#how to become a little piece of confetti

[horrorhot-line]

metanoia

(n.) the journey of changing one’s mind, heart, self or way of life. 

➵ pairing: saiki kusuo/reader

➵ word count: 13.9k

➵ genre: fluff with humour here and there

➵ warnings: none

➵ summary: for the life of you, you couldn’t understand why your peaceful life had been turned upside down. no matter what you did, you always found yourself dragged into saiki’s problems. worst of all? at first you wanted nothing to do with him, and slowly, without even realising it, you didn’t mind being around him as much. 

➵ masterlist  (requests are open)

➵ previous part - serendipity

horrorhot-line © 2024. all rights reserved.

before you read:

‘saiki telepathically communicating with reader.’

‘reader thinking or interacting with saiki through thoughts.’

“saiki talking without moving his mouth.”

“saiki talking using his mouth.”

notes: i know you guys were looking forward to him but i kid you not i can’t seem to get it right. ever heard of writers block? think writer’s boulder. anywho, it was either i worked on other pieces on the side like this on or stop updating for a year like i did last time. so enjoy this, and i promise i’ll get ‘for him’ out as soon as possible. this oneshot is based on s1 ep3. thank you for waitingggg!

rewritten: 02.08.2024

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It all started when you ran into Saiki at the park.

He just happened to be there because your paths intertwined on the way home from school. You had taken a different route on purpose to avoid getting involved with the man, only to find yourself in the same crowd as him, watching a magic show.

You had decided from your first encounter with Saiki that you would do everything in your power to keep your distance, especially after you found out he was the most powerful psychic in the world. You had promised not to tell anyone his secret and made sure not to be caught near him, yet it happened anyway.

Truth be told, you were terrified of him. You didn't have enough fingers to count the times you noticed him in your peripherals, following you to make sure you held up your end of the bargain and didn't tell anyone of his powers. Which? Rude, first of all, bold of him to assume you were a snitch.

"Who's ready for another très bien trick by me? Master illusionist Uryoko Chono!" The magician performing the show asked as he pulled out a cone you recognised all too well from birthday parties, and you moved swiftly to the side so confetti wouldn't land in your hair. You didn't have the time to stand idly by and watch- you needed to be home for the new soap opera that would launch that day!

That, and you didn't want to get caught in any situation that involved a particular psychic. You decided to do a U-turn when you saw Saiki's pink hair in the crowd until the magician addressed you.

"Hey, student! Why don't you stay and join the fun? You too, pink hair! I'll do a trick to put a smile on those faces!" Chono exclaimed, leaning on the table before him and putting a hand out to stop the two of you. There was little chance of that happening; you were sure Saiki didn't even know how to stretch the corners of his mouth.

You sighed, turning on your heel only to be greeted by the crowd of people staring at you expectantly. Great! Now you had to stay. It seemed like Saiki felt the same, shooting a side glance your way before staring at the green-haired magician as the both of you decided in silence that the attention of leaving wasn't worth it— being a sheep was always the better option.

You deadpanned at the magician. "Oh! I see you're a sceptic." No, that wasn't it. It was more the fact that you could think of a million other things that called your attention, and this magic show wasn't one of them. "Well, once you see my show, you will become a believer in my powers to amaze." You could only purse your lips at the statement; you weren't buying it.

All magicians were hacks and used the ability of misdirection to achieve their illusions. That, and after finding out about Saiki and how vast his powers were, nothing this man had to offer would phase you. Yet, you watched anyway because walking away would be way too awkward now.

Saiki walked towards the crowd, joining it at your side. How had this caught his attention, you wondered. Did the magician really have supernatural powers? 'No— I'm watching, so he leaves me alone.' Saiki had yet to think something at you in weeks, and when he did, you nearly jumped out of your skin.

You were sure you'd never get used to his voice echoing inside your brain. At least he had cleared up your misunderstanding, you thought to yourself before moving away slightly, so the man in question wasn't too close to you. From where you stood before, you could practically feel his body heat and your touch-starved brai— Stop! Don't think anymore and just focus on the show.

The magician pulled out a box with a cartoon-like shooting star on it. "Right. I hold here an ordinary cardboard box." Chono stated, holding it up for the crowd to see. 'Nope, there's nothing ordinary about it.' Saiki thought at you, his expression dead, as always. You still couldn't understand why Saiki was talking to you. Curiosity peaked, you replied anyway, 'What do you mean by that?'

"As you can see, it's empty inside." The magician tilted the box, opening it so all could see, and he was right. 'At that angle, you can't tell there's a partition.' So that's how performers did it; you always wondered how they accomplished tricks like that. You were right— this guy was a hack! At least his showmanship was on point.

"But, watch! Just a couple taps and it's party time." Chono said as he tapped his cane on the box before opening it, only for birds to shoot out and fly away into the distance. "Aren't they amazing, folks?"

The crowd cheered and clapped for the magician, not knowing what you and Saiki did. "Hey there kids! Très bien, am I right?" The magician asked as he pointed a finger at the both of you. Not to you, they weren't, but the trick probably would have garnered your praise if it wasn't for Saiki telling you how the box worked.

'It's not très bien. If anything, I'm worried about that dove.' Saiki remarked, and you turned to look at him questioningly, his gaze fixed on the magician. 'What dove?' You inquired, confused as to what he meant. 'He has a dove under that hat, but I think he forgot about it.' You examined the magician's maroon hat, guessing Saiki could see through it with his X-ray vision. 'Shouldn't we tell him?' You looked from Saiki to the hat and back, your concern growing. 'After. I'll tell him once he's done here.' So the man did have a heart.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, please turn your attention here for the main event of our show, my super illusion!" Where had Chono pulled out those massive boxes from? His hat, you mused, chuckling quietly to yourself, stopping only when you noticed Saiki shoot a look of dismay your way. "Magically teleporting from one box to another will be my lovely assistant, Michael!"

Chono snapped his fingers before looking to his right, and you followed his line of sight only to see an old man with a straw hat on his unruly grey hair. 'Lovely is a stretch.' You grimaced, were those flies buzzing around hi— and what was that foul odour he was emanating? You had to agree with Saiki on that one, you could think of a lot of ways to describe him off the top of your head and lovely definitely wasn't one of them.

"The beautiful Michael is entering the box." The assistant was definitely not beautiful, either. Maybe Chono was blind? Now if that were true— it might’ve gotten a clap out of you. The magician narrated as you watched the old man get in before he shut the lid behind him. Chono snapped his fingers again, "And, drum roll." He said before doing some weird dance and making sound effects with his mouth to raise the level of excitement. You were expecting to be amazed. 'This is so sad.'

You nodded at Saiki's thought, 'It's almost painful to watch.' The second-hand embarrassment you were getting was through the roof, 5 more minutes of this and you were sure you'd be a victim of spontaneous human combustion. This had better be worth it; you did not waste 20 minutes of the airing of the new soap just to be disappointed. The crowd murmured in anticipation. 'What expression am I supposed to be making right now?'

Even you couldn't tell Saiki the answer to that, 'A smile maybe?' You mused, only for him to shoot a glare at you, causing you to put your hands up in surrender. Chono released the ball of confetti in his hand, and you watched as it fell to the ground. 'His overconfidence makes me cringe.' Your face scrunched at the scene— you weren't sure how much more you could take. 'You and me both.'

'And I'm still worried about that dove. Does that hat have air holes?' From what you could tell, no, it didn't. At least Saiki cared about the well-being of animals. 'I'm not worried, I just don't wanna be around to see a bird die.' You rolled your eyes as you folded your arms over your chest. Of course, he was the type to deny it. God forbid he actually had the ability to express concern for something.

"Alright, let's open the box!" Chono said as he walked over to the other box, putting his hand on top. 'Uh oh, lovely Mike isn't done teleporting yet.' You were beyond confused, turning to Saiki, who was still facing the stage. 'He's under the table.' Your eyebrows unfurrowed as realisation washed over you. That made sense, so the trick was to use the table to go to and from the box.

You shifted your weight from one foot to the other, dreading what was to come. "3, 2, 1... It's party time!" Chono exclaimed, a huge grin on his face. Michael came out, alright— just not from the box. He emerged from underneath the table and raised his arms as if he had completed a feat. Chono stood with his back to Michael, his hand gesturing to the empty box.

A comical sweat bead formed on your forehead, and you cringed internally. You bit your fist as if that would help ease how uncomfortable you felt. Was it too late to make a run for it?

The crowd was deathly silent, and it was no wonder why. 'Now I really don't know what expression to make, maybe this one?' Saiki remarked as he observed the magician. You watched as Chono's expression fell, a hideous grimace taking its place as if he'd just witnessed a massacre of baby ducks. 'Yeah, that seems appropriate', Saiki confirmed, and you were glad his unintentional comedy saved you from the awkwardness.

The crowd dispersed shortly after that, and you stayed behind with Saiki to witness the aftermath.

"Why should I pay you for ruining the illusion?!" Chono exclaimed at Michael, who only retorted. "I moved at the normal speed— it was your darn pattern that got too fast. Now, you hand over that 500 yen." The assistant put his hand out, expecting his payment.

"No one tipped me for this performance, so I couldn't pay you even if I wanted to," Chono stated before he noticed your and Saiki's presence. "Hey, why are you two hanging around?" The magician said as he turned his back to Michael. Saiki wordlessly raised his finger to his head and bent it repeatedly.

"What, oh, you wanna give me a tip? Haha, I could never take money from a kid. The look of joy on your face-" Chono cut himself off when he looked down at the hat he took off his head. "-PICO!" That poor bird, you couldn't help but think.

"I completely forgot she was up there," Chono said, now sitting down as he stroked the dove. So that's why Saiki chose to linger even after the show had ended- he was still worried about the bird. Truth be told, you'd nearly forgotten after you saw the last trick. 'How can you forget there's a dove on your head?' Saiki stood at Chono's side as he looked down at the white creature.

You questioned the same thing- surely the animal had rustled and moved around up there. "So, you weren't trying to tip me; you were trying to remind me. Wait— does that mean... That you're a magician? That's how you knew she was up there." Saiki clenched his fist, a frown forming on his face. No, he was an esper. 'I should've kept walking.' Saiki lamented.

"With instincts that good, you must have hated my show." At least the green-haired man was right about one thing, Saiki had, in fact, hated his show, but he only had his powers to blame for that. "Maybe, I'm not cut out for the magician game after all." Cue the sad music in the background— where did the sound even come from? Was there a hidden speaker somewhere in the park?

You were sure the universe had some sort of playlist like a version of a 90s TV show's laughing track, the one that went off at the right moments. "Until a few months ago, I was your average office drone," Chono told the two of you, bowing his head as he sat on the park bench.

Hold it. You did not agree to listen to whatever existential crisis he had going on. "Then, I made a small mistake." Of course, you'd have to hear his sob story anyway. 'Oh, boy.' You sighed, waiting for the magician to get it all off his chest. "Corporate fat cats laid me off. Then, my wife skipped town." Damn, homeboy was really going through it, alright. 'Is it too late to walk away?' Saiki questioned no one in particular, but you answered anyway. 'It is.'

"With no job, I couldn't pay the mortgage anymore. One little mistake and my career, wife and home had all disappeared... and then it dawned on me, I should become an illusionist." This was heartbreaking and all, but you had to wonder where he was going with this story. “Wait- what?” Was it you, or was Saiki's voice hot as fu— No! Now was not the time!

"Because so many things had vanished from my life, I thought it must mean that disappearing them was my talent!" You nearly choked on your spit. Well, that took a turn. The plot twist gave you whiplash. Oh, dear. This poor man... somebody help slap some sense into him. “Your only talent is self-delusion,” Saiki was right- the man needed a reality check.

"So, even though I had been offered another office job, I turned it down to start my new life doing street magic." At least Chono looked pumped about it all. “Again, what?” You were just as bewildered as Saiki was, questioning the green-haired man's logic. "If I can save up 1 million yen, I can buy the 'sawing a body' in half trick— then, my wife is sure to come back!"

You shook your head in disappointment; the man had clearly lost his mind, another reason to add to the list of why not everyone should be allowed to procreate. If left like this, he'd end up a victim of loan sharks or worse. “Don't be so sure,” Saiki commented and you almost thought he was talking to you. He was addressing both. Why would his wife come back if he did that? And how did Chono plan on raising that kind of cash when he had just lost his lovely assistant? "But then I wonder if I chose the wrong path."

'Yes, yes you did.' Saiki thought bluntly, and you agreed mentally. At least the magician was finally seeing clarity and the error in his ways. He needs to quit street magic and get a real job.' You thought back. "Sorry, didn't mean to get so gloomy." Chono apologised, looking up at the two of you.

'What'll it take for him to give up?' You pondered at Saiki's question, bringing your hand up to your chin to think. Maybe showing him an impossible illusion? If it was something he'd never be able to do, he'd quit. "Let's get back to your background as an illusionist and how you knew I had a dove up there." Chono gestured at his hat and you watched realisation dawn on Saiki. Over what, you had no idea. 'That's it.'

You observed as Saiki wordlessly walked to stand directly parallel to Chono and you, pulling his school bag off his shoulders to hold it in front of him. "Whoa! Gonna pull something out of your bag?" Chono commented as you watched on. Saiki held up his other hand as his eyes widened. You raised an eyebrow; this was the most expressive you'd seen him since he found out about your immunity. 'I'll do a trick that's so beyond his ability, he'll realise how far gone he is and give up.' Was that why— Did Saiki take inspiration from your thoughts? He did.

"You're gonna pull out... a dove!" Chono guessed before stating he could pull out a bowling ball himself. 'Hmph.' Saiki's stoic expression remained, and your eyes widened when he pulled out the hand that was rummaging inside his bag. Nothing could have prepared you for what the psychic did.

He pulled out Michael by the hat on his head, though the man looked like a scrunched-up piece of paper. Saiki placed the old man on the floor, and you watched Chono's eyes bulge from his socket as he gasped. Surely, that would be enough to get the aspiring magician to stop his foolish ways. If you didn't know of Saikis's abilities, you would have become a believer.

"That's impossible!" Chono exclaimed as he fell to his knees, his jaw still slacking. 'Aren't you supposed to say très bien? At least this will make him give up.' Saiki stated as he moved to walk away and turned his back to Chono. You tried not to stare at Saiki's ass— and failed.

"Thank you. Now I can see. If your talent was hair, it'd be a flowing mane, while mine is just an eyelash." You stifled a laugh at the example Chono used and who could blame you? 'I don't quite understand using hair for that metaphor, but at least he's finally—' Saiki didn't get to finish that thought when he turned his head; Chono had already left your side to kneel behind the psychic.

"Make me your apprentice." The scene reminded you of One Punch Man, where Genos asked Saitama to make him a disciple. 'Should've seen it coming.' You only gazed over Saiki's shoulder to watch Michael hold up a 500 yen coin, talking about how he was going to eat a hot cup of soup.

Maybe sticking around and missing the airing of that soap opera was worth it— you had to admit, this was far more entertaining.

➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵  

Saiki may have walked the same way home as you, but his house came before yours. After the whole fiasco with the magician happened, and you realised your goal of not bumping into said psychic had failed, you chose not to take a detour, but walk with the pink-haired man instead.

No point wasting more time, you had reasoned. Your original plan to go home in hopes of catching the last few minutes of the TV show you wanted to watch was a bust because when you neared the Saiki household, you noticed Mrs Saiki standing outside the house in the front yard trimming bushes with gardening scissors.

Before you had a chance to make your getaway after greeting her, she exclaimed that it was far too late in the afternoon to walk home without eating, and even though you found her caring demeanour sweet, you weren't grateful for the sentiment when it meant spending more time with Saiki, he could still kill you after all. He would never, not when you gave him coffee jelly.

Sure he hadn't done anything yet, but the man did threaten to smite you off this earth the last time you were in his house. Could anyone really blame you for wanting to keep your distance? Try as you might though— you couldn't say no to the lovely woman who was Saiki's mother. Her smile threatened to blind you, and you didn't want to upset her by refusing.

Dinner with the Saikis was eventful, to say the least.

Mrs Saiki had ushered you inside quickly, but her son hadn't followed the two of you in. You didn't question it when she locked the front door. When he did step into the kitchen minutes later, he was followed by his dad. Mr Saiki didn't say anything to you— instead, he rushed over to his wife. "I can't believe you changed the locks on me again!" He complained, and you felt in that moment that you chose the wrong day to come over.

Were they having marital issues? You swore that the last time you were here they were getting along just fine. What had happened? "I hope you're hungry Ku-Ku. I'm making you breaded pork chops for dinner!" Mrs Saiki chose to ignore her husband, talking to her son instead as if the angry man behind her didn't exist.

"Hang on— now you're choosing to ignore me? Besides, I told you I wanted to have steak tonight!" Mr Saiki pointed his finger at his wife before raising his arm up and down as if he was throwing a tantrum - which he was. "Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot— but I can boil you a leather shoe." Mrs Saiki replied in a sickly sweet tone, turning back to her cooking. "I don't want a shoe, leather or not!"

You wanted to laugh but thought it wasn't the right time; you chose to snicker to yourself quietly from your seat on the sofa. 'I wonder when it went wrong for them. they used to be so passionate.' You watched on as Mr Saiki claimed his hate for his wife was as wide and deep as the Pacific Ocean, and she retorted by saying she hated him like a fish hated air. Why did you have to be caught in the middle of this?

'Well, they're still passionate now, but it's a little different.'

When the food was ready, you took up the seat next to Saiki, staying silent as you dug into the rice with your chopsticks. "Gorge yourself,  guys— I made a ton!" Mrs Saiki said with a smile on her face. "Hey, hey, hey! Hey!" Mr Saiki stood up from his seat at the dining table, slapping his hand on the surface like an angry restaurant customer.

You couldn't blame the guy, you and Saiki had gotten pork chops for dinner, but Mr Saiki had received a leather shoe garnished with gravy on top, filled with rice and had chopsticks placed inside it. "Is it good, Ku? Y/n— Oh, honey, would you like something else?" Mrs Saiki gave a closed-eyed grin to her husband, who stood in front of her. "No, because I bet it's just the other shoe."

"Bon Appetit!" Saiki's dad had guessed right, it was another shoe, but it was a blue sneaker. "That's not even from the same pair!" You watched steam flow out of the shoe, wondering how this situation was real. You felt like you had been sucked into some comedy show. 'They've been going at each other for a year.' Your eyebrows shot up at Saiki's revelation, watching on as the couple argued.

Mr Saiki gave up on trying to get his partner to be civil, turning to his son with the cooked leather shoe in his hand. "Hey, Kusuo— use your powers to turn this old shoe into a steak for Daddy." Saiki's thoughts flooded into your brain, stopping you from hearing his dad's rambling.

'So, in case you forgot, this pathetic dude's my dad, Kuniharu Saiki. He's lazy and irresponsible- and asks for help with everything in his life. But surprise, surprise, the more I help, the more useless he gets. So, lately, I've stopped doing him any favours.' Wow, Saiki sure was cold, dissing his father like it was nothing.

'I guessed all that already— Who are you talking to?'

'The audience.'

'...Stop breaking the fourth wall, please.'

You observed as Mr Saiki stopped rambling as he realised his son wasn't going to listen to him. "What?! How dare you take your mother's side in this?! Do you have any idea how many shoes I have to lick each day to buy that food you're eating now?!!" Mr Saiki shouted, and you watched as Saiki continued to eat his food quietly with no change in his expression.

"So, you do like to eat shoes?"

You guessed that much was enough for his father to realise his son wasn't going to lift a finger to help. Mr Saiki gave in, "Alright, I'll eat it—" He shovelled the rice into his mouth when he picked up the plate only to shoot up out of his seat seconds later, "It stinks! What did you do to this shoe?! Are you trying to poison your father?!" Mr Saiki exclaimed at his son.

"I'm pretty sure that's how they always smell, dummy," Saiki commented, still eating his rice. You watched as Mrs Saiki addressed her son when he put his bowl down, a shining bright aura around her. Where did that bright light come from? "Hey, Ku? Now, just remember what I've always said. Please don't use your powers for evil."

'This is my mom, Kurumi Saiki.' Mrs Saiki clasped her hand around her son's, "You must only use your powers to help those in need. Or those people who you're certain are genuinely nice—"

'She's a big reason why I haven't let my gifts turn me to the dark side.'

'Is that a Star Wars reference?'

Saiki ignored your question— continuing his not-so-inner monologue, 'She's a caring soul— well, to me.' You were taken aback when the sweet air around Mrs Saiki changed to something sinister. "—But, feel free to use your powers to hurt Daddy." This whole situation was getting more and more preposterous. 'She kinda has a dark side herself.' You could see that.

Mrs Saiki seemed to notice her husband scoffing down Saiki's food when she was distracted around the same time you did, and you watched as she slowly turned and her expression shifted from a smile to a cold glare. "Stop eating Kusuo's dinner, you thieving son of bitch!" Mrs Saiki looked extremely pissed off, a tick mark appearing on her face. Hang on— she knew how to swear?!

You felt sorry for Mr Saiki, but there was no way you'd get involved, you didn't want his wife to aim her anger at you instead. "That's it! We're taking this outside!" She shouted, and you had to admit the situation was getting interesting. Who would win? Your bets were on Saiki's mom. 'In truth, I could break up this fight whenever I feel like it, but this is something they're going to have to work out themselves.'

Did he think things at you on purpose even though he could just not talk to you? You didn't want to admit it, but the idea made something inside you churn. Were the two of you closer than you realised?

You watched Saiki's attention shift from the brawl to the dessert that was placed near him on the dining table when the food was laid out. 'Hm? Coffee-flavoured jelly? ...Hmm, doesn't taste bad— earthy with a slightly citrus finish. Don't let the name fool you— this jelly is a mature dignified treat.'

You couldn't pay attention to Saiki fangirling over the dessert, too busy watching Mrs Saiki handle her husband like she was some WWE fighter and he was her opponent. She put him in all types of chokeholds before raising him over her head, preparing to throw him. Was now a good time to take your chance and sneak away?

'Better still, when you add just a splash of whole milk, it becomes an entirely new flavoured sensation,' Saiki continued to eat the coffee jelly, turning away from his parents to take another bite, '—and that hint of decadence is everything I ask for in my dessert.' When you looked back at Saiki, you froze. The fight was long forgotten as you watched the corners of his mouth lift. You realised then, that was the first time you had seen Saiki smile. You didn't want to admit it, but he suited him. Really well, too well actually.

Saiki didn't get to eat any more of his treat, because when he raised his hand to his mouth to consume another spoonful, Mrs Saiki launched her husband across the room and he crashed into his son, which forced the jelly-filled utensil out of the pink-haired boy's hand. You watched the jelly fall from the psychic's hand in slow motion until you saw a flash of pink.

Saiki had managed to catch the dessert in his mouth before it fell to the floor. He was now on the floor and you couldn't help but think about what you had done for the universe to force you to stay at the Saiki household during this whole fiasco.

"You wanted to eat jelly that bad?" Mr Saiki had gotten up, whereas Saiki was still on his stomach on the floor, chewing what was in his mouth. "Forget the jelly— We got bigger problems! Your mothers turned into a monster!" Your eyes travelled to where Mr Saiki was pointing, thinking he was exaggerating.

He wasn't, Mrs Saiki's face had transformed into what could only be described as a Japanese Onii mask from folklore. "Stop running from me, you coward." Even her voice had changed as if she had been possessed. Oh, dear. "You've got to stop her! You're my only hope to stop her reign of terror. Do it! Slay the demon!" You wanted to run your hands down your face in exasperation, but you couldn't bring yourself to look away.

Mrs Saiki let out a demonic laugh as she grabbed onto the dining table. "You're not leaving 'til I say so!" She exclaimed before she raised the furniture above her head to throw it at her husband— how had the food not slid off? You wanted to leave but didn't want to incur Mrs Saiki's wrath. Mr Saiki tried to shield himself by bringing his arms up to cover his face as he closed his eyes. "Ahhh! Oh god! Ah— Huh?"

When he opened his eyes, Mr Saiki realised the table was floating above his head, all thanks to Saiki using his psychokinesis. "Hey, Kusuo!" Saiki's father went from shocked to smug, smirking as he realised he'd been saved. 'I've got the weirdest parents, I don't really care about stopping another pointless fight, but I can't help myself.' At least Saiki had stepped in, lest the house gets trashed and you get dragged into the war.

"So now you're on your dad's side? But I even made you pork chops!" Mrs Saiki's face was finally back to normal, her voice too, and you let out a sigh of relief. You were still confused by Saiki's comment. 'Why do I say it's pointless? Just wait.'

"I want nothing to do with either of you again!" When Mrs Saiki's voice flooded into your brain, you nearly jumped. 'That's a lie. Truth is, I love them!' Your head whipped to look at Saiki's back, guessing he must have used his powers on you. At least he had helped clear your confusion.

You couldn't help but wonder why she was lying, why she wasn't honest about her true feelings. What was the point of this fight again? 'No matter how hard they try, the voices in their hearts always bubble up. In other words, all these fights they have— are a sham.'

Your brain hurt— because trying to wrap your head around why the couple was acting like they despised each other when they didn't was nothing short of difficult. You rubbed at your temples, Saiki using another power you weren't used to had gotten to you. When Mr Saiki claimed he hated his wife and son, his inner thoughts told you he just wanted to snuggle.

They fought on the surface, but the voices in your head told you that they were just complimenting each other internally. 'Like I said, another pointless fight. There is one person here who has real reason to be upset, me—'

'Don't forget me. I didn't ask to be dragged into this.'

'—Those weirdos interrupted my dessert. I guess only a psychic can fix this.'

Mr and Mrs Saiki stopped arguing when they started saying they loved each other telepathically. You watched in amusement as they started blushing, getting confused as to why they could hear each other. Realisation dawned on them as they turned to their son, "Kusuo!" They both exclaimed.

'Forced shared telepathy. I used my psychic powers to link their minds at the neural level. In other words, thanks to me, they can now hear each other's thoughts.' Even though it was late, you were somewhat grateful he explained to you how you could hear what his parents were thinking.

Mr and Mrs Saiki told their son to stop his powers because they didn't want the other to realise they were still in love. What a disaster. At least the fighting had stopped. You watched the psychic's parents go from being embarrassed to pronouncing their adoration for each other.

With a hand on his wife's waist, Mr Saiki declared that he loved her, and she did the same. Where had the flowers surrounding them come from? 'Cool. The end.' Saiki deadpanned. Finally, the fighting was over.

While his parents apologised to each other profusely, the pink-haired boy went back to his seat at the dining table to finish his dessert. You sat across from him, relieved that the war in his living room had passed. 'What a pain. Normal people are complicated. At least now I can finish my dessert in peace.' This time around, when Saiki smiled, you had the chance to properly observe it.

He looked handsome, you had to admit. You knew the man was attractive but he looked 100x better when he was showing normal emotions. It was over dessert, but still! Did Saiki have a sweet tooth? Would he smile again if you got him something from the bakery? You shook your head, choosing to find interest in the furniture around the psychic's house.

You didn't know how to feel when you found out that the fight started when Mrs Saiki ate her husband's coffee jelly, overhearing the conclusion of their arguement. All of that was because of some dessert? This was ridiculous. You gazed on as Saiki's expression fell when Saiki's mom twirled over to her son and snatched the coffee jelly the psychic was eating right out of his hand so she could present it to Mr Saiki.

Saiki's smile was replaced by a dark expression as he stared at his hand where his snack had just been. Oh, no... He was super angry. You ignored the man's father claiming the dessert was a mature dignified treat, rummaging through your school bag to find what you needed.

The rumbling of the windows in the Saiki household stopped when you placed the bag on the floor beside your seat and used your hand to slide the coffee jelly you fished out onto Saiki's side of the table. It only took the psychic a few seconds to realise what exactly it was in front of him, and you smiled.

What could you say? The guy looked cute when he was confused. Burdened with the knowledge of how powerful he was, you sometimes forgot that the man sat across from way like any other human.

After a beat, he made eye contact with you and you swore you saw his eyes sparkle. Your smile dropped in slight shock, your lips parting.

'Coffee jelly?'

You gulped, catching your bearings.

'Yeah, I forgot to eat it at lunch— you can have it, Kusuo.'

When you called him by his first name without thinking, having heard it so many times today from his parents— you thought he'd complain. Instead, Saiki grabbed the treat and gingerly peeled back the seal before digging in, a soft smile gracing his face again. You ignored the weird feeling that washed over your heart.

Maybe the psychic wasn't all that bad.

➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵

When night fell, you headed up to Saiki's room. The psychic knew of your inner turmoil of not being able to catch the show you wanted to watch and said his mom had most likely recorded the pilot episode before you two had reached his house. 'I'm only doing this because I don't want to owe you for that coffee jelly.' That was fair, you couldn't fault a man who kept up with his debts.

Grabbing the cassette from his living room, Saiki walked past you and up the stairs. When you stood there in confusion, expecting to watch it on the living room TV, he turned around to tilt his head in the direction of his bedroom as if telling you to follow him.

'Hurry up. Before I change my mind.'

That is how you found yourself seated on Saiki's bed, with him sitting in the chair he had pulled from his desk so it was right in front of the television.

He had left the room earlier to change into more suitable clothes, a white sweatshirt with blue sleeves and brown pants. This was the first time you had seen him in casual clothes— when he kidnapped you to interrogate you on your first real meeting, he hadn't bothered to change out of his school uniform. You had to admit even though he didn't have an eye for colour coordination, he still managed to pull it off.

Truth be told, you were disappointed. The show didn't live up to the promotions you had seen all over social media. You were expecting a love story starring Mikoto Teruhashi. Was it you or was that name familiar? What you got was some twisted joke of a romance.

The female lead's family died in a car crash, she got cheated on with her sister no less, and she got married to a stranger to save her family only to find out that her ex-boyfriend didn't sleep with another woman; she had walked in on his long-lost twin brother instead. All in one episode.

You felt like you had whiplash with all those plot twists, and honestly, what a letdown— you expected better writing. Sighing, you shifted yourself on Saiki's bed when you felt pins and needles assault your feet. You chose to cross your legs, yawning into your hand. Was now a good time to go home?

"Is binge-watching shows your favourite pastime?" You asked, trying to make conversation in between the infomercials, better than telling him straight off the bat that you wanted to leave after he went through the trouble of doing you a favour. "I like watching TV. It's one of the few things that can surprise me. Because I can't hear the actor's thoughts, I don't know what's coming next." The psychic replied.

"Makes sense." You nodded, not really knowing what to say next. "Speaking of next, that new mystery show's supposed to start soon." Saiki moved to sit with one leg on his chair, his arm resting on his knee for support. When he used his index finger to change the channel, you nearly lost your mind.

Oh, yeah— he's a psychic; of course, he could do that, you thought to yourself, ignoring the fact that your brain had decided to short-circuit on you. "Tonight, you will witness a miracle!" Sure, you heard the host of the TV show talk but his words didn't quite reach you, too busy looking at his fingers and wondering what else they co— Dear, lord you needed to go outside and touch grass, hug a tree, probably both.

Clearing your throat and catching your bearings, you turned to the TV screen, a mixture of green and maroon pixels coming together slowly as the cameraman zoomed in. No way... that man in the distance looked way too familiar for your liking. It couldn't be. "What." Saiki mirrored your shock, his eyes widening. The host on the TV continued. "A stupendous amazing illusion performed by the former homeless man turned master magician, Uryoko Chono!"

"Now that's Très Bien!" Chono said through the screen, and you watched Saiki's face deadpan. "What did I tell you about TV surprising me?" You didn't have a witty reply for him this time— far too stunned by the fact that the magician from that afternoon had managed to get his own segment on live TV, mere hours after you met him.

Was that even possible? Then again, after the month you'd had, was there any point in questioning what was and wasn't achievable? "After losing it all, he became a street magician and mastered tricks that others can only dream of!" The host came into view— a mic in his hand, as he praised the green-haired man beside him. You brought a hand up to hold your head, baffled into silence.

"But this isn't just a surprise; it's unbelievable. How is a man who almost killed his dove, good enough to be on TV?" Even you didn't know the answer to that. You would've broken the fourth wall and asked the writer in your desperation if Saiki hadn't done it one too many times during his parents' argument. You watched as the pink-haired psychic stared at the screen, gobsmacked. "You might wanna close your mouth, flies will get in. Never mind that— we just saw him before. How's he gotten on TV so soon?"

"Blame the author; it's for plot convenience." Finding out your guess was correct brought you anything but relief. You exhaled in exasperation, a new headache forming in your skull. "There you go, breaking the fourth wall again." You commented, shaking your head as you tutted at him. "What I'm attempting tonight is the most dangerous escape you'll ever see!" Chono's voice coming from the TV filled the room.

Your face slowly lost its colour as they showed snippets of what was to come. A box, chains, then knives, followed by a drop, fire and— was that a bulldozer?! You were sure of it now; the green-haired magician was toast. "No way he's this good." Saiki had taken your advice and shut his mouth; it was no longer hanging open. You side-eyed him from the bed, "He's a goner."

"But live or not, they'd never put someone on TV that might get hurt, right?" You shook your head to yourself; they would— they had. "Don't be too sure. If he dies, the show's view count will skyrocket." You could already see the hashtags trending on Twitter X.

The camera panned to the magician in question. "As you can see, folks, Chono's hands and feet are both shackled. As he makes his way to the crate— Oh no, he fell!" You observed as Chono faceplanted and kissed the floor. Was this second-hand embarrassment you felt? "Just a trip; he should be fine." You weren't sure you fully believed that statement and by the sound of it, neither did Saiki.

"He's safely inside the box. And now, Mr Micheal— Chono's formerly homeless assistant, will lock him in." You could only watch on in horror as realisation dawned over the magician's face, and he exclaimed to wait— that he wasn't ready. You didn't like where this was going. From the tricks you had seen that afternoon, you highly doubted that the green-haired man could pull this off. He wasn't going to make it.

"Him screaming isn't a good sign. Neither is all that banging he's doing." Saiki's face paled at the implication. "No shit, Sherlock." The psychic only glared at you, and you were too busy biting your fist while watching the TV to notice. The host told the audience that Chono only had 5 minutes to escape or the box would be destroyed with him in it. The camera cut to a shot of the timer counting down.

"I'm sceptical he can do this." So were you. There was only 3 minutes left. "Should I help? I don't even think I can. I'm not close enough to jump in and save him without being seen." You were on the edge of your seat. Two minutes left. "Then again, if he fails, he dies, and I can't have that happen."  You imagined what was to come, the TV announcing that Chono was burning alive inside the crate.

"It would ruin my night." You swore the psychic was just talking to himself at that point. At least Saiki cared; the boy did have a heart, after all. The pink-haired psychic stood up from where he was sitting on the chair. "If he fails, the footage would cut into my mystery show—" You took your statement back; he was heartless. "Is there a way to teleport in without getting on TV? ...Yes. The one place the camera can't find me— inside the box itself."

With that, Saiki was gone. He vanished into thin air, and you guessed he was now inside the box. At least he was doing something, even if his heart wasn't quite in the right place. You just hoped he didn't get himself caught, or worse— hurt.

All alone in the room, the only thing you could do was keep your eyes glued to the screen, waiting with bated breath. 'Kusuo?' You hoped he could hear you over everyone else's thoughts, hoped he was within range. He did, and he was.

'He's not here.'

You breathed a sigh of relief when you heard his voice reverberate in your head. Then, his words hit you.

'What do you mean he's not there?!'

'...He really has gotten better. I mean he's not here, l/n— the banging was coming from a CD player.'

So Chono hadn't even been inside the box when they chained it up? Why wasn't Saiki back then? There was no point in him staying there. The 5-minute timer was up, and you watched Michael come into view, struggling to hold the swords he was about to pierce the crate with.

'Hurry, Kusuo— you need to come back.' You winced at the heavy concern lacing your voice— thought?

'I can't. I have to think fast; I can't just teleport back out. That power needs to be recharged for 3 minutes before I can use it again.'

You watched as the magician's assistant started to put the swords in one by one. 'Oh, crap.' 17 more to go.

'You still there?'

You couldn't help but stress when he didn't respond. Chewing on your bottom lip, you tried not to think about the cold sweat at the idea of Saiki not making it out. 3 swords left. How did Saiki plan on surviving this one?

'Yeah. No one could— except me. I dislocated almost every joint in my body.'

Just a few words from Saiki, and you felt as though a boulder had been lifted off your shoulders. The relief you felt was short-lived though, as dread pooled inside your stomach at his words.

'Are you okay?!'

'I'm not gonna lie— it hurts.'

You wracked your brain to try and find a way to help him, coming up empty. Sure, you wanted nothing to do with him, but you weren't comfortable knowing he was in pain. Why? You had no idea. You chose to blame it on common human decency but the feeling of your heart sinking suggested otherwise.

You watched as the TV crew hooked a line to the crate before it was announced that a crane would lift it and drop it from a 30-metre height. You raised your hands to cover your face because you weren't sure you wanted to see, only for you to move your fingers so you could peer at the screen seconds later.

'The only way to avoid certain death... is...' You watched the crate collide with the floor, the bottom of it crumpling from the impact. '...To jump. Flawless timing.'

You stopped tensing, visibly relaxing, when you heard Saiki in your head again, never more grateful than now for his telepathy. He managed to save himself again and you hadn't appreciated his powers more, than in that moment. After the dust from the crash settled, the host on TV announced that the box would be set on fire. You furrowed your eyebrows— did they really need to go that far? It was too much overkill in your opinion.

'Didn't even get a chance to catch my breath. At least with all the hot weather lately, I've been able to hone my psychic powers over temperature.' You honestly didn't know how to feel when the support crew doused the crate in gasoline, lit a match and set the box alight— only for the host of the show to reveal that fire wasn't the final boss.

'There's more?'

How was he planning on getting out in time when he hadn't passed his 3-minute limitation over teleportation? Wait— how had the crew managed to do so much damage in that window of time, anyway? The host confirmed your fears when they brought in a yellow steamroller. No way— were they planning to run over the box and flatten it completely, with Saiki still inside?!

You watched the stream roller reverse and then drive over the box, effectively crushing it under its wheels. You watched in silence, your heart practically beating out of your chest in worry. The host asked the audience how anyone could survive inside the box— until lights turned on behind him, showcasing Chono.

"Hold on, who is that I see? It's the miraculous illusionist himself, Uryoko Chono! He's alive!" The crowd went wild, breaking out into applause and screams at the trick. You couldn't care less! Where was Saiki?! Was he okay?!!

'How annoying. His wasn't the only great escape, but I got lucky. The soil was extra soft.'

It was your turn to go radio silent.

'...Did you dig a hole like some groundhog?'

You were just happy he was safe. God forbid you had to live with the fact that Saiki died and you had witnessed it. Then again, he was an all-powerful psychic— what did you expect? Of course, he'd make it out alive.

'I know. I said I liked TV because it can still surprise me— but this is too much.' You couldn't help but snort at the comment, his dry humour was growing on you. Saiki was right; the amount of turmoil the day involved was not something you had mentally prepared yourself to handle. Exhaustion took over you, and you let yourself fall back onto Saiki's bed.

Was Saiki's life always like this? Downright disastrous to the point where it was funny? You kinda felt sorry for him. "Tres Bien, right?" Chono exclaimed when the host stated that the escape was great. You exhaled, placing your hands on your stomach and trying to relax.

"Hey, stick around for what's next—" Your head shot up, recognising the voice from the countless trailers you had seen for months plastered every time you opened up an app. It was the male lead of the new mystery show everyone was looking forward to.

Your mind worked at a million miles per hour, and you were sure there were drawings of algebra floating around you. Saiki was a psychic, and if he was near the new show's star, he'd no doubt hear spoilers from the actor.

'Kusuo, come back.'

'I can't; I still have 13 seconds to go.'

Great. The show he was looking forward to, the very reason he went to save Chono, was going to be spoilt because he chose to be a good human being. All because the lead actor was around, and of course, the guy knew what was to come— he had just finished filming it, after all.

You made a decision then, one you knew you'd regret. Concentrating on getting your breathing under absolute control, you forced your mind to go blank. Then you imagined Saiki at the park he had transported to so he could save a certain magician.

You clenched your jaw. Saiki wasn't too far away, and if you used your immunity on him, it'd work, right? You had to try at least. You reached out your hand in your mind, and when it came into contact with his shoulder, you saw what you were looking for.

The familiar thin white strings, millions of them shooting off from his temples in all different directions and disappearing into the distance when your eyes tried to follow them. You had no doubt they were the strings that connected Saiki's mind to anyone in a 200-metre radius.

With your hand still on Saiki, you imagined the actor who starred in the show's premiere, the love interest. That's when you found the thin line connecting the two, all the others melting in front of you as you forced yourself to focus. You had to hurry, you didn't have much time.

"The world premiere of a mystery called, 'Love Fantasy.'" You tried to dismiss the voice of the actor; he sounded like he was speaking from right next to you and damn it if his yapping wasn't as distracting as it felt. "My character will try to uncover the mystery of his girlfriend's death."

You clenched your jaw at the pain invading your skull, ignoring it as you reached out, using your index and middle finger as make-shift scissors, closing the two to cut the string. All the while, you questioned why you had chosen to use your talents for the psychic. Oh, yeah— it was because you felt bad for the guy.

The moment you opened your eyes, the headache that you experienced for the better half of the day skyrocketed. Fuck, it hurt. You wished you had stayed on Saiki's bed.

As your vision began to swim, a familiar wave of nausea hit you. You felt the ground shift beneath you, unable to do anything as you realised you would fall face-first into Saiki's table. You hoped it wouldn't bruise. Closing your eyes, you braced for impact, expecting pain.

When it didn't come, you forced your eyelids to open, using the last ounce of energy you had left. Why did they have to feel so heavy? You still couldn't see clearly, but what you could tell was that someone had caught you before you kissed Saiki's carpet.

Your body was limp; try as you might, you couldn't get your limbs to listen to you. It hurt to breathe; the sharp pain in your ribs made sure of that. You couldn't even raise your head to see who had caught you. Was it Saiki's dad? Had to be.

"...od grief... what happene..." You strained your ears to hear whoever was talking to you, to no avail. You scrunched your eyes shut when another wave of nausea hit you. You felt yourself getting picked up before being placed on something soft. The bed?

You took in sharp breaths, trying to ease the pain. No such luck. When you felt a hand on your forehead, you opened and squinted your eyes to see. Even with your fuzzy vision, you knew you recognised the pink you saw.

'Kusuo?' You thought at the psychic, hoping you had guessed right. 'Yes?' The relief that filled you, when the pain seemed to ease at the sound of Saiki's voice in your head— was incomparable.

'Is that you?' A brief pause followed, and he answered before you could think of anything else. 'Who else? How did this happen?' Right, stupid question to ask. You closed your eyes again, assuming he was asking about your deteriorating condition. 'I used nullification on you.'

Silence followed for a few seconds, and you found yourself missing the sound of Saiki's voice inside your brain. 'Why?' Was all he had asked, and you looked at him. You could see his face clearly now, and if you weren't feeling like you were going to throw up the food Mrs Saiki had made for you earlier, you were sure you'd be flushed.

He was so close— you could feel his exhales fan your neck. You noticed the faint wrinkle in between his eyebrows. You returned to looking at his eyes, trying to name the emotion. Worry. 'Because you were looking forward to watching the show, and that actor would have spoilt it by accident.'

You shut your lids, feeling sheepish when you said it aloud; it wasn't like it was your job to care to begin with— but you did, and you couldn't understand why. That question would have to wait; first, you had to get better.

You didn't see Saiki move so much as felt it. The moment he tried to lift himself off you, your stomach churned, and Saiki halted altogether. Your tense muscles relaxed as the pain dulled with the psychic's gesture. You opened your eyes to look at him, finding him looking at you already.

Granted the pain wasn't as bad as the last few times— you still appreciated the action. He broke the silence first, the staring contest between you two along with it as he looked away. 'Good grief. Stop doing troublesome things.' Was all he replied with, and you had half a mind to furrow your eyebrows in disbelief when you realised he was referring to your last comment to him. Your lips parted to shoot a retort at him, and that's when you saw it.

The corners of his mouth twitched. You almost thought it was a trick of the light in your peripherals until you looked at his lips.

Utterly shell-shocked, your mouth gaped open at the sight. Was Saiki smiling at you? Where was the coffee jelly? It was gone with a flash, replaced by his iconic deadpan. 'I was not.' He totally was! What a tsundere— not even able to admit that some part of him was low-key touched that you had done something for him out of consideration. 'I'm not touched; what you did was stupid. You have a fever.' You could only huff at Saiki's statement with the last of your energy.

'Yeah, that's normal. I mean, you're the most powerful psychic out there, and there was another person involved.' You shouldn't have expected anything less. Simply turning off your immunity to using your nullification and severing a connection between two people was a huge leap. When Saiki didn't respond you couldn't help the thought that came to mind. 'So if two plus two is four, and five plus five is ten, then...'

Saiki's eyes narrowed once he registered your words. 'I want you to know I'm only tolerating that reference because you're sick. You didn't even get it right.' You chuckled softly at his comment, ribs not yet ready for a full laugh. Lips stretching into a grin from his leniency or his last statement, you weren't sure. Your cheeks hurt, but you couldn't bring yourself to care. That was until you realised how cold you actually felt, shivering when goosebumps appeared over your arms.

You hadn't felt like this since you were a kid, but could you be surprised at your situation? Especially when it involved the world's most potent psychic to ever live. It was no surprise that the fevers you experienced as a child when Saiki was running around changing human biology with crazy hair colours would make a comeback. You went back to resting your eyes.

You were in no position to retaliate when Saiki picked you up and transported the two of you into your bedroom. The familiar feeling of your mattress helped relax your body some more.

'I'm leaving the second I can transport again.'

You said nothing as the pink-haired boy made quick work of tucking you under the covers and placing a cold compress on your forehead, waiting until your hand was secured to it before he backed away.

You half expected him to place a kiss on your forehead like you had seen in all the romance manga you had read— where the female lead got sick, and the male lead took care of her. No kiss was exchanged, to your disappointment.

'Thank you.' That was all you could think at him, not knowing what other way to express your gratitude. He was silent for a bit, then he turned his back to you, and just like that he was gone. You sighed, running a hand through your hair— what a day.

Too busy dealing with your inner turmoil, you failed to realise Saiki had stayed for more than 3 minutes.

➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ 

The next day at school, nothing had changed— and you were glad for it somewhat. You had thought things between you and Saiki would be awkward.

They weren't; when he saw you that morning, all he had done was nod at you, acknowledging your existence before he turned to face the blackboard at the front of the class. You ignored the disappointment you felt, it's not like you expected him to be your best friend or something.

When the school bell signalled the end of the academic day, you got ready to pack your things and leave. That was until you noticed a light blue-haired boy walk up to Saiki, who was in front of you, who was also shoving his books in his bag so he could make his getaway. Too late.

"Guess what? I've been summoned." You deadpanned at Kaidou's statement, something you were sure you picked up off of Saiki. Was he rubbing off on you? Nah, no way. Not possible. "If I told you why, I'd have to kill you both."

Your expression relaxed when Kaidou's eyes met yours, and you gave him a confused smile, signalling one thing. 'I don't know what the fuck you're on about.' You watched as the blue-haired boy puffed his chest like some peacock.

"But for now, let's just say the world's in store for some pretty big changes." With that, Kaidou waddled away like some penguin. What was with that walk, and why was his ass swaying side to side as he continued down the hallway? PK couture, you mused to yourself— he was going for a catwalk.

"What? Did he make a friend?" Saiki asked, and you were surprised when he turned his head to the right to make eye contact with you. You looked back at him, still leaning half your body out of the classroom with your hands on the door frame. You simply shrugged your shoulders before the both of you gazed at where Kaidou had turned the corner.

When Saiki moved forward, going in the same direction, you took a step toward him. "Where are you going?" You asked, mind already guessing the answer. Saiki looked over his shoulder at you, "I'm going after him because I'm curious." He stated before continuing down the hallway. You decided you were too, so you followed in tow.

The two of you spotted Kaidou not long after, the light blue-haired boy walking up to the doors leading to the storage room on the second floor. He whipped his head around to see if anyone else was about. You didn't expect what came next; caught off guard when Saiki pulled on your arm to hide the two of you behind a wall.

You were brought face to face with the pink hair's chest, and when you looked up, you realised he was staring down at you. Damn, he had a sharp jawline. If you didn't know any better, you'd think Saiki was sculpted by the likes of Micheal Angelo himself. You felt your ears burn and chose to ignore them. Why the fuck did he have to be so close, and why was he caging you against the wall?

"It'll be troublesome if he sees us," Saiki stated as he stepped away from you. You shook your head to get rid of the thoughts swirling through your mind before the two of you peered at the blue-haired boy from your hidden spot. "Thurisaz, isaz, hagalaz, sowilo, gebo, fehu." You couldn't help but think Kaidou sounded like he was summoning a demon. Was it that Jet Black Wings nonsense, again?

When the door opened, the light blue-haired boy walked in. Saiki left your side and started to walk over to the door where Kaidou had been moments later. You followed soon after, and you strained your ears to hear what was happening in the room.

The following 5 minutes were nothing but painful. You heard two voices; one was Kiadou's, and the other, you guessed, was a student who must have been his friend.

You and Saiki listened as the blue-haired boy claimed it was hard to believe that he used to be part of the Dark Reunion before he figured out that the organisation was evil, went rogue, performed some technique when he got cornered and managed to transmigrate into Shun Kaidou's body when he was unborn.

Was this some— sort of weird realistic roleplay? Sure, it was nice to have his fantasies come true through acting, but you weren't sure it was a good idea to spur on his delusions. Kaidou was too far gone already. His 'friend' told him that they would do anything to help Kaidou get his memories back because his power was needed.

Who was 'they'? You couldn't help but question the whole situation. Something about it felt sketchy. Kaidou seemed to have the same thought in mind, wondering who his friend was referring to.

Apparently, there were four other phantoms in the room. It got weirder and weirder. You had to give it to both of them, you wouldn't have been able to keep a straight face if you were in there to save your life. The 'friend' claimed if Kaidou couldn't see them, that meant he could never help.

Kaidou jumped to try and save face, saying he could see the phantoms. What a joke. You weren't so curious anymore; now you just wanted to leave. You stopped paying attention to the conversation until you heard the 'friend' exclaim, "Stop!" followed by, "Mannaz, ingwaz, wunjo!"

Great, someone else who liked to talk in gibberish. You cringed when you heard Kaidou's friend state that the Dark Reunion had gotten into the room and killed the four phantoms. Since when could phantoms die? Wasn't all of this too much? You had to commend the 'friend' at least— for staying in character so long.

The friend stated they needed to create a barrier to protect them before telling Kaidou to place all metal objects into the bag since it would interfere. Now things were getting interesting. When Kaidou asked if the change had to be given as well, that's when the realisation hit you.

The whole thing was a scam. That kid was trying to steal all of Kaidou's money under the guise of roleplay! What was worse— was that the poor blue-haired boy believed the whole thing was real. The only thing Kaidou actually got out of the charade was losing his wallet. Poor guy didn't even get to take his train pass back. This new friend of his was pure evil.

'Good grief.' You heard Saiki think at you, 'Good grief, indeed.'

The 'friend' told Kaidou that the Jet Black Wings was a saviour and to come back at the same time tomorrow. Something about not forgetting to do the sworn ally absolution. Panic engulfed you when you heard the doorknob turn.

Looking left to right hurriedly, you barely had a chance to notice that Saiki wrapped a hand around your waist and teleported you inside the room. When your gaze refocused, you realised you were behind some sort of curtain. You had no idea why Saiki didn't decide to handle things on his own, instead opting to take you with him.

'Why couldn't you have just left me out there? I don't want to get involved—' You stopped mid-thought when Saiki looked down at you and glared. The audacity he had! To not only drag you into this mess but to shut you down when you rightfully complained? Meanie. You huffed to yourself in annoyance but stayed quiet nonetheless.

You proceeded to fold your arms over your chest, only to realise that in your exasperation, you hadn't noticed Saiki was still holding onto you. He stepped away, putting distance between you two the second the thought crossed your mind, something you tried not to be hurt over. Why? You didn't quite understand yourself.

You didn't have time to ponder anything else; the guy who scammed Kaidou stole your attention when he spoke up from behind the curtain. "That guy and his stupid fantasies are the best thing ever. He couldn't tell the absolution was my homework! All I had to do was play along with him. I even got the idiot to give me his wallet!" What a disaster. Poor Kaidou got ripped off and taken advantage of, all because of his love for make-believe.

'What a pain. Kaidou, as your one friend, I'm telling you— do a better job choosing your other friends.' The exasperation in Saiki's voice was palpable. How would you break the news to the poor blue-haired boy? That his new friend was a good-for-nothing liar.

The sad excuse of a swindler was still gushing over how he had tricked Kaidou, and you could only shake your head. Would dumping the truth work better? Or hinting at it? Saiki already had a plan in mind, you realised, as the lights turned off in the room. "What the? Who did that?" The scammer asked.

“Dark reunion.”

What happened to the guy in glasses next was not spoken of after.

When Kaidou dragged the both of you to the same room the day after, saying to keep it a secret no matter what— the whole place was trashed, and the words dark reunion were plastered on the wall. The graffiti had been your handiwork.

➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ 

"Hey buddy, ready for the beach? I was walking by, and I saw the last name Saiki on the mailbox, so I figured this must be where ol' Kusuo lives." Nendou stood on the step to Saiki's household, explaining himself as he pointed at the mailbox behind him, a blow-up dolphin in his other hand. He was dressed for the day, clad in a red shirt with floral patterns and shorts.

You made eye contact with Saiki only to get a glare back. You looked off to the side, feeling like you were in trouble. 'Why are you here?' That was an excellent question, indeed. If only you had stayed home, Nendou wouldn't have spotted you on the streets and dragged you along for a day by the seaside. You looked to Saiki again, 'I didn't choose to come here of my own free will.'

You were still somewhat peeved that you didn't get a say in the matter. Nendou had assumed a yes from you and decided for himself that you would accompany him, dragging you by the arm down the streets of your peaceful little town. You hadn't paid much attention to where he was taking you until he neared Saiki's neighbourhood, and before you could steer him in a different direction, he noticed a name on a mailbox. The rest was history.

"Ku— Ku— Kusuo, is this your friend?" For a second, you thought Mrs Saiki was terrified of Nendou. Something you wouldn't fault her for; he did look like a gangster, after all. "He's not my friend." Saiki's comment fell on deaf ears as Mrs Saiki burst into tears, a handkerchief manifesting into her hands out of nowhere. "Oh, dear! My little boy finally has another friend! In less than a week, too— I'm so happy!"

This was definitely one of the reasons why you loved Saiki's mom; she was just too precious. "Sorry girly girl, but me and him ain't friends— we're best buddies!" Mrs Saiki started weeping into her handkerchief again, "Oh, dear! My little boy's finally getting a normal life!" You wanted to comfort her but thought better of it since she was crying tears of joy and not sadness.

"I never knew you had a sister, pal." Nendou's comment practically made Mrs Saiki putty in his hands. She gushed about how the wannabe gangster thought she was young enough to look like Saiki's sister. You couldn't tell if Nendou was buttering her up or if he was being serious. Knowing him, it was probably the latter.

'How many times is he going to make her cry?' Saiki wondered from next to you. 'At least they're tears of happiness.' A warm smile stretched on your lips; the woman needed to be protected at all costs. Movement in your peripherals broke you from your thoughts. You turned to Saiki, who was now standing beside you; looking up at him when you felt his stare on you.

His lips parted as if he was about to say something when Saiki's mom commented that Nendou taking Saiki to the beach sounded like fun. "Uh, yeah, I'm not going." The smile on Mrs Saiki's face disappeared in an instant, and the glare she shot Saiki's way sent chills down your spine. "Your best buddy went out of his way to ask you in person. You're going to the beach, Kusuo."

"Oh, dear."

A snicker fell out your lips, and you immediately covered your mouth with your hand so as to not draw attention to yourself. By then, it was too late; your plans to quietly try and slip away from the group were foiled by your own hands. Mrs Saiki started to gush over you instead, and the plan to spend a lazy day indoors seemed to be further and further away.

➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ 

That's how you and Saiki ended up going to the beach. Kaidou had joined the group as well, a fact you pitied when you observed how much Nendou teased him about being afraid of the water. You watched from your seat on the blanket next to Saiki as Kaidou denied it all, fresh tears in his eyes. "N—no. Th—that's not true. I know how to swim, jerk! I—I'm not afraid of the water." You almost felt bad for him; why was he here again?

'Well, he's turned on the waterworks.' Ironic. Saiki's comment nearly made you choke on your drink, and you coughed. The psychic's hand on your back, patting lightly, surprised you, to say the least, but you welcomed it. Anything to clear your airways. You chalked up the help to him feeling guilty.

You watched as Kaidou proceeded to enter the sea, only to slip and start drowning in inch-deep water. That's when you decided the second-hand embarrassment was too much to handle, standing up to take off your top so you could go swimming.

You stopped in the middle of your task, your crossed hands still clasped around the ends of your top as you turned to Saiki, who stared you down. 'Yes, I'm leaving you here. You're on your own, nerd.' You thought at him, glancing between Saiki and his book. He stayed silent, only glaring at you over his glasses. You could tell what he was thinking already; how could you just leave him to deal with everyone else? Hah— so long, sucker!

You looked from Saiki to Hairo whose pants had slipped when he ran to save Kaidou from drowning, Nendou— who stared at the other girls on the beach with a blush and smirk on his face, then back to the psychic.

'Yeah, I'm not about to watch any more of their shenanigans; I'm out of here.'

You greeted Hairo briefly and walked towards the water in time to overhear that the red-haired boy had decided to volunteer as a lifeguard over the summer. Walking further into the water, you stopped when you couldn't feel the sand underneath your feet and started to swim further out until the voices of your classmates sounded distant enough that you couldn't make out the words.

Sighing, you floated on your back and stared up at the sun. The weather was way too warm, and you hated the heat because of how it caused you to sweat. At least now you could have some peace and quiet; your social battery had run out a while back.

The silence didn't last long, you felt a ripple in the water and opened one eye, only to realise the cause was Saiki. He sat on a blue swimming donut that had sun patterns on it. That's when you noticed he was shirtless, only wearing his yellow swimming trunks, and you tried not to stare, opting to look at the beach instead, coughing awkwardly.

You watched as a group of girls ran across the sand— Nendou not far behind, chasing them. "I don't want people knowing I'm with him." You had to agree with Saiki; being associated with Nendou was never a good thing. Looking away from the girls fleeing in terror on the beach, you turned back to the young esper.

'I get that— but why did you have to come here?'

'I draw less attention when I'm with you than when I'm by myself.'

'So, you're using me?'

‘...Don’t make it weird.’

When you made the comment, your mind had not been in the gutter, but now it certainly was. There was a brief pause before Saiki looked back at the beach. He sighed and closed his eyes— then he tilted his float sideways until his body crashed against the water. You shot up, no longer floating on your back. You kicked your legs to stay above the waves and looked around to see if you could spot Saiki who was no longer on the water donut.

'You won't find me, I'm all the way at the bottom. When I want to be alone or get some serious thinking done, I come down here. I find the seafloor relaxing.'

You jumped in your skin at the sound of his voice in your head. You raised an eyebrow to yourself when your brain registered what he had said. You didn't get the chance to reply to him, the sound of Nendou shouting stealing your attention.

"Saiki! You going pee-pee?!"

'Oh man, next time, I'll have to go deeper. Better go back before they start looking.'

You stopped paying attention to what Saiki was thinking at you when you noticed a girl in the water. Was she... She was drowning!

Your body moved before you could think. The water around you splashed violently as you started swimming, trying to get to her as fast as you could. You heard Nendou and Kaidou in the distance. Now hang on a minute, you swore the blue-haired boy had no idea how to swim— how had he made it this far out? As if on cue, Kaidou started drowning as well and you watched in horror.

You relaxed somewhat when you watched Nendou save the idiot, carrying him on his back. By then, you had made it to the girl, the other two boys still making their way towards you. You tried to grab onto her to save her, only for her to jump on you in her panic. She clawed her way up, trying to get on your shoulders. You realised then that both of you were screwed. "Calm down—" You didn't get to finish your sentence as you felt your body give way under her weight, water filling your mouth instantly.

You ended up underwater along with the girl, your legs spent and tired. Surely, this wasn't how things ended. You had so much left to do— so many sites to see! Your mind went into overdrive as you sank deeper.

When you felt something brush against your feet under the water, you nearly lost all your composure; the safety of your classmates and the random girl next to you was no longer your priority.

You calmed down when you recognised the pink underneath the clear waves. 'What a pain. Everyone around me is so needy.'

Saiki placed his hands on your waist and effortlessly lifted you up until your head was above water. Your fight or flight kicked in, adrenaline pumping through your veins, and your legs started kicking lightly to keep you afloat. You looked around until your eyes landed on Nendou, who was standing on the water as if it was a solid surface, with Hairo, Kaidou and the drowning girl from earlier on his back.

"What? Nendou, you're walking on water!" Hairo exclaimed as he looked down. "When'd you learn how to do that?!" Kaidou chimed in, and you already knew the answer. It was Saiki, using his strength to lift them all so they wouldn't drown. You watched as all four of them sped off towards the sand.

'See? I told him he'd have more luck walking on water than picking up girls.'

You snorted to yourself at Saiki's comment before tilting your body so you were on your back, letting the waves carry you as you caught your breath. You closed your eyes, exhaustion kicking in as the adrenaline ran out— only to open when you felt the water move, making you rock.

You opened your eyes, squinting as the sun invaded your gaze, only for you to see Saiki. He turned around in the water, showing you his back, "Get on. I'll carry you to the beach." His closed statement left no room for discussion, and even if you had it in you to retort, you were too tired to argue.

You wrapped your arms around his neck, mindful not to squeeze too hard and rested your head on him as he swam you back to the beach. You tried not to pay attention to how close the two of you were or how you could feel his body heat since he didn't have a top on.

After throwing your top back on, you watched as the girl who nearly drowned you apologised to Nendou. "Sorry I joked about how ugly your face is." She said and you guessed it was her way of thanking him for saving her.

"Hmph, I'm glad you didn't ask for her number in return for your heroics," Kaidou said, giving the wannabe gangster a nod of approval as you all packed to leave. "Heh, I try to be a gentleman, but if that hottie fell in love with me, I'm not gonna turn her down," Nendou replied, closing his eyes as if he was proud. You had to give it to him, the man had confidence. You walked alongside Saiki as the group left Hairo and the girl.

"She wouldn't," Kaidou whispered under his breath, a smirk on his face. Nendou whipped his head around to shout at him. "What'd you say?!" The day at the beach ended and finally, you could go home

➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ 

bonus:

 After the four of you got back in town, Nendou and Kaidou split off so they could head home. Truth be told, that was the plan for you as well until Saiki stopped you.

 "Do you want to come back to my house?" You turned to look at him, raising an eyebrow at him at the suggestion. You were sure he thought of you as a nuisance like everyone else, yet here he was inviting you to his place.

  "Don't get any weird ideas. Mom told me to bring you back for dinner. She likes having you around." Mrs Saiki hadn't specifically told him to bring you back, but Saiki did know that she liked your company. A small smile graced your face at the sentiment. Being liked by someone else's parents was a different type of validation. You shrugged and walked beside him back to the Saiki Household, the day not yet over.

➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵       ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵

next part - alexithymia  

general taglist: 

@biscuit-buddy @gvthic-gvrl @dunnieko @milkierei @kyrasworld @baby-unidorn @moonflowerpetals @the-mellokid @bangtxnbby @alexiswheeze @tanzaniiite @mo0o0milk @omilkandhoneyteao @turntechsquishy @gukkarchive @peachesuck @hartbeat-art @franko-pop @ima-attention-whore @ola-is-dead @daisysinadarkmedow @froppysgirl @xjaelee @beanst0ck @llamaavocado @tanakassimp @kooksmono @loving-is-the-antidote @toebios @tvwhoresblog @delta-698 @victory-is-here @chuchaycha @saeranoppa @erinbing @draco-kasai @nocturnalcreature998 @just-snog-already @sunnsettee @saikikslut @juju-la-tortue @plutoneu @womanizerbucky @bakugohoex @thatasiandumbass @krazyotakunerd @totallyinlovewithsaiki @kenmascockwarmer @squishiyy @choridion @memorableminds @kyrah-williams @animeboysimppp @soft-levi-girl-blog @aunty-grandma @mindofess @beccawinter @valeriasannchez @unlimitedsimping @bigdumbobsessedbi @tanzaniiite @introvertatitsfinest @windex-princess-ami @knighted-princess @vernon-dursley @emeraldbluexxxx @iwachanslove @skelingtonfreak @dora-the-grownup @peachymichu @amaranth-fuchsia @strawberryjam8 @notaroyal @chaeyal @kuntent-t @heyitsmelilly @mango-bear @sugaamykookies @mrs-todo-roki @joyidonuts @hxney-lemcn @prlan @quiescentelle @alexloveskili @subtropicace @hoshi4k @echothepuff @kindalollipop @ameliabs-world @babyshoyo @animedweeb333 @celamoon @diesinspanishbcimhispanic @froggi666 @loser-keiji @lucilleifer @lunachelly @kaylenn @queenof-saigon @dudufodd @multifandomcat @fresa-luna @kohi-zeri  @anyaswrld @saltandapepper @scar8o @where-i-do-things @potatochic2003 @fishfetus @chaotic-fangirl-blog @acidicloveee @noodlenerd101 @aurorakingsley @crystalgman25 @healpeony @chims-kookies @track5enthusiast @mommymi1kers @aboveasphodel @strawberriesareprettycool @princeizuku @mythical-mushrooms13 @stellalorelei @cole-silas @queenof-saigon @thecupcakezombie @dudufodd @multifandomcat @multifandoms99 @skylarmoon119 @hyejoolips @soggyxfroggy @imkumichan  @honeyyslvt @theawkwardspork @gabile18 @magikmina @ampheenix @siriusly1​ @elwasheree​ @itsskyvoltage​ @luna-astro​ @r4td0lll

[tojisbbg]

❈ 𝗹𝗲𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝗺𝘆 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻 ❈

❝one day i will stop falling in love with you, some day, someone will like me like i like you.❞

♡ manjiro sano ♡

a/n: current mood - wanting to breaking people’s hearts 😈 (sorry mikey stans)

content: mikey x reader (y/n), very heavy angst, right person wrong time, you’re mikey’s childhood friend, he’s getting married (lolz), not grammatically checked/edited

...

you finished adding the final touches to your makeup, a heavy sigh leaving your lips as you checked in the mirror if your concealer hid your puffy eyes well. some would say that whatever you were going through was tragic, a scenario that you would read about in romance novels where the main character is destined to a miserable fate.

and perhaps that was right.

you’ve been feeling miserable, sad and pathetic for the last month and a half since you’ve received the invitation. a piece of paper that felt like a sharp knife slicing your heart in half.

what was worse was that you couldn’t even find it in your heart to throw away the card. it was beautifully decorated with happy pastel colors and confetti, printed on expensive card stock, pop-up designs and a photo of him with the girl that was supposed to be you.

it was your childhood friend’s wedding, except for the catch that you’ve been holding in a burdening crush on him for the last twenty years. he was your person and you were his, being there for each other through thick and thin.

you both created a world where it was just the two of you while everyone else became a blur, a bunch of white noise. he was the invincible mikey and you were his key.

you couldn’t help but wonder, when did things change so fast? how did the perfect world you both created become nothing but dust?

---

(17 years ago)

“how is she, doc?” the young boy with a dragon tatted on his skull asked curiously as he stared at his friend, well practically family, in concern. 

“it was just an upset stomach, little man. we gave your sister some antibiotics to fight off those nasty little germs that’s been bothering her. she’ll be good in a few days. you sure you don’t have a parent or older family member we can contact?” the doctor asked, cocking an eyebrow as he held the pen in his hand eagerly, hoping the blonde boy would say something to him. 

“we’re orphans and she’s not my real sister. we have someone that’s been taking care of us for all these years and he’ll come by shortly.” he murmured, shame painting his face as his gaze went down to the floor. 

the doctor looked at him with sorrow, patting his head. 

“hang tight, buddy. keep her company, but don’t make her laugh too much or else it might make her cry.” he tried to create humor and it successfully made the frowning by crack a crooked smile. 

“yes, sir!” the little boy playfully saluted as he watched the man in the white coat walk away with a chuckle. 

“ken?” his ears rang up when hearing your faint call of his name, a small whimper following after. 

“y/n! are you hurting anywhere? should i call the doctor back? uncle’s gonna be here soon with remi. i told them to bring your favorite chocolate pudding.” draken gave you a cheeky grin, his hand now holding yours tightly. 

“you know me so well, sometimes i forget that i’m an orphan.” you laughed quietly, trying to not put strain on your stomach. 

“you’re not an orphan, y/n. you got me, uncle, remi and the other girls too. we’re one big happy family.” he persisted, eyebrows furrowing as he tried his best to convince you to believe his point. 

“you told the doctor that i’m not your sister, ken.” you whispered, your throat becoming dry as the words left your mouth. draken fell silent for a few seconds before sighing, laying his head besides your hand. 

“i told him that you’re not my real sister, y/n. there’s a difference. i don’t care what the law says because my heart says otherwise. you’ll always be the sister that i’ve always dreamed of having.” his eyes twinkled, a hand coming up to ruffle your hair. 

“so i heard one of my little girls was sick? maybe some chocolate pudding will make those little bad guys in your stomach go away.” your uncle’s voice boomed in your ward, a small smile plastered on his face as he shook the white plastic bag.

your eyes glimmered in content before you were pulled into a bear hug by remi. the girl sobbed on your shoulder, wetting it with tears and snot as she roared by your ears. 

“y/nnnn!!!! i thought you were gonna die when kenny told uncle! i love you, y/n, don’t leave ever me. ever.” she hiccuped between every word as your uncle and draken tried to console her and calm her down. 

“it was a stomach bug, remi. i’ll be better in a few days.” you tried to cheer her up. she raised her head, looking at you in doubt. 

“promise?” remi sniffled. 

“promise, you know i’d never lie to you.” you wiped away her tears before hugging her once more. 

your uncle handed the three of you the small containers of chocolate pudding. 

“why don’t you three take a walk outside, i’ll have this really nice nurse walk you guys. it’s good to get some fresh air.” the doctor said, patting your back and you all agreed, soon leaving the room. 

you happily skipped through the hallway, one pudding container in your pocket, while the other one was tightly secured in your hand as you ate it. 

“let’s play hide and seek, you’re the seeker ken!” you quickly blurted out, not giving either of them a choice before running off to the other direction. you faintly heard draken groan in annoyance, being tired of always being the seeker but he’d always do it for you. 

you saw a pretty quiet hallway and decided to turn to that corner, only to find a small quiet room. you figured that it wouldn’t be too much of a trouble to hide in here for a few minutes

you opened the door, nearly having a heart attack from the sudden appearance of another person. it was a boy with short blonde hair, he was huddled up into a ball, quietly whimpering and crying. 

“hey, kid.” you called out to him, only to not receive a response. a heavy sigh left your lips as you walked over to him, sitting on the floor besides him. the boy looked up at you, eyes all puffy and his nose red. 

he’s pretty cute.

“look, i’m really bad at comforting people. but, when i’m super sad, i eat chocolate pudding to make me happy again.” you said with a grin, digging in your pocket to get your other container out. 

you grabbed his hand and opened his palm before placing the treat in it. he stared at it in momentary silence. 

“who are you?” he finally spoke, looking at you with slight confusion. 

“just a stranger who’s hiding from her siblings in an intense game of hide and seek. what about you?” you chuckled, scooping another bite into your mouth. 

“i’m.. i don’t know.” he said with a shaky breath, shaking his head. 

“that’s fine, we don’t always know the answer to everything. ken is really mean sometimes, he’s a year older than me and asked me what 345 times 82 is. i could bet you my whole stash of chocolate pudding that he doesn’t know himself. tch, smart my ass.” you scoffed, earning a small giggle from your side. you side eyed him, seeing him detach the small spoon from the plastic lid before opening it. 

“what’s your name?” he asked you, eyes anticipating for an answer. 

“y/n. you?” you continued to inhale your treat as you waited for him to respond. 

“mikey.” the blonde boy scooped in a hefty amount into his mouth as he consumed the sweet dessert. 

“why were you crying, mikey?” you asked, not realizing how insensitive you were being. 

“it’s personal.” mikey shortly dismissed, but you were a little slow to understand and continued to persist until he caved in. 

“it’s just me and you in here. think of it as a bubble with just us, nothing comes in or goes out of this bubble.” you assured him, patting his back. 

for some strange reason, mikey felt like he could tell you anything from how comfortable you made him feel. considering the fact that he didn’t want to show any kind of reaction or emotion towards his family, he decided to seek that comfort and release in you. 

“my mother just died, about an hour ago.” he bluntly dropped the bomb, placing a very awkward and tense atmosphere between you both. 

“you’ll get over it, mikey.” you calmly answered, making his brows furrow with annoyance and slight anger. 

“how could you say that to me? my mother just died.” mikey said in disbelief, his tone heightening a little. 

“i’m telling you the truth. i’m sorry that this happened to you, especially at such a young age, but it’ll all pass and soon, today will just be one of your many bad memories. you’ll find peace and love one day and heal, mikey. that’s life.” you defended your previous statement, looking into his eyes with a gentle look. 

“and how do you know that? you’re just some ten-year-old weirdo that walked in on me.” he mumbled under his breath, making you giggle. 

“i’m an orphan, mikey. i don’t even know what my parents look like or if i even have any to begin with. not even any knowledge on if i have sibling or not. ken and remi aren’t my real siblings, just people i grew up with.” you shrugged, making the blonde boy thin his lips. 

“i’m sorry.” he apologized, his gaze lowering to meet his shoes. 

“it’s not your fault. there’s too much love in this world to be consumed by regret or grief. i’m not saying that you shouldn’t grieve, but you have to pick yourself up and continue with the rest of your life eventually. it’s what your mom would’ve wanted, mikey.” you ruffled his hair as his eyes shimmered with hope. 

“thanks, i’ll try. also, promise me that you won’t tell anyone about me crying.” mikey gave you a embarrassed look, holding up his pinky. 

“i promise.” you intertwined yours with his.

suddenly, the door flew open, which startled the both of you. 

“found you!”

---

“i’m really sorry, sir.” the doctor heavily sighed, trying to pat your uncle’s back as the man sobbed in his palms. 

“how bad is it? please, tell me she has time! she’s only ten, i want to be able to walk her down the aisle one day.” your uncle begged, choking between every word and cry. 

“the tumor in right in the middle of her brain, wrapping around each and every blood vessel. it’s to aggressive for us to remove it, i’m sorry once again, but it’s inoperable. she’ll bleed out before we can even remove a centimeter of it. with proper treatment and medications, we’re looking at maybe ten more years.” the doctor replied, making your uncle rub his temples in worry. 

“uncle!! meet my new friend, mikey! they live on the next block from our house.” you vibrant voice broke the depressing atmosphere. your uncle quickly wiped away his tears, giving you all a smile. 

“hey, i remember you! you were in s.s motors with shinichiro.” your uncle patted mikey’s head. 

“he’s my big brother.” mikey answered. 

“i see, why don’t you come and have lunch with us. we’re going out for burgers, i’ll text your brother that you’re with us.” your uncle suggested, making the small blonde boy nod his head.

and just like that, the both of you became inseparable. 

---

high school came around and you were the only thing that was piecing manjiro sano, or rather the invincible mikey, together. he formed a gang and that included your brother in it as well. you all were a pretty tight group to say the least, yet no one could truly understand him better than you could.

not even his right-hand men such as draken or sanzu. 

“i think i’m gonna disband toman and move away for some time, you now escape life for a little.” he sighed, opening the lid of the chocolate pudding before handing it to you.

“where’s yours?” you asked, confused as to why he only got one. 

“didn’t want one.” he shrugged, digging in his pocket before pulling out a box of cigarettes. he plucked one of the cancer sticks out, planting it in between his lips before lighting it. 

you watched him in disappointment, as he inhaled the smoke before coughing it out, eyes becoming watery as you scoffed. 

“dumbass, give me that.” you grabbed the stick before throwing it on the ground, stepping on it. 

“and that.” you grabbed the pack out of his hands before tossing it into the trash. 

“y/n.” mikey called out. 

“no, i’m really mad at you. i can’t believe you, mikey. pull that type of shit again and i’ll bury you, i swear. no girl would ever want to kiss you with a mouth like that.” you scoffed, flicking his forehead as he winced in pain. 

“not even you?” he teased. 

“i’d rather kiss a roach.” you playfully punched his bicep, earning a small laugh from him. 

“they only had one pudding left, so i didn’t get one for myself.” he explained himself. 

“we could always share, idiot. say ah.” you ordered, scooping a hefty amount of pudding before placing the spoon near his lips. he opened his mouth, eating it with content. 

“see, much better than cigarettes. but i was being serious, mikey, i don’t wanna see those near your lips or reach ever again. swear on my life?” you glared at him, making him choke. 

“hey! why are you giving me such a harsh swear??” he cleared his throat. 

“so you’re saying you’ll lie and do it behind my back?!” you yelled, making him quickly shake his head. 

“no, no, no! that’s not what i meant. i’m just saying that isn’t it such a big swear for something so stupid?” mikey tried to reason. 

“your health is not stupid, mikey. don’t push my buttons and swear already.” you rolled your eyes, making him sigh. 

“fine, i swear.” he said in defeat, stealing the reamining of your pudding to eat. 

“hm, good. oh, going back to what you were saying earlier, why so suddenly?” you questioned, backtracking to the previous conversation before you both got out of topic. 

“i don’t know, i feel like i’m bringing in my toxic energy in and engulfing everyone. maybe i should just let it all go and step back, you know? even you need a break from me to be honest.” he bitterly laughed. you kissed your teeth before grabbing a hold of his face, turning it to face you as you stared sternly at him. 

“mikey, i’m not going anywhere. what i promised you seven years will never break, even after we die. our souls are one, and i can’t leave my other half. so, let me run away with you. wherever you want, i’ll follow right behind you.” you gave him a soft smile, caressing his cheeks lovingly. his expression grew softer, tears welling in his eyes as he buried his face in your chest. you wrapped your arms around him, kissing the top of his head. 

it’s been rough on him, especially after losing shinichiro too in an accident. mikey’s been in a really dark place for a few months, shit, even scary if you were honest. he was snappy, rude, all dark and twisty. yet, you never gave up on him. 

because you knew that at the end of the day, he was still the same small boy you found in that closet crying to himself. 

“y/n, promise me something.” mikey sniffled, pulling away as he looked up at you, eyes holding so much vulnerability. 

“i promised my entire life to you, what more should i promise?”you joked, wiping away his tears with the pads of your thumb. 

“if we don’t find someone by the age of thirty, let’s get married. i’d rather spend the rest of my life with you than all alone.” he offered, a boyish smile dancing on his lips as your heart fluttered. 

you could’ve sworn that it skipped a few beats, making it suddenly harder to breathe as your cheeks grew warm. 

“stop fucking around with me, sano. it’s not funny.” you warned him, but his expression remained the same. 

“you’re being deadass?” your eyes grew wide and he hummed in response. 

“so, are you in or not?” the blonde boy cocked an eyebrow as he held out his pinkie, making you chuckle. 

“jeez, it seems like you’re making a life or death contract with me. yes, i’m in.” you answered, intertwining your pinkie with his. 

and to think that what you’ve been dreaming of for years were to come true would become only a nightmare. 

it’s not until emma’s death where mikey completely disappeared, not answering anyones calls or even yours. you spent days trying to look for him all over the city and even begging koko to somehow track his number or something. 

but every effort went in vain. 

you cried for months, refusing to eat and giving up on the sweet treat that only reminded you of him. you had nightmares every night, and the only thought that circled your mind was that he was dead. 

he was really gone. 

until after nearly nine years, he came back. not alone, but accompanied with another person. 

a girl, his girl, to be precise. 

mikey went to the philippines for those years, returning with a completely new get up that would make it hard for anyone to guess that it was him. his beautiful blonde locks were now cut short with an undercut, dyed black. 

you remembered the first day where he showed up at your doorsteps, your knees turned into jelly as you almost collapsed to the group if he didn’t catch you in time. you cried in his arms for so long, cursing and punching him from pain and anger as he whispered thousands of apologies to you. 

you were happy, so fucking happy to see that he was alive. it put your mind and heart to peace, until you saw her walk out of the car.  

“this is my girlfriend, y/n. we met a few years back and she’s just amazing, you know. i wanted you to meet the most important person of my life first since you’re my best friend.” he mischievously giggled, snaking an arm around her waist. 

your throat became dry, heart shattering into a billion pieces as each word leaving his lips was like knives jabbing at your heart. it bled, threatening to leak out of your eyes. yet, you held back, trying your hardest to fake a realistic smile to keep your cool. 

“nice to meet you.” you shook her hand. 

“the pleasure’s all mine, mikey’s told me a lot about you.” she said, making you awkwardly laugh.

“oh, i see.” you dryly replied, clearing your throat. 

“these are for you by the way, it’s a recipe that’s really sacred to my family. i hope you enjoy.” she smiled, handing you a box of what seemed like cookies. 

fuck, i can’t even bring myself to hate her. 

“thank you, that’s really sweet of you. uh, you both should stay over for lunch.” you offered, secretly praying that they refuse. 

“sorry, y/n, i gotta get my bike inspected by ken-chin. next time, yeah?” he ruffled your hair, as you managed to let out a small hum. you waved them goodbye before entering your house, locking the door behind you. 

you fell on your knees, letting out all the tears that you’ve been holding in. your cry was ugly, gut-wrenching and painful as it stole all the oxygen from your lungs and made you gag and choke. 

it felt like someone died, well, it was sort of like that. 

mikey was no longer yours, he was somebody’s else’s. you were all alone now. 

you’re the other woman. 

you probably shed a gallon of tears by now, trying your best to turn off the water tap glued on your eyes. but, the image of him snaking his arm around her waist never left your mind. 

you glanced at the box of cookies on the floor, opening the lid to grab one and take a bite. 

“fuck, they taste delicious too.” you cried, throwing it back in the box as you decided that it’ll be best to call out of work sick for tomorrow. 

---

the day has finally come, where you have to let him go. he was no longer yours, those days will never come back, now only a happy memory that you can confide to for comfort. 

“y/n, you don’t have to do this.” draken sighed, placing a hand on your shoulder but you shook your head, determined to attend that damn wedding. 

“i have to, ken. he’s my best friend, i can do at least this much for him.” you answered, fixing up the green dress that you wore before putting on your earrings. 

“be selfish for once, y/n! i know that you love him, alright? i’ve been living with you since diapers, i know you like the back of my hand. you can lie to anyone but me, i know that you’re not okay. which is why i’m telling you that you don’t have to do this. i’ll tell him that you’re sick or something.” draken’s eyes softened, his expresison growing sad as he looked at your pained expression. you were smiling at him, yet he knew the thousands of thoughts and words that littered your mind. 

“ken, i know. the only way i could give myself closure is by seeing it happen, in front of my eyes. i want my last memory of him to be happy and clear, so that when i think of him, i don’t feel pain or misery. if he’s happy then i’m happy because we are each others halves and no one can take that spot. besides, his fiance is so nice, i can’t even bring myself to hate her. he’ll be fine, i know he will.” you explained, grabbing drakens hands as you gave it a tight squeeze, looking up at the tall man that stood before you. 

he bit his lips to contain himself from arguing back, caressing your cheeks before letting out a sigh. he nodded his head, deciding to butt-out of your business. 

“okay, whatever makes you happy.” he said and you hummed in response before getting up to slip on your heels. 

“let’s go, we have a wedding to go to.” you smiled at him, slipped your arm in his as you guys walked out of your house. 

the drive to the church was short as it was the same one where hina and takemichi got married. you entered the ladies room where all the bridesmaids were getting dressed up as they all waited for you since you were the maid of honor. 

“y/n, you’re here! god, you look gorgeous, maybe i should ditch mikey and marry you instead.” she joked, pulling you into a hug as you chuckled, patting her back. 

“you look even prettier. damn, mikey caught a good one i gotta say.” you answered looking at her with eyes full of nothing but adoration. 

she was sweet and understanding, a perfect wife for mikey. he deserved this, after being through hell and back, he deserved happiness and peace. 

and you were willing to do anything to give him that, even if it meant to go to the ends of the earth and come back. 

“it’s almost time! come on ladies, get in position.” one of the bridesmaids announced.

“i’ll see you at the aisle.” you rubbed her shoulder as she hummed, then taking your leave as you entered the wedding hall. you walked up where the priest stood, mikey standing right across you. 

his eyes widened when he saw you, walking up to you without hesitation. he pulled you into a tight hug before pulling away with a smile. 

“you look absolutely beautiful, y/n, as always. i’m so happy that you’re here, i was honestly so nervous, but after seeing you, i got my courage back.” he honestly said, making it hard for you to form words to respond to him. 

“better not chicken out sano, i raised you better than that.” you playfully scolded him. 

“yes ma’am!” he jokingly saluted, making you both laugh. 

“mr. sano, please stand in position, the bride will enter in a few minutes.” the priest interrupted. 

“sorry. i’ll talk to you after the ceremony, okay?” he held your hands, giving it a tight squeeze and you swore that if he was just a hair more closer, you would’ve broken down into tears. 

“yeah, yeah, of course. go get married, sano.” you teased, making him blush as he walked back to his original position. you stood with one ring while draken stood with the other, the taller glancing at you frequently to check if you’re okay and you’d discreetly try to nod and give him the signal that you’re fine.

the music began to play and the doors opened, revealing mikey’s soon to be wife, now walking in with her father. a huge smile or her face as you looked over at mikey, only to catch him staring at you before averting his gaze to his wife. 

she walked up the steps, now standing besides you as she turned to look at her soon to be husband. the priest began to read the wedding vows and it was soon time to exchange rings. the beautiful diamond ring glimmered under your eyes and you couldn’t help but wished it was for you. 

it fit perfectly, like it was made for you and you knew that because you accompanied mikey when he went ring shopping. it was unfortunate to know that his fiance’s ring size was the same as you, so you helped him pick and size it. you remember not being able to take your eyes off of it as soon as he slipped it onto your finger. you felt chills as his skin touched yours, but now, it was reality; only not yours but hers. 

“do you, _____, take manjiro sano as your wedded husband, to cherish in love and in friendship, in sickness and in health, in success and in disappointment, to love him faithfully, today, tomorrow, and for as long as the two of you shall live?” the priest asked, and without hesitation⸻

“i do.” she said with the brightest smile, giving him the most lovesick eyes known to mankind. 

“do you, manjiro sano, take _____ as your wedded wife, to cherish in love and in friendship, in sickness and in health, in success and in disappointment, to love him faithfully, today, tomorrow, and for as long as the two of you shall live?” he now asked the groom, and to your surpise, mikey’s eyes were only focused on you. 

please, say no, mikey. say no! you’re mine and i’m yours, it always been like that. please, say no.

your mind screamed and your heart bled, hoping for some miracle to change the events to bring it in your favors. but to your disappointment, none of that happened. he gave you a small smile before glancing at his bride. 

“i do.” mikey said and the priest suddenly glanced at everyone in the room. 

“any objections?” he loudly asked, as a moment of silence fell in the whole room. 

me! i object. this wedding shouldn’t be happening, not even in a million years. that should be me in that dress and ring, not her. i don’t want to be the other woman.

“that’s a no then. i now pronounce you husband and wife. you may kiss the bride.” and with that being said, you averted your gaze to the bouquet of flowers as the crowd roared with cheers while they both kissed. 

a few tears slipped from your eyes but you managed to quickly wipe them away, praying that nobody saw them. to which nobody did, except for draken as the man look at you with nothing but an aching heart to see you this heartbroken. 

the after party was great, from the table of stories and lunch too. the cake was amazing as well, coming from the bakery that you and mikey often went to for study dates during your teen years. 

“y/n! there you are, i’ve been looking for you everywhere. i just wanted to come here and thank you again for helping out with everything. you’re amazing and i’m so happy to know someone like you.” mikey’s wife came to you and pulled you into a hug, as you pat her back. 

“of course, i wish you both the best of luck and a lot of happiness. treat him good, okay? he’s been through so much and he really deserves this. he’s a little childish and stubborn at times but he’s so sweet. he’s great and it breaks my heart to give him away but he’ll be okay. i know he will, he’s mikey after all.” you laughed, making her break into one as well. 

“mhm, you got it!” she smiled at you once more before being whisked away by another relative for pictures. 

“looks like you’re busy.” you heard a familiar voice behind you, turning around to see mikey grinning at you. 

“yup, busy practicing how to spend the rest of my life alone without my other half.” you teased, making him chuckle. 

“i suppose if you’re not too busy then you can spare some time to have a dance with me?” mikey wiggled his eyebrows, making your lips curl as you took his hand, being pulled away to the dance floor. 

you wrap your arms around his neck as his arms snake around your waist. you both sway to the song and it felt like once again everyone else was just a blur and you both were now back in your own world, just the two of you. 

“thank you, y/n. for everything, from beginning to end. i’ll never be able to repay you for everything that you’ve done for me. without you, i don’t think i’d even be standing here. you’re my one and only, forever and always; my other half.” he genuinely spoke, eyes glimmering with love and adoration, turning your brain into a bunch of mush and heart becoming all fuzzy. 

“you just got married, mikey, don’t make your wife turn against me by saying those kind of things.” you chuckled, making him crack a smile. 

“i mean it, you’re very special to me, y/n.” mikey said, tucking in a piece of hair behind your ear. you felt suffocated, feeling your airways and chest tightening. you couldn’t tell if it was from all that food you stress-ate or the feelings that threatened to pour out right this moment.

“can we go somewhere private, i gotta tell you something.” you urgently ushered him, as he quickly nodded his head before being dragged away to the groom’s room. 

you quickly closed the door behind you, locking it before turning to face him. mikey grew concerned at your behavior and silence as he constantly asked if you were okay.

“if someone were to ask me what would be the best and worst day of my life, i would tell them that it was the day that i met you.” you breathed out, making mikey tilt his head to the side in confusion. 

“huh?” he managed to say. 

“it was the day where i found someone that understood me as a person deep from within, knew my every thought and feeling before i even had to say it or act on it. i found my other half, the person that made me, well, me. the person whom i’ve grown to not be able to live without as well. which also brings it to why it’s my worst day as well.” you grew silent, words feeling too heavy to spew out as tears gathered in your eyes. 

“the person that i can’t live without, mikey.” you choked out, tears now streaming down your face as mikey’s eyes widened. 

“y/n, i don’t under-”

“i love you, okay! not as a friend, but as someone more. i wanted to be the person that you spend the rest of your life with.” you cried, making him gulp harshly. 

“i wanted to be your bride.” you sadly laughed, looking up at him with a tear-stained face as your mascara and eyeliner was now smudged. 

“oh my god, y/n.” he whispered, trying to pull you into a hug but you quickly stopped him. 

“don’t! if you hug me right now, i’ll break and won’t be able to stop myself. please, just hear me out. when we went ring shopping, i never wanted to take it off of my finger and it felt so nice when you put it on me. that night, i went home and couldn’t stop envisioning a future where it was us instead. i’ve loved you ever since we were kids, mikey.” you confessed, making him break into tears as he pulled you into a hug, unable to contain himself. 

“then why the hell didn’t you say anything before? you even had the chance to object when the priest said the vows. why didn’t you say anything!” he sobbed, his embrace tightening as if he never wanted to let you go. 

“because she’s good, mikey. you need a wife who’s sweet, tender, gentle and understanding. she’s perfect for you, mikey. you’ll be okay, i know you will.” you gave him a sad smile, holding his face as you looked deep into his eyes. 

“but you’re also-”

“no, mikey. you need someone who can cherish you and spend many more happy years to come. i can’t give you that.” you sniffled, making him furrow his eyebrows. 

“i don’t understand, what’s going on?” mikey panicked.

“i’m dying, mikey. that day that i met you, i was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor and it seems that i barely have a full month left to live. i was supposed to be long gone by last month but i guess i was lucky enough to see you get married.” you cried with a smile. 

“no, no, you’re lying to me. this can’t be! y/n, this isn’t time for jokes, please, i can’t lose you too. i’ll marry you, i’ll manage something, i promise. please, just don’t leave me.” he begged, holding onto you like you would disappear from his reach if he were to let go. 

“mikey, don’t make all of this go into vain. i worked so hard to come to terms with my feelings and get closure. which is why i waited until after the wedding to tell you because even if i do leave you, you’ll have her to be there with you. you need to live for me, and enjoy your life in happiness. okay?” you sobbed, trying to convince him but he kept shaking his head in denial. 

“no! please, y/n! i-i-”

“here, make sure to share with her, alright? don’t get too greedy.” you tried to joke to lighten the mood, as you opened his palm to give him the container of chocolate pudding. 

“y/n, please.” he cried, but you were stern with your decision. you felt yourself becoming light-headed and the familiar feeling of nausea. it almost felt like you were dying, ironically. 

“bye, mikey.” you gave him a soft kiss on his cheek before running out of the room. mikey yelled your name behind like a madman as he ran after you, but you were too ahead. the fresh air hit your skin, sending goosebumps everywhere and it felt like you could breathe again. 

you walked over to draken’s car and opened the door, sitting down as you were about to close the door. 

“i love you too, y/n! i always have and always will.” was the last thing you heard before slamming the door shut, breaking into tears. 

“start the car, ken.” you said in between your sobs, driving away from the church. 

“so, you gonna hide from him forever or what? you know, y/n, i never told you how much i love you. well, not like that. but, i’m grateful for having someone like you in my life. i’d do anything to make you smile, you’re the most selfless and kind person i’ve ever met. an angel is what you are.” draken rambled, making you softly chuckle.

“thanks ken, i love you too.” you tiredly slurred your words, draken glancing at you as he stopped at a light, a smile etching on his face.

“seems like you’re tired, let’s get takeout tonight and go to the movies with remi. you know, just like the old days. what do you say?” draken asked, only to be met with silence. he chuckled to himself as he decided to not bother you and let you sleep till you both got home. 

draken finished parking the car, calling your name a few times to try and wake you up, but you wouldn’t budge. 

“jeez, gonna make me carry your ass up those damn stairs.” he groaned while getting out of the car and opening the door to yours. 

“y/n-” he grew quiet, seeing your pale face made his blood run could. draken quickly bent down and put his ear on your heart, two fingers on your wrist. 

no beat, no pulse. 

“no, no⸻y/n, wake up! please, i need you to wake up!” draken cried, wrapping his arms around your cold and lifeless body to give you some of his warmth. 

but it was no use, you were already gone. 

[fantasy-relax]

Brain worms

Kidnap Bela and Cassandra so they and Dani could have a sister day.(Threaten to burn down the theater and the student council)

Tell Cassandra how a bitch she have been with her sisters.

Make Bela ditch her student council responsibilities. (kidnapping is in the table)

Did you broke into Cassandra room, drug her coffee, tied her up and trap her in a far away room?

Yes

You did something similar with Bela?

Also yes.

Now you have two pissed off girls with Amazonian genes looking at you with something that make your brain tickle.

Cassandra looked like she was thinking about stabbing you and watch your blood stain the floor.

Bela don't looked that mad but you have that feeling that if you got close enough she will tear out your throat with her teeth the tape in her mouth be damned.

So you keep distance.

"well I think you are curious about the reason that you are here, is pretty simple, I need a tiny Itty bitty favour from you two. Are you following me?"

They keep glaring at you.

"Great! I just need to make clear the consequences of denying or not doing it all. Nothing too big I'm just gonna burn down the theater and do the same thing with the student council room. Data, paperwork, costumes, scenarios everything to ashes"

Their eyes grow wide for moment and they glared you with more fury.

"Good with that out of the table, let's go to business. The thing I'm need from you is.....

You pause and slowly pick something from your back because you enjoy the drama and messing with them.

"TO HANG OUT WITH YOUR LITTLE SISTER, MISS DANIELA *SKATE ROAR* DIMITRESCU !"

You throw confetti at their shocked and confused face.

"go shopping, have dinner together, watch a movie, spa time whatever you want to do, I don't give a fuck just pass time with her"

They still looked very confused.

"So, Cass you have two weeks to clean your schedule and Bela you have three, I think that's enough time, fail to comply and well things will become difficult."

They were staring at you trying to make sense of your actions. You take Cassandra tape off.

"what the fuck do you think you are doing, look I have a lot of things to do so the show is perfect, so stop your stupid game-

"of course, Miss everything is about me is mad, what, cant live without people kissing your ass? Oh Cassandra you are so pretty so talented sleep with me ooh muack muack.

Did your sisters are so worthless, so pathetic that they don't deserve to shine in the stage of your life? Did they even have a role that have more that one line? Did you even care?.

If tomorrow you lost your voice, your beauty, everything who you think will be beside your hospital bed, ready to help, ready to give everything so you can get a little better, ready to sacrifice a piece of them to the devil for you to live? "

You put the tape back before she can answer you. You look at Bela.

"I don't think I need to say anything you are a very smart girl, you should know what you hadn't done. Because that's the thing miss president, of everything you had done what is what you haven't bother to do? Let me give you a clue: is not paperwork.

"Good Talk" you loosen the knot and start running away. You hear them struggling but you already are too far from them.

The next week is a game of where is wally, you disappeared. Your roommates said that you were dealing with some of family emergency and you will be back in less than a month.

The two weeks pass and half of the curtain in the theater had burned in a mysterious fire. The next day a quarter of the chairs are covered with gasoline and the costumes are missing, a broken clock is in Cassandra dressing room.

After nothing else is found she ask Dani to watch legally blonde with her, to relax she says.

They laugh, Daniela recalls the time that they will annoy everyone by repeating the lines of the movie.

"So you were in the shower"

"what? Is hard?"

How long have that been? Cassandra can't remember. She falls asleep, wake up scared and disoriented.

"Is okay Cass, I got you, I got you, I'm here with you"

The same words she had said the first time that her nightmares started. Daniela always insisted on having sleepovers because she don't wanted to leave her big sister alone. God, how long have been?

The next day the costumes are found in perfect condition, a cup of Cassandra favorite mix of coffee is there with a note: "Good job, little star"

She have movie nights every three days after that.

The three weeks passed, ashes is what rest of the paperwork in the council, the data in the computers are corrupted, a lot things have to be rewritten, firms and petitions have to be collected again, is hell for everyone.

A broken clock above the table is mocking Bela.

She ask Dani to have dinner with her.

"I just don't want to think about it right now" Is the answer that she gives to ease the worry of her little sister.

Daniela nods still worried, she takes a bites and she freezes, tears falls of her eyes. Bela look at her with light worry.

"are you okay?,is to spicy? Salty?"

Daniela laughs cleaning her tears and eating with joy "Is perfect! Is just have been years since I eat it! Yours have always been my favorite!"

Bela open her mouth to correct her, but Daniela is right, Is been years since Bela cooked for her, Is been years since she had cooked for Cassandra.

She had no heart but she swear that is breaking in her chest at this revelation.

The next day the paperwork is in the table, with hard drives full of the data lost. There is still work to do.

She delegates and go back to her room.

There is a book, some scented candles and a note: "I'm proud of you, pretty girl"

They have dinner every two days.

The month ends.

The three dimitrescus are discussing about what movie watch a new tradition for them.

The door opens and you appear, you smile at them, Daniela gets up of the couch hugging you and asking about your family.

"Things are better now, we drifted but we can always come back to open arms."

You look at the two girls in the couch, you don't know if they were grateful or angry, you don't care Daniela was happy and when she go back with them, they looked happy too.

The twenty four loops that take you to achieve it were worthy.

(Learning how to hack, schedules, patrons, take a lot of time, practice and patience, you may had burn down alcina art room to relax a couple of times)

You wish them happiness in this loop.

[strayflowersstarsandlove]

Unconditionally (hanjisung)

You climb out of your car with a flounder, the taxing 8 long hours of work catching up unto your body as you shakily put on foot in front of the other, little pieces of confetti and cookie crumbs suddenly falling to the ground like little reminders of what working with small children does to you: it leaves you in shambles, very colorful, sticky and happy shambles.

You loved working at a daycare, little hands reaching for you, brightly colored paint smudged fingerprints all over your clothes, the tiny tug at your jeans whenever a baby wanted to be picked up from the floor. The piercing headaches from all the crying and screaming. Yeah that was the best part for sure.

You ease the key in the door lock and step inside, immediately dropping your bag to the ground and shrugging your jacket off your shoulders as you walk over into the living room where you stop abruptly: all curled up on the couch, lips parted slightly in the cutest pout, messy dark hair all fluffy and rumpled, Jisung was sleeping peacefully, looking just like one of the babies you cared for today. Just a bit larger. But not even that much.

You quietly chastise yourself for leaving your bag in the hallway, for your phone would have come in so much handy right now, you have this urge to snap a pic of your cute boyfriend right now, it's almost too compelling. You grunt, completely giving into your silliest desire, and quietly walk back and fish your hands inside the mess that is your bag, pulling out the expected wallet and car keys and gums that have their usual home in there along with the odd business card you had no idea how it ended in there or the fuchsia pink lighter that you also have no idea why it's in there considering you don't smoke and none of your friends and loved ones do either.

At last, the cracked screen of your white iPhone pops out of the loose pocket that definitely needs to patch up, you open your camera and walk back into the living room and immediately snap a few pictures. Few pictures as in you circle around the couch to take photos from every possible angle and end up filling your camera roll with no less than 12 new additions.

Once you're satisfied with your photos you start to scroll through them, trying to pick one to set as your new home screen cause how could you not? You cover your mouth with your hand, trying to muffle the sound of your own giggling and that's when you see Jisung stirring in his spot, slowly blinking himself awake, looking like the sweetest most adorable creature you've ever seen: "hi sweetheart", you coo, your baby voice kicking in instantly as if you were still at the day care talking to actual babies and not your full grown adult of a boyfriend.

Jisung mumbles something incoherent, he rubs his lips together and sighs softly as he pouts again, his big brown eyes reduced to two little drowsy, shiny slits that cross a little as he still blinks so so slowly, the fluffy hair and chubby, rosy cheeks making him look ever so tiny and cute you want to cradle him and give him the biggest smooch.

"Hi", he greets you in his low, raspy, sleep ridden voice that contrasts strikingly with how tiny and vulnerable he looks at the moment, he spreads his legs and his arms out, silently inviting you to him and you waste no time, you trot to him happily, all the exhaustion from the day evaporating with your every step as your crawl over and lay right on top of him, nuzzling your head in the crook of his neck as his arms lace around you the minute you're touching him.

Now, is Jisung still sleepy as fuck and not fully able to form coherent thoughts yet? Yes. Is your body weight crushing down deliciously on him as his uncomfortable butt is stuck awkwardly on the seam in between the couch cushions? Also, yes. Is the waistband of his boxer becoming increasingly tighter with you inadvertently pressing down on him to the point where he is now getting a little too hard too fast? Absolutely. Will he do anything about it and make you move? Not in a million years. The man will literally die before he asks you to remove yourself from him.

"How was your day? You smell nice, you smell like flour and sugar", he asks quietly in your hair, placing fluttery kisses along your crown and your forehead, and you chuckle, squeezing him tighter in your embrace, positioning yourself with your ear over his steady heartbeat, "t'was good. Tiring but good. We made cookies today. I would have saved you some but when some of the dads came over to pick up their kids they polished the plates clean. Left no crumbs at all", you explain placidly, your body becoming progressively more pliable and warm as you sink into Jisung's chest and the familiar feel of his hands carding through your hair, his arms keeping a gentle but firm hold on you, his soft, buttery lips tracing invisible marks on your skin as he slowly makes his way down on your temples and your eyelids.

It feels so good. Too good, almost. To be held like that, to be cuddled so gently, it's like he slowly pouring himself out for you, emptying his honey filled heart for you so you can swim in his sweetness. "Did you have a long day? You were napping so well when I came in" you asks after a little while, propping yourself up just a little, resting your chin on top of your crossed arms displayed on his chest, poring into his pretty eyes as they become more and more awake and alert.

"Worked on a few new tracks, had two zoom meetings with the company, went back to the tracks, started writing another one, helped Changing hyung out of a writing rut, went and got groceries for Seungminnie and dropped them at his place, also retrieved new strings for his guitar since he's coming down with a bad cold and didn't feel like doing his own errands. I also briefly went shopping with Hyunjin hyung cause Jeongin dropped his ass last minute... ", he says quietly, trailing off in the end when he notices you're looking at him funny: " what? What did I say? ", he chuckles and you cup his smooth cheeks and brush them with your thumbs," you are so sweet Hannie. You cared for everyone but yourself today. Even now, I'm pretty sure you're cramping down there, and you still haven't told me to move".

Jisung shifts ever so slightly while still holding you in place, not letting you move a single inch out of his grasp as he grins at you, he loves how observant you are, loves how you pick up on every little thing about him, like how you sensed he was tired and had had a long day, how he still prioritized you being comfortable in his arms over anything else.

"No big deal. They're my brothers. And you're my baby, and my baby comes first", he declares, leaning in to kiss you slightly, "you always come first", he winks at you suggestively and you burst into giggles, burying your face in his chest abashedly as he laughs too at his own pun. Giggles rake through your bodies for a little while, the both of you so tired you end up in a chain reaction that makes you both laugh spontaneously just by looking at each other faces, and the lightness, the brightness of your laughs reverberates through your chests and you feel so happy. So in love.

It dawns on you then, settles in so stealthily yet so blatantly: you love this man unconditionally. You love this man so much you want to fill the rest of your life up with his laughter and his kisses and his colors. You want to make a life with him, in every sense.

"Jisung... I want a baby". It tumbles out of your lips so fast, so abruptly you don't even realise you said that until you see the shocked reflection of yourself into your boyfriend's eyes that seem to be just a second away from popping out of their sockets: "you... You want a baby? With me?", he speaks in tiny, his voice so high pitched, slightly quivering from the immense shock.

"Yeah... not-not right now. I mean... Sometimes in the near future? I don't know. I just know I want a a baby with you. I love you. I love you so much it's ridiculous. I think you are such a sweet, caring person, you are so sensitive and selfless. You love so intensely yet so softly all at once and you have this way of bringing everyone up when they need that the most even if it comes at your own expense, you spread so much lightness and joy and-and.. ", you bite down your lip out of nervousness, stumbling on your words as you feel your heart slowly but surely cracking up in your chest from all the emotion you're pouring out right now.

Jisung cups your cheeks, grinning so incredolously as he listens intently to every word you're saying, "and... I could probably spend the next three hours listing all the reasons why I love you and why I think you'd be a great father but point is: this is me telling you I'd love to start a family with you. Out of pure love. Some day. Whenever you're ready".

Jisungs snaps out of his trance like stare once you're done rambling and immediately crashes his lips to yours, kissing you like his whole life depends on it. Now he's fully awake and excited like you've never seen him before, "I love you. I love you I love you! You want a baby with me?!!", he keeps repeating in between kisses, his voice going squeakier and squeakier, as his hands squish your cheeks in the flurry of emotions currently pervading him, "oh my god you want a baby with me, you want my baby! My baby wants my baby!", he shouts excitedly and at this point you are laughing so much you're crying tears of joy.

"I'll give you all the babies. Give it a couple more years and I'll give you so many babies, so many babies we won't know where to fit them in hour home", he states, peppering your face with so many kisses you could pass out, even blowing raspberries on your neck and your collarbones, making you giggles so much your stomach hurts.

You both settle down after a little while, both of your heartbeats still running wildly in your chest as you can clearly tell by the fast beating underneath your palms when you rest your hands back down over your boyfriend's chest: Jisung looks so out of it right now. In the best way possible.

He holds you to his chest, breathing heavily, looking out into the nothingness and he mindlessly grins and kisses the top of your head, "you know... When I came home today i took these", you mumble, slowly reaching into your pocket to pull out your phone and show him the pics you snapped earlier, "I kept looking at you and thinking back about the children at my work and it didn't hit me then but the moment your held me like that and talked about your day and how caring you had been with the guys it just clicked. Like an epiphany. I look at those tiny babies and see how their dads interact with them everyday and I feel like I stored so many heartwarming moments inside my memories they all started to mesh into one another, like this sort of warm wave, sweeping me under, I just started thinking of you every time they resurface. I don't know if that makes sense".

Jisung tucks the hair behind your ears and looks at the photos first and then back at the happy look painted all over your face, his eyes a little shiny with withheld tears, "it makes perfect sense to me. You make perfect sense to me, I don't think I've ever told you but I've always wanted to come to work with you for a day. Sometimes I just picture you picking up a crying baby and gently patting their head and cradling them close to you and them calming down immediately, a bit like what you do with me when I get my monthly anxiety breakdowns".

He smiles fondly before continuing, his eyes getting lost and distant as he speaks, "and then I picture myself just laying down on the floor of their little playground and just letting them crawl all over me and play with my hair and holding them and giving them so many cuddles", he trails off quietly, his eyes beaming back down at you, "I want that with you. I always did. You have a way of nurturing those around you that is just so rare. Those kids are so lucky, I'm so lucky. I can't wait for you to be a mom, I can't wait to have a baby with you".

[detentiontrack]

In honor of the beast’s 3rd BIRTHDAY, here’s the top 15 CZ moments and behaviors since I found him (in no particular order) (and pictures at the end)

Ate a string, almost died, and needed a $5000 surgery with a 50/50 chance of survival that I’m still traumatized from and still paying off (he has tried to eat strings again multiple times and now strings and thread are banned from my house unless they’re locked up)

Learned how to take his cone off after his surgery and did it so much that I had to buy him an infant onesie of shame from the target baby section to keep him from ripping out his stitches

Was a homeless kitty for a year until we moved into a new house and he walked into our living room with zero hesitation and took a nap on our fireplace and was so cute he convinced my mom to let me keep him.

Got so cold in the winter he needed a little sweater, fought me like I was trying to kill him when I put the sweater on, realized he enjoyed the sweater and napped in it while purring, got warm enough and ripped the sweater off, and then got cold again and repeated the cycle constantly the entire winter

Hissed and tried to bite the man just trying to set up our WiFi and had to be physically restrained and banished to another room (BONUS: hates all men with a violent passion except for my brother, and I think CZ likes him more than me)

Scratched me so hard I have a permanent scar on my arm because I tried to take away his food bowl to wash it (I don’t do that anymore)

Was the reason slime got banned in my house (he was left unattended in the living room for less than 2 minutes while I went to the bathroom and rolled in it and had a bald spot on his back for a while from removing the slime)

Got mad at me because I worked a closing shift and was gone until 1am, so he retaliated by somehow opening my school binder and absolutely shredding 150+ pages of notes and assignments into confetti, scattering the little pieces of paper all over the room

Got mad when I went to Oregon for a week without him and retaliated with violence towards my mother. She picked him up and tried to move him to a different room, and he jumped onto her back, sunk all 4 claws into her back, and hung there for a WHILE (she had to sit down on the bathroom floor and wait for him to let go)

Gets stuck in bags every single time I bring a grocery bag into his evil lair (my room) because he tries to get inside the bag, but he’s too fat, so he gets stuck. And then becomes violent when I laugh at him and take pictures before freeing him.

Acts like a poor little baby kitty who is starving to death every time he finishes his food and I’m not there to immediately fill it back up. Proceeds to SCREAM and CRY at the top of his kitty lungs until someone saves him from his inevitable fate (dying of malnutrition)

Was a homeless cat with food scarcity the first year of his life, so if I wait too long to refill his bowl (like… if I’m out and no one else is home to hear his screaming and he goes without a full bowl of food for less than an hour) he’ll eat it all at once, and then throw up on my bed

I had to buy a home depot bucket with a lid to store his food in because when I just had the cat food bag with a clip holding it closed, one time while I was asleep (and he had a FULL bowl of food in his bowl may I add) he chewed a hole in the bag, scattered cat food everywhere, and ate so much that he (you guessed it) threw up on my bed

He psychologically tortures insects for his entertainment. Every time there’s a weird bug in my room, he can spend HOURS chasing it, hunting it, and then he lets it escape and run away a few feet, and then he hunts it again in a long drawn out hunt that always ends in him carrying the bug onto my bed and eating it loudly

One time my stepdad entered my room without permission and CZ jumped off the top of a bookcase onto his head.

[erstwhilesparrow]

god there are so many little bits of outsiders that make me want to chew glass. in an effort to exorcise some thoughts:

there's something really fantastically horrifying about how much visual and mental space the maze takes up for almost all of the server's run, contrasted with the fact that we learn in the owenge q&a that the maze is one of multiple scenarios, built by STARR for a handful of seasons and ultimately meaning nothing. all this about learning the maze, this structure that was the outsiders' whole world for what they believed to be years, and it was a set piece that might not ever be used again. i can't stop thinking about the fact that on the literal actual minecraft server, the maze was built floating in the sky, and like, yeah. it was for this one server and nothing else. i get why you'd build it like that, in terms of practical concerns, but god. to know that thing never even touched the 'actual' ground.

hey. cc!owen PLAYS A GOOD FUCKING HEEL. oh my god he's good at playing the bad guy. this is not like thoughtful analysis at all but being able to hear so clearly the shift in tone when he goes into hunting mode, the willingness to just let things sit in silence, the way he completely sells a character's absolute conviction. the way when he has a knife in his mostly-empty hotbar during Spill Your Guts the distance between the currently selected slot and the knife right next to it feels like a tangible weight somehow!

speaking of which. please tell me the berries in his hotbar during his demon killing spree aren't raspberries. i can't actually identify them because i'm not familiar with the mod but i think if they're raspberries i would simply explode into a million bits of confetti.

hey remember how there was a giant underground reservoir beneath the clearing containing the skeleton of some enormous creature? was that fucked up or what.

hey also remember how one of the last written records left by the people who died in the frozen clearing was about how at least their friends got to die peacefully, in their sleep? remember how the maze was full of notes scribbled on pieces of paper and scrawled in blood on the walls trying to warn them, begging them to get out, hoping against hope that their last words might mean something? remember how mohwee's last words to the outsiders were take care of each other? they tried so hard to look out for each other, and whether they ever did it especially well is an open question but MAN. you can't say they didn't try.

even after deciding apo can rot down in the prison, owen still says, "the next time i see him is when i go shackle his hands together, and drag him through that maze to get him out." in the wake of the [don't dirty my name again] conversation, owen promises rasbi, "we came up together, we're gonna get out of here together." even with his faith in -- and i think i will argue that this is accurate phrasing -- the world shattered, owen has no concept of actually leaving either of them behind. he can't even imagine it. ;-; .

i don't know what the event is called in canon so i'm going to refer to it as [the clearing event with the scuffed mcc energy], the one where acho drowns, and it delights me that the nature of the medium is such that sometimes when owen says something, it becomes true because he said it. (i mean, this is true for all of them, but i say owen because he's the one i watched and he has an interesting degree of narrative control by virtue of having such a comprehensive pov.) acho didn't die in a way that minecraft the game would necessarily call a death, i'm not convinced what happened to him was distinguishable from what the characters call being 'downed' in the maze, but because owen said it, on some level, yeah, acho did die in there. isn't it so fun how you can kill someone by saying they died? reach back through linear time and make true what wasn't before? and i think about this and i think about how often owen declared apo dead, and how it makes apo not just a ghost but a sort of schrodinger's cat. apo is alive except no he isn't except yes he is. reality is so frighteningly malleable in mcrp.

[honoratacarnage]

Heya! so this is a introduction to the cause of my brainworms since last semester. Everyone, i want y'all to meet the Pallace!

The Pallace are the apex sentient species of their homeworld. Before evolving society and such, their ancestors occupied the same role there as pigs do on Earth. As you can see, evolution kinda folded them like a pretzel, putting their hind limbs up like that, apparently their even older ancestors developed this trait before even becoming fully terrestrial.

Very social creatures, they live and die inside in their herds, finding strength and peace of mind in numbers. The reason their name isn't pluralized is that every individual is a key piece to the greater good of the herd, just like every little brick is necessary to form a splendorous pallace.

Inside the Pallace race, there's two (2) main types of Pallace, the Tiles and the Pillars. The Tiles are the most numerous and therefore, the average Pallace, 75% of the population being a Tile. They are divided into male and female (and all the intersex in between).

The Pillars are a curious hormonal phenomena that happens on the Pallace and their genetic cousins inside their genus. The Pillars present themselves as average Tiles until they are stimulated by sources of immense stress, which then makes a secondary set of hormones different from fhe sexual hormones that "prepares" the Pillar to deal with the stress that affects them and their herd. These hormones cause chages in the musculature, in their height, and in the length of their scales. They also happen in male, female and intersex. The Pillars are actually a spectrum, where different Pallace develop different sets of characteristics, these identities will be addressed in another post.

They live in various parts of their planets, from deserts to swamps to taigas, although they will always prefer warmer places over cold ones. Their diets differ vased in where they live, although plant matter is always prefered i any location.

Pallace have a wide array of colors and have a few morphs, making them a true confetti bowl! The diagram below shows different morphs, how their coloring works and their array of eue colors.

Pallace herds are very active and are o the mo e year round. This affects the design and infrastructure of their cities, in where certain areas are separated by districts that are occupied by the citizens one season at the time. Not every single Pallace moves during seasonal heard migrations, as some have to stay behind and ensure that their part of the city is running smoothly for when the herd comes back.

and there you have it! an introduction to my lovely pretzel aliens! i will be giving more info on the go and my ask box is always open if you have a question about them or suggestion for world-building!

tell me what y'all think!

------------

tagging my friends @darkmoon-dolt @givemeuniversalcrossovers @morningmask27 because i know y'all like this stuff

[countrymusiclover]

23 - Creating Dr. Tire

Part 24

The Texas Tire Family

Tags just ask - @supernaturalgirl31 @bvbwestfall @bubble-blu @patriciaplictisita @liesanddreams @bethanymccauley

5 years after George Sr.'s death

Shutting the back door with my foot I saw that Georgie and our daughters were playing with the tire swing that we had set up in the backyard. He pushed Eve gently where she squealed. "Hi mommy!"

"Hi baby. Georgie, can we talk for a second?" Waving to her I smiled gesturing for Georgia to follow me so we could talk away from them.

He nodded looking at Aurora standing beside him. "Rora, take over for a second. What's up?" He asked me to walk away from our daughters.

Unfolding the paper in my hands I couldn’t stop grinning ear to ear handing it to him. "That's our first monthly check, Georgie. From Mandy's dad's store that he let us take over."

"Dang…That's more money than I ever thought we'd get." He gasped reading over the large amount of money that he had given us to start up our own business since he was retiring soon. So we basically owned the profit of his tire store now.

Throwing my arms around his neck I squealed where he wrapped his arms around my waist spinning me around I'm small circles. "I can't believe it, Georgie!"

"We're gonna be rich." He chuckles, finally sitting me down on my feet gently putting his hands on my hips. "Girls, go get dressed up. We're going out to eat tonight!"

Mandy's dad had been giving him tips on how to run a business specially for tires since he was better at it than anything. Her dad had turned over the rights to him so we were running the business. Shrugging on a Jean jacket I had on a bright blue dress and my cowgirl boots leaving my hair loose. Waiting in the living room I watched our daughters come down. “There’s my girls. Just waiting on your father.”

“How is this, mom?” Evelyn came down the stairs wearing a green dress with some boots and her hair was up in a ponytail.

Aurora was behind her wearing a flannel over an orange dress and some boots with her hair off to the side braided. “I’m surprised we’re waiting on dad. Half the time it is us who are always not ready.”

“Somebody has to pay for tonight’s dinner, remember. So I put up some of the money and the rest is for this meal.” Georgie finally entered the room where I saw he shrugs on his Jean jacket but he had done his hair so it wasn’t a crazy mess.

We drove a little ways outside of town ending up at Red Lobster. Georgie carried Evelyn in his arms and Aurora was walking beside me when we got to the host stand. “Table for four please.” The waiter led us to a table pulling out Aurora’s chair since Georgie had his hands full.

Aurora picked up her menu pointing to some crabs legs excited. “Could we get some of those, mom?”

“Yes we’ll get an order and some steak too.” I replied with Georgie telling the waiter our orders leaveing us alone to talk.

Evelyn leaned forward on the table asking. “Are…we…rich now?”

Georgie and I just started laughing at her question but from how much money and hours we had put in to support them and ourselves. We had come a long way from two teenagers who got pregnant. “If everything goes right with us owning the store now. Yes we should become very rich.”

“Can you get us a pony?” Aurora asked, bouncing in her chair seeing the food coming out. The waiter sat Steak down in front of me and Georgie then he had split up the lobster into two separate plates for our daughters.

Cutting a piece of my steak and eating it, I shook my head. “Maybe if you’re really good since Santa is watching.”

Evelyn put a bite of lobster meat into her mouth almost talking with her mouth full. “Aunt Missy has goood tastes.”

“You can call her later and tell her exactly that.” Georgie said, putting a piece of meat into his mouth glancing in my direction. “So I thought we could get the keys from Mr. McAllister and check out the store before we open it at the end of the week. What do ya think?”

Snapping one of the crab legs and taking out some meat. I dunked it in some butter, sending him a smile, enjoying that we could actually go out like this for once. “Sure I don’t see a problem with that. But we need to figure out what we are going to name the stores.”

“Uncle Sheldon’s a doctor ain’t he. Why not Dr. Texas?” Aurora suggests sipping from her drink.

Tapping my chin I wasn’t so sure. “We’re trying to sell tires, honey.”

“Star Tires or Cooper’s Amazing Tires” Eve said entering the conversation.

Georgie hit his fist lightly on the table. “I’ve got it. What if we call it Dr. Tire?” Aurora and Eve held their hands up and he gave them each a high five before we finished our meal driving to the store.

Closing my truck door I held open the door for the girls and Georgie let me go in front of him. “Hi there, Mr. McAllister. We thought we’d come out the store you're switching over to us.” Georgie waved at the bald man who was standing behind the counter.

“It’s good to see you again, Coopers. Y/n Mandy says you’re a good friend to her and your kids are a blast to babysit.” Mandy’s father said with a bright smile.

Nodding my head at him I agreed with her. Mandy had come back to the small town and became the local weather girl. She had become a close friend of mine when I couldn’t remember loving Georgie years ago. “We’ll tell her these two love spending time with her.” Ruffing both my daughters' hair they sent him big smiles.

“Yeah I will. Hey, maybe we could have you over for dinner sometime.” Jim suggested reaching into his jacket, pulling out the store keys and handing them to Georgie.

He nodded, taking the keys from his hands. “That’d be great. Mr. McAllister.”

“I bet you two will do just fine in the tire business. Plus I heard around that you’re good at finding almost invisible leeks. That’s rather impressive.” Jim said back towards the older Cooper boy. I smiled, intertwining my freehand with his.

A few weeks later

Sitting at the kitchen table I stirred the liquid in my coffee cup trying to wake up before work this morning. Running a hand through my hair I heard footsteps coming into the kitchen. "Mornin' honey. Hey I talked with Mandy when she came by the new store and she suggested that we should go out tonight. There's apparently this festival tonight a little ways out of town."

"Ohh that's great. Did she know if the girls could come?" Lifting my head up I smiled while drinking some of my coffee.

He sat down across from me. "Yep. They get in free actually so we'd only have to pay for two."

"That's great I'll go tell the kids." Getting up from the table I kissed him lightly before we headed to work for the day. Once we were done and the kids were done with school we drove out there. Getting out of the truck I noticed Mandy instantly where I embraced her in a hug. "Hey Mandy, thanks for the invite."

"Of course. I figured you and Georgie deserve a night off. Especially when the kids can go play and dance without you worrying about them.” The blonde girl smiled, breaking the hug I pulled her in to mirror the same excitement that I had on my face.

Georgie handed Aurora and Evelyn some money. He watched them run off before I heard a song that someone was playing through the speakers. “I love this song. Let’s go, Georgie!” Grabbing his hands in mine I dragged him toward the dance floor with Mandy following after us. Everyone was on the dance floor where he kept our hands together smiling down at me and the music that was playing.

🎵🎵

There we were

In the back of that old Z-71

The road was dirt

A couple kids waitin'on the sun

Cherry red

Baby I still recall the taste

We were a few beers shy of freedom

I had my hands around your waist

You said, "Babe, I'm gettin' cold"

I said, "Climb on in my jacket"

You already know

Like my heart, you can have it

Ooh, I don't remember what the radio was playin'

I was hangin' like the moon on all the words your lips were sayin'

All I know is there was magic in that Chevy

Baby, you were glowin', God was throwin'

Stars like confetti, ah

Stars like confetti, ah

Yeah, rusted truck, dusted-up boots

And high on a perfume buzz

That see-forever sky wasn't near as high as us

Yeah, our hearts were beatin' faster

Than a runaway midnight train

We couldn't say forever

But we said it anyway

Baby, hold me tight and never let me go

Look up at the sky, Heaven's puttin' on a show

I don't remember what the radio was playin'

I was hangin' like the moon on all the words your lips were sayin'

All I know is there was magic in that Chevy

Baby, you were glowin', God was throwin'

Stars like confetti, ah

We made a wish on everyone, ah

We held on 'til it was done, woah

I don't remember what the radio was playin'

I was hangin' like the moon on all the words you're sayin'

All I know is there was magic in that Chevy

Baby, you were glowin', God was throwin'

Stars like confetti, ah

Stars like confetti, ah

I don't remember what the radio was playin'

I was hangin' like the moon on all the words your lips were sayin'

All I know is there was magic in that Chevy

Baby, you were glowin', God was throwin'

Stars like confetti, ah

We made a wish on everyone, ah

Yeah, we held on 'til it was done, woah

Stars like confetti, ah

🎵🎵

Georgie smirked down at me before he spun me out and back into his chest. Mandy was throwing her arms around in the air, not a care in the world. Aurora and Evelyn ran over to us and they started dancing to the song too with us. “Why didn’t we become friends with Mandy before this moment, darlin’?”

“Maybe because she was 29 when we were 17 if you forgot.” I teased him before I attempted to spin him out away from me. Yet his long legs trip over my shoe where I wrapped my arms around his waist so he didn’t hit the dirt.

Georgie grinned up at me gently holding onto my forearms until he got back upright to his feet. He tugged me against his chest, kissing me gently. “Yeah you’re probably right. One thing I don’t have to question is that I love you.”

“I love you more than I ever thought I would anyone.” I declared draping my arms over his shoulders rising up on my toes giving him a long evening kiss. At this point our lives and the tire business seemed like an awesome success.

Comments really appreciated ❤️

[doorrobloxstuff]

Rush rambles for atleast 5 minutes about… stuff + headcanons

Tw//gore..lots of it..the usual. Honestly I might stop adding trigger warnings for gore because this is a horror game guys what did you expect? Confetti?? Death death blood gore mutilation.

If you don’t like soup. Don’t shop at the soup store.

—

When reading about figure/seek/any other entity. Especially in AMB or any x reader fics I produce

it’s always good to assume that they’ve recently eaten.

Because otherwise they’re going to be a little grumpy at best or MURDEROUSLY RAVENOUS LITERALLY MINDLESS MONSTER.

A human Y/N can go from “the exception” to “victim” in seconds and it wouldn’t even be the entities fault and definitely not Y/N’s.

Usually Seek and Figure have little pockets of corpses scattered or saved in either drywall or nasty gigantic globs of goo.

That’s why Rueben can casually walk up to figure and not get his head ripped off and why he went out to shoot a wild hog later. Figure is clearly hungry based on that fact it killed something.

So it isn’t usually a problem if they went for a few months without catching something.

But for entities who kill and eat their prey on the spot (think: Rush, Ambush and occasionally Halt.) they have it much more harder gauge

“how hungry are you?” Human Y/N’s may be in significant levels of danger there if the entity doesn’t say “mm..I’m getting hungry dear..you might want to stay away until I’m able to nab a kill..”

This is also why Seek (and a few other entities) will not make a relationship a longterm one with a human unless said human eventually plans to become an entity. Which IS possible according to my awesome and cool and very epic headcanon. 😎😎😎

From a distance I like to think that if Rush REALLY wants to kill someone, (super duper hungry starving desperate kinda hungry..)

- it simply stops making noise and sneaks up and simply slams its teeth into someone or opens its mouth wide enough to cover an enterance way and simply allows someone to step in.

Or even FUNNIER it opens up like a bear trap and lets someone who’s not paying attention in a dark room. I like to think that the reason why Rush + Ambush eat so well is because of the snare rooms.

Snare is quite little. Be it because it’s a juvenile entity (if you believe in my silly little headcanon that it’s the child of Figure/seek) or because it’s naturally small.. cannot kill quite well nor can it tear killed prey to pieces like the others can.

But in its little head RUSH can. Rush can do many things…so maybe RUSH can help it catch food!

Now here comes Rush, struggling to catch prey. And ‘oh boy! Convenient little plant just so happens to catch people and animals in it’s spines! It cannot kill someone, but I CAN!!’

So together Snare catches the prey, and Rush tears it to bits and together they share the spoils 45/65 because snare is very small and doesn’t need that much while Rush needs a lot. Depends on the human/animal they catch.

I like to imagine their conversation went something like this:

Rush: ‘RUAAHAHAHAHAFAGSHDHSHHAGWYAUAYAUAUAGDHDHWEEEEECH’

Snare: *agreeable plant noise.*

Both:

And thus an unbroken alliance was formed. A boundless friendship between the two.

[louisupdates]

Louis Tomlinson brings Faith In The Future tour to Oregon!

Louis Tomlinson - June 27th, 2023 - Mcmenamins Edgefield , Troutdale, OR

British musician Louis Tomlinson recently brought his Faith in The Future tour to one of Oregon’s most spectacular outdoor concert venues at the McMenamins Edgefield. The concert grounds were located on the field of their 74 acre property that can seat up to 7,000 concertgoers per show. One thing I always enjoy about Louis Tomlinson gigs are that the openers are always amazing - at our show we got to see incredible opening performance from Andrew Cushin and The Snuts.

First to perform was Andrew Cushin with just his guitar and a keyboardist. Cushin had freshly released his song “It’s Coming Round Again” just two hours before taking the stage, which had him pretty animated through out his entire set. Many fans showed up early and braved the harsh sunlight during his set which goes to show how good of a performance he puts on.

After a short change over, The Snuts took the stage. The four-piece Scottish band has a classic indie rock sound that you’ll be a fan of if you like artists such as The Wombats, The Kooks, and Catfish & The Bottlemen. I’m certain many concert goers who went into the show knowing nothing about The Snuts left as brand new fans - people were singing along to their songs like “Always” and “Hallelujah Moment” and dancing along even when they didn’t know the lyrics.

Anticipation was high as Louis Tomlinson took the stage right as the golden sun rays peeked through the trees. Adorned with a pair of Ray-Bans and a bright yellow Jamaican football jersey, the screams were at an all time high. He opened the show with “The Greatest,” which also happens to be the opening song of his second studio album Faith In The Future that was released in 2022.

You can tell how much thought Louis and his team put into making sure this tour would be one the crowds will remember for a lifetime. The production was a huge step up from his previous tour, with LED screens hanging from the ceiling of the stage and pyro that went off a handful of times. It was fun to sit back and watch the show - there wasn’t a bad seat in the venue. Throughout the night Tomlinson took time to sign fans’ signs when he found them funny, and would occasionally flip fans off which has become more of an inside joke with fans that he’s done throughout his career.

Alongside his impressive touring band, the 31-year-old singer-songwriter performed a total of 23 songs, mostly from his first studio album Walls and his most recent album Faith In The Future (even performing some of the songs from the bonus version of the album that was released this year). But Tomlinson didn’t stop there - we also got to hear a couple of One Direction songs and the cherry on top was his cover of Arctic Monkeys’ song “505.” I personally would love to see him explore the Rock/British Rock genre a little deeper, as it suits his voice so well and you can tell he is heavily inspired by bands within this scene. One of my favorite aspects of Louis Tomlinson concerts is that they feel curated by Tomlinson himself - the pre-show playlists, the openers, the production, and even the merch. It’s truly been a pleasure getting to witness Tomlinson’s musical growth and creativity since the disbanding of One Direction.

The night ended with Tomlinson’s final encore song of the night, “Silver Tongues,” where the singer made his way down to the barricade to interact with fans as red streaming confetti into the crowd further back. This moment surely left the show on a high note.

Louis Tomlinson will be touring through North America til July, then will be heading back overseas to finish up the world tour in Europe and United Kingdom. You can find out if a show is coming near you on his site here.

Photos by Sarina Solem

Photos part 2

[all-about-the-tea-parties]

Stories where good people suffer are necessary, not just enjoyable. They are needed, for the sake of those who suffer like them.

Yes. It’s sad that Ylfa does not get saved by the wolf. Instead she goes the harder route, is consumed by the wolf, changed by the wolf, becomes the wolf. It’s terribly sad she didn’t get the ending the other hers got.

But what about all the little girls just like Ylfa? All the little girls who didn’t get saved. Who’s family didn’t protect them.

I’m sure they would be comforted by the happy ending, the neat ending of Little Red. But would they be seen? Has Ylfa reached out most to the beautiful people, untouched and perfect, or did she leap to befriend the girl with a spider head?

Ylfa does not have a happy story. That doesn’t mean it won’t become it. Ylfa’s still here. Ylfa’s not over.

Suffering doesn’t make joy better. But suffering exists. Every child deserves a story where they can see themselves.

I keep thinking of the Haunting of Hill House, and how a ghost is a wish, and how people are just stories, and houses have bodies, and Liv saying “nothing bad will ever touch them here” and Hugh responding “nothing good will either” and Nellie saying “our lives fall around us like rain” and compared the house that was the seat of their trauma to a stomach and how she said “I learned a secret, I am not gone” and “I loved you completely, and you loved me the same, that’s all. The rest is confetti” and how the whole story was out of order, piece by piece filling in the gaps, and the suffering wasn’t necessary, wasn’t needed, wasn’t character building, but it happened and since it’s happened it deserves to be seen; how Hugh said “Be kind. More than anything, be kind” and Liv said “every house has a heart, the kitchen is ours. It’s where we spend the most time together” and Steve said “i want to come home” and Shirley said “I’m jumping and I’m asking you to hold me” and Theo said “people fuck up, and you don’t get that, you don’t really get that, until you fuck up” and Luke said “I was born 90 seconds before Nell but she’s always been my big sister” and how Nell said “this tent is special. It makes us indivisible” and how we are just the stories we tell ourselves at night and houses are haunted because people haunt them but god damn that reckless abandon to rush right into a horror story after someone you love didn’t come from the suffering; it was there before the suffering, that seed was tended to early, and grew fast inside that kitchen, it ate long before it was eaten, and it endured, and persevered, and looked right into the face of an Eldritch horror because it was already strong and that is why it is ok that Ylfa’s story is sad now, because it’s a horror, a ghost story, and all ghost stories are love stories and Little Red will always be the girl who wanders just like she will always be the girl who lives to tell the tale. She was a wolf before she ever met one. and it’s over, and it’s not, and it will be the story so long as it’s the story Ylfa tells herself it is.

I’m thinking of that video essay about what forests represent, and how one of two things will always happen. Either you go in and don’t come out, or you go in and come out permanently changed. How Ylfa, no matter what, always comes out of the forest.

[watsonjackpot]

May walked over to the couch and plopped herself beside her mother. It had certainly been both a day and a night, but still enjoyable for the other, she hoped. “ Were the confetti cannons too much ? ” The query was posed after a beat of five seconds. Her head turned to look over at her mother. There were sparse multicolored pieces of paper still in May's short hair ... A nowhere near artistic indication of her little sister's partial noncompliance in assisting with the cleanup. It was what she got for giving in to Annie's dayslong pestering. The idea of the cannons ? Totally, undeniably the menace's and the menace's alone. // post-birthday party scenario me thinks? //

+ It had been both an EXCITING day and an EXHAUSTING one all wrapped up into one . The older she had gotten, the more that Mary Jane had become convinced that there was some MERIT to the idea of taking a day all to herself . When she'd been YOUNGER , the thought of getting to THIS point in life and being where she was had been all but a FUNNY JOKE . Life had been a party , and she had been the STAR ; never burning out of energy and always EAGER to find where the next get-together would be . If someone had told her that THIS is where she would end up ? MJ already KNEW the answer that her younger self would have given .

Which made just ENJOYING a day at home with the love of her life and her CHILDREN all the more SWEET .

" Considering how I used to FANTASIZE about having your FATHER jump out of a cake for me ? No, I think they were just right. " She responded with a warm, LOVING smile . Wrapping an arm around her oldest daughter , Mary Jane leaned in and pressed an equally LOVING kiss to Mayday's head. " Although I think all the excitement wore your sister and your brother completely out. "

Sure enough, Annie and Benjy were both seemingly PASSED out on the couch, snoozing away with the former still wearing a pointed BIRTHDAY hat .

@spdrlegacy

[monsterrae1]

Seven Sentence Sunday

Thank you for the tags to all these lovely people: @rogerzsteven @shortsighted-owl @spotsandsocks @lostinabuddiehaze @spaceprincessem @elvensorceress <3

Here's a little more (way more than seven sentences) from the Savior Child fic, i haven't have as much free time as i usually did this week, but I'm hoping to get back to it soon:

The third profile was the one. Buck knew it right away, his feed was full of posts shared by or tagged by Margaret Buckley, and all of them had been liked by Phillip Buckley. Buck wasn't sure what he really went looking for into his brother profile, anything beyond reassurance, but seeing his parents for the first time in years wasn't it. 

He clicked in the photos and spend some time there. Going over his profile pictures and trying to piece together a timeline of his life. Daniel hadn't had a Facebook profile when he was a teen and still living with their parents, but he made one in his early 20's. His first post was him graduating College, wearing his graduation grown, and holding his diploma proudly in between his hands, each of his parents standing by his side. 

Their parents looked happy, proud of Daniel accomplishments, and the comment section was filled with encouraging words from their mother, about how proud she was of how far they've come, and how much he had accomplished, how proud she was of how he was a fighter who kept fighting no matter what, even when thing got tough and people walked away. 

Tears gathered in Buck's eyes, and he clicked away from that photo. Following into the next only gave him the same thing, Daniel getting his masters and his parents proud of him, and then him traveling all over the world, getting his first job, getting married, having kids. Over and over, Buck was watching the life of a man who had been loved and whose path had been accompanied by two loving parents. Part of him was mad that he and Maddie didn't get that, but he knew it wasn't fair, Daniel hadn't asked his parents to be like that, he hadn't asked to be sick as a child and become the center of their lives; if he was going to get angry at anyone, it should be at his parents, who constantly chose Daniel over them, who constantly pushed Maddie and Buck out, and that once that Buck had been granted his emancipation, they had shunned them out and pretended they didn't have any more kids. 

Daniel was everything to them back then, and judging by his Facebook profile, he still was. 

Tagging if they still haven't done this and want to do it:

@peaceofficerdiaz @loveyourownsmiilee @jacksadventuresinwriting @bekkachaos @the-likesofus @ajunerose @imeasyeitherway @jobairdxx @blaidddrwg1982 @swiftiediaz @prettyboybuckley @buddierights @daughterofbuddie @eddiediazisascorpio @dickley-buddie @eddiesbleps @confetti-cupcake @fatedbuck

[thedummysdummy]

Taking It Up a Notch

She glanced at her phone, reading the confirmation for what had to be the fifteenth time. "I put the spare key in your bag while you were in the meeting with Boss this morning. And I've made sure his schedule is full until 6pm. Everything is set." 

"Thanks, Goldman. You're the best wingman a girl could ask for. ;)" she typed out, tapping send and digging through her bag for the key to Victor's car. 

It was a plan weeks in the making. After so many birthdays together, decorating the house had become…well, stale. Predictable. Still tradition, but it wasn't enough anymore. She came up victoriously with the small piece of metal and slipped it into her pocket. 

Her heart soared, feeling light with joy. Victor would never expect this! She snapped her purse closed and set it on the dining table, pausing as the vibration of the phone inside buzzed loudly against the wood. The girl pounced on the bag, snatching out the phone and turning the screen on in one smooth motion. 

But it wasn't Goldman. Victor's name filled her screen. "Oh hey Mr. CEO. How can I assist you?" the girl answered in her very most innocent voice. 

"Don't make too much of a mess this year, dummy." Victor's deep voice filled her ear and a broad grin spread across her face. "I'm sure you're already standing in my living room with bags of nonsense." The grin faltered just slightly, but she comforted herself with the knowledge that he'd never guess the other half of her plan. 

"I have meetings all day! We talked about it this morning. Is the boss starting to lose his memory?" 

Victor chuckled on the other end of the phone and she could picture him shaking his head with that helpless half-grin on his handsome face. "You are the worst liar I've ever met. We both know that a certain dummy is incapable of leaving my house alone on my birthday. The only meetings you have are with streamers and balloons." He chuckled again and the sound of typing filled the spaces between his words. "Just don't spread glitter or confetti all over, fair? Unless you want to clean it all up on your own."

"Fair enough. But in exchange, you can't work late, you hear me? I'll be incredibly disappointed if you make us late to dinner." With the phone pressed between her ear and her shoulder, the girl pulled bags of decorations out from beneath the couch and started to sort through them. "Gotta go or I'll be late for my meetings. Those balloons and streamers are sticklers for being on time, you know. I love you." 

A long sigh answered her. "I love you, too. And I won't be late if I can help it. I won't make any promises I can't keep, though. I'll call you when I'm getting in the car, fair enough? Goodbye." 

She pouted, but set the phone down on the table and sorted through this year's decorations. Streamers, banners, balloons, ribbons, check. The roses should be delivered in…she glanced at the clock…half an hour. Then it was just a matter of getting everything set, getting to LFG, and enacting "Birthday Mission Operation B." 

The bags of confetti…well, they would have to be used elsewhere, she supposed. That Victor! He always seemed to know everything. What did he do, find the decorations under the couch and look through them? He probably did, the coquettish little imp! Probably grinned the entire time, too. 

Flowers arrived exactly when expected, dozens of peach roses and magnolias to round out the decor and fill the house with their sweet scent. And rose petals didn't count as confetti or glitter, right? They better not, because she sprinkled them literally over his bedspread and in a trail leading to the bathtub where she dumped the rest for later. 

Unlit candles in the proper places rounded out this year's spectacle. The house glittered with crystals catching the light, pleased the ear with a soft soundtrack, and tickled the nose with sweet fragrance. The girl nodded with the smile crinkling the corners of her eyes. "Alright, Mr. Victor. Let's see you guess the rest!" 

~~~

Goldman flitted around the office, doing his very best to act natural. Which, of course, meant he was utterly suspicious. Between every meeting, Victor smirked at his assistant just to see him squirm. Around 4:30, the second to last meeting ended and he called Goldman to his office. 

The assistant arrived with a stack of papers and a guilty look on his face. “You needed me, Boss?” he asked, shifting the papers slightly to rest against his hip. “I’ve nearly finished recording these reports, and Mr. Baldwin is waiting downstairs for your final meeting. Did you want me to tell him you’re ready?”

“That will be fine. But first, I want you to tell me why you’ve been skulking around all day like you’re hiding something. What are you and the girl up to?” 

“Nothing!” Goldman insisted, the word bursting from his lips the same time Victor finished his sentence. “I’m not up to anything! I swear! Just…uh…you know, keeping my promise to get you out of here on time. She made me swear I’d escort you out of the building if I had to.” He ran his fingers nervously through his fluffy brown hair, finding it difficult to look directly in his boss’s dark eyes. 

Victor looked at him suspiciously, eyes narrowed but glittering with amusement. “Very well. Send up Mr. Baldwin. It wouldn’t do to keep her waiting to show me whatever ‘surprise’ she has planned this year.” He shooed Goldman out of the office and returned to his computer, the sound of the keyboard soon accompanying the ticking of his clock yet again. 

Thirty minutes into the meeting with Mr. Baldwin, Victor remembered why he usually had Goldman schedule the man in the morning with other meetings directly after. He’d brought with him a fifteen page report, of which he’d managed to get through two. Without the pressure of knowing that the CEO had other obligations, he seemingly felt no pressure to fit within his assigned time slot. 

Five-thirty came and went, six crept by, and by nearly seven they had reached the final page. “Thank you for your presentation, Mr. Baldwin. If you would leave that on the desk, I will go over it tomorrow. I happen to be nearly an hour late to meet with another person.” Victor stood and shook Mr. Baldwin’s hand, the plump man apologizing repeatedly for not realizing Victor had plans that evening. The CEO surely had changed in the last few years…

Goldman stood outside the office as the door finally opened, his face awash with relief. Despite never getting the angry texts he so fully expected, the guilt of breaking his promise of getting Victor out the door on time was eating him up. Victor chuckled and gestured toward the elevator. “Come on, let’s see what the girl has done to my house this year, shall we? I’m sure she’s quite distraught already that I’m an hour late.” 

“You go on ahead, Boss. I forgot to grab my keys from my desk. I’ll catch up!” Goldman disappeared into his office and Victor carried on, a laugh rumbling lowly in his chest. He stepped into the elevator and pulled out his phone, leaning lightly against the wall as he pulled out his phone and dialed her number. 

“Hi, I can’t answer the phone right now. Leave me a message, please!” 

The familiar voicemail played in his ear and he sighed. Was she ignoring him out of annoyance that he was late? Or had she gotten so wrapped up in her preparations that she lost her phone again? Either was possible, truly. The only way to find out was to go home, so he stepped out of the elevator into the underground parking. Noticing that it was overly hot, he made a note to have maintenance check the heating system tomorrow. 

His car was, unsurprisingly, the only one left in the lot. It was in the back corner, where the light above had gone out. Yet another note for maintenance, he supposed. As he approached, Victor couldn’t help noticing something strange about the windows. He saw…multicolored shapes inside? About five feet away he realized what it was: his entire car was filled with balloons. Back seat? All the way to the ceiling. Passenger side? Same story. 

He wasn’t sure whether to laugh or roll his eyes. Had the girl really spent enough time blowing up balloons to fill the entire car? And how was he supposed to clean this up enough for both him and Goldman to fit? Victor pulled out his keys and finally settled on a laugh. Typical dummy behavior. He unlocked the door and climbed inside, staring at the balloons. Should he just…pop some of them? Or he could put them in the trunk, he supposed. Unless she filled that, too? These were all definitely going to end up in her apartment tomorrow…

As he thought, Victor thought he heard a small sound coming from the back seat. Almost like…snoring? He turned and shuffled a few balloons, jumping a little when he uncovered a face. A familiar and sleeping face. Sweat dripped down her cheeks and Victor panicked just a little, hoping she hadn’t overheated and fainted while waiting for him to get out of his meetings. Suddenly he realized why she’d been so intent on him getting out of work on time and he felt a pang of guilt deep in his gut. 

At least he could start the car and get the air conditioning running. Victor inserted the key and turned, the engine roaring to life. The sound echoed in the empty garage and startled the girl awake. She jumped, eyes wide and a short squeal erupting from her lips. 

“Looks like I’m the one who surprised you,” Victor rumbled, shaking his head at the look on the girl’s face. “Have you been waiting here all this time?” 

She nodded and rubbed her eyes. On her cheek was a square, red spot where she’d been asleep on her phone screen. “I must have fallen asleep waiting for you to get done with work. But surprise!” She sleepily tossed her hands in the air, flinging balloons all over Victor. “What time is it, anyway?” 

“Seven fifteen. You’re probably starving by now. Why don’t we stop by Delicioso on the way home and pick something up? I’ll have Goldman take us there before going to his home. Now help me get some of these balloons out of the way so I have somewhere to sit while he drives.” 

The pair climbed out of the car, balloons spilling out as the girl opened the back seat. Goldman appeared out of seemingly nowhere, a smile pulling the corners of his mouth up toward his eyes. “Happy birthday, Boss! I bet you didn’t expect this!” 

Victor shook his head and chuckled. “No, I can’t say I expected a car full of balloons and a sweaty, sleepy girl inside.” He opened the trunk and the trio began transferring balloons. Victor, despite keeping his face stern, couldn’t help but smile on the inside. He’d really lucked out with the most wonderful, loving partner on the planet. No, it wasn’t luck, actually. It was perseverance and patience. And a bit of a miracle on the side. Soon they were on their way home, and he found himself excited to see what else the girl had done for him on his birthday, purely out of love. 

[solofanatic64]

It’s my birthday again!

WOOOOOO CONFETTI🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

In honor of such a wonderful day, I made this piece for an art project (a month ago but SsSsSsSSSshHHHhh) showcasing every persona/self insert oc that I had over the years that I am now sharing with you all, along with small descriptions about them for context!

2018 was when I started making oc’s for tmnt 2012, and they were all cringe as hell. For example, here we have Princess Hikari (right), Princess of Iro and the element of color and light (it was 2018 and I’m pretty sure I was also obsessed with Gacha Life mini movies at the time). She was a part of my very first ever tmnt 2012 au where most of the most cast is actually from a different planet where the impossible can happen and certain characters of the main cast were elemental, but due to a villain becoming too powerful, they all flee to earth and most of them lose their memories. On Earth, Hikari disguised herself as Kodie Jackson (left), she was cool, quirky, and always had a good comeback, both in combat and in smack-talk (basically she was a “not-like-other-girls” girl without the whole putting other women down stuff). She also had a crush on Leo, along with every other oc I made during this era.

2020 was when I took a break from tmnt 2012 (shocking, I know) and hyperfixated on Casino Cups, a Cuphead au comic series on Tumblr that I got into because of VOAdams comic dubs for it. I made PLENTY of oc’s, au’s within the au’s, and lore for this (because I was 13 and cringe, what did you expect), some of it I still have content for and all of it I still have info for in the deep dark crevices of my mind. This was also when I had a TikTok account (that I don’t post on anymore) and this was also the era where my persona changed the most. But out of all of them, Juicehead was my favorite, even if I never inserted her into the Casino Cups cannon.

Oh boy, 2021, the year I came back onto the tmnt 2012 scene, the year I came back to my roots and STAYED there, the year I saw a “I made 9 of these, the first one you see determines your life in tmnt 2012” Instagram post and thought “……..but what if I WAS the Foot Clan?” Well, not at first, at first I was still with the turtles. My characters name was Irene (top), she was a demon who knew black magic, and she was best friends with Mikey (not crushing, this was also the year I decided to just stop crushing on tmnt 2012 characters for reasons I barely know). It wasn’t until that summer that I saw that fateful Instagram post and decided “yep, I like the Foot Clan henchmen now, and that’s how it’s gonna be for the rest of my life.” After that I ditched the demon horns, straightened my ponytail, got a new outfit, and changed her name to Dioxazine (bottom). She was alright, honestly I don’t think I did much with her.

In 2023 we got Comet, my girly, my popstar, my silly little gay. Surprise surprise, Comet used to be my persona/self insert before I decided to make her my oc (however she’s still my projection character). She’s actually been on the scene since 2022! But since then, her appearance been through a some changes from changing her shorts to pants, to shortening her hair, and other small things (if anything I think her lore has gone through the most changes). Either way, she’s a cutie patootie and I love her. This was also the era where my writing skills got better, now everything is less cringe :D👍

And finally, we’ve come to 2024, Sleepy! My persona today! You already know her, her face is a screen, her mask doubles as noise-canceling headphones (for optimal sleep of course), and her socks change every time! She’s in a constant state of being not quite sleepy but not quite awake either and she’s always wearing her jammies, comfy!

[redmirrorshard]

I'll probably delete this later... but I just wanted to come on here to vent a little bit. So please be aware. THIS IS A VENT. I AM SAD AND EMOTIONAL AND UPSET AND I WILL SAY THINGS THAT MAY SOUND HARSH. PLEASE KEEP THIS IN MIND WHEN READING AND DONT READ IF IT WILL MAKE YOU UNCOMFORTABLE!! (TL:DR at the end)

You have been warned

When I got into TWST probably two years ago now, there was so much room and potential for wonderful fan interactions and creations. And I have had wonderful interactions with wonderful people from this fandom and I will continue to treasure those I've met through it.

I love everything about TWST. The lore, the characters, the art, the story. It means so much to me as a piece of media and is a huge inspiration to me as both an artist and a writer. Idia in particular speaks to me on personal levels and he has become one of my favourite characters in all of media.

TWST has also taught me about love. Love for who you are despite what others think. Familial love (blood or no). Love between friends. TWST has taught me about bravery, protecting those you love, sticking to your ambitions, sacrifice and surprisingly cooking and food heh. TWST has also made me laugh like a maniac in the way only one other piece of media ever could (aha I'm so funny).

I was aware, however, that it would have it's issues just like any other fandom.

For one, I was VERY aware of Yana's rocky history as a creator. I knew she was controversial from the start and anything she created would subsequently also be very controversial. In the end, while I do disagree heavily with some parts of the media and I knew Yana could have done so much better with other parts (cough-leona event- cough), I think she did a great job overall. You can tell how much love and dedication went into creating TWST and I'm eternally thankful to her. Thank you, Yana-sensei.

For second...

I feel that you should be allowed to create and say whatever you want, but also take responsibility (to a certain extent) for the thing you created. For instance, if I make a piece of art and post it on the internet, that is my responsibility. I could choose NOT to post the piece of art (nasty comment, offensive joke etc etc etc but you get the idea), but I chose to do it anyway. Now, I can't completely control what people will do with the art (comment/post etc), but I still chose to post it. Same with this post. I CHOSE to post this, and I am ready to take responsibility for this post. If you're not ready to accept responsibility for your post, DON'T POST. As simple as that. (But alas nothing is ever simple)

There is a sore lack of responsibility it the TWST fandom (in any fandom, really, but this is about TWST specifically). Maybe less so here, but definitely so on other platforms.

People throw around nasty and downright hurtful jokes and comments like it's confetti, but cry and whine that they're innocent when called out about it. This is especially hurtful to the smaller, less represented groups in the fandom who create content they want to see. My advice? If you see something you don't agree with,mute,block and report if necessary and just move along. No one is forcing you to interact with what that person is making. A lot of hurt and asshole-ery would be avoided if people followed this simple rule.

I've also seen people throw hate to younger artists or members of the fandom and this always upsets me. TWST is especially prone to having a younger audience due to it being a Disney property, and that's FINE. Leave them be. They're not hurting anyone.

And finally, the amount of misinformation and misinterpretations of the TWST characters floating around is practically insulting. I've seen so many just plain wrong interpretations of a character or a line and I'm frankly sick of it. There are so many hard working and dedicated translators working their asses off to translate the game and put it on the internet for free. (Note: I am eternally grateful to the EN translation team for doing their absolute best on TWST EN. While it's still a solid translation, it has several big flaws and misses a lot of character nuances. I'd still recommend anyone getting into TWST to read the JP translations along with EN)

Here are my go to, feel free to add your own:

-TWST Wiki/Miraheze (always. These people are powerhouses)

- YuuRei (Twitter and YT). They make excellent analysis and translations.

-Shell_BB (YT)

-Otome Ayui (YT)

So, in closing... (TL:DR)

The internet sucks. People suck. Get used to it. Protect yourself and your mental health and move along.

TWST has flaws, and that's FINE.

Respect eachother

Take responsibility for what you say or post

Kids will be cringe. Leave them be. You were cringe too.

Read. Please. I beg of you.

SUPPORT THE PEOPLE I MENTIONED. THEY'RE WORKING THEIR ASSES OFF FOR US, THEY DESERVE THE WORLD.

Anyway, thanks for reading all that and sorry for the long vent. A cookie and a hug for you.

Now go forth and have a great day/night on purpose!!⭐🩷

~shard