where crew members could steer the ship; examine radar, sensors, and engines, or conduct so-called "electronic warfare." During battles, the upper level lowered, and shutters blocked out the windows, with the view outside the ship shown on a visual display on the ceiling. That wouldn't be happening... this time. Marika spoke first. "I'd like to introduce our honored guest, Queen Rapunzel of Corona." Misa smiled. Kane remarked, "this might be nothing like your home, Miss...however, we'll treat you well, don't you worry." Hyakume laughed. He was just as friendly toward her as Misa and Kane. "This isn't the first time we’ve transported royalty, but hey, why not another royal?"

Coorie looked up from her screen. She turned toward Raps in a friendly manner. The other crew members were unsure about their new guest. Schnitzer remained stern and serious as always. San-Daime, often worrisome and pessimistic, was anxious. "Are you sure this is a good idea? Won't someone come to get her...and we'll be in trouble?" Cass put them at ease. They listened to her. After all, she was the lieutenant and she was close to Marika, who they deeply respected. "It's fine. Don't worry about it. This was her choice to come here and we should honor that." Everyone seemed to accept that reasoning. Raps interjected jubilantly. "Thanks everyone. I'm glad to be here." She had one more thing to say, something which would surprise them all.

"I have two more requests, if you'll indulge me." They were listening intently. This would be hard to explain. "I assume you have weapons on this vessel, right?" They nodded in agreement. "Well, I'd like you to destroy a stone bridge for me. It''s the last thing I'll do for Corona. Then, I'd like to send a message to Corona...through that radio thing." They agreed to both requests. They seemed easy enough to execute her requests. Walking down the stairs, she came close to Hyakume, skilled at radar and sensors. After guiding him to exact location of the target, he sent her over to Schnitzer, the ship's tactical officer. He was standing-in as the gunner. Usually they had other gunners, but not on this mission. He maneuvered the front-pulse weapon into position. He pressed a button and a powerful blue laser beam fired from the ship’s nose. It traveled at supersonic speed. It hit the bridge's middle with almost exact precision.

The weapon unintentionally ignited dynamite which some angry citizens had set as part of their plan to overthrow the government. The bridge exploded into a million pieces, with stone flying every which way, including into the island kingdom. Some people could barely escape the falling stone. Even the ARA, undoubtedly seen as the culprits whether they were involved or not, was worried about the results of this explosion.

A static crackle filled the air. A voice began speaking to the surprise of the citizens:

"Hello, this Queen Rapunzel. As you can see from the recent explosion, I am cutting off the kingdom of Corona from the mainland. I cannot let this virus spread any further. This is for your own good. As my last act as sovereign, I am appointing Varian as my successor. I believe in him and hope that you all put your trust in him. Thank you."

Everyone in Corona was surprised. Wasn't Eugene next in line? Has she abandoned them? Did she have any loyalty to her subjects? All these questions, and others, rattled in the minds of the citizens as a riot began to break out. People grabbed torches, pitchforks, and any weapon they could find, throwing them in royal buildings. They approached the castle in huge numbers. This unorganized demonstration was not the work of the ARA. It stemmed from the fury of the citizens. The royal guards tried to hold people back. They could barely hold the line. Varian came out of the front doors. Although he knew the citizens were angry, he remained dumbstruck in this situation. He didn't know what to do.

Suddenly, Eugene stepped forward. He believed this was the time for a strong-hand, decisive leadership. He wasn't sure Varian could do this. Coming close, he whispered into Varian's ear, "kid, let me take this." He responded in a low-pitch that only Eugene could hear. "I didn’t want this responsibility anyway, so take it." He closed the door and walked back inside. Eugene addressed the hastily assembled crowd. "I talked with Varian. I'm the one in charge now. I’m sorry that Rapunzel left us behind. I will lead us back to glory." What he said next he came up with on the spot. It was totally spontaneous, at least it appeared. "As my first act, the mask mandate and lockdown are hereby ended. Let us make Corona great again!" The crowd cheered wildly. Masks were pulled off and burned by their torches. People began chanting "Eugene! Eugene! Eugene!" He did not know what he was getting himself into.

Back on the Bentenmaru, Cass led Raps to a spare cabin. "You can sleep here, Raps. See you tomorrow morning." She smiled. Everything was going as she had hoped. While she would have liked Pascal there with her, she wanted to start fresh, at least this time. He would be better without her. In fact, he would have questioned her rash decision. Perhaps her view would change in the future. For now, she needed to get away from it all, and that included Pascal. She was ready and willing to become a space pirate, just like Cass had done years ago. However, there would be some awkwardness since it had been so long since she and Cass had been together.

It was hard to say what remained next for Corona or for Cass, Raps, Marika, and other crew members on the Bentenmaru. But it would surely be written in the stars.