#i mean he despised me for the next three or four years.

[the-woild-is-y-erster]

headphone emoji. i cannot be arsed finding it.

real.

im gonna shuffle my playlist for a fic im writing so bear with me

you got Brother by Madds Buckley

yes i am aware this is a mha fan song

no i dont care

no i dont watch mha

anywhizzle

fav lyrics are

"and i left you alone/in a house not a home/and i watched the burning grow as my hair filled with gray"

i really love this song because my brother is leaving for college either this fall or early spring, and i havent thought of my house as home in years because of my parents and my brother and him bein the favorite.

so it feels like from the pov of an older sibling leaving their younger siblings in an abusive house, an if that aint my brother n i, i dunno what is.

[cottonlemonade]

can i have a menu a with a soda and dorayaki and sit next to oikawa!!!

Keeping Your Enemy Close

word count: 1460 || avg. reading time: 6 mins.

pairing: rival!Oikawa x chubby!Reader (feat. Seijoh 4)

genre: fluff

warnings: none

request: fluffy, school festival with rival Oikawa

____________________________________________

“Do you want to know what I think?”

“No.”

“But-”

“Never, actually.”

Oikawa pouted, “Iwa-chan.” and then looked to Makki and Mattsun who immediately developed an immense interest in their shoes and surroundings. The four third years were busy leaning against a rickety folding table underneath a banner advertising the volleyball club, but even though many girls came over to check it out, boys seemed to make a wide swerve around them. They had only gotten three possible new applicants thus far.

“What do you think, Oikawa-san?”

The boys groaned when, with a wide smile and a flourish, Oikawa turned to yet another girl who had asked. She was nervously kneading her hands and blushing furiously. They knew her as a new addition to his fanclub, but to be honest they started to blend together for the other three. All gorgeous and leggy, she was definitely the captain’s usual type. Oikawa leaned in to whisper something in her ear they luckily couldn’t hear, then the girl gasped quietly and nodded before linking her arm with her friend and wandering off, throwing longing gazes over her shoulder at the setter, who waved after her.

“I think I’ll give it another week and then I’ll ask her out.”, he said, half to himself, half to his friends who quite frankly, couldn’t care less.

But a loud scoff came from their left and the boys turned to see their chubby class president with folded arms next to a stall handing out flyers.

“Something the matter, y/n-chan?”, Oikawa asked sweetly.

“Don’t call me that.”, you said automatically but the boy only grinned and regarded you with his signature teasing gaze.

“But you seem to like it, hm? Y/n-chan~ Now, what’s wrong?”

You clutched the flyers in your hands tighter in an attempt to control your breathing. “I just pity her, that’s all.”, you said after calming your heart a bit.

“Hm? Is that so? Are you sure it’s not because you want to go out with me?”

You knew you would get in trouble if someone reported you smacking him over the head with the flyers - again. So you resorted to glaring menacingly.

Because you didn’t have an answer.

Because you wanted nothing more, actually, than to have Oikawa Tooru notice you like that and ask you out.

But you would never tell him.

Instead you changed the subject and focused on the only thing that grounded your sanity.

“Tuck in your shirt before I write you up.”

Oikawa sighed and did as he was told, making very sure to slightly lift the shirt first to give you a glimpse of his toned stomach. He smirked when your lips parted slightly at the sight.

“So how about it, y/n-chan?”, he asked while carefully straightening out his uniform, “Should I take you out for a date? We could go to a park, maybe hold hands if you're nice to me and if you’re really nice to me I might even consider giving you a kiss or two.” He winked. He enjoyed this game way too much.

Iwaizumi, Mattsun and Makki had stepped aside, getting out of the way of your wrath.

“I would never.”, you held tighter onto the flyers for support, hoping your voice wouldn’t fail you as you went on, “I would never go out with someone as vain and arrogant and immature as you. You’re nothing but a volleyball obsessed gymnasium-dweller who happened to have slightly above average looks.”

Oikawa took that personally. He only stared wide eyed as you stomped away.

Feeling a hand on his shoulder, he turned to Mattsun as he shrugged, ”Well at least she thinks you’re handsome.”

Iwaizumi frowned, “That’s what you got from that?”

Oikawa knew you didn’t mean it. At this point, he could tell the difference between someone genuinely despising his guts and someone who was only trying to hide their true feelings. To be honest, you weren’t on his mind outside of school and even then he mostly drifted off while you made announcements in front of the class. To him you were just there, clearly in denial about your crush on him because of course he felt your eyes on him when you thought he wasn’t looking. Maybe he would go out with you, he thought. If only to prove a point. He wanted you to be putty in his hands and confess that you were into him, just so he could go a day without getting written up for things like untucking his shirt or kissing behind the gym.

He watched you weave your way through the masses of students and parents, all happily chattering and checking out the different offers from the stands at the school festival. And making up his mind, he went after you.

He found you in an empty classroom, carefully putting some kind of announcement on the blackboard, your hand steady, writing neat and precise.

“Can I talk to you for a moment, y/n-chan?”

He heard you sigh before turning to him.

“What is it?”

He stepped in, closing the door behind him to mute the distant voices of students hurrying through the corridors.

Leaning against the only exit, arms crossed in front of his chest, he said, “I wasn’t kidding, you know. About taking you on a date.”

You made some kind of sound that was probably supposed to be a scathing one but instead came out as a squeaky sort of cough. Pushing off the door he swaggered over to you until he was standing right behind you. You hadn’t looked at him yet.

“Hm? Y/n? What do you say? Wanna go on a date with me?”

His voice was low and sweet - he knew this particular tone usually made his girlfriends melt and he was glad to see that it worked on you as well. He extended a hand to half trap you between him and the blackboard for good measure. Goosebumps formed on your neck and when you finally turned around to him, there was a very distinct blush dusting your cheeks in stark contrast to your sour expression, the desperate attempt of returning his sweetness with disgust.

“Stop it, Oikawa-san.”

“Or what?” He leaned down to meet your eyes, leaving only two or three handwidths between your face and his. He could smell your shampoo. It was a pleasant scent, eucalyptus maybe.

When you didn’t say anything but the pink on your cheeks turned a deeper shade he leaned in further. He felt your shaky shallow breath on his skin.

When he didn’t budge, you closed your eyes and… seemed to wait.

Oikawa couldn’t help it and chuckled. Your eyes shot open and you watched as he lowered his head before throwing it back in full on laughter.

“I knew it! I knew it, y/n-chan.”, he sing-songed, not moving away, “Next time you write me up just-“

He was cut off but your lips on his. It was nothing more than a quick peck but it definitely shut him up.

You must have worn some kind of lip gloss or chapstick - the kiss left a faintly fruity taste behind.

He blinked. What was that?

And you were about to duck away when his free hand held you by your waist and he leaned in for a second kiss, catching you by surprise this time. It was again a sweet, innocent kind of kiss, only gently touching the other’s lips. When he moved away he searched your eyes for a moment and you held your breath when he went for a third. Closing his eyes, he really let himself get a feel and sense for you. The hand previously laid against the blackboard now cupped your cheek to draw you closer. He swiped his tongue against your lower lips and gently pushed into your mouth. He tasted the tangerine ramune that stood next to your notes on the teacher’s desk. This didn’t make any sense. It was not the tangerine that made him dizzy. You were… addictive. How?

Propelled by some unknown bravery your hands ran through his hair, drawing an involuntary hum from deep in his throat. His large hand on your waist squeezed and he moved in closer, needing to feel more. But before he could conduct further studies you pushed him away, panting slightly - your lips reddened and hair a little disheveled. He was too stunned to stop you when you weaseled out of his arms and ran out the door.

“Oikawa-san?”, he heard a familiar voice call from the corridor, “Oh, Oikawa-san, there you are. Do you want to come have some lunch with me?”

It was the girl from earlier. “Coming.”, he said quietly, absentmindedly and followed her, still tasting tangerines.

____________________________________________

a/n: thank you so so much for your request! This one got so away from me. I hope you enjoyed it tho 🌟

[albertdabuttler]

Masked Adversary | D.L.

MASTERLIST

this fics masterlist

fandom: Kick-Ass

pairings: Dave Lizewski/Kick-Ass x F!Reader

WARNINGS: (in this chapter) swearing lolz, angst and fluff splattered here and there, reader and Dave hate each other and its very amusing (to me), two creeps try to kidnap you but Kick-Ass saves the day! mention of a small cut and blood, i think that's it?

summary: You and Dave have lost a childhood friendship. The circumstances have made you grow to despise one another, until Kick-Ass has no one else to turn to but you, causing him to develop a small crush. The only problem being that you don't know it's him.

WC: 3k

gif not mine !!

A/N: hei... I'm back and better and bigger than ever! I have a couple more parts to this fic coming so I hope you like it!

———————

“Man, why do you guys hate each other’s guts so much? Weren’t you two like best friends three years ago?” Said Todd, cutting the tension. You had forced yourself to sit at the same table as Dave, only to avoid looking like a pitiful loser and sitting alone.

“I don’t know, Todd” Your tone laced with sarcasm, “Maybe you should ask David.” You tried to quickly finish your lunch.

Dave only sighed in annoyance. He didn’t like this broken friendship with you. You had known him since you moved to the city when you were four and quickly became attached at the hip. In freshman year he developed a crush on Katie Deauxma and stopped talking to you thinking Katie might think you two were a thing. You told him to stop ignoring you and he talked to you like some girl who was just obsessed and jealous. After you slapped him in the face for acting like a dick, your friendship ended. Although it was his fault, the way you so quickly cut him off after (rightfully) acting like a bitch to him, had his blood boiling.

You weren’t jealous of Katie because he liked her. You just couldn't stand to see him waste his time on a girl when he should have been worrying about the next issue of his favorite comic.

Anyone at your school could say that you and Dave Lizewski were often at each other’s throats. It’s not like you actually fought all the time, most of the time you could withstand a normal conversation with him, or even just being in the same room. You always somehow found things to argue about in every class you had together. Dave was even more pushed around now thanks to the acquaintances you had that happened to be on the football team.

“Alright, I’m finished. See you in class, Todd. Bye Marty.” You smiled softly at them, sending them a small wave and completely ignoring Dave’s presence. You had an argument before coming to lunch, that’s why you didn’t talk to him.

“See ya,” Said Marty with his mouth full, waving enthusiastically.

Dave hit his arm.

“What? Just ‘cause you’re mad at her doesn’t mean we have to be.” Marty said.

“Yeah…” Agreed Todd, watching you as you walked away. “She’s hot as fuck.”

“Shut up, Todd. You fucking hornball. She’s insufferable.” Dave rolled his eyes, picking up his things to go to his next class.

He pondered daily about what he did to lose your friendship, you meant everything to him. Although from the outside it looked like he wanted to strangle you, he secretly wanted to be your best friend again.

“Hey Cleo,” you greeted a friend at your locker. You had three classes with her. “Hey! Did you see that new video of Kick-Ass?”

“…No, I haven’t.” You laughed nervously.

“Yeah, he fights off some assholes trying to rob a guy. He totally kicked their asses.” She chuckled.

“Why’s everyone so into him?” You queried.

“‘Cause its a brave teenage guy fighting for what’s right, duh! He’s also super cute.”

“But you haven’t even seen his face,” you continued.

“Have you actually looked at him? If you don’t see anything in him, there’s something seriously wrong with you.”

“Whatever.” You giggled at her excitement, beginning your walk to class.

———————

Unfortunately for you, being late to your last class got you detention after school. As a result, you missed the bus back home and none of your friends with cars had stuck around to take you back. There was no way in hell you’d get into a cab alone, so you had to walk home.

It wasn’t a terribly long walk, but it was a drag. An hour of walking made headphones very useful in such times, and you were glad you brought them today.

Walking home included having to pass through a small part of the city in order to get to your neighborhood. It wasn’t the best of places, but the convenience store at a corner on the way there helped improve your mood.

“Thanks Pat!” You told the old lady at the register. She was the sweetest, and you often passed through here so she grew a liking to you, occasionally letting you take a free candy bar for your journey.

“Of course baby. Get on home safe, alright? Come back soon!” She smiled. This brought a grin to your face.

Continuing the walk home, you felt some sort of presence behind you.

Fuck.

You were about to turn a corner when a man grabbed you by your wrist.

“Why’s such a pretty girl like you walking all by herself?” He smirked.

“Let me go, you fucking creep!” You tugged your hand away, the other man walking closer causing you to take a step back. In the corner of your eye you spotted someone, Kick-Ass was making his way to turn the corner.

“Help!” You yelled, making the masked hero jolt up to look at you. His eyes widened upon meeting yours and he hesitated before he quickly made his way to you.

“Shut the fuck up, you little bitch. What’s in your bag?”

The other man was about to take your bag before Kick-Ass turned the corner.

“Hey! The hell are you assholes doing?”

They both stared at him, one nodding at the other as he ran to fend the hero off.

You could only stand there and watch as the other man tried pulling you away. Kick-Ass was able to knock the robber out with his baton after the short brawl. Thankfully the man in the mask caught up, but the man holding you held a knife to your throat.

“Back the fuck off or I’ll kill her.”

Your entire life flashed before your eyes. You thought of all the mistakes you've ever made, how you fucked up big-time with Dave and now that you were about to die, you'd never be able to fix the friendship you had with him. You thought about what you would say to him if you got the chance to make peace with him. How you'd apologize for being such a bitch, how you'd give him that collection of The Punisher he gave you back in freshman year that you never got the chance to return due to the fight you had, how you were currently not on the best terms with your parents, how you never got to apologize to that one girl you didn't stick up for when she was being bullied by some girls you knew.

How you were going to die without getting to share any kind of intimacies with a boyfriend. You'd had two boyfriends before, no more, no less. Both those relationships ended because you were either a rebound or "practice." To put it simply, they couldn't keep it in their pants and you would die a virgin for being so afraid.

Kick-Ass stared between you and the culprit.

“There’s a camera right there.” He pointed his thumb behind him, and sure enough there was a camera pointing straight at you and the criminal.

The man threw you to the ground, attempting an attack on Kick-Ass. Not even five seconds into the fight, the knife was quickly knocked onto the street. The mugger did get quite a few hits in, even knocked Kick-Ass down a couple of times. But as soon as the masked man was on top of him, he kept jabbing and hooking, not once letting the man recuperate.

It was a painful sight to see, like he was taking all his anger out on the bad guy. You could only stand there and watch in awe.

“Don’t ever touch anyone again, asshole.” He said, holding the man’s collar.

“Okay man, just let me go!” He begged for mercy. Kick-Ass knocked him out with one last fist to the face.

He got up and looked at you. Realizing who you were, he pushed aside all his personal problems with you and lent you his hand to help you up, “Uh…A—are you okay miss?”

“Yes, I’m—I’m fine,” you stuttered, still in utter shock that you almost got kidnapped. But so incredibly grateful that he was there to save you.

“Did they hurt you anywhere?” He questioned, dismissing the fact he had a little scratch on his eyebrow that was bleeding too much for your comfort.

“No, I’m okay. Even if I wasn’t, my mom’s a nurse so I’d be fine. Are you?” You looked at his eyebrow, pointing to it.

“It’s fine, doesn’t even hurt...” He waved his hand.

You looked behind him only to see that the man he first fought was gone already.

“We should get out of here, the cops’ll probably be coming soon,” you looked into one of the stores on the sidewalk, seeing that a couple of people had their phones out and had recorded the whole thing. And that meant someone probably called the cops too.

“Yeah,” He looked back at them and waved with a smile. “Let me walk you home,” He offered.

You didn’t even know who he was under that mask, but something told you that you could trust him. “Sure, thank you.”

———————

“Why’d you even decide to be a hero anyway?” You laughed.

“I dunno. I see so many comic book nerds but it’s just weird that no one has actually tried to be a hero yet. And I guess I just wanted to see what it was like.” He chuckled.

“So you like getting your ass kicked every so often, Kick-Ass?” You giggled.

“Ha, good one,” he scoffed at your pun.

“But seriously, why haven’t you quit, even after getting hurt all the time?” You asked.

“I—I got into an accident, I can barely feel pain ‘cause of it. Plus, I can’t just look the other way anymore.” He looked at you. “Sure as hell couldn’t turn away from the damsel in distress.” He joked. The suit and mask gave him such incredible confidence and ego.

You smacked his shoulder, scoffing. The walk home with Kick-Ass had you finding out that the two of you had quite a lot in common. The both of you really liked comics, he was a kid your age, and he was also one of Pat’s favorite customers. Kick-Ass seemed like he was an amazing guy. Too bad he wore a mask.

“Welp, this is me,” you arrived at your home. “thanks for walking me home. I really enjoyed talking to you.” You smiled widely,

“Don’t mention it, I also enjoyed talking to you. I—If you ever need anything… Just message me on MySpace… Or something.” He smiled softly.

Now you understood what Cleo and every other girl saw in him.

“Sure thing, Kick-Ass. Same to you. You know where I live now,” you chuckled bashfully.

You looked at him for a second too long.

“I feel like I know you—you’re so familiar.” You spoke.

His heart began to race, “Well, I guess we’ll never know.” He chuckled nervously, looking elsewhere.

His eyes were so damn beautiful. They were so blue, they looked like sapphires or something.

How corny, you thought.

“See ya ‘round,” he saluted, turning to walk away.

“See you…” You spoke, but he was already out of earshot.

His strut was so fucking hot. Who knew you’d be attracted to the way a man walked?

———————

“You lucky bitch! Did you have a super hot make out session after that!?” Cleo spoke as you two grabbed your trays for lunch.

“Shut up!” You laughed. “No, I just think he’s cute is all. But thank fuck he was there. I probably wouldn’t even be here if it wasn’t for him.”

“Just when I thought he couldn’t get any hotter.” She sighed contently at the story of your interaction with him.

“Hey, let’s go sit over there,” She pointed at a table with three boys, Todd, Dave, and Marty. “I told Todd I’d sit with him today.”

“Sure thing…” You agreed hesitantly. She bit her lip before continuing. “Is it just me or is Todd kinda cute?” She whispered, giggling as you approached the table.

You only rolled your eyes. “Hey guys,” You greeted, sitting next to Marty, Cleo sitting next to Todd across from you. Dave still in his usual spot at the end of the table.

“Hi Dave.” You smiled almost artificially, showing you weren’t so mad at him anymore.

The three boys looked at each other in surprise.

“You’re in a good mood today,” Said Todd.

“Hey.” Dave finally replied.

“What’s up with you?” Questioned Marty, “Can’t remember the last time you actually said ‘hi’ to Dave.” He said sarcastically.

“Guess I’m in a good mood.” You glanced at Dave, suddenly letting go of the resentment you had towards him, because of the fact your life was almost taken from you. You took the chance you had now, to begin to sort everything out before it would be too late. You still disliked him though. Not because of what he did, but because he's just a dick.

Does she know? He thought to himself anxiously. You were the last person he wanted to know about this. He just wouldn't be able to stand the embarrassment.

“Did you guys see the fight Kick-Ass had last night?” Asked Cleo.

“What? No,” Marty and Todd got excited.

“Yeah, why don’t you tell them what happened?” Cleo smiled, giving you the spotlight.

You looked at the boys awkwardly,

“I was about to get kidnapped… And, uh yeah. Kick-Ass kicked these two guys' asses...”

Todd and Marty were upset at the lack of detail, but Dave giggled quietly at the joke, smiling as he poked his food.

“I’m gonna have to watch it later.” Marty said, Todd then agreeing.

“Do you guys seriously have a crush on him or something?” Questioned Dave.

Cleo laughed. “Dave, every girl I know has a crush on him.”

He swallowed, he wasn't aware of this. Dave never caught the attention of girls. That he knew of.

“I mean, you have a crush on him too, right?” Cleo asked you, trying to prove her point.

Dave’s eyes widened before looking your way.

“I—I mean I wouldn't call it a crush, but yeah, I guess he’s pretty cute... I like... His eyes. The color's really nice."

Dave couldn't help but smile at the flattery. Knowing that you were attracted to him, in a way, made him feel so odd. He never thought you'd see him that way. Well, not him, but whatever part of him you could see.

"You think he has nice eyes?" Dave chuckled. It made you a little mad because it sounded like he was making fun of you.

"Yes, he does. What about it?" Cleo butted in.

"Not just his eyes, though." She turned to you, "He's got super broad shoulders and a nice ass. Just saying I'd hit. He’s definitely big." She whispered the last part under her breath.

"Ooookay! I think you got your point across, Cleo. Thanks for sharing." You gave her a look that said, 'Why the fuck would you say that out loud?'

“What? I'm just being honest." She continued eating her lunch like it wasn’t a big deal.

You could only stare in utter shock, blinking over and over, trying to figure out if this was a dream or if Cleo really just said that.

You spotted Dave in the corner of your eye with something not quite like disgust, but his jaw hung ajar. Then you noticed Todd and Marty staring at her the same way.

"I know you can at least agree that he has a nice ass," Cleo smirked at you.

You just laughed and resumed eating your food.

"I didn't know you girls for real liked guys' asses. I thought that was just a guy thing." Spoke Todd, teasing.

"Shut up, Todd." You said, making a short second of eye contact with Dave, it looked like he was thinking the same thing as you, and you both giggled in unison.

The others looked between you both weirdly, making the two of you clear you throats and quickly finish eating.

The hell am I being so giggly with him for?

———————

You had your last three classes with Dave, but you never acknowledged him. Today some of your teachers decided to rearrange your seating. You thankfully didn't get any seats next to him, and you hoped you wouldn't either at your last class.

"Fuck," you checked your wristwatch as you switched out your books from your locker, only to see that you were going to be late for the last class. You hoped and hoped that you didn't get another detention.

You made your way to the classroom as fast as you could, stopping right outside the door to avoid bursting it open and embarrassing yourself. The excitement you felt when you noticed a single empty seat in the back corner of the class was incomprehensible.

Until you noticed Dave in the spot next to it. He looked up as he heard the door open, immediately locking eyes with you. You sighed in disappointment, knowing that there was no way the teacher would let you switch.

"Looks like you're stuck with me for the rest of the year." Dave whispered as he looked up at the teacher, taking out his textbook.

"Fuck you, Lizewski." You sneered, only making Dave roll his eyes, keeping his attention on the teacher.

“For the next three weeks, you will all be working on a presentation. If you don’t have it turned in by the 18th, you will get 10 points taken off your grade.” The teacher explained what he wanted you to study. The class groaned in annoyance, some people being excited, and others not.

“Everyone in columns A, C, and E, your partner will be the person to your right.” Again, most of the people in the class were content with who they were assigned, but unfortunately for you, you were the person to Dave’s right.

You stiffly turned to Dave, “We can study at my house… If you want.” You spoke.

“Let’s just do the first parts tonight and we can work on it at your house after school tomorrow.” He spoke with a bit of irritation. Probably because of your attitude earlier.

“Okay, sounds good..” You awkwardly pursed your lips and turned back to your book.

———————

thanks for reading!

[gojoscalico]

Turn Back Time || o n e

Summary: You were never sure when it started to fall apart but it did. 10 Years later and now you're facing him again. Will it reignite the feelings you both once had for one another? Or will you both end up walking away from each other once again?

Word Count: 1485

Next ->

“Isn’t that…?” You turned your head to notice what it was your dearest student had been earnestly looking at. It was someone you could never forget. A sudden sentimentality lurking inside of your thoughts. A feeling that had been neglected for the past decade that it is now darting back into the front of your consciousness. You were aware that there could only be one person that had white hair that glowed under the sunlight, whose laugh would fill up the whole room as he walked in. Whose gaze alone took your breath away.

“Satoru…” 

“Gojo-sensei!” Both phrases were said in unison. You unconsciously spouted out his name, unbeknownst to you he had heard you. I mean how could you know since your student had blurted his name loud enough for the whole cafe to turn their heads. He looked in your direction and you were sure of it even though he had covered his eyes with a mask. Unaware of when he had started to wear that mask you still felt him ogling you from under it. Because of a familiar feeling that took you years to recognize as his gaze. The gaze he always compared to that of god. The gaze that allowed him to see all. Also you were so sure he was looking your way because your student had said his name loudly. He visibly seemed shocked to see you. Which made sense since it had been a decade since you had last seen one another. But maybe it was because your student was busy idolizing him. You watched as he smiled at your student signing the notebook she had brought out for him. For her he was Gojo Satoru, the most powerful jujutsu sorcerer of our time. But to me he was still the same old Satoru. He lifted his mask and once again you drew a sudden breath. He still had those same beautiful blue eyes that seemed to have mirrored the sky above us, the same air of arrogance that you both despised and adored, and looking to his left and right you noticed that he still surrounded himself with the same two people who you were painfully aware meant more to him than the world. “Oh hey it’s Y/N.” 

You smiled softly at the tall raven-haired man, “Suguru…you guys haven’t changed at all.” Suguru gave you a gentle smile as he heard you say his name with such gentleness. A gentleness that he had missed. That he knew Satoru had missed. But little to his knowledge you also cherished that smile since it always brought you a sense of comfort. But now it brings you nostalgia and an allusion of pain. Remembering how often you relied on these three for comfort. As much as they were your safe place they were also the very reason why you were unable to fully trust anyone else. A sudden wave of sadness overcame your mind. You hated how distant and how different you four were now. Compared to ten years ago. You hated your stubbornness. “We will take that as a compliment coming from you, that is.” Your smile gets bigger as you place your gaze on a woman placed to the right of Satoru almost as if that was where she belonged and no one else can fill that spot. Her hair may have gotten longer but that was the voice of someone you knew very well. “Shoko… I mean Dr. Ieiri now right?” She nodded with a bright smile. “It’s been so long, Y/N, since we last saw you but you can always just call me Shoko just like you always have.Unless you want me calling you Sensei?” You let out a chuckle.

Nodding as your smile disappears remembering the night you all last saw one another. “Yeah well considering the circumstances I don’t think it would’ve been possible for all of us to see one another like this. At least willingly.” You looked down on your feet as you felt a pang of pain flow through your chest. Because ten years ago you would never have thought that these three would ever leave your side. Before you can fall further into that pain you were starting to feel you heard Satoru scoff. You quickly raised your head not aware you were glaring at him. It was a habit of his. Thinking that nothing will ever be his fault. “You were more than welcome to come see us...You knew that but you just chose not to.”

“Chose…” You laughed at his choice of words,the prominent sound of pain in your voice catching Satoru off guard instantly regretting the words that left his mouth. Still not getting rid of his horrible habit of speaking before thinking. “Chose…you make it sound like we all even had a choice at the time. There was only one time we were given a choice…and I think it’s safe to say that those choices lead to this very moment.” You watched as Satoru balled up his fist, shaking as if he wanted to say something but was hesitating to. This time he was thinking to himself whether this was the time and place. But this wasn’t the time or place to argue because he knew all too well that you would just argue back. You were both stubborn and that much he remembered and was all he needed to stay quiet. You watched as he unclenched his fist. “Okay you guys it’s been years can’t we just all get along?” You turned your head to Shoko with a smile.

“Yeah Sensei…But are you all here for the competition?” You watched as your student hurriedly changed the subject. She was unaware of what had happened between the four of you but she had noticed the change in your demeanor. After all, you had always been careful about how you carried yourself amongst your students. “Yes…It’s the first time our school is participating in something like this…but please don’t underestimate us.” Suguru chuckled, “We can never underestimate anyone who had been learning jujutsu under THE Y/N.” You rolled your eyes as you chuckled at his remark, “Just know that these kids worked hard. So I hope your students don’t hold back.” 

“Oh they won’t.” Satoru said with a hint of haughtiness. You scoffed, “Good.” You were competitive and he was aware of that. And for some reason he loved seeing you riled up. He missed your spurts of passion in the field when things had always looked as though you would lose just to turn it around and successfully purify a curse. He missed the way your wavy crimson colored hair fell over your shoulders. The way your hazel eyes glistened in the sun or the way your lashes curled as he watched you sleep after a job. He missed the way you snored. He missed you. 

“Y/N…where are you going?” You turned your back on Suguru as you packed your bags. You were unsure of where it was you were heading but you knew that if you stayed that both you and Satoru would not be the only ones to suffer the consequences of the choice you make right here. “They…they are sending me on a mission Sugu…” You looked down, biting the inside of your cheeks to stop yourself from crying. You didn’t want to lie but if he knew the truth. That you weren’t coming back he would try to stop you and you knew that. So you lied.  “They said it’s a secret and won’t tell me the details about it…” Surguru clenched his fist because somehow he knew something was off. He knew you were lying. “When will you be back?” You hurriedly zipped up your bag and turned around with a smile. “Soon!” 

Suguru looked down because he didn’t want to see your face. If he saw your face now he would know instantly that you were lying. He knew that if you were coming back you wouldn’t have taken the ring that Satoru had given you. You wouldn’t have taken the photo of the four of you by your bedside. You wouldn’t have taken your treasures with you. In this moment, maybe if he was a little more desperate he would’ve grabbed Satoru so he could stop you because he knew he would be the only one who was able to. But he trusted your choices because you were never wrong. He doesn’t know why you were leaving despite knowing how much Satoru loved you. But he trusted it was for the best. Afterall, you have always been the less reckless half of the whole that was you and Satoru. “See you soon Y/N.”

She smiled one last time at you before turning her head. “Yeah…see you soon…Tell Toru that I love him.” You heard Suguru chuckle, “You tell him yourself.” 

[iexistforidkwhatreason]

My experience with Lumii/HoneyStarlightz/Lumiidere/Lumii after dark/KiramekiCookie

I have to get this out of my system because I'm deadass tired of watching this person wander around as if they're innocent when they aren't, and I'm also annoyed because of people not noticing what this person does behind the scenes because it now takes one quick Google Search using the prompt "Luca Wii Sports" to go down the rabbit hole. This is about HoneyStarlightz/Lumii.

Lemme begin with the minor stuff. So you know how Lumii has a massive grudge against me because of most of, if not all the stuff I drew in my DeviantArt account? Almost everything there was drawn when I was a FUCKING MINOR. I am 20 years old as we speak, and most of the drawings Lumii mentions happened BEFORE MY 18TH BIRTHDAY on the 1st of December, 2021, and I'll admit, during most of that time, I was a dumbass, immature, and an edgelord. I then stopped posting anything bloody and/or revealing but continued to post harmless drawings before my 18th birthday happened. October 11th of last year was when I stopped posting on that account all together because I found out that DeviantArt was blaming Hamas and Hamas only for the Palestinian deaths and making it as if the Israel military didn't do a thing to innocent lives in Palestine after Hamas attacked.

Next, we have them making me look like an asshole for shipping Luca with Abby (The one shipart I made of the two apparently traumatized them). Back when I was 17, I decided to draw Abby and Luca, two Miis I'm not a fan of, nor close to, as a couple because I thought shipping the two was a good idea. I then posted the finished product on the 23rd of January, 2021. The drawing was not meant to traumatize anyone. It was JUST. SHIP. ART. OF. ABBY. &. LUCA. The only bad thing about that drawing was that I shoved my opinion of the two Miis down people's throats in the description by asking how the hell do people like them because to me, they're just not fun to play against at all, and even then, it was drawn three to four years ago, and I don't even ship the two anymore. I ship Abby with Wii U Barbara now. Mate, I didn't even know Lumii EXISTED back then, let alone know they had a massive love for Luca.

Next, there's the clear as day hipocrisy that people have yet to notice somehow. So you know how Lumii has "Opinion Bashers" on their DNI list, right? On that same list, they also have people that hate, despise, even dislike Luca, instantly making them a hypocrite because they said they don't want to interact with people who just cannot tolerate others having a different opinion while also saying that if you think Luca is not a good Mii, you're instantly on their shit list. Also, they said no exceptions, meaning you can be the nicest person in the world, but if you dislike Luca, go fuck yourself.

I have several friends that like Luca a lot, some of which are here on Tumblr. I do not like Luca. We get along perfectly fine. I don't understand why they feel like Luca haters and Luca lovers can't co-exist when they clearly can. Just don't be an ass to others when it comes to what you think of the character, mate.

Lastly, we have the fact that they cannot take criticism. They said criticism is prohibited on their DeviantArt profile, which means that you can say anything positive about their art, but if you say anything negative, then nope. Get out. Oh, I'm so sorry I gave you a harmless critique that was just saying what I didn't like and how you can improve. I apologize.

Seriously tho, how sensitive can you be to the point where you prohibit people from critiquing your work? Or is it that they can't criticize you? Or is it both?

Now we go to the bigger stuff, starting with the TRANSPHOBIA ACCUSATIONS and obvious delusion. They said, and I quote "please shut the fuck up for calling him "Lucapoopa", "Boring", "Annoying", "Scum" and "Tedious" for the love of fucking god, he's fucking overhated and y'all are too harsh and transphobic at him, fucking hell".

Luca is not canonically trans. Don't even say he is because of unused data because I did my research, and the only unused data he has is facial hair related. Don't get me wrong, Luca being trans is a HC that I'm completely fine with. If you want to headcanon him as trans, fine by me. Trans rights all the way, mate. Don't fucking call people transphobic just for disliking Luca tho! Luca is not canonically trans, and even if he was, bold of Lumii to assume that someone that hates Luca hates him because he's trans. He appears as an opponent in three games and there's a chance that he might piss you off in all three.

How delusional do you have to be to see someone hate a character that isn't trans outside of your HC and go "Oh, they're transphobic"?

Next, there's fullblown insensitivity. I decided to check on DeviantArt for something, and I get a DM from someone. We had a chat about Lumii, and in that chat, they showed this...

Can you spot the insensitive part? Here, I'll make it easier for ya.

I'm completely fine with people giving dark backstories to Miis in their HC, but there's a line, and you crossed it. Can we not do rape related headcanons, please? I feel like that should go without saying because, oh, I dunno, that shit is OBVIOUSLY IN BAD TASTE!

Lastly, there's something I cannot show here because if I do, I'm going to get in trouble... It has to do with porn...

Lumii has a total of three accounts that I bumped into while looking at Luca images on Google that have porn of Miis on them. They have a Newgrounds account (KiramekiCookie), which has two drawings of Luca porn, a Bluesky account (Lumii after dark), which has twelve, and a Twitter/X account with the same name, which not only has porn of Luca, but of other Miis too... AND THERE'S AN UNGODLY AMOUNT OF IT, MOST OF IT BEING LUCA PORN! TELL ME YOU'RE OBSSESSED WITH OUT TELLING ME YOU'RE OBSSESSED!

I make YOU uncomfortable, Lumii? I make YOU uncomfortable?! You drew Luca laying eggs, you drew a worrying amount of Luca porn, and yet you have the AUDACITY to say I make YOU uncomfortable when you're obviously worse, you fucking hypocrite?! You drew art that is bound to make several people uncomfortable the moment they see it on the THREE ACCOUNTS you have, you falsely accuse people of transphobia, you obssess over Luca an unhealthy and uncomfortable amount, and yet I'M the one in the wrong because I drew ship art of Luca and Abby and art that has blood on it years ago?! I don't get your logic!

BTW, for those who say that this could've been resolved privately, it couldn't because Lumii has blocked me on DeviantArt, and they also blocked me on an old Tumblr account of theirs too, meaning that talking to them was out of the fucking question. They CLEARLY did not want to talk it out. They just wanted to avoid me entirely while also antagonize me for shit I did years ago that wasn't even that bad compared to the crap they did.

Lumii, if you manage to see this, which I know you will because I know you have a Discord and I know someone's gonna send a screenshot to you on there... All of this could've been avoided had you just been a better person.

[mean-scarlet-deceiver]

re: Why the Coppernob/Cornwall war

thanks to @houseboatisland for helping me punch up the insult a bit ;) been carryin' my ass all day, actually —

To a large extent they just have just been instilled with different value systems. So they're constantly judging each other.

Could they have left all this behind when they both separately embarked on their preservation years? I mean I guess but that’d be boring for them both. Let ‘em hang on to what little they have left from those days. Also, there was An Incident that cemented Coppernob’s enmity, justifying it retroactively… and for the next couple hundred years… 

Scene: 1898. F.R. 3 and 4 are making their final preparations, preparing to be dismantled for the last time in the coming winter. 4 has the bright idea to write to Cornwall. Apologize for their part in the old quarrel. Wish him and his well in the years ahead.

It should be noted 3 was against this idea from the start. But 4 was feelin’ chipper with a warm sense of good-fellowship peace-on-earth-goodwill-to-man, so he went right on ahead with the project.

3: He'll never reply.

4: He doesn't have to reply. The letter says so.

3:  Well... don't put my name on it!

4 and 4's driver: *ignore him. 3's name is signed to this bullshit too.*

To everyone's surprise, they do get a reply. Aaaand it's basically 'lol get scrapped losers. couldn’t even remember who you were till cousin columbine reminded me of the two grubby little humpback radishes i used to leave in my dust. anyway lmao imma live forever bitch. hope hell's hot enough for ya… probably gonna be a big step up from barrow tbh.' Bonus: insults their long-dead sisters.

4: .... bit harsh, that

3: I told you! I told you!!

Of course in the end 3 is also preserved and now he can carry the memory of the time Cornwall basically spat in the face of all three of his dead siblings until the end of time.

***

But. 

I'm gonna be honest, I suspect Cornwall doesn't know the letter was sent. Like his attitude was "oh fuck them" and then he and his closest mates had a roaring session where they all tried to out-do each other on what Cornwall should write back but he has no idea some officious Company-proud shed employee dutifully wrote down all the roasts and sent the result back off to Barrow. Cornwall fully disliked the Copper-Nobs, and he is a jerk, but, like. He's not evil. If the engineman-turned-scribe had had the sense to confirm the letter he wrote up on his behalf Cornwall would undoubtedly have been like 'oh lmao no just rip it up.'

Which makes it all the funnier to me, ngl. Coppernob hates Cornwall intensely because he knows what a foul rat he secretly is. Cornwall thinks Coppernob is carrying a new degree of grudge because he didn't write back with kum-bye-ya we're-all-pals-now and scoffs at it. Other engines have picked up on the dark hints they've both thrown out about this incident and have had difficulty assembling them into a coherent narrative, for obvious reasons. It's a mess. If tomorrow they realized they were at cross purposes and Coppernob quoted that letter-he-totally-hasn’t-memorized Cornwall would be like 'WHAAAAT i never wrote that' and Coppernob would fuckin' die of humiliation when he learned Cornwall thought he'd been in a strop for a hundred twenty five years only because Cornwall left his apology on read and now his widdle fweelings were hurt. 'I'd never have given a fuck if there'd been no reply!! I never even wanted Four to send that stupid letter!!!!' 'real shit? haha that actually does make more sense lol your brother was such a loser — '

Aaaaaand I guess that'd be the beginning of the third phase of the endless grudge.

So maybe it’s inevitable. They gotta despise each other. It’s fate. 

[cowboy-like-mee]

i wish i could change

summary: depressed! reader and boyfriend! harry

warnings: depression, mentions of wanting to d word

word count: 1.1k

a/n: hello. i am ending my year and a half long hiatus. i am writing this in the midst of a depressive episode, so it is based off real life me rn! it was kinda therapeutic tbh. i feel a lot better after getting this out.  i listened moon song by phoebe bridgers, my tears ricochet by taylor swift, and a different age by current joys on repeat while writing this. have fun!

p.s. i kind hate this :/ i feel like the end is rushed but whatev. i hope you enjoy. i feel like i might want to write more about this couple. i have many ideas also! if you have any requests let me know! or i can post what my ideas are and yall can tell me what you want first!

masterlist

Sitting in the filth of your room never made it any better. But you just couldn’t help it. There were empty bags of chips and dirty clothes everywhere. The floors need vacuuming. The bed hasn't been made in weeks- the fitted sheet isn't even on the bed anymore. You've just been lying on the bare mattress with a blanket covering you that doesn't even reach your feet. The smell of old food and dirty laundry stings your nose every time you breathe in a little too deeply. You needed a shower. There were clumps of your hair sitting next to a pair of scissors on your desk from where you had decided it was a good idea to chop a few inches off at 3 am yesterday. 

You're pretty sure you hadn't been to a single class in at least a month. You were failing only two at the moment, luckily. Last semester it was three. Emails and text messages were piling up in your inboxes. There was no point in setting alarms anymore. You knew you weren't going to wake up anyway. 

You really just missed your mom. You missed her encouraging words and her hugs. Her hugs. Any of your problems were made to be nothing with just one of her hugs. You know she would be beyond disappointed to see the state of your life right now. 

Nothing even happened to make you feel this way. It's just a part of that never-ending cycle of depression that seems to hinder everything you try to do. There are no words to describe what happens in your head when you get like this. No therapist or medication could ever stop this feeling. It's like the weight of the world sits on your chest. You can't breathe. You can't think. You can't move. You can't even provide yourself with the basic necessities one needs to survive. 

You try to tell yourself to get out of this funk, but nothing will help. Nothing has ever helped. 

Well...maybe one thing has.

Harry.

Your boyfriend on two years. The man who has helped you out of funk numerous amounts of times throughout the last couple of years. Of course, you don't always feel like this. It comes and goes. It seems nowadays it mostly comes. It never seems to go. But when it has come, Harry has been there for you. He has fed you and showered you and loved you and kissed you and never ever judged you. 

You feel like a burden. 

No matter how many times he tells you he does it because he loves you. He hates seeing you like that. He wishes he could take all of your pain away. You mean everything to him. He loves you. He loves you. He loves you. He loves you.

You don't know why. What kind of man wants a girl who goes four days without showering at times. Or a girl who wakes up at 3 pm because at night her thoughts wander so far she has to hit herself in the head to stop them. A girl who can't just...be normal. 

Either way, you know one thing is for certain. You love Harry. You really do. You probably wouldn't be here if it weren't for him. He has changed your life. There have been more good moments with him than bad. He kisses you just to kiss you. He watches your favorite movie with you weekly (even though you know he despises it.) He goes out to brunch with your parents because he loves talking to the people who created you. He buys you flowers every time he goes to the market just because he loves to see you smile every time he gives them to you. 

He really was made for you. Nevertheless, you felt like you didn't deserve him. 

You wish you could change. You wish you could change for him. You wish it was easier to be alive. You wish you didn't want to die. For him. Not for yourself. You wish you could be the perfect girlfriend. The girlfriend he deserved, not one that rots away in her room.

Harry walks in. You hear the door to your apartment creak open and gently shut. Footsteps lead into the kitchen, probably putting down the food you know he probably bought for you. You sit up and try to put on your most neutral face. You sniff your armpits and wince a little. It's only been since yesterday morning you showered, but a little deodorant wouldn't hurt. Your door opens letting in light, making your eyes squint and your hand instinctively come up to block it. 

"Y/N?" Harry says. You smile for the first time since you saw him last a few days ago. "Hey, baby." He gives you the softest, pure smile you've ever seen in your whole life. He tilts his head at you with a concerned look on his face. 

"Hi." You croak out, using your voice for the first time in a while. He walks up to your bed and pulls the blanket down to lie with you. You scoot over to make room for him. He climbs in and immediately wraps his hands around you. His face buries into your neck and plants soft kisses along your throat. Your hand goes into his hair and softly brushes through his soft curls. 

He hums. "Mmm, I love you." He kisses you again right on your jawline. "I've missed you, baby. How has my girl been?" Your throat tightens. You're regretting not answering his texts. He's probably been worried. 

You smile sadly. "I love you more, angel. I-" You pause to think of an adequate answer to your disappearance the past few days. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I haven't answered your texts. I've just been...not feeling well. I've missed you too. So much." Your eyes are welling with tears, but your room is dark so maybe he won't notice. 

He pulls back a little to look at your face. His heart breaks. His girl has been feeling bad and he hasn't been here for her. "Oh, honey. It's okay. You know I just want to make sure you're okay." He kisses you sweetly. Your heart swells. He really is perfect. "I brought you dinner. I hope you haven't eaten." He smiles at you.

You laugh wetly. " Eating hasn't really been my number one priority today." 

He frowns, "Y/N, you have to eat, love. It's important to take care of your body." He sits up and grabs your hand. "Come one. Let's go eat and watch Silver Linings Playbook." He pulls you up from your nest. He wraps his arms around you and engulfs you in a hug. Your head rests on his chest and you just breathe in. 

You reach up and kiss him. You will never understand how this man can be so selfless. He really has changed your life. You will love him at your highs, and you will love him at your lows.

[thetaleoflevi]

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Things Change

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Pairing: Levi x fem!reader

Content: Modern AU, SFW

Content Warnings: None? Kid Levi slaps Readers hand, and there’s descriptions of Levi and readers glow up but that’s it.

Description: As a child, Levi did everything solo. He was alone most of the time, and the one time you tried to talk to him, he rejected your friendship. As years went by, he realizes that he needed to grow up, and that meant learning to tolerate people. People like you.

Word Count: 4.3k

A/N: So many ideas are circulating my brain but I’m so scared to write to my best ability because that means lots and lots of words, and not everyone has the time to read long fics. For now, enjoy whatever this is. It’s not childhood friends to lovers because kid Levi despised Reader until the end of high school.

(P.S. If you read the “snippet” of this fic that I posted, I recommend reading through it again. I made some minor changes.)

⭐️Taglist: @ackermendick

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In some way, you forgave the little asshole he used to be. He became more aware of the effect his words had on you, and as he matured, he softened the blow by a lot.

Now, he treated you like a prized possession. You didn’t push him away when he started calling you a friend. Rather, you welcomed him with an addictive chuckle and a punch to the chest that knocked the wind out of his lungs.

“We were never friends in school, were we?” you ask, sitting next to Levi on a bench. The bright orange and blue fading to purple is a majestic sight, and the sound of waves crashing against the sand is soothing.

“I considered you a friend after your brave action during the grape incident.” He’s staring off towards the view, remembering how things were in the past, when you were still old enough to throw tantrums and cry over the smallest inconveniences.

You turn to face him on the bench, bending your leg so that you’re sitting in a half criss-cross.

“You remember that? I still have nightmares about how hard you slapped my hand.” Your eyes glow with nostalgic joy.

“Of course I do. It’s a core memory.” He brings your hand up to his lips, pressing a restoring kiss onto the wound your inner child never healed from. “I know I never apologized, but just know, your hands will always be taken care of by me.”

—

Kindergarten

Age: 5

“Hey Levi, you know you don’t have to peel those, right?” You look at the boy peeling green grapes in the corner of the classroom, and immediately flinch when he turns to look at you with this expression of fury, like you had disturbed him just by being loud enough for him to hear you.

“Why does it matter to you? You won’t be the one eating them.” The silver-eyed boy refocuses on the bag with scraps of grape skin, only to jump a little when you sit next to him.

“Can I try one?” You reach towards his bag of peeled grapes, barely grazing the ziplock, when his hand speedily lands on yours harshly. His eyebrows are furrowed, as if wondering what is wrong with you. He didn’t give you an answer.

You gasp in fear, taking a second to process what just happened before your face twists into one of emotional and physical hurt. Levi doesn’t want to hear you, and he also doesn’t want to get in trouble for making you cry, so he grabs his clear bags and moves to another square on the rainbow carpet in the classroom.

You sniff, eyes watering, but you don’t wail and you don’t make a sound. Tears slide down your face, the saltiness reaching your tongue through the cracks in the corners of your lips. You stand up and slowly walk to the tables scattered with different activities. You decide to go to the art table to draw what just happened. A crooked stick figure with four strokes of hair and a sad expression on the face is scribbled onto a page of yellow construction paper, and then you draw another stick figure with three strokes of shorter hair with its hand on yours. You put little lines around the hand to detail the hardness of the slap.

When you showed it to your teacher, she thought a boy was trying to hold your hand and you didn’t like it, so you had to explain what really happened. She promised that you and Levi would be friends again by the end of the day, and you smiled a little at that.

Your teacher made you and Levi stay behind for a couple minutes while other kids pointed to their guardians to show that they were being picked up.

“Levi, I heard from your friend here that you weren’t being very nice today. Can you tell me a little bit about what happened?”

“She tried to steal my grapes, so I swatted her hand away,” he confidently tells her.

The teacher watched your behavior while Levi talked. You still seemed to be hurt by his earlier action, and it was evident in the way you pouted.

“Miss, is this true?” The red haired woman puts a hand on your shoulder, signaling that she was talking to you.

“No, I asked if I could try one-”

“Well, I didn’t say you could, but you reached for one anyway,” Levi interrupts, talking over you loudly.

“Is there any way this could be resolved? Levi, what could you have done better in this situation?” The woman’s hand lands on the boy’s shoulder.

He looks away, annoyed that he has to say what the lady wants to hear just to go home.

“I… uh… I guess I shouldn’t have hit her,” he mutters under his breath, red-faced in embarrassment.

“That’s better. Now, what do you think you could have done better?” Your teacher looks at you now.

“M-Maybe I should have waited… um… waited for Levi to say I could have one instead of just trying to take it from him.”

“Great! You two are very good at problem solving. I’m proud of how you handled this. Now, before you go, I want you to shake hands. We can be friends again, right?”

You eagerly nod and extend your hand towards Levi’s, meeting him halfway, holding his hand and shaking it twice before retracting your hand. You don’t think anything of the way he wipes his hand on his overalls afterwards.

“Okay, now show me your grown ups and you can head on home.”

“There’s my uncle Kenny.” Levi points at a tall man with slicked back hair.

“She’s here to take me home.” You point at a woman with dark hair and a bright orange shirt, who is smiling and waving at you.

“Alrighty then. Have a great day! See you guys tomorrow,” your teacher smiles brightly and waves goodbye as you both split and separate from her.

You run towards the woman who was there to take you home, slowing down when Levi stops to give you an equally scary expression as the one from earlier.

“You’re a snitch, and no one will ever be your friend. Ever.” He huffs, before running towards his uncle, holding his hand as they head home.

You were unsure about what the word snitch meant, but the second part hurt almost as bad as when he slapped your hand. It made something hurt in your chest, but for some reason you didn’t want to cry about it.

You walked over to the lady, not as enthusiastic as before.

“Hey kiddo, why the long face?” She asks, holding your shoulders as you plant your face into her stomach, scrunching up her shirt.

“I’m really hungry and tired.”

That was the first time you ever emotionally lied to hide your true feelings.

—

High School, Senior Year

Age: 17/18

It was as if Levi had cursed you for the rest of your life. Things didn’t go exactly as he said they would, though. You made tons of friends, and he did, too. Unfortunately, you weren’t friends with each other. He had matured and occasionally talked to you when you were involuntarily partnered up for school projects, but other than that, you two were as distant as ever.

“Listen up, everyone. For this project, I will allow you to choose your partner. Choose someone who will do their part and who will stay focused on the work rather than just screwing around…” Your teacher’s voice trails off and all that can be seen is the turning of students’ heads to face the partner they wished to work with. You turn to face Hange, who in turn looks at you as well.

“Hey, want to be partners for this project?”

Hange hadn’t said a word to you. The voice came from behind you, a presence shadowing your back.

Levi had matured, and now you definitely recognized it.

Levi had matured physically. He refused to join any of the sports that represented the school, but he did start going to the gym every day after school. Coaches watched him during P.E. and realized his athletic potential, which turned into constantly asking him if he would be interested in joining their teams. As someone who picked things up quickly, he was promised a spot on the varsity teams, which he always rejected. Levi thought it was pathetic how they kept asking and asking—practically begging, and deemed it harassment when they wouldn’t take his no. Eventually, he was left alone. It only took a million no’s and one threat to bring it up to the principal.

Even you couldn’t deny how handsome Levi had become. You noticed the veins that snaked around his arms like lightning strikes, as well as the bulkiness of his toned biceps beneath the sleeves of his shirts. You also noticed the bags that decorated the bottoms of his eyes—something that shouldn’t have been as attractive as it was.

Levi looked good, but that wasn’t something you would ever say out loud.

Levi also matured mentally. It took reaching his last year of middle school to grow out of the ‘nobody likes you, you stink, you look like fresh manure’ childishness. He became aware of how stupid it was to say things like this as a fourteen-turning-fifteen year old. He realized that at some point he would have to grow out of the ridiculous ‘girls are gross’ phase, as well, because he started seeing things in girls that didn’t elicit disgusting feelings in him.

Levi was ready to grow up by the time he entered high school. He was so ready to prove that he wasn’t twelve years old anymore. It wasn’t hard to act like a normal person, not outwardly judging things that seemed weird.

He saw you a couple times during the summer, but never actually walked up to you. He thought it might be awkward, knowing how much trouble he caused you in all the years before.

On weekends, you always spent your afternoons at the beach, watching the sun set over the endless crashing waves. The strange thing was that you were unaccompanied every time, the entire bench only occupied by you.

When Levi saw you, he never took it as an opportunity to apologize for the way he was before. Even then, he felt like you didn’t hate him, because sometimes when you heard footsteps behind you, you would turn. The rare occasions when it was Levi, you smiled at him following it with a friendly wave. This was enough of a reason for him to speed walk home.

When he first saw you again at the start of freshman year, he instantly noticed the transformation you went through. You were glowing in pure daylight. You were more confident, and you weren’t wearing only hoodies and sweatpants anymore. Your chest was fuller, your hair was luscious, and you dressed like it was picture day every day. You were so stunning that the few pimples scattered on your cheeks almost went unnoticed.

He was truly ready to act grown up, but the moment he saw you strut into his biology class, he had to paw at the fabric of his pants to dry the sweat off his palms.

You looked good, but that wasn’t something Levi would ever say out loud.

Hange pointed at the person standing in front of your desk, a wicked grin on their face as you give them a perplexed expression.

You recognized that voice—the deep timbre, the wiseness behind it as well as the know-it-all tendencies that that voice gave life to.

You finally turned to face the mystery man, knowing all along who it was.

“You want to work with me?” you ask, putting the pencil you were spinning down on the desk.

“I know we can get this done faster than any other pair in this room. We won’t be working together for long, if that’s what you’re worried about.” His palms subconsciously settle on your desk.

“Don’t you have others that want to work with you? I was kind of set on working with Hange.”

“And I was set on working with Moblit, but look at them chopping it up.” He points over to the pair. Hange is doing her usual act of trying to win the boy’s heart with her ninety-nine point nine percent success rate of pick up lines, while Moblit internally and visibly panics, not knowing how to show he’s just as interested in them.

“Levi, let’s work together,” a girl asks, her eyes basically pulsing at him. “I got a ninety-five percent on the last project. With your smarts we could get that hundred.”

Levi quickly rejects her.

“No. I already chose my partner.”

“Hey, we should work together again. I don’t totally understand the prompt, but I’m willing to study for it. What do ya say?” Eren asks, putting his pencil behind his ear. Your heart shakes with anxiety, but you quickly turn him down in the nicest way you can.

“Looook who’s here to work with you!” You grab him by the shoulders and throw him at the quiet girl, Mikasa.

You go back to Levi’s side and whisper, “Let’s just confirm our partnership before we’re asked to work with others again.”

“Good idea.”

You follow him up to the front of the class where your teacher sits, waiting for students to come up to him.

“Oh, are you two planning on working together again? You did very well on the last project. This partnership is very reliable.”

“Yes, we’re here to confirm our partnership,” Levi says.

“Great! You’re my fourth pair—first written down on paper. Let’s see, I’ll…”

You both walk away from the teacher’s desk, separating to sit at your designated desks. You feel a sting in your scalp, a lock of your hair twisted around Hange’s finger and pulled swiftly.

“Ow, what?” You turn to face the culprit and their shit-eating grin.

“Ow, what?” They repeat, mocking your tone. “I didn’t want to work with you anyway.”

“Seriously? You ran first. I turned away for a split second and you were macking with Moblit.” You fake gag. “But, whatever. I didn’t want to work with you either.”

You both stare at each other in silence for two seconds before bursting out into laughter.

You lean in close to get your message to Hange as discreetly as possible.

“You got this, Hange. Make me proud.”

“Yes, ma’am.” They mock salute you, a stern expression on their face.

—

You didn’t realize how hard it was to work with Levi until you voluntarily chose to do so. He was nitpicking all the parts he entrusted you with. Lot’s of ‘this works better than what you have down right now,’ and ‘is that part set in stone or is it a rough draft?’

It got to the point where you felt like your head was pulsing. He was micromanaging the whole project and you were getting fed up with it.

“Levi, do you want to finish my parts of the project, too? Just say so and I’ll go home.”

“What are you talking about? It’s a two-person project.”

“Yeah, I know, but right now you’re playing both parts.” You straighten your posture from the hunched position you were in while you wrote on the worksheet.

“I’m just giving you pointers. You don’t have to take the advice if you don’t think it’ll make your work better.”

You sigh, the stress of misunderstanding piling onto your shoulders.

Would you be my partner if I asked nicely?

Levi watched you typing away on your phone as he continued working. Every once in a while he would see you grin, a short chuckle following.

Tired of Levi already? I thought you guys worked well together ;)

Stop. He’s taking over the entire project. Help.

I wanna stay with Moblit.

Hange, pleaseeeeee! I’ll owe you the biggest favor ever in the world. Ever.

How big?

The favor lasts from now until forever if I go through with it.

Fineeee

Ily <3

“How’s your part coming along?” Levi looks up again once you set your phone down.

“Hange says we can switch partners if you still want to work with Moblit.” You grab your pencil again, filling in some answers that made more sense once your head was cleared.

“We’re too far into the project to switch partners now.”

“We’re three days into the project, out of two weeks. I could fill Moblit in on my part and vice versa.”

He drops his pencil, sitting up straight to face you.

“Why are you abandoning this project? We’re doing fine. You’re doing really well.”

Your heart involuntarily speeds up, and butterflies invade your guts. It’s an unsettling feeling, considering how little time you spend with Levi to be feeling this way.

“I just don’t think i’m on par with your thought process. Working with Moblit… it’s what you initially wanted. Now is your chance.”

“I was just saying that- I didn’t want to work with Moblit. You- I thought…”

“You’re buffering.” You chuckle. “Reboot, refresh, andddd boop.” You tap the top of his head.

His face drops, unsure of what just happened. For some reason, he feels lighter.

“I wanted to work with you first. Moblit was supposed to be a backup, incase you… you know, didn’t want to work with me.” He avoids eye contact with you as he speaks his mind. It’s not something he’s totally comfortable doing.

“I hate working with you, you know?”

He looks at you again, his face not expressing the awkwardness he feels.

“I want to be your friend, though. I want to get along with you, and if that means I have to work with you for two weeks, then I guess i’ll survive.”

Sorry, he’s my friend now <\3

The project was finished three days early. You were partners by choice for every project since then. You worked together on the final senior project and passed with flying colors. With every project you worked on together, there was more time to get to know each other. There was time to ask questions about what the future would hold. You got so comfortable with each other, to the point where instead of turning to look for Hange when the teacher said pair up, you looked for Levi.

—

Graduation day arrived and you cackled when you saw Levi in his white cap and gown. He was one of the top ten students, so he definitely stood out from the rest of the graduates who wore forest green caps and gowns.

“We did it, L. Congrats on being top ten.” You patted his shoulder, a bright smile on your face.

“Yours is cooler.” He tugs on your sleeve lightly. “I’ll bet you one that as soon as I sit down, the filthy chair is gonna get my gown dirty.”

“Alright, you’re on. I bet it’ll stay clean.” You know you’ll be losing a dollar, but what does it matter. You’ll indulge in this bittersweet game of his.

The graduation march begins, and all the lines begin moving. Students follow students to end seated in neat files. Speeches are given by the Salutatorian followed by the Valedictorian. The principal gives her speech, and then the names are being read out.

When Levi’s name was called out, you were glad to hear many others cheering with you. It filled you with so much joy to know that there were many who supported him.

When your name was called, you heard people cheering and applauding, but the only person who mattered was Levi. You looked straight ahead, and scanned the row of students wearing white caps and gowns until your eyes met Levi’s. He was clapping for you, a rare, but captivating smile gracing his face.

High school was over. Some things would never be the same, but not everything would change.

After the ceremony, you met up with the familiars who came to see you. You accepted their congratulations, embraces, and well wishes before letting them know that you had other people you wanted to see before leaving school.

You turned to look for your day one, Hange. They were still talking to some people you didn’t recognize, so you went around looking for other friends.

“Hey.” There’s a tap on your back. You turn to see Levi, his cap in hand. “Let’s go talk at the front of the school. It’s quieter there.”

“Okay.” You nod.

It was a peaceful walk through the campus and through the gates at the entrance of the school. The yellow streetlights illuminated the cement beneath your feet, covering half of the grass surrounded by concrete blocks, where students usually sat while they waited for their rides.

You both sat down, a different aura surrounding you. Something serious, something intimate. Both if mutually understood.

“You lost the bet.” The first words that come out of his mouth, a smug smirk littering his face.

“Really, Ackerman?” You chuckle. “Stand up. Let me see your butt.”

He stands, a very light dirt spot visible on his gown.

“You can just dust that off. It’s not stained.”

“That’s not what we talked about. We bet that the chair was going to get my gown dirty, not stain it.” He sits back down. “You lost.”

You sigh, a lighthearted smile on your face as you dig into your pockets for your wallet.

Levi’s hand stops you from pulling your wallet out.

“That’s not what I want.”

“You said ‘i’ll bet you one’.”

“I didn’t specify what I wanted, though. What if I wanted one apple?”

You raise an eyebrow.

“Is that actually what you want?”

“No.”

“Then what do you want?”

Your hand is cold in his as he folds his fingers between yours.

“What?” You giggle, leaning back a little when he gets closer.

“Come on. Stay still.”

“You’re being weird, Levi.” You chuckle, nervously.

“One kiss.”

You stop moving, and suddenly you are all too aware of his soft grip on your hands.

“It’s what I want.”

“You’re kidding, right?” You’re ready to hear him say no, but still hope he says he’s kidding.

“You’re the one who lost. Be a good sport.”

“What do you have to gain from something so…” you giggle in your flustered state, “…so stupid?”

“A once in a lifetime experience. Now tell me, what do you have to lose?”

“Nothing.”

“Exactly. It’ll be quick.”

Your palms are sweating. What an odd thing for him to want from you. A kiss? It wouldn’t be motivated by feelings so it won’t be weird. You can’t make it weird.

“Okay. Alright, just do it.”

One of his hands loosens and releases one of your hands, raising up to cup your cheek.

“Levi, hurry up,” you prompt, the warmth of his palm on your cheek letting butterflies escape.

He’s ignoring you now. He’s waited so long for this, and you’re allowing him to fulfill his want.

You can’t look into his eyes as he gets closer. The color has an effect on you, so you close your eyes and wait for your lips to touch.

“You’re taking forev-”

Your lips are enveloped by Levi’s, the lingering taste of the spearmint flavored gum he was chewing earlier, on your tongue. You died internally when he cupped your jaw, stealing two, three, then four too many kisses.

Who were you to stop him when you loved it so much? He kept you warm as the night breeze nipped at your bare forearms and shins, and you would gladly remain in his space for as long as he stayed in yours.

You separate from each other, a silent wide-eyed reaction from both of you. Levi made a sudden realization, and you continued to be surprised that he actually kissed you.

“I can’t go. I don’t want to anymore.”

“What are you talking about?” You ask.

“The university I got into is all the way in Chicago. I don’t want to go so far.”

“That’s amazing, Levi! You have to go.”

“I’m not leaving you here. We just repaired those childish altercations that made us rivals for years, and I’m not ready to stop talking to you.” He looks down at your still linked hands, a rosy color dusting his cheeks.

“We have phones and phone numbers. There are also apps to text through.” You squeeze his hand. “We live in a modern world, L. We’ll keep in touch.”

“Come with me.”

“No.”

“Come with me, please,” he rephrases.

“No,” you repeat. “You can do this. I’m not going anywhere, and you can visit during your breaks.”

He sighs, unable to figure out how to change your mind.

“I’m not gonna win this time, am I?”

“Nope. You win some, you lose some.” You grin, knowingly. “Be a good sport.”

“Fine.” He turns to look at you, focusing on that lingering blush on your cheeks. “Do you have time?”

“Yeah, I don’t have to be home yet. I told my family that i’d get a ride from some friends.”

He nods in acknowledgment.

“Can we sit here a while longer? I don’t want to see anyone else right now.”

Reality is sinking in, and he misses you already. High school is over, and before he knows it, he’ll be on a plane to Chicago, miles and miles away from here, where you’ll stay.

“Of course. Did you want to talk about anything?”

He shakes his head.

“Let’s just sit here.”

—

“So we were friends during school, even if it was all the way towards the end. I’m surprised you remember all of that.” Your voice was everything but stable.

“Why are you crying? It’s a happy ending.” Levi wiped the tear that slid down your face, with his thumb.

“We didn’t actually grow up until that last project, huh?”

“It is what brought us closer, and then you drove a wall between us.”

You punched his arm, playfully.

“At least you’re back now, with a degree.”

“And you.”

He leans in and presses a chaste kiss to your lips. That fluttery feeling in your heart is now welcome, as well as his arm around you, while you watch the same sunset you watched all those years ago without him.

[llliiinnnaaa]

Reprisal | Chapter Nine | Part One

coriolanus snow x gaul oc

Summary: Ten years after the Tenth Hunger Games, Coriolanus Snow is under Dr. Volumnia Gaul’s wing as a Gamemaker alongside her niece. Unbeknownst to either of them, they’re both being prepared for a much greater task.

Warning: This story will contain explicit violence against adults and children alike (I mean, it’s Dr. Gaul AND Snow) as well as explicit language, and sexual situations.

***This fic is in no way, shape, or form, me endorsing or co-signing the horrific shit Snow does, nor am I trying to romanticize it. Also, apathy and will be the main driving force of any remnants of a relationship between my OC and Snow’s character. So if you’re interested in something very romantic and fluffy…it’s not gonna be this.

Thank you for reading, I hope you like it!

Blue eyes deliberately meet brown in the slew of the crowd, everyone sitting around the finely clothed table.

“I’ll be back in just a moment.” Tawny says to her husband, not even bothering sitting down beside him before she’s darting toward the back of the restaurant, the blonde Snow on her heels.

Tawny’s fingers hurriedly pluck the emerald cut diamond from her ring finger, the dim lighting of the women’s powder room lending enough privacy in the corner that her exchange with Tigris isn’t noticed by either of the two strangers talking to one another across the room.

Her own wedding ring is replaced, Tigris tucking Livia’s into her small clutch. 

“Thank you.” Tawny can’t say it enough, embarrassed to even have to do this, but Tigris is kind, and very good at minding her own business – keeping a neutral stance as best as she can as she softly smiles and nods, whispering, “Just please be more careful.” 

She despises the thought of Tawny and her cousin being caught up in a scandal, the citizens of the Capitol oh so good at sinking their teeth into garbage and chattering on about it to no end.

“We are.” Tawny assures her in the same tone, though the words in itself is a contradiction as the two women step back into the lavish dining room of the restaurant, Dyess drunkenly outstretching his arms, piping, “There she is!” 

Smoke curls from Strabo Plinth's cigar, Ma and Minerva in their continued conversation from the drive over, giving Tawny’s father the opportunity to finally chat Coriolanus up. 

The string of tiny diamonds that cascade from Tawny’s earlobes catch the light, she and Tigris both in deep red colors, holding Coriolanus’ attention as she sits down next to her husband, who presses a kiss to her cheek, hugging at her shoulder.

He’d started drinking two hours before they’d even left.

“ . . . All of our boys ended up in four different districts,” Tiberius continues his conversation with Snow, the two having been speaking about the military, Snow’s father, Tiberius’ time, and his sons. “Cyrus, Cicero, and Consus were the eldests – triplets. Cyrus was in Six, Cicero was in Nine, Consus had gone to Eight. And then Magnus, the baby brother, was in Three.” He explains. “Me and your father were shipped off to Twelve – worst one there is in my opinion. If I’d heard correctly, that’s where you went, isn't it?”

“Yes, sir, I did some of basic in Twelve.” Snow informs him, sharing the sentiment for the scummy, impoverished district completely. “For a few months, at least. Dr. Gaul fished me out almost as soon as I got in.” 

“You served?” Minerva questions, furrowing her brows as she eyes him where he sits next to her husband. 

“Peacekeeper. Never saw any real combat, however. Just bar fights.” He replies, his words sending a chuckle through the table. 

“Is there a uniform somewhere . . . ?” Minerva asks, next, slightly suggestively.

His eyes flicker to Tawny, who's trying not to stare at him, unable to scold her mother for the question, because she herself is also thinking it.

“ . . . And if so, might I see you in it?” Boldly suggestively.

“Mother!” Tawny tries to scold her, but she can't do it too badly because she laughs , having drank more than usual herself before leaving, as well.

“What?” Minerva asks, innocently. “He wouldn’t have to keep it on for long.” 

Tiberius rubs his forehead, finding some humor in his wife’s blatant request, but doesn’t want to entertain it, while Strabo and Ma laugh as Tawny reaches across the table and plucks her mother’s drink from in front of her, half-jokingly stating, “You’ve had too much of this!” only for her mother to swat her hand and take it back.

Coriolanus studies the interaction, having not seen Tawny act this way before – not around her own family. 

Granted, he had only met them within the past couple weeks, and she had been too stressed and high-strung the first time.

But now she’s relaxed much more, beaming with joy that her case had been successful and chosen for the Games, on a high she hadn’t felt in quite some time. 

His genius idea to get her to redo Livia’s case had worked.

Truth be told, he could watch her bathe in his success – their success –  all night if it wouldn’t be too obvious, the sight of her doing so building his ego bit by bit. 

“I’m going to have to call them to collect you.” Dyess adds it toward his mother-in-law, despite still trying not to show amusement by her brazenness.  

“Oh, like no other woman would have thought of it!” Minerva pipes.

Tigris quietly drinks on her water.

“As flattered as I am, Mrs. Gaul, I am a married man.” Snow says back to her, chuckling, charming as ever as he plays along with Minerva’s flirtations as respectfully as he can in regards to Mr. Gaul. “I’m not sure Livia would appreciate me modeling my uniform or removing it for anyone else.” 

Dyess finishes his own drink.

“Where is your wife , Mr. Snow?” He asks, curiously. 

“She’s visiting her mother, taking advantage of the time off she’s gotten since she won’t be participating in the Games.” He replies, casually. 

“That’s awfully convenient.” Dyess states, Tawny glancing at him. 

He had practically all but confirmed his suspicion upon seeing Livia’s ring on Tawny’s finger. 

“ It was a mishap, Dyess. Livia and I shared the lab and accidentally got one another’s rings .” She had told a bold-faced lie whilst the breath-taking, toe-curling, mind-numbing events of the night had rolled through her mind. 

“I think all of you need a vacation. I can’t imagine the stress.” Ma says, next. “How you all cope with it is beyond me.” It’s meant as a compliment, admiration and pride dripping from each word from Mrs. Plinth’s mouth, but it causes a bitterness to arise in Dyess’ throat while he studies Snow, catching the fast flicker of his eyes to Tawny who shifts in her seat, rubbing her thighs together a moment to try to readjust and discard the filth running through her tipsy mind while Coriolanus imagines her bent over the table, forcing her to stare her husband in the eye while he takes her, coping with his stress the best way he knows how.

Tawny knows he’s thinking no good just by the way his chest rises under his crisp, white dress shirt, the breath evading the both of them the longer they stare. 

“Which district do you think will win this year, Mr. Snow?” Minerva asks, interrupting their eye-fucking, unbeknownst to her. 

“I say kill them all.” Dyess hisses, rolling his jaw. 

“I won’t make any money if all of them die, Dyess.” She explains, a long swig of champagne leaving the crystal flute. 

“District One or Two are usually the strongest.” Coriolanus reminds her, and she nods as if making up her mind that her money will certainly be on  them.

“You shouldn’t place a bet based on who is from what district.” Tawny shakes her head.

Snow takes it as a challenge, blue eyes burning into her as he asks, “And why is that?” 

“It’s based on the skill one possesses. Not the District they come from.” She shrugs. “We wouldn’t have any winners from any of the other districts if that were the case.” 

“I never said that we don’t have any victors from other districts, Dr. Crane. She asked me my opinion, and I told her that typically district One or Two is where past victors have come from.” He evenly retorts. “It’s a fact you can go back and see the statistics for yourself if you’re uneducated on it.” 

“ Uneducated ?” She’s amused by him, finding their banter amusing, enjoying watching him take everything so serious, getting under his skin. “I’m six years more educated on them than you are.” She adds it, raising her brows. 

“Age doesn’t have anything to do with it.” He shakes his head, having a sip of his own drink. “There are plenty of things some people at twenty-eight know far better than people at thirty-four.” It’s added innocently, but she knows exactly what he’s referring to, knowing he takes great pride in doing things to her that her own husband can’t. 

It makes her ache . 

“No offense, friend .” He looks to Dyess, next, her husband rolling his jaw with an amused smirk. 

“None taken, Mr. Snow.” Dyess replies. “You’ll be old one day, too.” It’s added, the table chuckling at the sarcastic notion that thirty-four is old – but in the Capitol, in their profession, it is considered just that. 

“Just go ahead and retire while you’re all ahead.” Minerva shrugs. “Tawny would finally have the room to have more flexibility with her schedule and have us some more grandchildren.” She nudges Tiberius with her elbow.

“She’s already plenty flexible – that’s not the problem.” Dyess comments it smugly, Tawny’s face burning as she hits at his arm, Strabo nearly choking on his whiskey while her father pretends to not have heard it whilst her mother replies, “Okay, now, Dyess, I’m going to have to call them to come collect you ,” while Dyess laughs.

Coriolanus takes another swallow of his posca, forcing a sneer to hide behind his lips as Tawny looks to her father, “Dad, do you have my cigarettes?” 

“Mr. Snow, what about you and your wife? Any babies in the near future?” Minerva asks, next as Tiberius fishes into the pocket of his suit jacket, plucking the cigarette compact from it and handing it to her. 

It’s now Tawny who has to hide a sneer at the thought, even more repulsed by the fact she’s jealous of Livia. 

As if she is entitled to more of him than his own wife is.

Snow’s tempted to intercept the exchange of the cigarette compact and chain smoke the whole thing to ease his ill-tempered nerves whilst he replies, “Not quite yet, Mrs. Gaul. She and I both have a few more professional accomplishments we wish to achieve before bringing children into the matter.”

The posca is helping so very little to relax him, and he’s weary of getting a stronger drink, not wanting to dumb his mind and actions. 

Dyess acts as if he doesn’t take notice of his wife fishing two cigarettes out, holding them both between her fingers, extending them to Strabo and sweetly asking, “Mr. Plinth, can you lend me a light?”

“Of course, Dr. Crane.” He lights it, tucking the silver lighter back into his pocket.

“Thank you,” She states, taking in a deep, simultaneous breath from the two cigarettes before releasing it, smattering the air between her and her husband with smoke. 

“Darling, must you do so?” Dyess asks her, taking one from her fingers, situating it between his lips before grabbing the other and tossing it into the glass of iced water. 

Snow curls his lip at the sight of the barely-used lipstick stained cigarette floating in the brand new glass of water.

Classless . 

Wasteful . 

Entirely Dyess Crane.  

She raises a brow and goes to reach for another cigarette out of spite, only for her husband to grasp at her side, causing her to jump and let out a giggle that she tries to keep quiet. 

It’s infuriating seeing Dyess’ hand disappear from the table as he touches her waist, innocently or not, and when he goes to do it again, amused with her laughter, Snow stands up, silencing the table as they look at him. 

Dyess stops, Tawny takes in shaky breaths, and Tigris prepares herself to tug her cousin from his mistress's husband. 

“Excuse me for a moment.” Coriolanus politely tells them, pushing his seat back in to head to the restroom. 

When he’s out of sight, his fist is curling and uncurling, irritated – no, infuriated – at Dyess’ exchange with Tawny. 

She was his, was she not? Yet she paraded herself to Dyess as if she weren’t crying out Snow’s name less than two days ago.

The more rational side of his psyche begin to soothe him, reminding him that this is what he wants. 

He wants someone who will be good at hiding what they’re doing behind closed doors, and Tawny does just that when she kisses Dyess’ cheek and dotes on him, only to crawl on her knees and beg at Coriolanus’ feet when they’ve time together. 

His mind shifts back to Livia. 

He hates to admit it, but he does miss her. 

He misses her snarky remarks under her breath when they go out together about who's wearing what, what someone’s makeup looks like, whose still carrying the weight of their pregnancy two years after giving birth. 

Her shallow, meaningless rambles did entertain him, especially on nights such as this when alcohol was his friend and he needed a break from stressful topics such as the Games, his time as a Peacekeeper, and when he’s going to have children.

It’s when he gets to the restroom, takes a breath and examines his own bitter gaze in the mirror that he forces himself to calm down.

The room stays empty, quiet, the only sound is that of his heart hounding in his own ears at his spiked blood pressure.

The celebratory dinner was a punishment, he had decided, surrounded and provoked by nuisances of all degrees, from the drunk Minerva Gaul, to Dyess Crane’s smug smile, even Strabo had been grating his nerves earlier in the night by suggesting he go visit Livia instead of tagging along with them to dinner.

He missed his wife. 

But he didn’t want his wife, not at the moment, not tonight. 

No, what he wants is seated across from his spot at the table, and had been continuously staring at him with those brown “fuck me” eyes that have had his heel digging into the floor and his cock twitching in his pants.

He huffs out a deep breath, beginning to grasp a hold of himself, reeling his reckless thoughts back in.

The door is opening after a few minutes, Coriolanus immediately washing his hands as if pretending he had actually been relieving himself. 

He continues his facade, even as Dyess leans against the wall behind him, staring at him in the mirror. 

“I appreciate you helping my wife finally have a successful case after months of failure.” He pipes. 

The water cuts off, Snow grasping at a thick and gold printed paper cloth, drying his hands. 

“I assigned a case to her, she’s earned her credit, where her credit is due.” He replies as cordially as he can.

“So . . . uncharacteristically generous of you.” Dyess mutters, drunk eyes narrowing at Snow, cobalt setting a flame to ice.

“Regardless of what you may hear of me, Dr. Crane, I’m not a cruel man. I can be gracious, patient . . . and generous .” Snow retorts calmly, the last word pulling his own eyes to narrow for a split second, trying to pin-point Dyess’ game and beat him at it. 

“Oh, I’ve no doubt.” Dyess replies, nodding his head. “Just as I’m sure she returns that generosity .” 

The suggestive tone shifts the air around them, the enemies forced to play nice are now merely enemies, any shred of hospitality is disregarded.

“I’ve never found myself questioning exactly how appreciative she is for my assistance – or anyone else’s for that matter.” He’s nearly smug – nearly –  as he tells the truth. “Dr. Crane is a very gracious woman. Fortunately for you.” 

“Lucky me.” Dyess grits out nearly, eyes following Snow as he steps to the door. “You know . . .” He starts once more, stopping Snow in his tracks, the lingering smell of whiskey and cigarettes, the way his words hang in the air, the roll of his jaw and grind of his teeth let’s Coriolanus know exactly why he’d followed him before he ever continues with, “ . . . I never would have thought, all those years ago, that the scrawny kid singing the anthem at my baby sister’s funeral would be screwing my wife just ten years later.” 

[g0ttal0ve101]

🎶💯💤🎄😖🎮 for any of ur little shits :3

they are little shits………my little shits 🫶

TW: obsessive behavior, a lil suggestive, and implications of trauma.

🎶 - what type of music does your oc like? do they listen to music very often?

Sam: weezer/the front bottoms….like. mentally ill homosexuality shit. yes he listens to this shit 24/7….(he j like me fr.)

Evelyn: Beethoven? i mean what else do British people listen to? IM PLAYING-uhh probably shit like the cardigans/cults. and yes, she listens to music when cleaning :)

Thomas: Nirvana/Radiohead. yeah. it’s sickening. no, he doesn’t listen to music often unless it’s on in a party……

Lucian: he listens to literally anything. he doesn’t care. i mean like he doesnt really wanna listen to WAP or something but-yeah no he listens to whatever’s on the radio (he’s fucking weird.) and he doesn’t go out of his way to listen to music.

💯 - share three random facts about your oc that others may not know.

Sam:

1. ALWAYS wants to be riley’s type. so whenever she was dating jordan, HE WOULD DRESS LIKE JORDAN. if he saw riley spare a glance over at some girl, HE WOULD DRESS LIKE THAT GIRL THE VERY NEXT DAY. in other words he has no sense of style himself.

2. he didn’t ALWAYS have his stutter. it developed by the time he was six. also it’s genetic, not any sort of brain trauma or anything - his dad had a stutter when he was young too, but went to speech therapy and eventually fixed it.

3. speaking of which HE DOES HAVE A DAD YALL!!! HE’S ALWAYS OVERSEAS FOR WORK!! VEGA DADDY FOR THE WIN!! and no he’s not abusive or anything either lmao he’s just a busy man.

Evelyn:

1. yes she lived in the UK up until she was fourteen. she’s sixteen now. so she’s only been in the USA for about two years and she regrets coming.

2. she lives with her uncle alfie after the passing of her parents. he’s very distant and barely associates himself with her, but makes sure she’s well taken care of before she turns eighteen and gains all the money her parents left behind. so yeah he’s aight ig

3. she’s very good at horseback riding. (she took lessons from the time she was a kid.) however, she never puts any of that talent to use considering she HATES TOUCHING ANIMALS so yeah that ended quick.

Thomas:

1. had a prosthetic arm (left side) since the time he was nine. how did he lose the first arm? that’s a good question you should ask him!! sometimes it’s because of self harm and losing all circulation after trying to commit, other times it’s because he was kidnapped and the joker himself sawed it off. (he will never tell anyone)

2. he has his own band and plays at parties sometimes. the cooler thing is that david nixon is the drum player even though he despises thomas <3 but a deal’s a deal right? also it works out in the end for both of them bc thomas gets all the chics after singing and david gets all the dudes after playing.

3. a bit of common knowledge but - he has three siblings. an older brother, a younger sister, and a little brother. he hates them all equally. however, they aren’t actually full siblings. they’re all half. Adrian (their father) had babies with FOUR DIFFERENT WOMEN!! role model, am i right? also thomas hates every member of his family lmao.

Lucian:

1. LUCIAN WILLIAMS HAS A TYPE!!! fluffy hair, freckles, a grunge/gothic style, and FUCKED UP TEETH!!!!! GAAAAH!!! both his exes had fucked up teeth (aka sophia had braces and david was missing a lot of his), and now his current boyfriend does. (bitch is a shark.) like shit. he loves those fucked up teeth. <3

2. he has tons of scars. like. tons. and you might be thinking TRAUMA!!!!! bc yes. trauma. however, a lot of them are from him being a dumbass as a kid. he would climb the top of a tree and fall off it. he would swing on his neighbor’s tire swing and fall into a pile of hoarded trash with glass in it. he would try to pull a root out of the concrete stairs and slice his shins after he fell. he is clumsy.

3. it’s time fess up….he’s not a total skinny legend no mo. he works out and is actually PRETTY BUILT. he ain’t got no six pack or nothing but he has nice ass triceps tbh……..and that’s on having an axe as a go-to weapon <3

💤 - is your oc a light sleeper or a heavy sleeper? how are their sleeping habits?

Sam: pretty light sleeper. he’ll wake up whenever he hears footsteps, or when his curtains blow in the wind, or when the fridge turns on. he usually peeks under his eyelashes and then just goes back to sleep.

Evelyn: light sleeper. any little noise makes her sit up and check her surroundings, even if it’s just her furnace turning on. she’s still half asleep when this happens though, so she goes back to sleep pretty easily too.

Thomas: DEEP FUCKING SLEEPER LMAO. you think he cares if there’s a nuclear war outside his window? bro as long as it don’t make one side of his pillow hot…

Lucian: deep sleeper when it comes to noise, light sleeper when it comes to any movement in the room. if anyone touches him, he’s up. if anyone applies pressure to the mattress, he’s up. if any footsteps are in the room, he’s up. you get the point. he will jerk awake if he feels someone else is there with him. (trauma) it’s not so easy for him to lay back down either. depending on what happened, he usually stays up for the rest of night. (this improves if kai’s sleeping with him bc he feels safe.)

🎄 - what’s your oc’s favorite holiday?

Sam: HALLOWEEN! 🎃

Evelyn: EASTER! 🐣

Thomas: HALLOWEEN! 👻

Lucian: CHRISTMAS! 🎄

😖 - is your oc an introvert, an extrovert, or an ambivert? do they let people in easily, or are they more reserved?

Sam: not even a question lmao. INTROVERT. and he does NOT let people in easily. only if it’s a pretty young woman named riley morg-

Evelyn: honestly i’d say she’s an ambivert solely because she doesn’t care about being out in public. (she cares about the GERMS.) she doesn’t avoid talking to anyone but she doesn’t go out of her WAY to do it either.

Thomas: EXTROVERT? HELLO? HE’S THE LIFE OF THE PARTY. Thomas knows everyone and their mamas atp. he’s so extroverted that he would commit a crime in the middle of the street and no one would give a fuck because he’s Thomas Hall. and if someone has a problem with him, they’ll just be gone in like 2.0 seconds lmao.

Lucian: this might be a shocker but…introvert. yes lucian is definitely an introvert. he avoids crowds, he doesn’t like talking in front of people, and he definitely doesn’t like people acknowledging him. when he doesn’t know someone, he’s not all bubbles and flowers like he is usually - he’s on high alert. Lucian only shows his true colors around his friends!!

🎮 - what are your oc’s favorite hobbies?

Sam: Reading, mostly. His favorite genre is romance and horror so he can take notes lmao……….

Evelyn: idk what British people do to pass the time…..JK!!! Evelyn loves crocheting and sewing, and designs clothes for her gf a lot <3

Thomas: this man is so talented and yet his favorite hobby is having sex 💀-no but seriously. he can play piano, guitar, and drums. he can sing. he can draw photo realism. he can skateboard. etc. etc. etc. and yet he spends all his free time partying………

Lucian: everyone knows he loves gardening, but he also likes skating and coloring too. :33

[moon-spirit-yue]

It's Not Living (if it's Not With You)

Chapter 1: Raya Ran into Some Complications

(TW WARNING!!!!!! This mini series is based heavily on the show Criminal Minds so if murder mysteries and descriptions of that sort of thing are not for you, just don’t read this fic. It’s not like my other fics where I let you know of a small uncomfortable part. I really don’t want to make this fic too horrific and gory, but it will get dark. Basically, if you can get though an episode of Criminal Minds this fic will be fine. These sorts of topics are not for everyone so please just be aware of this if you choose to proceed)

“Please don’t hurt me this way! I have a wife! And a sweet baby boy! How could you be so cruel?!” Raya whimpered, turning her head away from the monster that was trying to torture her.

“God, you are so dramatic,” Noi snorted without looking up from her book. 

“Okay first of all, your “wife” does not count, and second, you don’t have any kids,” Tong began before getting cut off.

“Objection! Tuk Tuk is my beautiful son and I don’t appreciate you acting like he isn’t,” Raya huffed. “And I am married! Sisu and I have the certificate framed and everything! What’s with the judgement? Is it because we’re gay?” 

“I’m pretty sure the judgement is coming from the fact that you two only got married to get grant money for college,” Boun laughed.

“And who the hell asked you, twerp?” Raya glared.

“Your dog and sham marriage do not count,” Tong sighed.

“You know, you’re being awfully negative to someone who literally got shot at this morning,” Raya grumbled as she reluctantly opened her eyes.

“Yeah well, the unsub missed and honestly? I’m kinda wishing he met his mark. Now wake up,” the unit chief scowled. 

“Oh please! We’re the smallest unit in the BAU! If I get shot and go out of commission we’d literally have no choice but to dissolve and relocate to other units,” Raya scoffed. “And you know that Noi despises change.”

“It’s true. My mother used a different kind of cereal to feed me as kid because my usual stuff was out of stock and I protested by refusing to eat breakfast until I got my cereal back,” Noi confirmed.

“And you call me dramatic,” Raya laughed.

The bickering continued like it always did until they finally landed back in Quantico, their beloved home base. The quartet wearily got off the plane single file and entered the FBI building. It was long a flight and they were all ready to crash.

“Hello my dazzling little agents! How is everyone?” Sisu greeted them once they got on their floor.

“Feeling like I’m about to pass out. The guy was maniac. I mean, who carries three guns on their person at all times? Even for a serial killer, it’s a tad excessive,” Boun groaned.

“I do not envy any of you. It’s bad enough I have to see the crime photos, I could not imagine having to see the guy that caused them, let alone capture him,” Sisu shivered.

“This job is certainly not for the faint of heart,” Tong confirmed.

That was the understatement of the year. 

“Agreed. Hey Sisu, can you drive me? If I go behind the wheel I’m scared I’ll fall asleep,” Raya asked.

“Anything for the wife!” Sisu laughed. Boun and Noi had small smiles on their faces as Tong loudly sighed in displeasure.

“The sanctity of marriage is wasted on you people!” Tong declared.

“We’ll get a divorce one day, don’t worry sir,” Raya giggled.

“A man can only dream. Alright, before we all disperse, I do want to say that you all truly outdid yourselves this past week. The unsub did his damn hardest to shake us off, but we managed to pull through. I really am proud of how this team has grown,” Tong said.

The other four agents beamed at his words. As much as the whole team likes picking on each other at every possible opportunity, they really did care about each other and yearned for their boss’s approval. The next words he said were not nearly as uplifting.

“We’re going to need to get in here early tomorrow. We’re all behind on some important documents that have to get on my desk by the end of the month,” the unit chief stated with a stern look on his face. 

“Boooooo!” Boun groaned. 

“Dang it, I thought he forgot about that,” Noi mumbled.

Raya just decided to stick with her classic pout. She’s getting too tired to talk.

“On that note, I’m going home to my wife, that I married for the right reasons,” Tong said, shooting a look at Raya and Sisu. 

The other four then went their separate ways, mumbling some tired goodbyes and see you tomorrows. Sisu had to practically drag Raya to her car and shoved her in. 

“At least stay awake until we get home,” Sisu sighed while starting the car.

“Can we just go to your place for night? Tuk Tuk’s already there and it’s closer,” Raya mumbled.

Tuk Tuk always stayed with Sisu when Raya was out on assignments so she really didn’t feel like relocating him tonight. Plus, she had a good portion of her stuff at Sisu’s anyways.

“I had a feeling you’d say that. Your bed is already made,” Sisu laughed.

“Have I told you that I literally love you?” the agent yawned.

“It certainly wouldn’t hurt me to hear it more often,” Sisu laughed. 

“Oh, do you still need help dying your roots?” Raya asked. 

She was now vaguely remembering Sisu asking for her help at some point when she was out on her previous assignment. Considering the fact that some dude with mommy issues damn near killed her, the text was shoved in the back of Raya’s mind for a hot minute.  

“Yeah, but let’s save that for tomorrow. I don’t think you can be trusted with anything permanent right now,” her best friend said, side eyeing how Raya was nodding off.

It took everything in her to muster up the strength to give Sisu a thumbs up, so that’s probably for the best. Raya’s pretty sure she did fall asleep during the brief car ride because she blinked and bam! There was Sisu’s house.

“Carry me,” Raya demanded, slumped over.

“Oh my god,” Sisu groaned

After much pulling and tugging on Sisu’s part, they made it through the front door and was greeted by Tuk Tuk’s little yips of happiness. Raya grinned the second she saw her fluffy puppy and began pressing kisses on his furry face.

“I missed you, my beautiful baby! Oh yes I did! Yes I did!” Raya cooed as her precious pup licked her cheek.

“I’m gonna turn in. Anything you need?” Sisu asked her.

“Uh, can you drop Tuk and I off at our house before work? I just got the notification that my package got delivered and it is dangerously unsupervised right now. Other than that I’m good,” Raya explained.

“That’s fine. See you tomorrow, bestie. Love you! And I love you too Tuk!” Sisu said while scratching his fluffy ears.

“We love you too. Night!” Raya waved as she walked into her designated room.

She kicked off her shoes and changed her clothes before immediately flopping on the bed. Raya heard Tuk Tuk jump on the bed and snuggled right next to her. She multitasked by using one hand to pet her dog and the other to text her father she’s back in Quantico, safe and sound. 

One of the major downsides of this job is knowing her father is going into cardiac arrest whenever a case pops up. He tried to convince her for weeks not to take the job but alas, her mind was made up. So then Benja decided to force to send texts when she left for a case and when she came back. Raya carelessly tossed her phone on the other side of the bed once the message was sent and drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

****************************

The best way to wake up is seeing Tuk Tuk’s adorable face right beside her. Man, she missed this dog. 

Raya had to speed through her morning routine to get out the door at a reasonable hour. Ushering Sisu to get moving, Raya and Tuk Tuk were already waiting in her car by the time she got in.

“You know, you’re a lot less pushy when you’re tired,” Sisu huffed while driving off.

“It’s not my fault someone’s stealing packages from people’s doorsteps!” Raya exclaimed.

“You’re a profiler, catch them!” Sisu snapped.

“Too busy tracking down serial killers, thank you,” Raya told her.

“I hope you have an extra load of paperwork to finish,” Sisu glared.

“You are so hateful in the morning,” Raya frowned. 

They made it to Raya’s front door with no serious injuries, so she grabbed Tuk Tuk and made her way home.

“Do you want me to wait for you?” Sisu yelled.

“I’m good! See you in the office!” Raya yelled back.

Her beloved wife nodded and proceeded to drive to work. Raya turned her attention to where her packages get dropped off at. 

She absolutely beamed at seeing her mail sitting there, unstolen by the neighborhood thief. Raya grabbed the package and tapped the passcode lock combo to let herself and Tuk in.

Raya awkwardly opened the door to let Tuk Tuk in first and kicked her package in the house. Stumbling in herself, she gave the house a quick clean from it’s lack of use. Once Raya finished eating cereal straight from the box, she was already back out the door.

“Tuk Tuk, take care of the house for me while I’m gone, will ya?” Raya asked the little pup. He gave a bark in response which in Raya’s mind meant he totally agreed to her task. 

“I love you bud! See you tonight!” Raya said before locking up her house and getting into her car.

The FBI building wasn’t that far away but of course it was far away enough to hit some major morning traffic. Patience isn’t exactly where Raya shines. She didn’t even have the time to go to her favorite coffee place.

Finally, she was able to make her exit and entered the building of her workplace. She walked up to her desk to be greeted with Boun and Noi arguing over what case they think will be chosen next.

“I’m telling you, those murders down in Texas have to be serial! There’s just too many gun related deaths!” Noi exclaimed. 

“No way, there’s several missing people in North Carolina that have never returned for the past couple weeks! Oh Raya, you’re here! Hey, which case do you think is the next one?” Boun asked as she plopped into her small cubicle.

“No clue. Have either of you guys started your paperwork just at a curiosity?” Raya asked, pulling over her papers. 

Noi and Boun looked at each other guiltily before scrambling to get their own papers out. Raya snorted and shook her head before focusing in on her own work. Those two remind her of actual kids and the fact that they’re both younger than her doesn’t help.

The day was an uncommonly quiet one. Tong summoned them all near the end of it to discuss the files they had to get through in one of the meeting rooms.

“We did make good progress on what we finished today, but there’s still a hell of a lot more to be done. I highlighted which ones are top priority and we need to-” Tong began but was cut off by a random voice.

“SSA Spine, I’m very sorry to interrupt, but someone needs to speak to one of your agents,” the person told them.

“Did any of you have plans for company?” Tong asked with a raised brow. 

The other four agents shook their head while giving each other looks. Who on earth could be looking for one of them? 

“Well which agent do they need? And who’s asking?” Tong questioned further.

“Oh, Virana Fang wanted to speak with Agent Heart,” the woman said.

Raya’s blood somehow chilled and boiled at the same time. Seriously, Virana? Of all the fucking people that could meet with her? 

“Isn’t she like, a big time attorney? Raya, did you get into someone legal trouble?” Boun asked with furrowed brows.

“No, no I did not get into legal troubles. We know each other from uh, I guess when I was in college. And let me tell you, she is not a fan of mine. The fact that she’s here is honestly making me feel rather nervous,” Raya frowned. 

“Oh my god, I remember her! Man, she did not like you,” Sisu scoffed.

“Did Mrs. Fang say what exactly she wanted?” Tong asked.

“No, all she said was that it was urgent,” the woman answered.

“Do you want to tell her you aren’t available? I’m not entirely sure what’s going on but I can see your hackles raised, Raya,” Tong said with concern. Raya stood up from her chair.

“There’s no point. The woman’s relentless. If she says she wants to see me, she will see me. I have a feeling I am not going to like this conversation,” the agent sighed as she reluctantly followed the woman.

“Do you want one of us to come with you?” Noi inquired.

“That’s fine. I can take her in a fight,” Raya joked as she left the room. 

Once the door got closed behind her, she allowed the dread to kick. Tong was right, her hackles were raised. What the hell could Virana possibly want with her? 

Raya’s arms were crossed and her jaw clenched as she approached Virana. Oh, how Raya loathed her regal, menacing face. The older woman looked professional and impeccable as Raya has always known her to be. Never a speck of dirt on her clothes nor a strand of her hair out place. Confidence and ferocity ooze from her every pore, ready to suffocate anyone that tries to challenge her. This is how Virana Fang presents herself. 

But the Virana Fang Raya is currently looking at doesn’t have the usual intensity she frequently possesses. Instead she looks around anxiously, like something terrible is about to happen. The agent can’t find it in herself to feel any sort of sympathy for this woman. 

“Virana Fang. Why have you come to haunt me on this otherwise peaceful afternoon?” Raya drawled. Mrs. Fang almost seemed startled to find Raya standing right in front of her.

“I do not have time for your typical unnecessary remarks. Look, I want to keep this as short as possible. The bottom line is, I need your help,” Virana whispered quickly.

“I’m sorry, you need my help? Me? Raya Heart? My help?” Raya asked, utterly baffled. Virana stiffly nodded in response. 

Raya blinked once. Twice. Three times. Then she smiled. A smile turned to a laugh. What kind of bullshit is she playing at?

“Does it sound like I’m joking? What punchline did I just deliver?” the woman hissed. 

“Oh come on, I’m sure even you can see the irony in this? I mean you asked for my help, Mrs. Fang! God that’s hilarious!” Raya laughed. She honestly can’t take this situation seriously. “You know, it’s probably best if you just go. I thought I could get through this conversation but I think I overestimated myself. Please, have the day you deserve.”

Raya shook her head and turned away but the other woman’s hand stopped Raya. The agent looked back and saw how desperate Virana really looked. Before the agent could respond, Virana decided to speak words that alarmed her even more.

“Listen, I am well aware that in a perfect world, we never see each other again, but this world is not perfect. In a perfect world, my daughter would not be in danger,” Virana hissed in a frenzy.

This conversation could not get any more insane. What on earth was going on with Namaari? If Raya had any doubts about helping the lawyer, they were all gone now.

While her and Namaari weren’t exactly having sleepovers and braiding each other’s hair, Raya still cares about her. Plus, Namaari was certainly in better standing with her than Virana. (Then again, the raccoon that dug around in Raya’s trash last week was in better standing with her than Virana so that didn’t really mean much.)

“Fine, I’ll bite. Why is Namaari in danger?” Raya asked with annoyance. 

“Because a serial killer is after her. That’s why I came to you, considering the fact that catching them is your job,” the older told her in a low voice.

The agent’s jaw dropped. A serial killer? After Namaari? Well, to be fair, Namaari is a lawyer so it’s entirely possible a client is out for revenge? 

“How can you be so sure? I assume you came with evidence because this is not something I can just take your word for,” Raya managed to ask.

“Of course I came with proof, but I would prefer to speak of this in a more private setting,” Virana requested. First reasonable thing she’s said since she got here.

“Follow me,” the agent relented. Raya spend up the stairs to the conference room her team was in with Virana hot on her heels. 

“Hey, sir, can I use your office really quickly? It’s important,” Raya asked while gesturing to Virana.

“Of course,” Tong nodded while giving the two of them a suspicious glance. She is so getting interrogated when this conversation is over.

Raya then walked to Tong’s office and closed the door behind her once Virana stepped in. The agent sat on the little couch in the office with crossed arms.

“Lay it on me, Fang. Why do you think a serial killer is coming for Namaari?” Raya asked. 

Virana opened her briefcase and pulled out two envelopes. She handed them both to Raya. 

“Just look at the cases with those two girls that have unfortunately passed away. I’m sure you’ll realize I’m right,” Virana said while sitting on the chair across from her.

The lawyer said it in such a haughty way that it made Raya really hope that there isn’t a case for more than just Namaari’s safety. The agent took the two envelopes from her and opened the first one.

The first girl’s name was Anchali Chakan. She was born in Nebraska, moved to New York when she was ten, then transferred to a college in Maryland where she’s lived ever since. She got married only three months ago to her long time girlfriend, now wife. Or, now widow. A relatively normal upbringing from what Raya can tell. She had dreams of being an artist and made some very impressive pieces before her passing. Now that Raya knows the basics about this girl, it’s time to get into the actual crime that was committed.

Yikes. That is the first word that comes into her mind when she saw the picture of this woman’s untimely death. Raya doesn’t care how many cases she comes across, she will never get over all the horrible ways people kill. 

The murder happened in her house on March 1st. The place where she’s meant to feel safest. There was bruises around Anchali’s neck, an obvious sign of strangulation. Medical reports say that her windpipe got crushed which was the cause of her death. But alas, the atrocities did not stop there. There was an arrow that went straight through her neck. The only thing that made that detail a little less horrific was the fact that the arrow was stabbed into her neck post mortem. Raya cringed, shook her head, and went on to the second case.

The second woman is Cai Lan. She grew up in New York and stayed there until her last days. Unlike Anchali, Cai was born into poverty and had to claw her way out. She had been a foster kid since she was five, homeless for a period time in her late teens, went into massive debt getting into college, and had to live in an RV until three years ago. Cai did manage to make her way into upper society by scoring a manager position at a financial firm.

Cai’s murder occurred exactly one month after the first one, April 1st. It took place in Cai’s home just like Anchali’s. Again, just like Anchali’s murder, Cai was also strangled to death and ended up with an arrow through her neck post mortem. Looking closer at the arrow, Raya was disturbed to find that there was a heart at the front of the arrow. She glanced back at Anchali’s crime scene and found the heart was at the front of her arrow as well. 

Was the killer trying to imitate cupid’s bow? Ah, shit. This case is one hundred percent serial. But Raya still can’t see the connection with Namaari.

“I will give credit where credit is due, this is a serial case. Even though it crosses state lines, the signature is way too specific to be the average murder. I still don’t understand what this has to do with Namaari, though,” Raya sighed, looking up at Virana.

“Both of these girls are Namaari’s ex-girlfriends. Their break ups were very friendly and the two of them stayed in contact with Namaari after their relationships had ended. It’s how she became aware of their passing,” Virana said. 

For the first time since she entered the office, Virana had a mournful look on her face. Raya may have actually found it in her to feel bad for her but there was a very serious problem at hand. Then the attorney handed Raya another envelope, though this one was much smaller.

The very stressed agent opened it up and felt all color drain from her face. There was two plastic baggies with strands of hair. One strand of hair was significantly lighter than the other.

“Please tell me these weren’t mailed to you,” Raya begged, looking up at her. Virana’s grim face told her everything she needed to know.

“Two days after Anchali was killed, we got this bag with the light brown hair. News of her death hadn’t reached us yet, so we weren’t quite sure what to make of it and sent it to the police for investigation and figured out who it belonged to. Same thing with Cai,” Virana told her.

Wordlessly, the agent pulled out her phone to check the date. All the color drained from her face when she saw that today’s date is May 1st. 

“Follow me, we don’t have much time,” Raya commanded.

Raya gathered all of the evidence presented and all but sprinted out of the room. The older woman quickly followed suit. The two of them barreled into the conference office where her teammates were sitting. They all flinched when Raya tossed all the information of this new case on the desk. 

“Listen up people, we have to get through this quickly. Here you see two girls going by the names of Anchali Chakan and Cai Lan. The connection between their murders is the fact that they were both in a romantic relationship with Namaari Fang. They both died from strangulation. Part of the unsub’s signature is to put an arrow through their victim’s neck after they passed,” Raya said, talking a mile a minute.

“So it’s personal. Is, is that a heart at the tip of the bow?” Noi frowned, pulling the photo closer to her.

“Yeah, I think it’s supposed to reference Cupid’s bow. Namaari also received a strand of both the women’s hair two days after they were killed. These murders occurred on the first of March and April. Considering the fact that today is May 1st...,” Raya trailed off.

“We need to act now. I don’t like the fact that she’s been getting gifts or that the unsub knows where she lives. No need to bother collaborating with any local PD, this crosses state lines so we have full jurisdiction,” Tong began, explaining what he’s read in the files. “It’s safe to say that the unsub is targeting those who have had a romantic relationship with Namaari. They’ve also been going in order of who Namaari dated. She was with Chakan from eighth to ninth grade and then Cai from eleventh to twelfth grade. Mrs. Fang, was Namaari with anyone in the time period between Ms. Chakan and Ms. Lan?”

“Uh, kind of. After her break up with Anchali, I got word she did date a couple of other girls but they were just attempts at forming a relationship. Her next real girlfriend was Cai,” Virana answered immediately.

“Okay, looks like the unsub focuses on official relationships. Who did Namaari date after Ms. Lan?” Tong asked.

Raya could have sworn that Virana eyes landed on her before returning to focus on Tong. Must have been a trick of the light.

“From what I’m aware of, the only other girlfriend she had is her now fiancé, Jintara Niran,” Virana told him.

“But you’re not sure?” Tong pressed.

“No, I’m not,” the lawyer confirmed.

“First, please write down your daughter’s address. I take it her and her fiancé live together?” Tong asked. Virana nodded and hastily wrote it down. 

“Perfect. Now I need you to call your daughter and ask if she has had any other serious girlfriend between Ms. Lan and her fiancé and that she needs to be completely honest. If we’re right, she could very well be killed tonight,” Tong instructed. 

Virana turned rather pale at the last statement but nodded nonetheless. She walked out of the room and grabbed her phone, calling her daughter outside. Tong turned to the rest of the group with a serious look in his eyes.

“Okay, Sisu, you head to the computers and start sending police to stand guard at Ms. Fang’s and Ms. Niran’s house right now. If Mrs. Fang is right, the unsub is going for Niran next,” Tong began, but Sisu was practically out the door by the time he was finished with his sentence.

“Boun, I want you to just get to their address and kick start the process of asking them questions. Plus, I want one of our people to be with them as soon as possible,” Tong told him.

“On it!” Boun confirmed, launching himself out of his seat.

“Noi, stay with Virana and get whatever else you can out of her while simultaneously giving her some comfort. I’ll head out to the local PD where they live. It’s only two hours away but we should set up shop there anyways. Two hours can easily be the difference between life and death,” the agent told the only girls left.

“You got it boss man!” Noi nodded.

“And Raya, you know those case files I had you look at for review?” Raya nodded, causing Tong to continue. “I want you to get those files then head to the local PD with Boun. There’s a case in there similar to this one so we can get a better idea of how to handle this.”

“Understood, sir. I’ve got it covered,” Raya told him while rushing to get out of the room. 

Holy shit. Someone has been killing Namaari’s ex girlfriends. This was not on Raya’s 2023 bingo card.

As Raya glided down the stairs, she passed by both Noi and Virana conversing. Before she could leave the floor, Virana spoke to her.

“Ms. Heart!” the lawyer exclaimed. 

“What is it?” Raya asked anxiously.

“Please, just be careful,” Virana almost begged. Ah hell, that is so weird.

“Of course. I always am,” Raya told her confidently. With that, Raya turned around and dashed out of there.

The agent all but sprinted to her car. Once the car started, she began driving like a bat out of hell to get to her house. Because what on god’s green earth is happening right now?

When Raya got back home, she didn’t even bother locking her car before throwing her front door open.

Raya stood at the door for a moment, completely forgetting where she put the files. Then her brain started working again and she remembered that she shoved them underneath the dryer.

As Raya walked towards the kitchen, something made her pause. Is, is something burning?

Side tracked from her original mission, she found that the stove was turned on. That shouldn’t be possible. It wasn’t turned on this morning when she first got here and Raya’s breakfast was cereal straight from the bag. She did not touch the oven.

Tuk Tuk then made his entrance by running right by Raya and her fears quickly disappeared. Her big old dog probably accidentally knocked into the stove and turned it on. It has happened before. 

“Hey bud. Were you trying to make some dinner for yourself while I was gone? I should probably feed you anyways,” Raya smiled, giving him a light scratch on the ears. Before Raya could blink, she was pinned against the wall by someone wearing a mask.

It took a couple seconds before she realized that this masked man now had their hands wrapped around Raya’s throat, slowly squeezing the life right out of her. 

[seek--rest]

Almost a year and a half later and the ending to NWH still pisses me off with how it disrespected MJ as a character. Peter’s relationship with MJ is supposed to be one of the most important and defining relationships of his life, but in the MCU she’s just a high school girlfriend he dated for a few months. And yeah, the choice to ‘break up’ with her and the way he did it is incredibly important and defining, but the relationship itself is going to become more and more inconsequential the more time passes. Which to be fair, is how most breakups tend to be. Except peter dated her so briefly that he’ll probably be entirely over her in less than a year. A few years MAX. Now, if they did the intelligent thing and make the home trilogy take place post-college and had Peter and MJ be a long term established relationship from the beginning that we saw develop and grow even further over the course of three movies, then Peter choosing to leave her after a memory wipe would actually mean something. But they didn’t. So she’s just a girl that Peter knew for a few years and dated for a few months and he’ll be completely over her by the next movie. If we ever get another movie. And as an MJ fan that just doesn’t sit right with me.

I think there’s an important shift here where I disagree with you on a fundamental thing.

Peter will not be forgetting MJ anytime soon.

MJ, on the other hand, already has.

I agree, it’s offensive how they treated MJ in the MCU trilogy. Full stop end of story. But I think the memory wipe— something I was adamantly against for MONTHS before NWH— only works because they have no relationship to speak of. A OMD ending for the sake of tearing them apart after years together makes it reductive, but there is no love story to tear apart. There is no connection that binds them in this way. Peter, who made this decision to step away, will not be forgetting MJ at all— if anything his feelings might be stronger because of it. He’ll still try and move forward, I would think because that’s what Peter Parker will always do but I do not agree that he’ll forget her.

MJ— who has no memory of Peter— has and imo, she will be the one who could easily discount her memories if/when she gets them back. It was SUCH a big pet peeve of mine to see fics written and PRAISED where it’s been five, ten years since the events of NWH and BOTH Peter and MJ never dated anyone else, never loved anyone else, always felt like they were missing something… only for the memories to return and for MJ to be still blindly devoted to Peter after a decade of living without him.

It is such a gross slap in the face from a fandom that claims to love MJ to make her so codependent, so simple minded and so shallow that she’s still desperately in love with a boy she dated for four months at most when she was seventeen that a DECADE later she completely ignores that time away (and worse, for the fics that made Peter all but stalk her, to IMMEDIATELY forgive him and then jump into bed with him). That to me is insulting to MJ’s character and I’ll forever think everyone who gobbled up those fics as people who didn’t give a shit about MJ as much as they claimed, they just wanted romantic fantasy that could be boiled down to misogynistic tropes.

I don’t have the most confidence in the MCU to treat MJ— and their eventual coming back together— right. But I do have hope, if only because they took concepts I openly despised as a possibility in NWH (May dying, the multiverse, the OMD ending) and made it work so well.

Lighting might not strike twice. But I can hope until I’m proven wrong.

Just as I can hope that if the writers are still scrolling through ao3, they are not so continually horrible to treat MJ just as badly as so much of fandom did.

[strawberry-fields-things]

mkay but have you considered just tommy going to the summer camp his brother wilbur used to work at, and him meeting the current camp counselors; all of whom are old friends of wilbur’s. among them, two camp counselors stick out to him: y/n (who tommy had definitely heard of before bc they are good friends with wilbur) and dream (who tommy had also heard of, but more because he was a dick). imagine tommy just witnessing these two fully grown adults —both of whom are (for the most part) pretty cool when they’re separate from each other— banter and argue every time they’re in the same room. just some sweet ol’ rivals to lovers because i said so <3

yes i- this??? i love this so much skjwjdjskw pls send more camp counselor!dream content dhkwjs. i really loved this idea so……. i decided to add a little something:

tommy had high hopes for summer camp— which is ironic actually, given the fact that he’d all but despised the idea of spending his summer at some deserted forest for the past five years. as it happened, wilbur had finally convinced him.

of course, the main reason as to why wilbur was so insistent on tommy going to summer camp was because he himself had been going for the past four years— granted, not as a camper, but going nonetheless. and by the time the end of summer came around, tommy’s older brother would come with stories and pictures to spare.

much to tommy’s dismay, wilbur would not be going to camp this year— his final year of college was already taking a toll on him, and summer camp was simply unable to make it into his top priorities.

tommy drops his bags by his sides as he reaches a small wooden platform, where the rest of the campers have already gathered around. on the stage stand six people, the eyes of every other person on them.

tommy squints at them, the heat of the summer beating down on him even as he stands underneath the shade of a particularly tall tree. out of the six counselors, he only recognizes three from pictures and stories— quackity on the far left, dream in the middle, and next to him, the one and only y/n.

now, tommy often found himself idolizing other people. it wasn’t exactly rare for him— but most were parasocial, people he’d never get to meet. but you? you were practically a legend at his house.

tommy soon realizes that what had been happening was that the campers were being divided into groups, being paired with one of the six counselors.

“oi, soot!”

tommy’s head snaps up, only to find you grinning down at him. “grab your friends— you’re with me!”

the first weeks flew past in the blink of an eye, and before tommy could even start to process the experience, he found himself sitting by the edge of the lake besides bill, aimsey and eryn. he distantly hears y/n and dream arguing— and, as expected, he turns to see the two of you bantering about something he can’t quite figure out. dream looks amused. you look pissed.

tommy nudges bill besides him. “what’s up with them?”

bill squints at the pair by the edge of the lake, before scoffing a light laugh. “oh, you don’t know? they’ve been at it for, like two years now.”

“two years?”

“yeah. uh, maybe three.” eryn shrugs nonchalantly. “i think dream broke their nose during a game of volleyball a few summers back.”

aimsey snaps her fingers. “you’re right! oh my gosh, i’d completely forgotten about that.” they nod at tommy sucking in air sharply. “i reckon it was the same summer they had invited their boyfriend at the time.” aimsey winces. “after that, well— y/n’s kinda known for holding a grudge.”

the three weren’t that far off from the truth— dream had indeed been the reason as to why you had a bloody (and i mean bloody) nose for days before you were sent back home. in dream’s defense, he’d been aiming at your boyfriend’s face. which doesn’t exactly sound great, but— in his defense! the guy rubbed him off the wrong way. and, despite what everyone might think, he didn’t actually hate you. if anything, he’d been trying to look out for you.

tommy stares at your fuming frame, before quackity and the counselor he now knows as karl gently try to pull you away from the argument. even after you’ve turned and left, dream stands there dumbly, green eyes focused on your retrieving frame. his daze, however, dissipates once sapnap shoves him forwards, earning laughs from other campers.

tommy blinks once, twice. finally, he turns to look away and towards the lake.

“huh.”

[kabillieu]

So I have this big NYC trip coming up next month. The prize coordinator has not been a good communicator at all, which is endlessly frustrating, but I bought my plane ticket last night, so I'm showing up in the city on Nov. 8th, and I'm going to do some things and go some places and read some poems into a microphone at some point. There is a teeny chance baby R might have a spot in daycare next month, and if that's the case I will most likely leave him behind, but probably he will come with me. I did a lot of travel by myself with D when he was a baby, but that was ten years ago and I never traveled by myself with him in a major city. I also have barely been anywhere the past three years, and I've only been on a plane once in that time, and I spent both flights fighting off a low-simmering panic attack. Obviously, I have to get it together.

One major helpful thing is that my mom is coming to help provide childcare. The prize coordinator has us booked in an amazing-looking boutique hotel on Madison Avenue that is not at all family friendly, so it will be my mom, me, and (sometimes probably) baby sharing a queen size bed, but that will have to do, and we'll work it out. On the off chance that baby R stays behind, my mom is still coming because I've already invited her and plane tickets are being bought and plans are being made, and we can't stuff the toothpaste back into the tube at this point. At the end of my NYC trip, I'm going to take a train to Boston to see my brother and sister-in-law and their new baby (who hasn't even been born yet; he will be BRAND new!). Then baby R and I will fly from Boston back to Omaha.

What a giant trip! I hope I survive it! I hope I can have fun! I will probably be the only person who has ever won this particular award to show up with a baby and a mom, but I am the mother of small children, and as a writer that makes things much harder for me, and I deserve to collect this damn prize I won for my writing, even if it means bringing my family with me.

I was pregnant when I applied for this award. But as a writer, you apply to things all the time without expectation that you will actually win or have work accepted. I even considered not applying on the off chance I actually won since it would be so much harder to travel with a baby, but this particular award is a one-time kind of opportunity. Every year, writers from a different state are invited to apply, so I would have never had the opportunity to apply again.

I think what I'm trying to say is that I don't feel like a serious person or writer because I'm more than likely bringing my four-month-old baby with me on what is essentially a very fancy business trip, but that's actually internalized misogyny. I am, in fact, MORE serious because I'm willing to show up even though I have all these extra responsibilities. And I'm lucky that my mom will be coming to provide extra support.

I don't think women can "have it all" in a society that hates women, devalues the work of parents and childcare professionals, and truly despises children being a part of public life, BUT this is me trying my best to have it all. I know it's a catch-22, but today, right now, I'm at least proud of myself for showing up anyway.

[allisonirish]

Just William

Chapter 2

Warnings: Angst, Mentions of Child Murder, Grief, Incarcerated Parent

Word Count: 1,444

Disclaimer: This story does not follow Scott Cawthon's FNAF games or books. However many of the characters and events are the same or have been adapted. These characters do not belong to me, but the rearrangement of events and character adaptations are my own works.

I hid in my room for the next couple of hours, hoping to stay unnoticed by my family...and William. Sitting on my fuzzy purple beanbag at my wooden desk, I tried to bury myself in a piece of artwork I was finishing. Drawing and painting had become my way of "coping" and it turns out, I'm not too bad at it. I'd even started doing commissions, starting with illustrating children's books and more recently doing posters and murals for businesses.

Despite my numerous complaints, when I turned sixteen, mom told me it was time to get a job. So I interviewed and started my brand new job waitressing at Applebee's. I lasted two months before my manager got sick of my "hopeless negativism". Whatever that means. I didn't really care though, I hated being around all those people who despise me and I told mom so. If I'm being honest, I was too hard on mom last year. She deserves better than me. Tired of fighting with me, frustrated at Michael's poor grades at the time, and exhausted from working three jobs, she gave up. Told me to stay home and be lazy if that's what I wanted. I felt good about winning that battle for about twenty-four hours, that's when the guilt really set in. After apologizing to my mother and with the help of a friend, I began to submit my artwork to publishing companies and after just two weeks, got hired to illustrate a children's book called Bigfoot Loves Pizza. Goofy, I know, but it was a moneymaker and it made mom happy. I was also offered a job as part time waitress and full time graphic designer at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza 2.0. This was shocking to my entire family since the restaurant was owned by...Charlie's dad. And Charlie's dad shouldn't want anything to do with me.

My sweet solitude, sadly, didn't last long enough. A soft knock echoed from my door and I saw Michael slowly peek around it.

"Hi, Lizzie," He walked into my room, dragging his feet. "Mom says it's time for supper."

I inwardly groaned. Mom had been planning 'our first family dinner in nine years' all week. She even dragged me into mashing the potatoes for one of William's old favorites. Cottage Pie. I personally don't like the stuff, less because William likes it and more because I'm not a fan of ground meat. It looks too much like cat food for my taste.

"Tell her I'm busy." I went back to my drawing. It was a large, purple robotic rabbit with a red bow tie and electric guitar. Bonnie the bunny was an animatronic that William made for his first restaurant, Fredbear's Family Diner before I was born. Except now he was one of the main mascots for the restaurant I worked for and I was drawing Bonnie with large, red, star-shaped sunglasses, playing the electric guitar, and surfing a gnarly wave on a red and purple surfboard. Behind Bonnie were the emboldened words

Catch the Last Wave of Summer Fun at Freddy's!

"That's cool." Michael stared over my shoulder. "Is Bonnie your favorite?"

"Yeah, I like Bonnie okay." Bonnie had been Charlie's favorite. I focused on some dark shadowing under Bonnie's sunglasses. Suddenly, I heard a crash behind me and nearly jumped out of my seat. Whipping around, I saw Michael trying to pick up my violin case and music stand he had knocked over.

"Okay, buddy," I helped him put everything back into place. "Maybe we should go down to dinner."

Michael grinned and dashed out of my room, sprinting down the stairs in front of me. As I followed him my thoughts stayed with my violin. Music had become my other way of dealing with my emotions. Music was something I could get lost in, let every single drop of hate, anger, and shame pour out into a song before they can stream down my face. Art is more about control. It's the precise bits of emotion that are patiently and deliberately depicted on a page.

My mother sat at her usual spot on the left side of our large, oaken kitchen table, beaming over the steaming casserole dish in the center. At the head of the table, sporting a barely noticeable smile, only detectable by the slight dimples forming in his cheeks, was William. Michael had taken his spot next to mother and I wanted to kick myself when I realized my normal seat was right beside William. I slunk over and sat down, making sure to scoot my chair a good twelve more inches away from him. I pretended not to hear the sigh I got from my mother and ignored the conversation between her and William about how she hoped he would like dinner, and how he was sure he would and oh how delicious it looked. Michael mentioned how I helped make it and I gave myself a headache trying not to roll my eyes. 

Throughout the rest of dinner I tried to soothe my headache by drinking several large glasses of iced tea and water, and basically ignored everything that came out of William's mouth. He acted nice...too nice. He asked mom about how the house was holding up, if there was anything he could fix, how Michael liked school, how his summer break was going, and what he'd been up to lately. I had just finished my food and was looking for a chance to escape, when William turned to me. 

"How was your school year, Elizabeth?"  

My gaze cut sharply to him, startled. His eyes were shifting, flowing in waves of blue softness and aquamarine steel. 

I shrugged, "I don't go to school."

"Why doesn't she go to school?" William's face bore a hilarious appalled look. 

"Elizabeth is homeschooled," My mother cut in, "and she does mostly college classes online." 

"Because I don't want to spend my time around imbeciles." I mumble, earning a glare from my mother. 

"We just didn't see it as the best option at the moment." Mom gave me a 'don't you dare say another word look'. 

"But Michael goes to school?" William was obviously confused.

My mother was fumbling for words. "Michael does better...socially than Elizabeth. It's just easier for him to...be around so many people."

"You got that right." I mumbled again. 

"Elizabeth Annette," My mother's face threatened corporal punishment if I opened my mouth one more time.  

I bit the inside of my cheek, lifted my chin in defiance, and dared to speak anyway. "Well it's not like it's my fault I can't go to school. In fact maybe I should go to school like Michael!" 

My voice was mockingly cheery and I hoped William caught every hint of sarcasm.

"I'm sure being the daughter of a child murderer will make me immensely popular in school. Who knows maybe I'll even be the homecoming queen and for my speech I can tell the story of how my father stabbed my best friend in her sleep! Wouldn't that be lovely!" 

My voice tipped into a British accent  when I said lovely and I knew my degradation of William had gone too far. My mother's face was a mixture of shock and rage, her fingers gripped hard onto the table, turning whiter than I thought possible. Michael cowered beside her looking as if he was about to cry, and William...WAS SMILING AT ME?!? His pearly white teeth flashed at me, although the grin did not meet his eyes and I could see the indention where his teeth were pulling at the inside of his cheek. 

"Yes, I can see why you wouldn't want to go to school, Elizabeth." He stood slowly, purposefully, but i caught the slight quiver in his hands. "Now if you'll all excuse me I believe I need to go out for a quick fag." 

Mother stood and retrieved the cigarettes and lighter I didn't know William had from the kitchen counter. He had never smoked when I was a child. 

"Thank you dear. Dinner was lovely..err...delicious." He walked out the front door without another word and through the window I saw a small flame glowing. 

I almost sighed in relief until I saw my mother glaring at me. 

"Young lady," If looks could kill I'm sure she would've burned a hole through my head. "We need to have a talk."

With a strength I didn't know she had, being several inches shorter and leaner than I, my mother held my wrist with a pressure that I was sure would leave indentations on my very bones, and towed me to her room. I was in trouble now.

[fearthecoldblood]

20. Who are your top three favorite fictional characters and why?

In first place is (of course) Gehrman, The First Hunter.

I was tempted to choose another character instead because I write about him a lot, alas, there’s no denying he’s my absolute favourite! From Bloodborne’s canon lore to the fandom’s differing interpretations, there is one constant: Gehrman’s character is in no way surface level. He is a multidimensional character with a distinctive set of ideals, personality, an incredible backstory and (my personal favourite) a tragic fate. Whether your interpretation/opinion of him as a person is positive/negative, there is no denying that he is a marvellous example of Fromsoft’s storytelling and character development.

I’ve also always been a sucker for a tragic hero (see the next entry!). A man with a stained record and bloodied hands yet accepts his own suffering to prevent another from succumbing to his same fate? In my opinion, he’s a great example of that trope.

I could go on and on about him but for the purpose of this ask I’ll give you a break! :)

The fictional character that takes second place is Erwin Smith from Attack on Titan.

As a teenager, Attack on Titan had a massive hold on me. From its challenging, morbid themes to its distinctive art style (both manga and anime), it left a strong impression on my media preferences. I immediately read every novel slice of information from official announcements to fan theories, fanfiction etc. My interest did wane at a certain point in time. I personally believe it was when the anime took a massive break, I believe of about around 3-4 years. The manga did satiate my thirst for content at first but I became busy with exams, life issues and soon forgot about it. Fandom drama played another small role and I unfortunately allowed it to sully my view of the entire series. I’ve started catching up on the anime with my boyfriend recently and I’ve been reminded of why I adored the series: the characters.

I’ll end this rant and discuss the actual character!

Erwin Smith.

I won’t spoil too much here incase anyone hasn’t caught up/wishes to watch/read AoT in future.

Another tragic hero, aka the trope that I love so much. I immediately found myself drawn to the mysterious commander that pushed through all forms of suffering to achieve his goals, even if it meant sacrificing the lives of those that trusted him the most. He had to compete with attacks from all angles: the state, other military factions, and even those in his inner circle. I particularly enjoyed the close, emotive relationships he had with those closest to him: Levi Ackerman, Hangë Zoe amongst many others. A steadfast character, loyal to humanity, willing to pay the highest price in his quest for knowledge, salvation and most importantly: freedom. I roleplayed him on different sites for about four years (including tumblr) which means he’s probably my longest standing canon muse. Perhaps I’ll get back into writing him at some point but for now I’ll spare myself the sadness!

I really had to sit and think about the final character but I finally settled on Sasazuka from Collar x Malice.

An odd choice, I know! I’ve not discussed my love for otome games on this blog but they’re one of my favourite video game genres. Once again, I’ll give a very basic character description because Collar x Malice is entirely built around its story, notably its infamous plot twists and character arcs.

Sasazuka immediately stood out to me, and I swiftly formed an opinion: I despised the man. He was rude, patronising, and cold to Ichika. At around 5’4”, he fit into the foul-mouthed angry short character trope which I do unfortunately dislike. However, when I arrived at his route I began to see cracks in this facade of his, understanding his nature alongside Collar x Malice’s unravelling plot line. Many people dislike him as a character and I really didn’t see myself liking him at first. He was an angry, rude man- not very appetising. However, he did grow on me! Each of CxM’s 5 routes are incredible so it’s only natural that I’d love his as well!

It was tough to choose only three characters but I hope you enjoyed reading my 1am rant!