#i rushed on this one maybe the most ignore the lack of quality <3

[junixxoxo]

drdttober day fourteen - mastermind

[tmntxthings]

hi! I was wondering if I could request a comfort fic? I had recently discovered I was being cheated on, and I really, really loved this person (we were together for two years). I’m really pissed off about it and absolutely distraught. Is there anyway I could ask you to write a Donnie x Reader? He’s a huge comfort character for me, haha— thank you so much :)

Inside of My Heart 💜

author’s note: im so sorry that happened anon, im no therapist but lemme just shout to the world that cheaters are the most despicable people EVER, truly sweet anon you deserve better, and i hope this Donnie fic will keep your spirits up <3

warnings: hmm fluff? and yeah more fluff, maybe one curse word?

—————————————————————————

It wasn’t everyday that Donnie thought of something he wasn’t good at. But lately he noticed a reoccurring problem. He was more than good at math, science, technology, engineering, (all self-taught btw) and not to mention he had great qualities like being responsible, intelligent, and honest.. most of the time!

But seriously! It was becoming quite obvious that he couldn’t carry a sentence when you were around. He was lacking in the social skills area, if you weren’t asking him for the wifi password or a yes or no question, he’d have a hard time finding the words. His brain would short circuit like it was a literal machine and he’d have to give nonverbal cues or depend on his brothers to pick up his slack.

What frustrated him the most was he had practiced last time! Yes, he had a heads up on when you were coming next, and practiced for days on what you could possibly ask, and he made a spreadsheet for all the responses he would need. It seemed he had poorly guessed what you would talk about, because that day you’d had some issues with a boy to which fried up Dee’s brain completely. He wanted to just throw his brain in the trash like he would with any piece of tech that was destroyed beyond repair.

After you had left that day, he had rushed to his lab. He groaned tearing up his spreadsheet into little pieces and quickly throwing them all into the trash. There that was metaphorically his brain, ripped to shreds and thrown away. He slumped into his swivel chair, dramatically putting his head down, hiding his face from view, arms shielding himself in. You were so nice about it too. You never made him feel weird, or awkward. You’d just smile warmly, like you knew he was trying his best. Which only made him try that much harder, which then led to him failing miserably. He huffed not seeing a clear solution in sight.

“Knock knock,” Mikey chirped from outside the lab. Donnie banged his head once on the table underneath him and then sat up. “Its open,” Mikey scampered in, “heyy Don, wanna do something?” Donnie swiveled in his chair to turn and face his younger brother. Giving him a questionable look so Mikey continued. “Well I was texting Y/n, and they wanna go to this Comic-Con thingy” Donnie’s mouth dropped open. You were interested in that? He wondered if you were going to dress up? “You don’t remember? They were talking about it today but that guy had bailed or something,” Mikey shrugged because he hadn’t really been listening all that much.

Classic Mikey, but Donnie couldn’t believe he had zoned out for that part of the conversation! He would’ve readily volunteered to go with you! But as soon as you had mentioned the other guy… well everyone knows, Donnie clammed up and stopped talking or thinking altogether! He sighed and Mikey looked at his brother, “what’s wrong Donnie? You don’t wanna go??” Now Donnie’s eyebrows were raising, “Mikey what are you talking about they texted you, not me.” He said that with little enthusiasm as he was more than a little jealous but understood why. You probably thought he had ignored you all day…well he kinda had.. unintentionally!

“But I told them that I couldn’t go and that you were already going!” Donnie’s eyes widened, “you said what?!” Mikey re-explained, “I said ‘I’m not going but Donnie already has a ticket, I’m sure you guys can go together’ and then I hit send.” Donnie blinked at his younger brother. “I have a ticket???” Mikey held up a ticket, “now you do!” he was smiling wickedly at his older brother now and Donnie saw it all connect. Mikey was setting him up, on purpose. “But, with them by myself?” Donnie started having self doubts. What if you had no fun with just him there? What if it became awkward? What if he couldn’t say anything?! “Donnie you gotta relax,” Mikey took in a deep breath and then released, motioning his hands at his purple clad brother for him to follow suit. So Donnie did, and as he took deep breaths his fear cleared.

“Feel better?” Mikey smiled brightly, and Donnie smirked, “yeah okay thanks little brother I’ll do my best,” Mikey fist bumped the air, “Alright! Mission set-up is a go!” He was skipping all the way out of the lab. Donnie’s immediate thought was to start making another spreadsheet. But as he looked down at the trash can he knew that wasn’t going to work. What he needed to do was text you. Which he found to be significantly easier to do than talk, it allowed him to get his thoughts out and rethink if need be.

‘Hey Y/n it’s Donatello, Mikey told me you were going to cc?’ -Dee👾

‘Hey! Yes I am, would you like to go together?’ -you ✨

‘sounds good to me, sorry i hadn’t really thought about asking when you were here..’ -Dee👾

‘No worries, I know that sometimes ppl like to go and do their own thing’ -you ✨

‘well i think I’d enjoy it more with your company :)’ -Dee 👾

At this message Donnie almost threw his phone across the lab. Instead he gently placed it on the table and took a lap. He couldn’t look, it was so cheesy, but that’s how he truly felt! AGH! He hoped you took it the right way, he hoped it wasn’t weird, he hoped he hoped he hoped!

‘aww! i feel the same way Donnie! I can’t wait, we’re gonna have so much fun c:’ -you ✨

“Yes!” Donnie said aloud, spinning around and around in his chair as he read and reread your message. You were so cute. Your messages made him feel all funny inside. He stopped spinning and got serious, ready to message you back.

‘i have marked my calendar! are you planning on cosplaying? or do you have certain places you were interested in checking out?’ -Dee 👾

‘so this’ll be my first time! should I dress up?’ -you✨

Donnie felt a little pressure. This was your first comic con and you were going with him?! It felt really special suddenly, even more special than his initial reaction. He wanted you to have the best time because in his humble opinion, comic con was a really fun time and it was one of the few places that a teenage mutant ninja turtle could go to and somehow fit in!

‘well since it’s your first time I recommend doing it all. Dressing up is part of the fun, do you have any characters in mind?’ Dee 👾

The two of you texted nonstop that night. Mikey had returned just before bed to check in and left the lab with a satisfied smile on his face. “They’re totally hitting it off!” He said to Leo who couldn’t help a cheshire grin, “what’d I tell ya! they both like each other but are soooo shy it hurts” Leo had recruited Mikey on his master plan to get you and his twin brother actually talking. “So what’s next on the master plan??” Mikey said jumping up and down with excitement, “Now” Leo said, “we wait!” And he resumed reading his Jupiter Jim comic. “Boringggg!” Mikey booed, shoulders slumping. “Our work will pay off dear brother, don’t you worry,” Leo said with so much confidence that Mikey knew it must be true.

[7 months later]

“Okay they may need more of a push,” Leo admitted. Mikey pulled on his bandana ends, “ya think?!”

The comic con date had went smoothly. The two of you had a blast and Donnie kept the picture the both of you had taken on his bedside. You were definitely closer to Donnie and he to you, yet nothing progressed past the friendship. Donnie was just happy to be able to talk to you normally, that had been a big step to him. So he didn’t want to push his luck any further. Every time the two of you were in the same room he’d be on cloud nine, though it wasn’t exactly written on his face. So if he felt that way just by proximity, just imagine how he felt when you spoke to him. Over the moon, up into the stars and way high in the galaxy. That’s how he felt. It was a regular movie night at the lair, everyone present, April sat on the far end, then you, then Donnie, then Raph. All on the couch. While Mikey and Leo occupied bean bags on the floor.

Leo and Mikey had been whispering the entire Lou Jitsu movie. Donnie twitched with aggravation every time you looked down and noticed his two idiotic brothers who would not stop talking! For Galileo’s sake it was one of Mikey’s favorites and Leo had freaking picked it out. Donnie wanted to yank at their bandanas but with you sitting right next to him, you’d definitely notice and he didn’t want that. No he’d suffer through ten more movies like this one if he had to. Raph had the remote and paused, “restroom break!” He announced with a surprising amount of dignity as he left the living room. Donnie looked over at you, and you turned facing him. He smiled and immediately looked away. Gosh you were so cute.

“Hey, Y/n” Leo said tapping on your knees with one of his fingers, “yes?” you said looking down at his twin. “Could you do me a favor?” Leo smiled charmingly and Donnie’s face twisted, rolling his eyes. “Depends..” you grinned back. Was this what flirting looked like? The thought came and went and slapped Donnie in the face. Where had that come from?! Was it because Leo was touching you and he never touched you before? Or was it because you had graced his brother with a smile? Or was it the combination of those things?? “Can you walk me to my room, I think I’m done with the movie” and that had Donnie glaring. It made no sense at all as to why you would do that and why Leo would even ask. He was up to something devious Donnie just knew it. “Uh?” You looked over at April who was holding back a laugh, “walk you to your room?” You questioned seeing just how ridiculous the request was. “Yeah I’ve gotta show you something before ya head back up,” and as Leo talked he rose to his feet, seemingly serious about this whole ordeal. Not laughing and saying just kidding like Donnie had hoped.

“Really Leo?” Donnie gritted out. Leo looked over at his twin, “what?” He smiled smugly. “What’re you doing??” The purple clad turtle seethed. “Just trying to show my friend something,” Leo emphasized the word friend dramatically. “C’mon” he reached out and grabbed your hand, half dragging you behind him. You were sputtering looking back to Donnie and that had him up on his feet. “Leo stop it.” He said and immediately his brother let go of your hand. “Oh sorry, I got a little carried away huh?” He smiled but didn’t look sorry at all. And when he leaned down towards your ear, and Donnie watched as you flushed, he had had enough!

He rushed forward, grabbing your hand and wordlessly pulled you out of the living room, into his lab and bolted the door shut. He hadn’t let go of your hand the entire time, it really wasn’t on his mind actually. What was, was Leo leaning down, getting wayyy too close and your reaction! It had him dropping your hand and he couldn’t even turn to face you. Why had he just dragged you here? “Donnie?” you whispered cautiously. “Do you like him?” He might as well get it over with. Rip the bandaid off the wound. “What?!” You exclaimed and Donnie finally turned to face you. “Do you like Leo?” Each word being raised with his voice until he was shouting his brothers name. “No!” You shouted back defensively, crossing your arms.

“Sure looked like it,” he muttered. And you flushed embarrassed again, but it wasn’t the feel-y good kind, it was the angry kind. “Believe what you want Donatello, I’m telling you no.” You huffed and tried to push past him to leave. He stood in your way. “Move Donnie!” You said exasperated until your hands shot out reaching for the bolt to unlock the door and he moved in front of it. Your hands landing on his plastron and he stiffened. You flushed again, “sorry” you muttered knowing he didn’t like to be touched but still being too angry to feel badly. He had done it to himself anyways.

“Y/n,” Donnie started and then stopped. Hands going up and then falling back down. It was returning, he couldn’t think of any words! He felt helpless and it was so overwhelming that it showed on his face. Your guard went down swiftly, “hey I’m really sorry Donnie, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable,”

and that was what he had been trying to think of, been trying to say. He smiled weakly, “that’s what I wanted to tell you.. but sometimes it’s hard to think of the right words,” he blew out a breath. “happens to us all,” you reassured him. There you went, he thought to himself, making him feel ten times better, like he wasn’t a complete failure. “…Y/n, honestly I don’t know what came over me, I guess I got jealous,” Donnie hung his head as he admitted his emotions. He felt more vulnerable now than he ever did without a battle shell. “Jealous? Of Leo?” Your eyes widened at the idea. “Donnie!” You chided, and he felt sheepish, “he was leaning over you and touching you and,” his hand went up flailing around as if that explained it all.

“Donnie, I don’t like Leo,” he nodded, “yeah I know you said that,” he sighed, “I like you.” You said blushing furiously and Donnie sighed again not hearing you, “yeah I know,” his hand went up to his face, completely missing your previous statement. But as he looked into your eyes and saw you staring at him with blushing cheeks, he replayed the whole statement over. “Wait,” he said as his brain exploded. “Me??” Donnie said softly. And you nodded. “Yes you Othello Von Ryan,” and it was his turn for his skin to darken. “Oh,” was the only word that would come out, and you giggled. He laughed too and quickly said, “I like you too!” finally finding the words. “I’d been hoping so,” and the smile you graced him with was beauty beyond compare. He swooned, and couldn’t believe what was happening. It was like every secret longing that he had hoped for and kept stowed away in his heart was finally set free.

“Y/n, I like you a lot,” he gushed unable to stop the flood of emotions. “Donnie you’re gonna turn me into a tomato!” You said hiding your face in your hands because you could just feel how hot your face felt. “I think you look absolutely adorable,” and the compliment only made you blush deeper! “Donnie!” And he laughed happily, slowly taking your hands away from your face and finding the courage to go even a step further. He placed a chaste kiss to your knuckles, “I mean it Y/n.” He spoke seriously with his handsome smile. “Me too,” you confirmed and the moment couldn’t be anymore perfect.

“I KNEW IT!” Mikey called out from behind the lab door. “No, I think I called it from the beginning,” Leo’s voice could be heard farther away. “Don’t you guys act like I didn’t tip you off to begin with!” April hollered for her credit.

Yes, moment totally perfect, and the two of you burst into laughter.

[zcorners120]

Hii! Could I maybe request a fluff story with Charles and reader where they are in Relationship but because of Charles's carrer they are always away from each other? Kind based on James Arthur's song, Car's outside (you can add a little bit of angst too if you would like but please give me a happy ending)

of course! i literally love this song, it's so good to imagine scenarios too hehe :D <3

charles leclerc x reader MASTERLIST

synopsis; charles' career is too demanding, and causes some ripples in your relationship.

warnings; angst, swearing, mentions of sex

You and Charles have been together 6 months. 6 Months where you shared laughter, happiness, joy, intimacy and the best times together. For the past month or two, this hasn't been the case.

Sure, you might have passed the honeymoon stage a while ago with the exhilarating firsts of a new relationship, but even after that you were still madly in love. These new arguments started popping up as though you were playing whack-a-mole. Every time you thought you squashed a challenge together, another popped up.

Even though you'd love to say that these problems come from both of you, you can't lie; they only come from Charles. You both live in Monaco in your separate, respective apartments but you spend most of your time in Charles', having a key for each other's places.

You sat on the edge of his bed, waiting for his arrival from the Canadian GP. You hear the door open, and the lock click as you rise from the room.

"Charles?" You call out, seeing him in the kitchen.

"Bonsoir, Cherie." He says, his voice slightly wavering. He was tipsy.

"Charles are you drunk again?" You question him, but already know the answer.

"No. Not at all." He says, waving his finger around. "Show me some love Cheriee, in the bedroom." He slightly slurs his words, smirking.

"Charles, just go to sleep. I haven't seen you properly in two weeks and you show up drunk, asking for sex." You basically say to yourself, knowing that he wasn't listening.

"Look, I'm not drunk. I've sobered up a lot." He clears his throat, deeming himself more presentable.

"I don't want to feel like your fucktoy, and that you only come to me when you've had a hard time at a race, because otherwise I don't see you." You admit, spilling your truth.

"Look, that's my fault. Being at the races, it's demanding, you know I see you when I can." He comes forward to the counter, where you stand on the opposite side.

"I say 'Goodbye and good luck.' to you so many times, it's become my catchphrase." You argue, trying to show his lack of quality time for you.

"You know I'd rather stay and hold you than catch 3 flights, but I can't do anything to change that." He retaliated, throwing his arms up.

"You don't even unpack your bags anymore, that's how often you leave me." You whispered, feeling your voice start to crack.

"I'm here tomorrow and the day after. We have two days and that's time isn't it?" He tried to compensate, rushing towards you.

"Yeah, two days that you'll spend training in the gym, at the academy, in meetings. Charles, I am not one to complain about not receiving attention, but this is ridiculous." You listed his schedule off the bat, trying to explain yourself as you didn't want to seem too attached.

"Look, I'm sorry. Trust me when I say that I hate to think of you sleeping alone without me." He took your hand in his, pleading you with your eyes.

"Charles, I just don't think it's going to work out this way. You know I love you, but I can't take this anymore." You felt the tears well up, just as one falls down your cheek you start to walk away.

"Y/N, don't. We can work this out." He begs, as you hear him call out from behind you.

"No, Charles. You can work this out. I'm finished, and I'm sorry. Je t'aime." You stood your ground, opening the door and leaving. The final words are what stung you both the most, as you walk into the elevator the tears didn't stop.

He had called, texted, and even came to your apartment. You ignored him, knowing that you both need some space and time to process everything. It hurt, and hurt bad. Like a knife being twisted around in your stomach as you stayed in bed, crying.

Charles had given up trying to contact you as he was leaving for the airport. He was officially numb, and knew you needed time. He was no longer excited and jittery about the race, but just felt detached from reality, inside and out.

He stared at the four corners of the hotel room, it's bland interior setting the usual dull mood on him. He sat on the bed, thinking of the times he would run his phone bill up, just from talking to you all the time. It was a unfamiliar feeling, not talking to you for so long.

He had two days for the race, and thought; 'Fuck it.' He went back to the airport and booked a flight back to Monaco. He finally came to his senses, and decided he didn't want to leave you anymore.

"Ma belle, are you home?" Rushing from the airport into a taxi, he spent no time by opening your door straight away into your bedroom.

You sat up from the cocoon you had made with your blankets, and looked to see a relieved Charles in the doorway.

"What are you doing here? Don't you have a race-" You looked at him astonished, before he cut you off and sat down next to you on the bed.

"I'm not going unless you pack your bags and come with me. I'm tired of loving you so much from far away. Close the windows and lock the doors, don't wanna leave you anymore." He rambled, not caring that his decision was irrational.

"I'm coming. I love you Charles." You pull him into a hug straight away, knowing you'll no longer have to argue, but be right by his side at all his races.

"I love you too, mon ange." He breathed out, relieved as he pulled you in for a kiss.

From then on the silly arguments stopped, as he learnt to split his time from working and being with you. And the media of course loved seeing you with Charles at his races, hand in hand.

A/N; hope i did alright eeek, keep the requests coming :P

[bwbatta]

two - persuasion

Abstract: Draco and you are just friends so doing him a favour and pretending to be his girlfriend wouldn’t effect your friendship, right?

Pairing: Draco Malfoy x reader

Warnings: some swears but that’s all!

Word count: 2623

A/N: let’s go for part 2 then?! Thank you so much for all your lovely comments! Everyone who has asked to be on the taglist has been added and if you would like to be on the list, just send me a message! Dividers are by the super talented @firefly-graphics 🤩

Series Masterlist | Main Masterlist

Part 1 | Part 3

The plan was set.

Draco and you had talked some more about what being ‘in a relationship’ entailed, whilst at the same time avidly avoiding Pansy in your free time. In fact, you were surprised with how little you’d have to change the dynamic between the two of you.

The first point was friendship, which was easy enough you thought. There’s no point in starting a fake relationship if you don’t get on well in the first place.

Second, communication. You agreed to be open and honest with each other, this whole plan wouldn’t work if you weren’t telling each other everything.

And finally third, intimacy.

This one was obvious enough and it was more than just hand holding or sharing the odd kiss or two, you knew that. It was about selling your relationship to be believable to everyone else around you, including your closest friends.

One of which was Hermione.

The plan on paper was simple, you both said you’d start off small and work your way into being a couple, so why did you feel this pit of anxiety in your stomach?

Nerves? Sure, you chalked it down to that.

So when you entered the Great Hall the next morning, late and in desperate need of caffeine, you somehow didn’t expect your ‘boyfriend’ to approach you with a steaming mug of coffee.

You completely missed the blonde boy too as you took your normal seat with a frantic expression on your face. Your roommates didn’t wake you up like they usually did so when you woke and found no one there, you almost screamed when you checked the time.

“Coffee coffee coffee” the mantra on your tongue “where the hell is the coffee?!”

Hermione looked amused as she packed up the book she was previously reading into her bag.

“Ron finished it moments ago, there’s no more”

“What?!” You blanched “there’s none?”

Hermione shook her head, the answer a definite no.

With energy lacking and spirit deflated, you grabbed a couple slices of toast and buttered them quickly, at least trying to put some food in your stomach even if it wasn’t your usual caffeine shot.

However when Hermione froze slightly, eyes narrowly following something behind you with a glare, you frowned at her confused. That was until Draco perched on the seat next to you, holding a mug of coffee between his hands.

“Granger” he greeted in a civil manner causing the witch to freeze in shock, half expecting an offhand snide comment about her blood status. He then turned to you and offered the coffee, “thought you might need this”

“But I thought there was none left!”

“I saved you it”

“You saved me a coffee?”

“Kept it warm too”

You could’ve cried when you took the mug from him and immediately the drink warmed your hands. Eagerly taking a sip, you found the coffee itself was exactly to your liking.

You went to point it out but before a word could leave your lips, Draco rolled his eyes at you with a smile.

“What? You thought I didn’t know how you took your coffee?”

The question was rhetorical, not that you cared. Exhaustion was the only thing you felt that morning up until then, quickly being replaced with utter fondness for the Malfoy boy next to you.

“Thank you” you told him as he grinned back at you

“Don’t mention it”

Draco raised his hand and swiped away a lock of hair which had fallen out of your two second attempt to pin it back this morning in your rush.

Your breath hitched slightly as his eyes found yours and he leaned in towards your ear.

“How am I doing?”

Your brain stalled.

Right.

Of course.

He was acting like he cared about you in front of Hermione.

To convince Hermione.

Who of course, confirmed with a quick glance, was looking between the two of you with suspicion in her eyes.

Quickly painting a smile across your face like he’d said something sweet, you pulled back and shot him a dazzling smile.

“Alright, I guess” you said, vague enough so Hermione wouldn’t clock onto what he really said.

“Good” he grinned back at you before standing from the seat. “I’ll see you after class later, yeah?”

You nodded at him, and with a fond smile at you and a courteous nod to Hermione, he left the two of you be, heading to his first class.

With the thought in the back of your mind that you should probably also get to class, you were stopped by a substantially confused Hermione who looked at you like you’d grown another head.

“Was I just in some parallel universe?”

“What?”

“‘What?’ Seriously, that’s how you’re going to answer that question?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about” you shrugged your shoulders before standing and picking up your bag and the mug of coffee from Draco.

“What aren’t you telling me?” The Granger girl continued to interrogate you as she too stood, though with a lot more vigor.

“There’s a lot of things I’m not telling you Hermione, but if it’s anything to do with Draco, I don’t know what you mean”

Striding out the Great Hall, she quickly followed you, pestering for more information which you avoided expertly until you got to your first class you shared.

“Why did Malfoy get you coffee?”

“Because it was a nice thing to do”

“Why was he civil with me?”

“Maybe he’s seen the light”

“(Y/N)! Tell me! I’m not going to be able to sleep tonight otherwise and you know it!”

With a sigh you turned to face her.

Putting on a performance like it was tough for you to keep a secret, you ‘umm’d and ‘ahh’d under her questioning until you really had had enough of the interrogation.

“Okay, fine, we may or may not be dating” you said like it wasn’t a big deal

“What?!”

“Miss Granger!” Professor McGonagall’s voice snapped “if you’re so done with your conversation, perhaps you could start writing your essay?”

“Yes, Professor. Sorry, Professor”

With a glare shot your way, meaning she’d grill you later for information, the bookworm turned back to her work and started writing furiously.

It was later that day that you found out that Lavender Brown had overheard your conversation with Hermione and so naturally, the gossip that you and Draco were dating was spread across the entire school.

Some believed the rumour, others didn’t so much. This of course included Blaise, the Weasley twins, and of course, the ever stubborn Pansy.

When the boys finally cornered each respective friend, they of course had some questions that needed to be addressed. 

Blaise cornered Draco first at Lunch. 

The Malfoy boy had just started to tuck into his food when a book slammed down on the table next to him, startling the boy. 

Blaise pinned him with a hard look.

“Is it true you’re dating (Y/N)?”

“How’d you hear that?!”

“Word gets around fast... so, is it true?”

“Yes it’s true” Draco rolled his eyes at his friend

He was honestly shocked at how quickly the rumour had gone round the castle, though he suspected some of the Gryffindor girls were behind it. They always seemed like they pounced on any gossip going.

This also meant, Pansy had probably heard it by now.

Draco’s interest peaked.

“Who’d you hear it from?” The blonde asked his friend

“Bulstrode of all people” Blaise rolled his eyes “thought I might’ve found out from my friend himself but apparently not”

“Sorry man, it only really happened yesterday”

Blaise waved his apology off

“So tell me, is this for real? It’s not a prank or anything, she knows you think you’re going out with her right?”

“Yes, (Y/N) knows we’re going out” Draco rolled his eyes in exasperation “she’s also not being forced or blackmailed into going out with me if that puts your mind at rest”

This wasn’t technically true and Draco fought the urge to cringe slightly as he remembered the deal he had made with you.

Despite the other copious Christmas presents he had to get you, being civil to Granger wasn’t so bad he remarked. They only shared a few classes, all of which were with you present, so all he really had to do was ignore the fact the muggleborn witch existed and he’d keep his side of the deal up.

“Good” Blaise huffed, finally sitting down next to him “can I ask you something though?”

“You just did”

“Smart arse” Blaise rolled his eyes but continued on “what made you ask her out?”

Draco paused.

You hadn’t actually discussed this so there wasn’t a definite plan on what response to give. The boy trusted himself to come up with a decent answer though so instead of panicking, he said the first thing that popped into his head.

“I’ve been in love with her for years”

Well... he didn’t expect that to be his response.

“You have?” Blaise asked also taken aback

“Umm, yeah, sure, she’s the one for me you know?”

Draco kicked himself once again

Why couldn’t he think straight?!

“She’s just... she’s so funny, you know? One of the funniest people I’ve ever met. Her laugh, man, is enough to make me laugh even harder because have you heard it?! It’s hilarious!”

Unconsciously, Draco began to smile at the thought of you.

“Also, she’s super talented at anything she does, which would be wildly annoying if she wasn’t so modest about it. She’s also the most sarcastic person I’ve ever met, yet also the kindest. She’s got so many good qualities it’s hard to even think about anything bad about her.”

Draco stopped, breaking out of his train of thought.

Now that... that, he really hasn’t expect to be his response.

“I’m glad you’re happy then, Draco” the Zabini boy smiled at him “seems like you really like her”

“Yeah... I do”

You were pounced upon by both the Weasley twins not much later on, both demanding answers.

“You’re dating Malfoy?!”

“As in Draco Malfoy? The ferret?”

“He’s not a ferret!” You rolled your eyes at the pair. “And yes I am. Why? Do you not believe the castle gossip?”

“We heard it-“ Fred began

“Still working on believing it” George finished

You rolled your eyes and continued on to the library, your original destination before you got jumped by the identical redheads.

“Believe what you want” you shrugged trying to play it off.

“See (Y/N), here’s the thing, I don’t know if I believe you’re actually going out with him” Fred stated causing you to frown.

“What do you mean?”

“Freddie here believes you guys are faking it for some reason” George chucked an arm round your shoulders as they continued to walk with you.

“Why would we be faking it?!” You laughed like the idea was ridiculous.

“I just know you wouldn’t go for him” Fred shrugged “your standards are too high.”

“My standards are too high?!”

You were mildly offended at the suggestion, no matter how correct Fred was about the two of you faking your relationship.

Reaching the library quickly, you turned to the boys who had halted at the sight of the only room in the castle they adamantly wouldn’t enter.

“Well, unless your plan is to follow me into the forbidden room of books, I’ll see you guys later?”

Not waiting for an answer you swung open the door, mind now focused on studying for that test you had coming up in Herbology later that week.

“I still don’t believe you!” Fred shouted after you before the door closed shut behind you

All you could do was roll your eyes.

It was dinner later that evening when you saw your ‘boyfriend’ again since breakfast when he’d given you the coffee.

By now, you two were the talk of the castle which is why you weren’t surprised to see a fuming brunette strut up to you. The Slytherin girl looked as if she should have smoke coming out her ears you thought, not that you’d tell her that and anger her even more.

“(Y/N)” Pansy sniffed almost impatiently as she reached you.

“Pansy” you replied innocently which seen fo infuriate her more.

“I heard you’re supposedly dating my boyfriend?”

“Your boyfriend?”

You couldn’t help but phrase the question like you really didn’t know what she was talking about.

“Draco!”

“...Draco?”

“Draco Malfoy!” She practically growled at you

“Ohh, Draco as in my boyfriend?”

“Yes! Wait no-“

You snorted at her slip up and ignored her as you sidestepped and entered the Great Hall spying the familiar mop of platinum blonde hair, sending him a smile,

Before you could make your way over to him though, a hand grabbed your arm with nails roughly digging into your skin.

“Hey, I wasn’t done talking to you” Pansy seethed

“Well I was done talking to you” you shrugged truely bored with the girl “I’d appreciate it now though if you let go of my arm.”

“No, I’m not finishe-“

“Yes you are” Draco cut her off this time

Pansy’s expression looked like her brain had short circuited for a moment before she gathered herself and smiled flirtily at the boy.

“Hey Drakey baby”

“Firstly, for the millionth time, don’t call me that” Draco narrowed his eyes at her into a glare. “Secondly, (Y/N) also asked you to let go of her arm so I suggest you do so.”

At once, like your arm was on fire, Pansy dropped her grip which she had forgotten about as soon as the Malfoy had entered the conversation.

You rubbed your arm as you pulled it to your chest. Pansy’s nails had dug deep and actually split the skin on your arm slightly by the force she had held you by.

“And finally, I’d appreciate it if you’d fuck off and didn’t harass my girlfriend, especially about lies that we’re somehow involved.”

With that being said, Draco wrapped his arm around your waist and escorted you over to the spot he was originally sitting at, letting you take his seat while he forced Crabbe to move down a space so he could sit next to you.

“Thanks for that” you sent him a smile “though I can handle Pansy”

“I know” he replied with a grin of his own “I just needed to get that off my chest. Let me see your arm.”

“It’s nothing-“

“(Y/N)”

With a sigh you reluctantly held out your arm so he could see the damage Pansy had done. Spotting the crescent shaped breaks in your skin, his jaw clenched in anger.

“Psychotic bitch” he mumbled under his breath barely loud enough for you to hear, “episkey”.

The wounds sewed themselves back together in no time and you send him a grateful smile.

“Heard you got cornered by Blaise earlier”.

“Heard the same about you with the Weasley twins”.

“Mmm” you shrugged “there was bound to be a few that didn’t just automatically believe we’re dating. Some might need a little more persuasion, especially Pansy. Also it is still only the first day since the gossip broke though, it might just be that we wait for the news to settle.”

“I guess” he rolled his eyes playing with the pasta on his plate with his fork, before pausing slightly, setting it down and turning to you.

His eyes glanced round the hall quickly before snapping back to you with a grin. Leaning towards you, he wrapped an arm around your waist to pull you slightly closer to him as his lips became level with your ear.

You fought the urge to shiver.

“Or... it just means we’ll have to make it all the more believable, Sweetheart.”

Series Taglist:

(If you’re in bold, tumblr wouldn’t let me tag you ☹️, otherwise if you want to be added, let me know! 🤩):

@weasleytwinswheezes @azkabanlexi @streetfighterrichie @queen-of-the-coven @gdee703 @thatguppienamedbae @crumpets-are-better-with-jam @savcks @remmyswritings @thescarletknight2014 @w0nderr @heyiheardyouwereawildone36 @moonlightorbit @ceeellewrites @nicole-prz @depressedchilipepper @swiftlymoniquesblog

[deltaengineering]

that was the winter anime 2021 that was

Still not quite ready for a dozen posts about how terrible the likes of Combatants Will Be Dispatched are, sorry. Watch Vivy though, it owns. Here’s some more things that are (mostly) good. As always, worst to best.

Yatogame-chan Kansatsu Nikki S3

Yatogame has long run out of hot Nagoya facts and its ensemble comedy never amounted to much, so now it seems mostly content to just spam more and more wacky character designs. About the only thing that it has left going for it is that 3 minutes a week are more effort to drop than to watch, so I expect them to make a movie next. 4/10

Go-toubun no Hanayome S2

Quints is a weird one. S1 was a barely good enough (i.e., well above average) implementation of the ages old harem chestnut. S2 is actually better at the core of its appeal, since it gives all the characters a sharper profile (things like taking Nino from joke to badass and making Ichika a villain are no mean feat), but it does pay a steep price for it. You see, to deliver a steady drip feed of meaningful character moments it apparently has to rush through the source material at a breakneck pace, which completely wrecks the "story" part of this story and makes every episode seem like a recap. And it still keeps wasting precious time on vestigial nonsense like its framing device and the Kyoto flashback scenario that was already the worst part of S1. But by far the most annoying aspect is its insistence on keeping all the options valid, since it prevents any real progress and makes everything seem arbitrary and pointless. So sure enough, after a season of much ado we still don't end up anywhere — you can't really raise the stakes if all at stake was "who wins" to begin with. It's watchable and even enjoyable scene-for-scene but it's getting harder and harder to call it a solid show overall. 5/10

Skate Leading Stars

I was watching this primarily because I didn't like Yuri on Ice much and wanted to see if something that is a blatant attempt to cash in on it would be better — because while YoI delivers on one aspect (being hella gay), it really is an absolute shambles of a sports show. And sure enough, Skate Leading has none of the auteur appeal of YoI, but it just works much better. In particular I appreciate how it managed to make me care even a little about a cast of assholes, which is a nice contrast to the nauseatingly ingratiating way YoI tries to make you love its characters. Also, Skate Leading is just generally cheap and unambitious, so not susceptible to trying hard and painfully flaming out on the presentation side like YoI is. But at some point you gotta let go of these comparisons and on its own Skate Leading is... just fine, I guess? Competent, mildly engaging, not very memorable. And that's probably where it loses to Yuri on Ice in the end after all, even if I think it's "better". 6/10

Idoly Pride

Idoly Pride sold itself on me with a really good (and hilarious/tragic) first episode that was just too bizarre to ignore — I mean, how can you ignore GHOST IDOL MANAGERS. Well, the majority of the show isn't like that. It's a competent and solid version of the idol franchise show, yes, but it really had more potential than that. Especially midseason, it gets lost in these dozens of characters, and while they're all likeable, it does seem like a waste of a good story just centered on Mana/Kotona/Sakura. By the end it comes back around to the heart of the matter with a Maeda-style sob story, which could be a disaster but seasoned veteran Jukki Hanada makes it work anyway. Overall, there's quite a bit of ridiculous hacky melodrama in this, but quite honestly that's the best part and I wish it would concentrate more on it. The rest is just okay. 6/10

Yuru Camp S2

Yuru Camp is still likely the best pure iyashikei show when it gets down to business. Compared to S1 though, this seems to happen less and less. At its peaks (i.e., basically any quiet moment with Rin) it's at least as good as ever, and there's some good cast additions like Mini-Inuko, but it appears that Yuru Camp simply has run out of things you can do with camping and it fills up the time with other... stuff. This stuff includes the generic school club shenanigans it was never particularly good at, and a gigantic helping of crass consumerism. Yeah, I would say the majority of Yuru Camp is just a straight up infomercial at this point, which itself ranges from the perfectly acceptable (which cute anime isn't about food constantly), to the sketchy (I don't know whether the Izu tourism board cut this production a fat check, but if they didn't, Yuru Camp still gives its best effort to make it seem that way) to the highly irritating – I am aware that camping requires gear and you can't just ignore that, but you most definitely do not require whole arcs dedicated to talking about raising funds for the purposes of acquiring the Lamp of Comfy Happiness at your friendly local Caribou™ either. Not to mention an arc where the aforementioned lame school club does the same, for double irritation. Make no mistake, this show is so riddled with scenes that beg for a solution to embed affiliate links in video files that it makes me wish I was watching something as anticapitalist and underground as Love Live. And irritating really is the last thing a show with this core concept, as stellar as it is at that, can afford to be. Bummer. 6/10

SKOO the Infinity

Skoo has one really huge asset: ADAM, its magnificent villain. It also has one really huge liability: Reki, its not magnificent protagonist. To be more specific, it's very good at anything outrageous, physics-defying and silly, such as most scenes ADAM is in, and quite bad at anything serious, dramatic (in a serious way) and down to earth, such as most scenes Reki is in. So, what's the verdict? Well, the rest of the cast is more ADAM-like, and Reki's co-protagonist Langa is fine as the straight (yeah, right) man. The tedious buddy drama is a comparatively small part of this show, and at least it pays off quite well in the end. Seriously, I was ready to give this a 6, but the final episode is probably the best one of the show, in all of its aspects. That's really not something you see often. Skoo's a great time. Except when it's not. 7/10

Non Non Biyori Nonstop

Speaking of the rare good ending, what about we gave one of those to a slim and inconsequential slice-of-life show? NNB has always been solid, comfy and amusing quality with a couple of standout moments (usually something with Renge), and Nonstop has that plus an ending as conclusive as any show of this type is ever going to have. Besides, it does a lot of things right by focusing on more characters than the central 4 (especially Konomi has great material in S3), it expands the universe just enough to not get stale, and it moves things forward — It's definitely a lot better than the movie, is what I'm saying. Apart from that, well, we're three seasons in, if you have any interest in this you probably don't need me to explain what's good about NNB at this point. Bonus points for being nothing but an ad for the manga. 7/10

Wonder Egg Priority

Oh boy, so here's the big one. Wonder Egg is the rare Meaningful Arthouse Show About Real Issues You Guys, as you might have heard. And well, the long and short of it is that it's a very good show with quite a few glaring problems (besides not actually being finished due to production issues, but what we have is enough of an ending to be able to meaningfully talk about it). In particular, one problem: WEP is, at its core, one of these metaphorical Magical Girl-ish series that are just a thin layer of abstraction over coming-of-age or societal problems. The issue is that "metaphorical" in this case means "literal" and "thin" means "basically nonexistent". This show is not subtle regarding what it's about, at all. This is a double-edged sword — on the positive side, some things really should just be said aloud, and I'm really, really fucking tired of the Ikuhara style of "here's some wacky things, maybe a blog post will eventually tell you how it's actually about the most important thing ever" obfuscation — if it's really so important, just spell it out. On the other hand, there are limits to this and when a second, different Ai appears I don't really need a voiceover line telling me that yep, this show is about parallel universes now. WEP spells out many important things, but it also spells out many things that are implicitly clear or better left vague. Not to mention that with being so obvious up front, the show's tendency to leave figuring out what it's actually saying about it up to the viewer can leave the wrong impression. Again, I settled on the opinion that it's subtle after all where it counts the most, but you might easily get the impression that it pulls its punches (Ikuhara does this the exact other way around — once you figure out what the fuck he's talking about it's abundantly clear what he's saying about it).

In fact, this show is so good at subtle, quiet character moments that it calls into question the need for big huge fighting fantasy layer in the first place, especially since I'm not a fan of the fantasy designs and the fights aren't great. Sure, they look impressive on a technical level (this show is very good looking in general), but the lack of actual impact or rhythm makes me think this is not made by people who are very familiar with action and maybe they should have asked some seasoned shounen veterans for this — or just, you know, not do it. They can (and do) impress with character acting in quiet scenes just the same. And while Ai's character story actually does pay off quite nicely by the end we got, and Momoe and Rika are also handled well, Neiru's backstory is significantly less good, not to mention the whole Frill subplot regarding the show's mythology that they introduced just before (and that's the part to be resolved at a later date), which is a huge can of worms. We'll see how well they handle that, I suppose, but as it is it's a weird and vestigial detour that doesn't add much besides thematic headaches.

But yeah, apart from all that — I like it, a lot. Great character writing in the details, cool looks for the most part, tons of ambition, and a message that I consider to be appropriately handled — for the most part, and for now. Not quite ambitious arthouse anime at its finest, but also not a pretentious disaster like Sarazanmai, Monogatari et al. 8/10

[ka-za-ri]

Descent Pt. 1

I told myself I was gonna take a break. I lied. I wanted to write a whole bin of Sin for Simeon. I’m sorry, not sorry at all. Let me know if you want to be a part of the tag list: Chapter Masterlist: Here Crossposted on Ao3: here Part [1] Part [2] Part [3] Part 4: [4] Part [5] Part [6] Part [7] Part [8] Part [9] Part [10]

Paring: Simeon x Reader Wordcount: 4,900 ish Genre: Smut Tags: Masturbation, Voyeurism, hints of dirty talk? Summary: Sent from the Celestial realm to observe and study humans; Simeon made a name for himself as the illustrious author of The Tales of the Seven Lords. After reaching acclaim for his first series, he's having trouble writing his next great hit. Good thing you're there for him as his manager and editor to help him work out the... kinks in writing.

Trip

The most dangerous aspect of humans was their innate ability to tempt even the most stalwart and steadfast of angels into a world of sin. Simeon was not immune to their ways, no matter how reclusive he became. It was easy to study them from afar, learning about them through numbers and sales numbers. The masses were easy to sway with a few pretty words. Blending in with humans was a trivial task for him. All he had to do was make a few public appearances for book signings and some launch parties for a new series; otherwise he was free to observe and study from afar. 

After the international success of The Tale of The Seven Lords, Simeon found himself feeling rather empty. He needed a new project to keep him entertained in the human realm. However, no matter what he started to work on, it didn’t inspire the same sort of passion he had for his older series. He needed a new genre, a new style of writing to refresh his passion for words. If he was going to make it in an ever changing market, he would need to adapt as well. Yet, no matter what genre he tried, every draft he came up with seemed too mundane and overdone. 

Everything except, for the temptation of writing something much more salacious than his last work. 

Just entertaining the thought had him on a slippery slope of falling from the grace of the Celestial realm. Sure, the strict protocols of olde had been loosened over the centuries. Many angels realized that enforcing perfect adherence to the standards of purity set so long ago no longer applied to modern times. Rules had been loosened and enforcement had relaxed to the point where Simeon was almost positive if he wrote an absolutely obscene novel, he didn’t risk losing his Celestial powers. 

The only problem was that he had no experience in the genre at all. He threw together a vague plot and outline, thinking it would be all he needed to inspire him. Surprisingly enough, the publishing house allowed for the drastic change in genre, confident that he would be able to create another best seller. Just having that much trust put in him made him want to succeed even more with the haphazard novel idea. 

But, despite his determination to make his new manuscripts lewd, he was at a complete loss as to what, and how to write them properly. The outline he presented to you seemed excellent on paper. Even if it had a few plot holes, you knew he could patch them up with a little work. So, it was natural that you would push the approval and leave him to his own devices to work on the manuscript. You were sure that an author of his caliber would be able to break into a new branch of the literary market without any issues. 

But, after several months of waiting, you had no contact at all from him regarding the progress of his new book. The industry needed proof of his work in order to justify their investment in him. Being so renowned, the pressure was on him to create something magnificent. You could only imagine the kind of stress he was going through and as his manager and editor, you were responsible for making sure he met deadlines. You hated to rush his process, but there was no way he could meet the dates set by the publisher if he didn’t give you something to work with soon. 

After trying to reach out to him several times by phone and email with little to no response, the only option left was to go to his abode and see just what he was hiding from. No other outline he submitted had passed so this was his one and only chance to continue his writing career. You patiently waited after knocking on his door, hoping he would answer and wasn’t going to ignore you any further. You knew how serious writer’s block could be; but you hoped he wouldn’t let that get in the way of being a professional. 

Luckily, the door opened soon enough and you were ushered in by an extremely tired and frazzled looking Simeon. He lead you to his office after you had taken off your shoes and changed into the guest slippers he offered. Simeon didn’t speak to you during the whole exchange, a shell of the soft spoken and attentive author you had come to know after so many years of working with him. He shuffled into his office, an obvious slouch in his posture and slumped behind his desk before gesturing at the empty chair across from him. 

“I’m guessing you know why I’m here.” You said and he sighed in resignation, burrowing his head in his hands and running them through his hair. You felt terrible adding stress onto him, he looked ragged, like he hadn’t slept in days. The bags under his eyes were so dark, they almost looked like deep bruises. 

“Yes… You want a manuscript…” his normally soft voice sounded hoarse and you wondered if he had eaten or drunken anything at all that day. “I’m almost done with the first draft… would you like to come and see?” He turned his laptop towards you and you started reading what he had so far. 

All seemed well and good at first. The characters were believable and the premise, though a bit cheesy, was definitely acceptable for the genre. The further you read, the more you noticed large gaps in his writing. Whole paragraphs seemed to be missing and sentences ended midway. Dialog was left unfinished and by the time you reached the end of the first chapter, it was a mess. You could already feel the inevitable headache you were going to get from editing for him. 

“Uhm…”

“Yeah, I know. It’s not my best work.” 

He tried to smile, but the emotion didn’t reach his eyes. You reached out to him and held his hand, rubbing your thumb in reassuring circles on his palm. “You’ve worked hard on it, still. What’s got you so hung up though?” 

He got a little flustered at your question, nervously running his hand through his hair and looking to the side. Writing such a topic with no experience in it was proving to be difficult for him. He could research all he wanted and consume all the media he could to aid him, but there was just something missing. His lack of knowledge was showing and he wasn’t sure how he could keep being composed about his failure so far. He gestured at the screen and shrugged, trying to get his message across without using words; but, when he saw your confused expression, he had to speak. “I don’t know what I’m doing.” he finally admitted. “I want to write this so badly, but I don’t know how to… describe the scenes the way I want to.” 

You sat back in the chair, crossing your arms over your chest and nodding. You could only imagine the difficulty he was having in producing the quality content you were sure he was used to coming up with. With deadlines looming above your head, you needed at least a chapter to submit to the publishing house so they knew actual work was being done. You sighed, trying to think of ways to jump start his creativity. The gloomy atmosphere of his office didn’t seem help. The lights were dim and the curtains were all drawn. It didn’t feel like a place that could invoke the imagery he was going for. “Let’s move somewhere.” you suggested finally. “Do you have a room with lots of sunlight? Maybe a change of mood will help.” 

“Ah… there’s the sunroom..” he said. “But I don’t know if just changing where I am writing will help the situation. If it hasn’t gotten done here, I doubt it will anywhere else.” 

“Just try it.” you encouraged, already unplugging his laptop and taking it with you. “It’s so gloomy in here, even I’m getting depressed just sitting around. Come on, which way is it?” 

“Ah… this way.” He said, shamefully shuffling out from behind his desk and showing you the way to the sunroom which overlooked a rather well manicured garden with a variety of flowers in full bloom. You marveled at the bright, airy feel of the room and took a second to really appreciate his choice in decor. 

“Wow, would have never pegged you as the kind of guy who gardens.” You teased, flopping onto the couch he had in there and lounged in its plush confines. Looking through the glass ceiling, you watched a few clouds drift by while Simeon got comfortable in a recliner in the corner of the room. You could tell he was still a bit frustrated, but you knew getting him some sun would do him good. 

“Well, when I don’t have any pressing deadlines, being with the plants helps relieve stress. It’s unfortunate that I cannot give you a tour this time.” 

“There’s plenty of opportunities in the future. They’re not going anywhere, and neither am I. You know I’m going to keep hounding you until your manuscript is finished.” 

He chuckled, nodding and opening up his laptop. You let silence pass between the two of you, going back to watching the clouds while the sound of his fingers flying across the keyboard lulled you into a daydream like state. You grabbed onto one of the large, decorative pillows he had on the couch, clutching it against your chest while you made up stories in your head about the clouds above. If you weren’t so stressed about turning something into the publishing house so soon; it would have been a perfect, calming afternoon. 

The clack of the keyboard stopped after a little bit. Whatever inspiration Simeon had when he entered the room seemed to have fizzled out and he was stuck in yet another rut, writing one word and deleting it over and over again. You sighed, turning to watch him as he gnawed on his thumb, mumbling to himself. 

“What’s not working?” You asked, your curiosity piqued. 

“Just… this scene… it’s not working. I can’t envision it.” He grumbled. Looking up at where you were laying on his couch, clutching onto the pillow, he was suddenly struck by a brilliant plan. The worry lines on his forehead disappeared and he broke out into a slight smile when he realized how he could get his creative juices flowing. “Help me… I need inspiration.” 

You sat up straight, ready to assist in any way you could. “Okay, what do you want me to do?” You asked. 

Simeon squinted, in the right light, you looked similar to the main character he had written. His plan could work if you reenacted the scene he had in mind. The issue was actually explaining the scene to you in a way that didn’t make his body feel overheated. He was already playing with fire by writing such a lewd book, pushing his limits further felt like he was sliding right down a slope heading towards a great fall. There was no other way, he reasoned. As long as I do not defile her, it’ll be fine. Taking a deep breath, he got up from where he was and walked over to you. 

“I need you to…. Uhm… Well.. how do I say this… I’m having trouble writing a love making scene and I need some… visual aids.” You blinked, processing his request and then looked him up and down, feeling your whole body heat up at once. You were sure you had kept your crush on him a secret. To have him ask you so suddenly to provide visual aid for an explicit novel felt like too big of a jump for you to comprehend. “Oh… Oh no, no, no. You don’t have to do anything with me.” He said, gesturing wildly when he saw you pointedly stare at his crotch. “You can just pretend that this is the ‘lover.’” He took the pillow from your arms and laid it on the couch. 

You didn’t know if you should have felt relived or disappointed that he wanted you to reenact a sex scene with a pillow and not him. It was all quite a bit to take in, but the desperate pout on his face was something you couldn’t ignore. And both your jobs were on the line. You sighed in resignation. “Okay, okay… But only because we have deadlines coming up.” You said. “You’re lucky you’re cute. I wouldn’t do this for anyone else.” 

Simeon smiled for the first time that day, hurriedly moving back to his computer and preparing to take notes on what you were doing. “I’m ready when you are.” he announced once he opened up a separate document. 

“You sure you don’t want me to just, you know… do you?” You asked, cocking an eyebrow as you started to undress. It was embarrassing for sure; but part of you relished in seeing Simeon so flustered when it came to the nature of lewd things. You wondered why he had bothered submitting such an outline at all when he wasn’t familiar with how to write erotica; but his determination to branch out to other genres had won you over in the end. It just fell upon your shoulders to show this man how it was done. 

“I… No… I can’t. I need to write.” He stuttered. Do not defile her, do not defile her. Her womb is sacred and not something you can toy with… Even if he wanted the first hand experience, he still had rules to abide by. 

“Alright, whatever you say. You’re the boss.” You shrugged, unbuttoning your blouse. “Don’t forget, part of the sexiness is in the tease.” You explained, taking your time to sway your hips side to side as each button came undone. Trying to seduce a pillow was so much more boring than trying to seduce Simeon. The things I do for this job… 

You made sure to waggle your ass as you peeled off your pants, tossing them to the side along with your blouse. There was something thrilling about being in a room made of glass. Any woodland creature that decided to come visit his garden at that moment would also get an eyeful of your progressively bare body. The rush of having Simeon watch you as you stripped had your heart racing. 

At the very least, you knew your efforts weren’t in vain. You could hear the furious clacking of the keyboard as you gave the pillow in front of you a sultry look. As lame as it all was, it was still rather arousing to know you were being watched by the man who you had crushed on for so long now. “Alright… sir. I’m going to need you to lay down. You have a problem that only I can take care of.” You said to the pillow. You tried hard not to laugh at how ridiculous the scenario was. It wouldn’t do to break the mood, especially when you could tell Simeon was definitely getting some writing done. 

You got back onto the couch, straddling the pillow between your legs once you were in nothing but your underthings. Licking your lips, you pretended that Simeon was under you and not the decorative cushion. If you closed your eyes, you could almost feel his lean body under your own, squirming in discomfort as you took control of the scenario. There was just something about how gentle and soft spoken he was that made  your heart flutter with the need to dominate him until he was a flushed, moaning mess. 

Using that fantasy in your mind, you slowly started to gyrate your hips onto the pillow, throwing your head back and moaning. “Oh yes…” You breathed, pleasantly surprised at the stimulation you got from the friction of your panties rubbing against your spread core. You hummed, content with the thought of Simeon holding onto your hips to keep your steady. If he wanted to watch, then you were going to give him the best show available. 

You grasped at your breasts, teasing your nipples through the fabric of your bra until they were sensitive little buds that made you gasp. As you continued to grind against the pillow, you could feel your essence starting to flow, no doubt you were going to leave quite a substantial wet mark on the pillow if you continued. You wanted to pause and warn Simeon of what was about to happen; but when you turned and saw the look of concentration on his face, you didn’t dare break his focus. 

He’ll just have to deal with it later… You figured going back to that happy place in your mind where the writer in front of you was actually under you. Closing your eyes, you imagined what it would be like to hear him moan as you pressed your heat against his cock. Surely he must sound absolutely angelic when he cums. Pushing slipping your hands under your bra, you pushed the fabric away, peeled it off your skin and threw it into a random corner to pick up later. “You have no idea how hot you look right now.” You purred, looking down at the cushions below you, wishing you had something sexier to talk dirty to; but you would have to make do with what you had. 

Leaning down, you grabbed a pillow to act as your ‘lovers’ head and started to kiss it. It was so hard to ignore just how disappointing it was to make out with a lump of fabric and not the beautiful man in the corner who was so engrossed with his writing, you might as well have been invisible to him. You could only use your imagination to fantasize about how soft Simeon’s lips must be. He always took such good care of his skin and he had an ethereal glow about him, as if he was blessed by the sun itself. You moaned into the pillow, hating the rough canvas you were pressed up against, but at least your pussy was getting something out of how much you were humping the pillow. 

You came up, gasping for air after having half smothered yourself with a pillow and glanced over at Simeon again. Even as he was furiously typing, you could see that he was at least a little affected by the show you were putting on. Good, I would have hated myself if he’s not even a smidgen turned on by this. You smirked, looking down at your ‘lover’ and pretended to whisper sweet nothings to them before getting off the couch. 

Simeon made a small sound of protest when he saw that you were no longer straddling the pillow, but he quickly shut up when he saw that you were divesting yourself of your panties. “Oh… carry on.” He mumbled, going back to his document, though his eyes continuously flicked up towards you to make sure he was capturing the moment properly. 

Feeling your bare pussy rub against the rough fabric of the pillow sent shivers of pleasure up and down your body and you moaned, riding it harder than before. The stimulation was great, but it wasn’t enough. Really, you wanted to have Simeon buried balls deep in you and not at his computer. However, your priority was your job and that meant sticking to what you had to work with. “Fuck…” You groaned, clenching your inner walls around nothing and wishing that you had at least a toy to fill you up and give you something to ride. 

You ground against the pillow, your essence soaking the fabric and leaving a sizable wet mark, but you didn’t care. It was all the stimulation you could get and you were going to work it for all it was worth. One hand went back up to your breast, rolling your pert nipple between your thumb and forefinger, whining at the mixture of pain and pleasure you were giving yourself. “Yeah… you like watching me touch myself, babe?” You asked no one in particular; but truthfully, you hoped Simeon was really enjoying what he saw and heard.. 

His fingers on the keyboard never ceased moving as he vividly described the scene before him. He was so wrapped up in his work, he didn’t even notice himself getting hard. There was too much to write and no time to think about the attention the rest of his body was asking for. He licked his lips, his gaze constantly going back and forth from the document to your body. You were acting out the scene so well, he couldn’t stop writing; he needed to record every detail. You were everything he had imagined his main character to be; effortlessly confident, commanding in the bedroom and dripping with sex appeal. Even if it was a spur of the moment suggestion, he had no regrets considering he was getting so much more writing done in the last half hour than he had in the past two months. 

Your breathing came out in short little pants as you tried to chase a release that just wouldn’t come with so little to work with. You reached between your legs to fondle your sensitive clit, groaning loudly as you made love to yourself. You didn’t know how long the scene was supposed to be, but your thighs were getting tired of riding an inanimate object and you just wanted to get off now. 

“Mm fuck.. You feel so good…” You breathed, closing your eyes and imagining Simeon sliding inside of you. The first pass must feel so good. You fantasized about lowering yourself onto his cock slowly letting him savor every inch that entered you. In your head, his bright blue eyes glittered in lust, watching his dick disappear into you until your hips met and he would moan at the feeling of being completely buried in you. “Yeah… just like that…” You moaned, rubbing circles at your clit while your inner walls clenched rhythmically at air. 

You went back to dragging your pussy across the fabric of the pillow smearing your essence all over to get as much out of the scenario as you could. Your fingers rubbed your clit harder, pushing you ever closer and closer to release. “Oh… Oh… I’m so close…” You whined, announcing your climax mere seconds before it happened. The last push you needed was looking over at Simeon and seeing him completely engrossed in what you were doing. His fingers frozen on the keyboard and his comfortable pants with a rather impressive tent in them. 

“Fuck. Simeon.” you cursed, cumming all over the pillow. Your fingers slowed their pace around your clit, rubbing your labia back and forth as you rode out the orgasm. You fell forward onto the pillows beneath you, still slowly humping them while you let the initial high pass and the afterglow set in. It wasn’t until the haze of pleasure passed that you realized you had called his name while getting off on his couch in front of him. 

Simeon swallowed hard, trying to ignore the way you called his name. Everything had gone smoothly until you had cried out for him while in the throes of your climax. He had stopped everything he was doing just mere moments before you did that; and now, he didn’t know if he had the mental capacity to continue with what he was writing. 

For once, he was tempted to throw away whatever celestial blessings he had to take you and be the real reason why you screamed his name. 

Shoving the indecent thoughts to the back of his head, he turned back to his document, writing a sentence and erasing it, repeating the action over and over again while his brain looped the beautiful image of you as you came on his couch. Now, he noticed the tightness in his pants, the obvious boner he sported as a result of such an experiment. But, he couldn’t be mad at it. He had achieved a groove in writing and he was sure he could finish the draft you needed in time.

Simeon let you rest a bit and gather yourself together on the couch. No doubt both of you were aware of the slip, but he could pretend it didn’t affect him as much as it did. Eventually, you had the courage to look back up at him, only to find him busily typing away at his computer. Sighing, and running your hand through your hair amused that he could stay so calm, you got up and started to get dressed. “So, I’m guessing moving somewhere else worked?” you asked, keeping your tone light. 

“Hmm… yes.” He agreed, half paying attention to what you were doing. He couldn’t bear to look at you while you were exposed and waited patiently until you were fully clothed until he made eye contact and spoke to you again. “I definitely got some good notes in. I’ll just need a little more time to flesh out some of the filler scenes and I’ll email you the draft in a couple of days.” 

You let out a laugh, surprised that he was able to focus on work still after what he had just witnessed. He truly was as innocent as he presented himself to be sometimes. “Alright, well. I’ll look forward to reading it.” 

“Will you be back?” he asked, looking at you with hopeful eyes. “You were so helpful, I think I might need more help for the rest of the book.” Not, like I want to see something like that again… No, I just need it for research purposes… 

“You know I’ll be back.” You laughed heartily, ruffling his hair. “I have to bother you at least once a month to make sure you’re on schedule to finish.” 

Simeon slouched into his chair and let out a soft laugh in relief. “Of course, how could I forget.” In his mind, he was already planning new scenarios for you to play out. There would be much more research to be done, and supplies to be obtained before your next visit. But, all those things could wait. For now, he closed his laptop, noticing how low on battery it had gotten.Time had slipped by him, the sun already well on its way past the horizon. “It’s getting late…” He commented, trying to change the subject to something a little safer than the masturbation session you just had in front of him. 

“Yeah… I’ll get going and let you work in peace.” In a moment of bold recklessness, you stepped forward and planted a quick kiss on his cheek. “See you next time, babe. Can’t wait to see what you’re gonna make me do for you.” you teased, giving him a coy wink before showing yourself out.

As soon as the door was firmly shut, Simeon let out a deep sigh, laughing out loud at the predicament he had put himself into. He wanted to quit everything and dissolve into the ground. He wanted to continue writing and see your body writhe in pleasure. He wanted to also defile you and sate himself inside of you. Most of all though, there was a growing darkness within him, one he didn’t even notice just yet; and that part of him craved to see you put in your place to beg for him like the god he knew he was. 

Pushing all his desires down and curbing his lust for the time being, he moved his computer back to his office and let it charge for the rest of the evening. His mind still swirled with the image of your exposed body riding that pillow in the sunroom. The early evening sunset made your body glow with an almost angelic light; and for once, he felt jealous of an inanimate object.

Quietly padding back into the sunroom, he looked at the soiled cushion; feeling a surge of heat rush through him when he saw the wet spot you had left behind. Licking his lips, he approached it like it was a wild animal, tentatively poking at it. If he closed his eyes, he could pretend to still feel your warmth lingering on the fabric. He could feel shame rising up in him as he laid down on the couch, rested his head on the pillow and took a deep breath, memorizing the scent of your arousal. 

His hand reached down between his legs, slipping past his pants and to his hard length that needed his attention. Turning his head to smother his moans and to surround himself with your unique smell, he teased and pleased himself, putting himself in the scenario you had played out just mere moments ago. 

“Oh… oh fuck…” He groaned surprised at how little effort it took to make him cum and ruin his pants to the thought of you bouncing on his cock and calling his name. He was quickly falling down the deep end of temptation and he could feel the darkness of sin encroaching. 

The scariest part was the fact that he didn’t care at all. 

[lettrespromises]

> LettresPromises informs you : You have one notification.

> Letter object : The tamer of the flamboyant flames of passion.

> Todoroki Shouto sent you a letter, would you like to read it?

@mangosnakesandpeaches​ sent a letter :  ❝heyo! its aydudenoway, just moved to my writing account! request number 1/3 : okay okay, so ya know how people always tend to write like, dom shouto and sub reader? what about dom reader and sub shouto. like, damn as much as i like dom shouto, kinda want to see some dom reader nglll. could this be a drabble/imagine and not too too graphic NSFW? i hope this is okay! ahhh okay okay so idk if you started writing my request (dom reader) or not, but could i add onto it real quick? breathless Shouto is all im saying. im so sorryyy for this being so sudden! if you can't add it, thats okay!❞

author’s letter :  ❝dear @mangosnakesandpeaches​, thank you once more for trusting me with your ideas and letting me express through words the love i have for this man and this man only!! hot take but i do kind of feel you.... like.... shouto is low-key a sub to me (aside from pegging ofc.) anywhoopsies!!! i hope you’ll like this and i tried not to make it nsfw which was a bit confusing but?? nonetheless, i hope you’ll enjoy this promised letter.❞

Genre : Erotic but not explicit smut, fluff. (Please consider that the characters are aged up.) Warnings : Cursing, foreplay, innuendos, sexual deeds. Word count : 1.6K.

After personally handing crushing losses to many villains throughout the entire week, admiring the hint of a shy smile adorning the face of civilians torn by fear as a gleam of hope while they’re being saved, secretly glancing at the newfound scars worn as medals on the abused flesh of your skin when no one is looking, any hero would be mentally and physically drained, as if your body was just the host of vacuity. And rightfully so.

Thus came the ever so needed tradition of self-care with Shouto, this renaissance of an evening was held every Friday night ever since you both graduated from U.A. No word was needed, the sole acknowledged information of today’s date was enough for the both of you to understand that today had your name as a synonymous of self-care written all over it.

This context explains why you found yourself enveloped in Shouto’s embrace, a physical testimony of just how much he loved and cherished your presence, if you will. These oh so special Friday nights also drew a contrast with your everyday life as heroes, it was also the perfect opportunity to say (or paradoxically declare in a silent manner) just how much your presence was needed to one another as the cons of being a pro-hero weighed on your mind like the sword of Damocles. To put it more harshly, the inevitable curse of never knowing if the day you were bound to spend together would be the last represented said cons.

His arms found shelter on the area above your hipbones, and every time he would let his genetically given large palms roam on this area, he would always wonder if said area had been carved to fit perfectly the form of his hands— Shouto liked to think that perhaps this was yet another sign that you were meant to be, he always tried to find poetic parallels everywhere.

His thumbs were brushing invisible shapes on the flesh of your hips left bare by the intervention of Shouto’s hands, these brushes were anything but calculated, yes, they did respect a certain common pattern—  but each time they felt similar, they always felt new at once. The semi-random nature of his gestures were the living proof that the documentary being played on the TV was semi-interesting as well.

You, on the other one hand, were sheltered in Shouto’s warm and welcoming embrace, your head fit right in the crook of his neck, and as per usual, Todoroki found yet again another poetic parallel drawn by your jointed souls. Nonetheless, if Shouto’s stare was focused on the succession of bright lights radiating off of the TV, yours was laying on the personification of your source of happiness— your boyfriend himself. After all, wasn’t staring at him way more interesting than some documentary being played? Nothing could compare to some well-deserved ‘staring at Shouto session’, but said sessions came with the slight danger of being caught, oh well…

« Love, I believe you’re doing it again. » Shouto blurted out which made you unconsciously flinch in response.

« Doing what exactly, mhm? » Oh, the fake tone of innocence could have been heard from miles away, and it sure as hell didn’t go unknown under Shouto’s radar.

« You know what I’m hinting at— staring. » But this time, it was his turn to stare at you, it was a mutual game now.

« You’re saying that as if staring at you was illegal, I mean, looking this hot should totally be considered illegal. » Shouto’s blood rushed under your newly left comment, causing his cheeks to adopt a rosy tone.

« Y/N, I’m a pro-hero, I’m not quite sure I can be considered as a villain… Is looking a certain way truly illegal? Should I change something about my appearance? » His heterochromatic eyes found yours, and a certain desire for reassurance chimed in the way.

« Shouto, baby— of course not! You’re perfect the way you are, I was only messing around, you know? » His desire for reassurance fades away and instead, you are met with a gleam of content as you continue :

« What I meant to say was… You’re so handsome, so out of this world… » Each word leaving your lips and connecting to his eardrums was accompanied with the fitting gestures to emphasize just a bit more the comforting undertone of your speech. It all began with a swift shift of position— you were now sitting on Shouto’s lap, a crucial position which guaranteed you the upper hand of physical exchanges.

« You’re divine, Shouto… » The longer your eyes met his, the more you were secretly convinced that he was indeed out of this world, thus, you underlined this statement by tracing an invisible line from the corner of his lips to his jawline under his intrigued facial expression. An intrigued expression, perhaps, but he was begging to hear more.

« You’re have all the qualities one could dream of, don’t you? » This rhetorical question was signed with the manifestation of the presence of your lips upon the flesh of his neck, Shouto let out a gasp he ignored he was holding and tilted his head to give you more room to play with as an answer, longing for the next lines of your tirade. Instead, the soft pressures left by the pecks were replaced with biting motions, and interchanged with sucking motions at times. This newfound balance of pleasure on Shouto’s newly bruised skin was the cause of a chain reaction— first, his lips parted as if he was gasping for oxygen, he didn’t need it, it was more like a precautious deed than a clear remedy to something he needed; then, his lids closed shut, in anticipation of the bliss which was bound to course every inch of his body; eventually, a deadly sin named gluttony got the best of him and encouraged him to let his palms wander on your derrière. A bold action quickly reprimanded by a quick slapping motions on the back of his hands.

« No touching, got it? Keep your hands to yourself and maybe, just maybe I’ll reward you. » A sentence so embedded with delicious sin which became amplified under the spell of your whispers, right against the shell of his ears. There was no vocal response on his end, only a line of chills from the back of his neck to the bottom of his spine, sure, it wasn’t vocal, but it was such a sweet way to respond to the temptation.

This comment would be stating the obvious but you had the monopoly of the game, you controlled the fate of the protagonists and bent the rules your way— some would call it cheating, you’d call it having the world at your feet. An adventurous hand traveled underneath the fabric of Shouto’s shirt and, on its journey, felt the various kinds of reliefs sculpted on his body. The rock hard sensation of his abdomen against the soft flesh of your palm was one of the sweetest contrasts. Your hand followed a vertical path— first, a journey near his pectoral muscles, and a tragic fall to his growing bulge right beneath you, you couldn’t help but bow your lips into a grin which echoed to a thousand of hidden desires and beyond while Todoroki looked at you with pleading eyes.

« Aren’t you such a good boy to me? You did as I said, baby, keep going for me, yeah? » Shouto knew that the way you would pronounce each individual word was a hint to what was bound to happen, and the precise manner you moaned « good boy » near his eardrum was just a mere indicator amongst a myriad of them that you would not give up on your iron hold any time soon. Your lips eventually met his once more in a heated exchange, the advantage of the height played in your favor to assert dominance and set the done of the secret ballet between your tongues. Meanwhile, your palm was dangerously stroking the oh so growing bulge in Shouto’s underwear— and when your tongue would twist in a clockwise direction, your hand would do the opposite and vice-versa.

Shouto could feel you through all his senses— and although his lids were shut closed, this couldn’t prevent him from picturing your frame towering over him, he would always remember everything about you, even the most trivial details anyway. The gluttony in him cursed at him and screamed to touch you, but he knew better than to fall under the spell of his temptations. If he couldn’t manifest his pleasure physically, he could still do it orally— and thus a silent melody resonated in your mouth at the contact of your tongue with his. Said melody ended in the crescendo of the volume of his uneven breaths after breaking your kiss due to the lack of oxygen.

His cheeks were crimson red, his mouth was set agape to let fresh air fill his lungs again, his eyes echoed nothing but an irresistible paradox of pleading and will to continue further, his head felt dizzy under your sweet toxins which had just penetrated his mind… He was so addicted to you.

You let a smirk grow on your face in response to the aftermath of your antics, knowing very well that this was just a way to foreshadow what was bound to happen : « You’ve been so good to me, pretty boy, so, so good. Guess who’s going to have his reward now, baby? »

He knew he was going to get his reward, but at what cost?

[keijikunn]

Yellow

pairing: bokuto koutarou x neutral!reader genre: overall fluffy, there’s this tiny bit of angst but nothing too hurtful  summary: the yellow things in love that reminds you of bokuto koutarou word count: ~2.5k author’s note: happy birthday to my favourite loud boy! i know i’m a bit late, but here it is my special fic to our owl

WARNINGS: mentions of car crash

If you enjoy it please leave a comment or a reblog!!

               a life with bokuto koutarou is painted with yellow. like the sunshine on your skin, a cold lemonade on a hot day, or a smile face on every text exchanged. a life him his was never dull, he just… brings color into it. in all honesty, you were nothing but blessed to have such a great man on your side through the ups and downs of life.

              waking up next to him – with his arms securely wrapped around your waist, his soft breathes hitting your neck and his head on your chest – always filled you utter joy and warmth. even when his lips let snores escape or how his hair would tickle your face, the peace on his features was enough to melt your heart. and when the rays of sunshine illuminated both of you? that was the moment koutarou looked absolutely like an angel – and perhaps he is.

              “good morning, love” his raspy voice has never failed to pull the strings of your heart, the same ones bokuto knew all too well – after all, years of relationship taught him enough about you.

              “good morning, kou” you replied with a quick peck on his forehead, letting a hand run through the locks of gray and black hair. the man let out a content hum as he pulled you even closer, that way he could kiss the soft skin of your neck just the way he knew you liked.

              as odd as it might be, mornings were the only moment bokuto would be the calmest he could. the aura around him would be a pastel yellow. soft, discreet, but lovely. the most tender and loving gestures are exchanged in a half-sleep conscience – but still the purest actions. your own world is filled with such color, your bedroom – despite the blue grey-ish shades on the walls – was a safe haven illuminated with it.

              koutarou, however, wasn’t a simple man. therefore, he hadn’t in himself only one variation.

              bokuto was also as yellow as your highlighters: bright, flashy, but helpful with sort of a guidance within it – just like the actual object. he reminded you of it because of the many sleepless nights both of you spent during your exam’s seasons in college, even though he was not much of a help and his schedule required him to wake up early.

              “I might not be a college student, but I need to hype my significant other” he commented on the first time he stayed up until 3 in the morning with you, sitting on the kitchen table scanning with his eyes through the many pages scattered around. “it’s hard, but I believe in you. and I can’t let you pull an all nighter, you’ll be absolutely shit on your afternoon classes”

              just like that, koutarou would make you company in silence. sometimes he’d fall asleep resting his head on his folded arms over the table, in others he’d try to help you organize what you’ve already been through. and on the top of all of that, bokuto koutarou would ground you whilst your mind you’d be drowning in anxiety and self-doubt.

              the same way you’d highlight important things on your books and notes, bokuto would highlight the best qualities of you. pointing your smartness, beautifulness, gentleness and loving personality. this man would not let you forget how far you’ve come, all hardships you’ve won against and how your future is going to be as bright the yellow pen that you constantly use.

              by himself, kou would be under the spotlight as the great athlete he is. you, however, couldn’t help but give him the focus he deserved. he was inspiring to you, always trying to do better, to be the best version of yourself. in your life, bokuto koutarou was a highlighter, but also something highlighted so you can – and will always – remember his importance and meaning to you.

              there are these certain shades of colors that just don’t look as pretty as others, but are as just important to compose the whole one. like any other people in the world, bokuto also had the slightest ugly tones of yellow.

              the sunset and sunrise can be both renewing and melancholic. the hue that transitions to orange has two different meaning when you’re talking about your boyfriend: can be both the argument and the reconciliation. the contraposition between these two is essential to understand why one color brings two types of feelings.

              “koutarou, you aren’t being reasonable” you argued certain night, it was after a msby game – which his team won. it was a hazy memory to you, everything passed by in a blur. at one time you remembered hugging bokuto as the two of you celebrated the end of the game, then all you could see and hear was him dragging you out of the commemoratory party.

              “how not, y/n?! that guy was fucking touching you” kou’s voice was loud, as he always is, but that volume wasn’t filled with love or excitement; no, all you could hear was angriness and jealousy. “and you weren’t doing a thing to stop him! you acted like your boyfriend wasn’t there”

              “it wasn’t like that, kou!” the scream match wasn’t going anywhere with both of you stressed, with a deep breathe, you held eye contact with him. “I tried to stop him! tetsu saw me pushing his hands from me, but he ignored whatever I did! he still touched me and all I could do is act as if nothing was wrong, or else I’d be the hysterical significant other”

              “c’mon, y/n, you’ve never really cared about what the media would say about you” bokuto mocked as he rolled his eyes, your heart clenched at those words. they weren’t true, how could you tell him about how you felt reading mean comments online? you treasured the bright smile he had, it was enough for you to keep going while receiving those kinds of insults.

              “you know what, koutarou? I’m going to my friend’s house tonight. we are not going anywhere right now” with that, you left your shared apartment with the jacket you were wearing and the cellphone on your pocket.

              leaving bokuto for the night was awfully painful. each day, before you fall asleep, the man’s embrace was like a sunset, a way to conclude your day. the explosion of orange, red and yellow as the sky grows darker was a signal that another milestone was completed with koutarou by your side.

              arguments between you two were exactly like watching, by yourself, the sun hiding under the horizon after having company for so long. it felt wrong, but sometimes it would unfortunately happen, because no couple was perfect. but, what made bokuto and you different from others was the way that always the sunrise would come with closure of whatever hurtful feelings were reminiscent.

              later on the next day, you’ve returned to your home. bokuto’s shoes were organized by the entrance of your apartment – contrary to the other night, when he just took them off and kicked aimlessly. the rice cooker was on, you could even smell the cleaning products you use around the house: an indication that kou did some of the chores you had to delay to attend his game.

              “I’m home” you announced rather quietly, eyes scanning around in order to find your boyfriend. he emerged from the kitchen, a basket full of clean clothes on his grip and a tired expression on his beautiful face. “what… are you doing?”

              “I know you use Friday evenings to do some chores, and since I’ve dragged you to my game you couldn’t do them, so I decided to be helpful at least once” he answered with a small smile. you could tell koutarou was tired – maybe feeling his muscles ache after such an intense game or just because he couldn’t sleep without you. “akaashi gave me the biggest lecture ever to knock some sense into my head, I wasn’t being fair with you”

              “neither was I” the aftermath of every argument between you two would be like this: silently, spoken in whispers and reluctant touches. “I should’ve told you how I truly felt about those online comments… we’re supposed to share our worries, right?”

              “yeah… and I should be more understanding about your fears and insecurities” koutarou placed the basket on the floor and stepped closer to you, a timid hand reaching out for you own, which you obliged quickly. “sorry, love. i had no right in yelling at you”

              “it’s okay, baby” a smile crept on your face, your other hand brushes aside the tip of his hair over his forehead (being at home with kou meant seeing him with his hair down, it was a beautiful sight). “I’m sorry too”

              as your lips touched once again, your own little world, where only you and bokuto were allowed to, was painted with the most beautiful sunrise. because that was what a relationship is: every disagreement ends with a reconciliation, a new day would begin from that. you two learned with a few painful sunsets that, after a fight, the way the sun would come up would be even prettier than the day before.

              the most unusual shade of yellow in bokuto koutarou would probably be the same one as from warning signs. this simple association emanates all worry and fear that lays on the deepest part of koutarou – and you thanked god you don’t usually see it. his emo modes back in high school managed to hide the feelings behind his lack of motivation after many failures in a row; now, he shone bright yellow warning signs every time his heart wasn’t at ease.

              despite of that, no emo mode would have prepared you to see the restless and worried features on bokuto’s face when you opened your eyes on a cold day. all your body hurt as your chest raised and fell from your breathing patter, the lights above you weren’t making the pounding headache of yours any better.

              “y/n, love, how are you feeling?” koutarou asked frantically, needy for answers so his brain could finally calm down.

              “where… am i?” you uttered, the words almost getting stuck on your dry throat.

              “you’re at the hospital, babe” with that information, numerous scenes rushed back to your mind. how you were on the bus on your way home, the way it drifted on the street covered with a thin layer of snow and the side you were sat colliding against a lamp post. “you were on a car crash, do you remember?”

              “yes, sort of…” still a bit confused, you turned your head to completely face your boyfriend. you could tell by the reddish skin around his eyes that he had cried and judging by his clothes – the msby track attire – that he was on a match before rushing to the hospital. “did you finish the game?”

              “are you insane, y/n?” bokuto whined shaking his head, the grip on your heads tightening a bit. “how could I play volleyball knowing that the love of my life was hurt and on their way to the hospital? my coach allowed to leave as soon as the first set was over. when- when he told me you were involved in a car crash, I was so worried that you’d leave me- and seeing you laying on this bed makes everything so much more intense that-”

              “hey, kou” you raised your hand to cup his wet cheeks, the tears once again started to stream from his eyes and that was one of the worst views you’ve had: his yellow eyes dull and watery. that sight would never match the ball of sunshine bokuto truly is. “I’m here, right? I woke up, see? I’m here, holding your face as we speak. the worst have already passed”

              “I was so afraid, y/n…” he confessed quietly, leaning into your touch to ground himself. “I love you lots, babe, I am so damn glad you’re alive”

              “I wouldn’t go anywhere without you, bo… you don’t have to worry”

              bokuto was shining a bright yellow, indicating his wariness and worry, for the rest of the time you spent at the hospital. the big warning sign on his mind was put aside as soon as all doctors assured him you were fine, completely healed after almost a month after the incident.

              even if that shade wasn’t a pretty one that bokuto has in himself, that makes him exactly the man you are head over heels with. he cares for you, he worries for you, he would do anything in a heartbeat just to make dure you were fine. koutarou gave all of him to you when you started dating, just the same way you did to him.

(the yellow warning signs would only appear years later when your first kid got sick for the first time)

              and last, but no least, the most beautiful, breathtaking hue of yellow was the exact one he always shows you: his eyes. the way they’d look at you with such adoration and fondness, like he was screaming with his sight “this person next to me is the love of my life”, “I love you”, “you’re everything to me”.

              this kind of shining yellow summarized koutarou perfectly: the excitement when he’s playing the sport he absolutely loves, the happiness whenever he is around his friends. but, on the top of everything else, the state of being completely – both mentally and sentimentally wise – filled with the purest emotions he could gather. that only happened with you by his side.

              through the ups and downs of adulthood, you and bokuto faced them together as a couple, as best friends, as growing people. as every single day passed by, both of you were completely sure that this situation – you and him against the world – needed to last forever. you two needed to wake up illuminated by rays of sunshine cracking through the curtains of your bedroom; have in each other’s embrace every sunset and sunrise, eve the ugly ones; put every single yellow sign up whenever the other was in danger.

              and the newest thing you added on your mental list like a masterpiece painted by your love was the way koutarou’s eyes shined so bright while kneeling on your knee. you saved in your heart the image of him holding out a black velvet box with the most beautiful ring inside, his hair down – the same way you love – and wearing his pajamas.

              “will you marry me?” that sentence came in a blow, your knees buckling as your arms found their way around his broad shoulders. the tears of joy stained his shirt as you exchanged words of ‘I love you’ and ‘yes’ between sobs and fits of laughter.

              your world was already full of color, but bokuto koutarou happened to make everything brighter and, at last, complete.

[zevzevarainai]

Hey! You ever end up doing essay on the kazumaji gifs? (I'm highly interested because it's always majima o' clock where I live)

it’s always majima o’clock here too; maybe we live in the same area... but lmao i didnt write the essay on my kazumaji gifs because i didnt think anyone would want to hear it so i meant it more as a per request kind of deal. and you’re requesting. I want you to know you did this to yourself, my friend

below the read more for everyone’s well being. welcome to my first official majima analysis essay

ok so in those tags i said something like majima is softest with kiryu because it is absolutely the truth (unless you count makoto, which i love them too, but majima has moved on or at least is making an effort to. and that was pre-tacky snake skin jacket and pre-mad dog persona.) 

the prompt for the gifset was “maybe something about majima being stupid and unhinged but like, in a sweet way” and the whole point of this rambling is that kiryu is really the only one we see who causes the mad-dog persona to slip. kiryu says he can never get a read on majima but just because he is unpredictable doesn’t mean he doesn’t understand that he isn’t just batshit crazy. he trusts majima, and finds comfort in his lack of predictability, keeping kiryu’s life exciting and providing distraction from the insane amount of tragic shit that happens to kiryu. and majima has a similar experience of idolizing the yakuza lifestyle as teens/young adults only to have the yakuza drag them through hell. But this is supposed to be about Majima.

ANYWAY what GETS ME is again that mad-dog vibe slipping around kiryu. the only time we really only see it again is with Saejima when he comes back from jail. i’m gonna talk about that later too. LET’s GET TO THE GIFS i’m going in chronological order not the order i put them in

1)

Ok so as an audience, we don’t really know what happened between Kiryu and Majima between Yakuza Zero and Yakuza/Yakuza Kiwami. Yes, we get that tiny ending scene of Majima going KIRYU-CHAN for the first time and Kiryu smiling at him. But we are given nothing as to how they met or why Majima started calling him Kiryu-chan. It is left completely to the audience’s interpretation. Because then it goes straight to the first scene with Majima in Yakuza/Yakuza Kiwami after Kiryu gets out of jail. It implies that they already knew each other, and arguably that they were somewhat close -- close enough for Majima to “miss him.” (What was majima doing for those 10 years, i don’t know, but he clearly wasn’t in a great place, missing both kiryu, makoto, and saejima, we ignore y5 lore in this household or make up shit to fill in the giant gaps) You could argue that Majima missing Kiryu is just Majima being “crazy haha woah” but his character is so much deeper than that, and it’s proven in this gif’s scene. Yes he is fighting Kiryu with all his men. But if you are reading this you understand that them fighting physically all the time is a secret love language. They never intend to severely hurt each other. Fighting is how they know that they have an equal, someone else who was modeled into a weapon because of the Tojo Clan.

And yes, “He belongs to me!” is an extremely gay thing to say. He doesn’t even need to say that, though. One of his men didn’t understand that he doesn’t actually want to hurt Kiryu. The guy picked up Majima’s knife and tried to actually hurt Kiryu. Majima willingly gets stabbed so Kiryu doesn’t get hurt. That’s a handful of gay subtext right there. Majima’s first scene in y1 is about how the world is a horrible, shitty place that will chew you up and spit you out if you care. Then he goes and gets stabbed. Self-sacrificially. He cares about Kiryu, even if it hurts. 

2)

This one isn’t as deep. It stems of the same concept of them fighting each other as equals. Majima explicitly says more than once that strength is the most admirable trait, Goromi says that it only matters that a man is strong. Kiryu is the only person who presents a challenge to him. He admires him. 

3)

(As a disclaimer, I know a lot of people are uncomfortable with Goromi. I’ve also seen a lot of non-binary, gender-fluid, etc. people project on Goromi and Majima, and I feel like that can only be a good thing. Obviously they deserve more and more quality representation. I think the people who dislike Goromi are valid as well, but for the sake of this argument we are going to see Goromi as the people who project on her do and I’m going to use she/her pronouns when talking about Goromi.)

Regardless on your stance on this whole little side quest, the player has the choice to go along with Goromi which creates actually a lot of subtle connecting between the two of them. Even in just talking to her, we see the mad-dog mask slip. She talks about how much she cared about the girls at Club Shine and wonders how they’re doing. Literally says “all part of my tragic-ass backstory.” And Kiryu sympathizes with it. Says he sees through the “i hated it” bullshit and sees Majima/Goromi’s true self, which is that the cabaret job was hard for Majima because he cared about the women and didn’t like using them as a source of income and knew it would be his fault if they got hurt. 

Also, Goromi says that "When I’m with a guy, it’s all about if I’m having enough fun. That’s why he’s gotta be strong.” Sound like someone we know? Someone who we are talking about in the last gif with i-just-got-the-shit-beat-out-of-me-and-it-was-awesome bliss on his face?

Anyway, the scene in the gif is near the end of the session. Kiryu is talking about how he’s been in prison for 10 years, and Goromi says that now that he’s out he should try to relax and and a little fun. Arguably, “since you’re so lonely right now, I’m gonna give ya a hand!” is most of Majima’s role in YK1. Kiryu gets out of prison. Majima wants to fight him all the time and says it’s because he’s gone soft and needs to train. Majima Everywhere presents excitement in his life when everything else is hard and shitty and traumatizing. Yes, Majima kidnapped Haruka. But there isn’t a lot of info on that. Majima says he did it so they could fight but it very likely could have been an order from the Tojo Clan or even Nishiki. Until he develops a bond with Haruka, Majima is, in a way, all he has. Nishiki is mean now. Yumi is ???. Kazama is i don’t even remember but he certainly isn’t any emotional support. He’s lonely. Majima is the only person he has from before prison, and quite possibly the only person who understands what he is going through. 

4)

YK2, Kiryu has yeeted out of Majima’s life as Kiryu does, but he’s trying to protect haruka so I’ll let it slide. And what does Majima do now that Kiryu’s not there? Leaves the Tojo Clan. Yes it’s because he doesn’t like the 5th chairman’s style and to make up for Kawamura, but the point is he’s bored. The use of “MY Kiryu-chan” is obviously written there because “haha majima he’s crazyyy” but come on. Majima left the Tojo Clan after Kiryu stepped down as the 4th chairman. Because he was bored. Because he couldn’t trust his own men. The only person he considered an equal just wasn’t there anymore and he found it difficult to adjust. (That’s YEARNING, fellas)

So yes, HIS Kiryu-chan came home, but what is home in this context? It clearly isn’t the tojo clan, so I guess it could be Kamurocho in general. But if the clan doesn’t make it home, what does make it home? Perhaps a certain triangle shaped man??

5)

Oh boy silly Majima wants to fight Kiryu again hahaha weeeeeeeee NO listen, LISTEN, he does want to fight kiryu again, because 1) the man has been bored for a year 2) FIGHTING IS THEIR LOVE LANGUAGE 3) Majima is once again surprising Kiryu in a world where nothing surprises him anymore, where kiryu expects people to be vile and only want him for gain. Every single goddamn game it’s “Kiryu plz save the Tojo Clan plz” and Kiryu NEVER gets anything in return unless you count, i don’t know, Daigo and Haruka’s safety? But Majima doesn’t give a shit about any of that. Majima is one of the only people who consistently does things for Kiryu (even if they’re presented in an abnormal way). Majima is really the only one who makes sacrifices for Kiryu. But this fight, it kicks off YK2 of “hey, i missed you but i won’t admit it because we’re manly yakuza, please let me try to make you smile.”

6)

THE kazumaji scene. Going off of Majima being the only one to make sacrifices for Kiryu, here’s a perfect example. Majima first aids the Tojo Clan which he swore to leave literally only because Kiryu asked him to. Then, here, he get beaten within an inch of his life because he promised Kiryu he would protect Kamurocho from Ryuji. Majima does not give a shit about the Tojo Clan at this point. Yes, Majima LOVEEESSSS beating people up, but he’s fatally wounded. This is not a Majima who would die for the Tojo Clan. This is a Majima willing to die for Kiryu. After warning Kiryu about being to trusting, too.

And of course, we get the Majima collapsing on the pavement and Kiryu rushing in to CRADLE him in his arms like a damn fanfic. You’ve even got the “I did it for you” which everyone knows is basically an “I love you.” Look at Majima’s face in the gif. Bless the Kiwami 2 graphics, first of all. He’s looking at Kiryu like he wants him to be the last thing he sees, like he wants him to know that he’s going out for Kiryu, that despite the fact that he’s about to cough up blood he needs Kiryu to have the information he needs to save the clan and Kamurocho. He’s telling Kiryu all this with labored breath because he promised. Kiryu “One-Expression” Kazuma is viably worried as hell, the little nod in the gif kills me because Kiryu needs him to know he’s touched and he’s so grateful. The only reason Kiryu left him was because there was danger elsewhere and he trusts Kaoru enough to take care of him. (Side note: I love Kaoru Sayama, but I still feel like she’s good enough a character on her own and doesn’t need to be a romantic interest for Kiryu. Like it was like oh... she’s Girl so she needs to fall for the Big Strong Male Protag.... If Majima was a cis girl they would have made out in this game, maybe even y1.) 

7) Speaking of sacrifices, Yakuza 3, the game where Majima literally joined the Tojo Clan again because Kiryu wanted him to protect Daigo. That’s a huge lifestyle change, Majima.

Yes, this scene is funny because Majima is riding in a Barbie-ass truck like a 15 year old driving on a learner’s permit in a downpour (yet proves he can drive stick seconds later) and thinks he hit Kiryu while he purposely hit everyone else. Look, Majima needs this ok y3 he looks like he’s been crying since kiryu left no one No One is going to hurt Kiryu now

That truck is likely stolen, he’s driving erratically as fast as he can because Kiryu is in danger, how did he even know that Kiryu was in danger is it like some kind of 6th sense... If you didn’t already know, I would take a bullet for Majima’s voice actor; his delivery of “Kiryu-chan! Where are you?!” could have just been like haha oops kiryu did i hit you ;3 but instead it’s this raw cry of genuine panic, like did his actions get kiryu hurt, Majima could not live with himself if he was the reason Kiryu got fatally hurt

8) Ok I’ve hinted at the fact that I have beef with the Hot Mess that is yakuza 5, wasn’t huge on Y4 and Y6 was fine but it was heavily based on the events of Y5. In my head I’ve got an entire fix-it fanfic in which Majima yeets out to Okinawa with Kiryu after Y3 I could write that upon request too ANYWAY here’s another sacrificial majima...

Despite not caring for Y5, THIS SCENE is RAW. Maybe he’s not super “unhinged” in this scene but it’s just so much. Majima, who Kiryu brokedown in his taxi bc he thought he got killed (because Kiryu made him stay in the tojo clan haha we’re out here crying), chooses Kiryu over Saejima. Saejima, Majima’s oath brother, Saejima. We love Saejima, Majima loves Saejima, but 25 years is a long ass time. Majima changed. Saejima changed. For awhile he had Makoto, but then Kiryu was all Majima had for a good chunk of Saejima’s time in prison. This is the man Majima got his eye stabbed out for defending. But the BaD GuYs that arent memorable enough for me to even look up the names of are like look, we want to watch the world burn because we are Bad Guys, so either you are going to fight your brother to the death or we are going to snipe Kiryu’s daughter in the fucking head. Obviously he doesn’t know that Baba is going to betray them, so he has to pick between Saejima and Haruka. He chooses to potentially kill Saejima for Kiryu’s happiness. I’m sure if things didn’t change, Majima would have held back and let Saejima kill him. Majima would rather die than see Kiryu in pain. Majima would rather kill Saejima/let Saejima kill him than let Haruka die. If that’s not a giant declaration of unconditional love and devotion, I don’t know what else to tell you.

Anyway, thanks so much for indulging me and listening to my yakuza opinions if you made it this far you the mvp :’’’’)

[eiwenmaclor]

Supergirl prompt #3 - Prove it

[Following the list of 50 Dialog prompts]

  _______________________

  33. “Prove it.” - theme coffee

  The conversation had flowed easily, as it would have before... well, before everything. They were trying to rebuild their relationship. Lena was burning to call Kara her friend again but was afraid to be too hasty doing so. She knew they had hurt each other. They needed to respect that in order to avoid doing it again in any way. Sometimes it seemed like they were managing fine and other times it was as if a single word could unbalance them all over again. But they were both trying and they were making progress. Kara being in her penthouse for the second time in two weeks was definitely a proof of that.

Right now, Lena was looking unimpressed at the alien in her kitchen. The reporter huffed gently, playing with her glasses. The gesture was familiar. Very Kara Danvers.

  "I can do it better Lena, that's all I'm saying!"

   The Kryptonian's tone might have been cocky if not for the seemingly immediate blush that came with her bold affirmation. That was endearing and exactly why it was so hard not to rush in their friendship once again. But it was also clear that Kara didn't want to overstep whatever boundary they were resetting. They were both careful, cautious. Lena really hoped that it would dissolve with time. She missed the easiness they once had. Because it had always been easy with Kara Danvers, which was an anomaly in Lena's experience with people. Never before had it been so easy. But that was the whole point wasn't it? It had been unusually easy with the reporter but it hadn't with her superhero counterpart. Now, they were one and the same and Lena had to find her footing.

In response to Kara's affirmation, an elegant eyebrow went slightly up. The point of the argument was trivial, really, but Lena was still a Luthor. True, she lacked in egomania, homicidal actions, and world domination planning but certainly not in competitive streak.

  "You're telling me you can roast coffee beans better than the... I don't even know how much it costs... Better than this highly specialized machine?"

  One did not graduate from the MIT, nor tried to cure cancer from a small garage, without developing a taste for good caffeine. Good being the key word here because she had learned the hard way how awful coffee could be when neglected. Early on, the genius had vowed to always care for the quality of her caffeine intake. A bad batch was out of the question. The precious beans were coming from a specific little producer  –a coffee bean magician– that was environment friendly, maintained good working conditions and fair pay, and worked to impact positively the local community. A perfect match. Lena had checked. Yes, personally. And yes, Lena Luthor was home-roasting her coffee beans. Call it guilty pleasure but she had already argued that good caffeine input to her system did increase her efficiency and productivity significantly. It may have been to Sam during their university days. She may have been caffeine high at that time. And it may have included a 10 minute long talk and a well-built powerpoint. She could be extra. So what?

Lena knew her coffee and she knew that her roasting machine was the best available on the market. There was simply no way for Kara to do better. However, the Kryptonian didn't seem to be intimidated. Far from it. The blue eyes were shining with challenge and she only answered with a single but very sure nod.

Game on.

A smile came to Lena's lips.

  "Prove it."

  A couple of minutes later, she was entranced.

Lena didn't know what she was expecting but that wasn't it.

Maybe she should have.

  Kara was on her balcony, coffee beans in a cast-iron skillet held in her hand. Gone were the glasses. Her hair was in a ponytail she had readjusted to free her face.

Oh, and she was using her heat vision on the skillet.

Yeah, that.

Lena was a few feet from the alien, fascinated. At first she had approached the scene like a moth drawn to the flame but Kara had stopped her. "The smoke can be a lot", the Kryptonian had justified softly. She was right, Lena knew it and she had taken a seat at a safe distance. She still had a perfect view of Kara's face. The concentration was obvious. Her skillet hand was doing small circles in order to roast all beans equally.

That's when it hit her.

  Kara's face reflected focus but she was relaxed. It was Kara using heat vision. Not a superhero. Not Supergirl. This was Kara. The "true" Kara. Lena could see plainly how this person could be both a Catco reporter and a determined superhero. Every gesture was done with care. The blond head tilted slightly and Lena understood with a second's delay that she was listening for something. Green eyes went from Kara's face to the coffee beans and back. The crack! Kara was waiting the first crack! Lena felt something she hadn't felt in a long time outside of her lab: wonder. And excitement. The first crack was the most important event of the roasting process. It marked the point where the moisture had been evaporated from the beans. It also meant that the temperature had to be adjusted because the beans themselves would start to emit heat. Really, coffee roasting was a fascinating process. And from the first crack it was an exercise to go on with the roasting without overdoing it at the risk of losing all the initial flavors of the beans. The more Lena was thinking about it, the more she was impressed by what was happening on her balcony. After all, roasting was a delicate process and she had absolutely no idea that a power as destructive as the Kryptonian heat vision could be use with such finesse.

  Kara changed her posture, interrupting Lena's musing. The hand was now moving the beans more actively and the heat coming from her eyes seemed to lessen. The crinkle of seriousness had appeared between Kara's eyebrows, which made Lena smile. The challenge was indeed taken seriously, or maybe was it Kara's love for food that morally compelled her to achieve the perfect roasting without wasting any bean? Either way, Lena found it incredibly endearing. How could she not see it? How could she refuse to reconcile both Kara Danvers and Supergirl as the same person for so long? Oh that was perfectly rhetoric. She knew how. She was hurt and experience had showed that hurt Lena was dumb Lena. A human trait really. Hurt and fear were the least reasonable emotions. But still... Looking at her right now, it was absolutely clear as day.

  Finally, the heat vision receded and Lena witnessed yet another power used outside of superheroing. Freezing breath. More accurately, cooling breath here as it was not that freezing at all. Lena was observing, no less fascinated than before. It really was something else to see Kara like this. She seemed... free. Light. And when her –hopefully soon to be– friend –again– came to her, proud as a peacock, to let her see the result of her work, Lena had to use all of her control not to smile too much. She was losing a challenge after all, she couldn't be that obviously happy about it. She still had some Luthor pride or whatever to salvage. Of course, Kara saw right through it, but that was beside the point. After a totally failed and very short-lived stand-off between the smug Kryptonian and the wannabe pricky Luthor, they both laughed softly. A simple glance at the beans was enough for Lena to know they were perfectly roasted, probably somewhere between a New England and an American Roast.

  "You've done it before haven't you?"

  The question was soft on Lena's lips. She wanted to know without overstepping.

  "Yes."

  The answer was even softer than the question and Lena knew her intuition was right. There was a story there. And she wanted to know. Because that was her fri- Kara. And she had passed too much time not knowing who she was, wholly and completely. Lena's next words where imbued with awe.

  "I had no idea you could do that."

  Her words were received with a small amused laugh.

  "Come on Lena, heat vision and freezing breath! It's not new. You already saw me using them."

  Lena couldn't help but think that it was marvelous how much Kara ignored that she was incredible. She chuckled.

  "Of course. I mean I didn't know you could use them like that, with that much control. I know how much precision roasting coffee needs to be done right. That's very impressive what you're doing with what you can do."

  She didn't want to use the word "power" because not everything was about power and Lena was learning it.

  "Oh... I mean, I kinda have to be in control all the time you know... It's not a big deal."

  Lena saw Kara's nervous gesture to adjust her absent glasses fail. That was adorable in itself but more important was the alien deflecting and denying her accomplishment. Classic but not acceptable however, and Lena wasn't about to let her do it anymore.

   "But it is. I can't imagine it was easy to learn that much control."

  Because in her own way, Lena knew what it was like to be imposed control. To be asked for it. Growing up as a Luthor was anything but learning how to control, whether one's self or others. Control was the Luthor way. Control the way you appear and the way you are perceived, in order to better control those around you. It had been excruciating for Lena. This education had been forced upon her and years later she was still trying to put the pieces back together. To always be in control was exhausting. It probably was even more so for a sun-powered Kryptonian.

  "It was difficult yeah... but the Danvers found thousands of fun ways for me to learn..."

"Like... roasting coffee beans, for example?"

  Lena definitely had a smile and her eyebrows were high, daring Kara to deny it. Which she did not.

  "Yeah. This idea was Jeremiah's."

  There was a tenderness in the way the reporter said his name. Lena slowly put her hand on hers. The loss was still fresh in a way and Kara smiled at the gesture.

  "I'd love to hear more about it. I mean, if you want to talk about it..."

  Lena didn't want to seem forceful. They were still mending things after all. Kara didn't owe her anything. At least not childhood stories. But Lena wanted to know her better, fully. Something that had not been possible until now.

  "I want!"

  Kara being Kara, she must have understood her insecurities and her response was particularly enthusiastic, practically blurted. Very Kara-like. What was very unlike Lena was hearing herself mirroring the blurting.

  "Great!"

  However she was too happy to care how inarticulate she had been. Kara was looking at her with such openness and eagerness that Lena couldn't remember why she had waited that long to tell her she wanted to know her. All of her. That was, without a doubt, a big step in rekindling their friendship. Of course Kara would have been hesitant when she hadn't any reinsurance that Lena accepted her wholly yet. It was like she could feel Kara's relief. She didn't know exactly how long they looked at each other, basking in the soft realization that, yes, they would be friends again and really, they never stopped being friends. Lena finally felt the need to put some lightness before they became emotional, which was a very real risk.

With a warm smile that reflected in her eyes, she asked a simple question.

  "Around coffee?"

  Kara beamed.

  "Perfect."

[thattimdrakeguy]

Young Justice #10 review - How not to change a character’s identity.

This is finally the issue were Tim Drake becomes “The Drake” (or maybe just “Drake”), and honestly, it’s just lazy as could be. People were already fearing the issue, and it’s actually kind of worse than expected.

They made every bad choice they could’ve.

It is genuinely horribly done.

Most times when a character changes their identity it means something to that character. It’s a defining moment in their character evolution, and the name actually means something to that character.

Nightwing came from Dick Grayson trying to find himself as he grew up. Gaining the name from a trusted friend who told him a story from his home-world, that helped give Dick Grayson inspiration.

The Red Hood came from Jason Todd literally getting killed by Joker, a person that formerly went by the Red Hood. The name was practically a taunt, but an emotionally charged one that was connected to Jason’s story.

With this name  and costume change, it means NOTHING.

They don’t even explain where the suit comes from. He just shows up in it, and unless I missed it, no one even acts like anythings different, or brings up the costume at all.

Previously I just assumed the costume would spawn from a reasoning that had something to do with this Earth. To actually give a reason for it.

Like how a gang was insulting Tim’s colors.

But that gang that randomly attacked Tim in issue 8 went no where. Making the inclusion of them almost pointless besides world building, but in their defense, world building is important.

I have no idea why Tim thought it was important to change his costume, considering Earth 3 Drake pretty much wears a normal Robin costume.

Making the change in costume even more pointless and meaningless.

Costumes are meant to say something about the character in some shape or form. This costume has no introduction, no one brings it up, and it’s quality alone is shoddy. The colors stand for boring, and dull, in a few panels the red in it comes off almost as clashing, and the lack of any character-based details makes it terrible.

In the most objective way to consider the costume, even ignoring how Tim only wanted to be Robin, this costume was horribly made on the standards set by what costumes are supposed to do.

Costumes are suppose to tell you something about the character.

Tim’s last costume showed he was a boyish, tech based, ninja. Due to character details like short sleeves, built in tech, and ninja toes. Those details showed exactly what his character is, but this new one doesn’t come off like that. The new costume says absolutely nothing.

The logic of Tim choosing the new name is also completely horrible. He has no reason to change his name. Bart just started saying he should change his name to “Drake”. Why? I don’t think he actually says.

Why would Tim want to change his name to match someone who wants to kill him and is evil? Logically, he shouldn’t.

Why would Tim want to change his name just because Bart told him to? Logically, he shouldn’t.

Why would Tim want to change his name while on an alternate Earth? Logically, he shouldn’t.

Why would Tim want to change his name at all considering his character? Logically, he shouldn’t.

Tim Drake’s character always said that if he stopped being Robin, he would stop being a hero. That only changed when he got kicked from the role and felt he still had to save Bruce.

So now that he’s Robin again, why would he leave that role? He finally got back to being Robin like how he wanted, which actually felt good, but they never even explained why he was Robin again. In fact they implied he was still Red Robin, despite all the marketing and character’s saying he was Robin. Causing a massive inconsistency with just that.

It’s just plain out of character for him to change his name, and one of the biggest flaws you can ever make when writing a story of any kind is having one of your characters, especially one of the main characters, act out of character.

The name as well, while using the characters’ own logic, is out of character.

Tim Drake was always told to keep his secret identity hidden from EVERYONE. Even Barbara Gordon didn’t know Tim’s name until Batman told her (although that was mostly because Tim thought it was cool Babs knew Superman’s real name but not his).

In 90s Robin there was an issue were Stephanie Brown as the Spoiler comes close to finding out Tim’s identity. If Tim Drake went by the superhero name “Drake” and she cared enough to search harder, it would only make it that much easier to find out what his real name is.

You could say that the name is so dumb that’s why it’s so great, because anyone trying to figure out their identities wouldn’t expect them to be that dumb, but when the Bat-Family is so protective of their identities, why would they ever take the risk? That’s out of character.

This isn’t the only way this issue was lazy either. This issue constantly uses singular panel pages, as if they’re just trying to fill up space.

There are 4 entire pages dedicated to just one panel. In a 22 page comic, that means there’s only 18 or so pages that don’t go to mostly waste.

When you have a page like that, it’s suppose to be exciting. The first issue of Wonder Comics Young Justice used them excellently, but also, they had 44 pages I believe. So they worked well with the pages they had to tell the story.

In this issue they just overused them, like they were just getting lazy. It feels like a comic that was written during a hangover. Something Bendis might’ve done last minute when he realized he forgot to write the script.

Regardless if that’s not the case, that’s what it feels like.

The dialogue by itself isn’t much either. Mostly feeling rushed as could be, or only generic funny moments.

This is an issue, written of the quality of a comic that knows it’s going to be cancelled. I don’t think that’s the literal case for Young Justice, but that’s the vibe it gives off. It’s written so lazily, like it knows there’s no point, but it’ll use cheap publicity stunts like changing a character’s identity to get any sort of attention it can get.

However one thing the issue does really well, is establish why Jinny sticks out and is important.

It actually makes me want to read a Jinny Hex solo adventure, because Bendis seems much more interested in her than the rest of the team.

Like I love this snarky, queer, magically teched out, cowgirl.

I’ve never been more disappointed by a comic in general in my entire life though.

The first issue of this series capped off like the original series never ended it. It felt right at home, from the art style, the costumes, the writing, the energy, the fast pace. They really captured the magic of Young Justice. That first issue felt so genuine.

In this: the art style was changed due to there being a new and unfitting artist, they’re already changing the costumes to stuff much blander, the writing has become forced and rushed, the energy is zapped, and the pacing is so bizarre because of the constant usage of single pages.

If you want spoilers on the only events in the current day Earth 3 story, here you go: They fight Earth 3 Young Justice (Young $#@%ers? I guess.), Jinny finally uses her magical items, they win, they go back home.

In the flashback story of Jinny: She gets cheated on, we find out she’s a natural hero, we get a sense of her family’s history, and we finally learn more about the mystery of the chest.

There’s so much more character building involved, and she gets to feel like a real fully fleshed out person because of that.

--

If you wanna see the best bit of character usage in the main story, and I’m not being sarcastic when I say I like this part. Is this:

As simple as it is, it uses Tim’s character and the world around him to make a simple moment actually be pretty funny, because it uses the basics of character writing.

Compared to the rest of the Earth 3 story’s over-usage of cheap generic dialogue that anyone could say, and while you could argue anyone could say “Noooo... thank you.” like Tim did in the above panel, it works best with Tim because he’s already been shown as the most awkward, yet moralistic member of the team.

It actually uses his character.

--

I think the above panel is a good showing at the weird choice Bendis has made.

Earth 3 Steph is a more fleshed out character with a purpose than pretty much the entire Young Justice team in this story. When this is only the second story in this run of Young Justice.

Shouldn’t it be more important to keep fleshing out and focusing on the team itself? 

It doesn’t even feel like this is the first time these characters been together in a long time. They act as if they never been separated. Conner being stranded on Gemworld were he helped raise a kid doesn’t feel like it ever happened anymore. It affected nothing. It feels ignored. It makes the comic feel disjointed just from the last story arc.

Young Justice’s dialogue is almost entirely generic. Practically anyone could say what they have, and it would work just as well. There’s no character put into them, besides maybe Bart being immature and mouthy, but the whole team besides possibly Tim when he has his brain cell on is pretty immature and mouthy, and even then, Tim isn’t Captain of maturity, he mostly just forces himself to be because he felt obligated to be leader, he’s still a doofus kid.

--

An issue should never be written as badly as the Earth 3 story in this.

While the Jinny Hex story is actually really well-written as far as character building is concerned, the Earth 3 story is bottom of the barrel as far as quality goes, and that’s the story that actually has the whole team involved.

Bad dialogue, horrible out of character identity change, bad usage of page space, bizarre pacing, lack of story that actually feels worth paying attention too

This issue would personally be given a 3/10, and that 3 only comes from Jinny’s story being quite well written as a character piece.

[axiomsofice]

Group A:

 Owen Power, D, NCAA

This is likely the only pick that we’ll be able to predict with much conviction. It’s a package that is impossible to ignore, a huge frame, good passing skills, and already contributing at a high level. Seeing as the second-to-last defenceman to go 1st (Ekblad, get well) just started to transform into his best self, and with Dahlin posting uneven results early in his journey, there shouldn’t be an expectation for Power to make the jump to Buffalo next season. Especially given he’d be headed back to Michigan, a higher level than junior, this should be an ideal place for him to hone his craft for a year or two before the Sabre slide him into their top 4.

 Group B: 2nd to 10th

 Some consensus should be coming as we approach the draft, but in general it wouldn’t be surprising for these players to be selected anywhere in this range. Central accounting’s lists were quite surprising and I definitely take their opinions to heart, along with many other opinions as well. I’ve divided them by position.

 Defence:

 Brandt Clarke, D, Slovakia (via OHL)

Clarke went overseas to find playing time this season, playing pro in Slovakia. He’s got a lot of agility, or shiftiness, with and without the puck. He’s aggressive in pursuing offence with his passing and skating, and has the quality to make plays and even score goals when he jumps up into the play.

 Luke Hughes, D, USNDTP

The third instalment of the Hughes Brothers (Quinn and Jack), Luke is bigger than his brothers and amongst the youngest of the draft class. He has all the tools we’ve come to expect from the family interns of puck skills and skating prowess, although time will tell maybe not quite to the level of his brothers, but nonetheless standouts amongst this draft class. Given his age, and playing at a lower level than the rest of these top ranked defenders, the baseline of at least one more year before thinking about jumping to the NHL might be 2 for Hughes. With patience and development, Hughes could prove to have the most upside among blueliners in this class.

 Simon Edvinsson, D, SHL

Not quite as tall as Power, but Edvinsson a big person in his own right. He uses this size and his skating to be a really effective defender. His offensive game, especially his passing and decision making, or perhaps better framed as transitions, is still a bit raw. Surviving in the SHL at this age is definitely an accomplishment, and the hope is that next season he can make a bigger difference in that league. It seems all but guaranteed he’ll be able to contribute in the NHL at some point, the question is more about how much.

 CENTRE

 Matt Beniers, C, NCAA

Beniers is definitely the prospect I’ve seen the most of in the class, and especially early in the season I had almost cone to terms with ranking him number 1. Although it is significant to me that Central Scouting had him as their 6th NA skater. He’ll be described as a 2-way centre, maybe a 2nd line type of centre, and I wonder if it’s mostly due to a perceived lack of upside that others might have jumped past him. Regardless, he’s already succeeding in at Michigan and played a big role on the Gold Medal U20 US team. He supports his teammates all over the ice and is a great passing outlet from breakouts to zone entries. He does have some skill and is probably my favourite to go 2nd overall at this point (June).

 Mason McTavish, C, SUI (via OHL)

Another OHL top prospect who had to venture overseas for ice time, McTavish performed really well in a men’s pro league. Perhaps a bit more powerful in skating and style than Beniers, the situation with the OHL, a strong U18 performance, and a high season end Central Scouting Ranking (2nd NA), it’s likely McTavish will be considered a late riser, even though it’s not as if a strong development curve wasn’t expected. Especially as we get closer to the draft we should expects to see his name solidify itself in this 2-10 group, especially given his position.

 WINGS

 William Eklund, W, SHL

Eklund posted really good results in the SHL this year. He is able to contribute offensively in many ways, and at this point his game seems to be more effective than astounding. Having succeeded at such a high level already it’s hard to imagine he won’t be able to make a difference on an NHL roster in a year or two.

 Kent Johnson, W, NCAA

Johnson might be a good foil to Eklund in that his play oozes skill, often able to makes and see plays at an extremely high level. He was able to translate it into both a strong performance at Michigan, and a high spot on Central Scoutings’ List. The fact that they ranked him above Beniers is very interesting to me, and says that scouts think his game will take well as he moves into higher levels. He is very fun to watch and attacks laterally in a way that only the high quality players can.

 Dylan Guenther, W, WHL

19/20 was strong for Guenther, and a short and strange season for the WHL was enough for him to grow his reputation. He averaged both a goal and an assist per game in 24 games this season, basically playing as well as he could have. The CHL leagues were probably most affected among top development leagues, so it’s hard to know how much that affected things. That being said, should he return to the WHL it’ll be a tall task to improve his offensive output. Despite playing at a lower level he is very much in the mix with Eklund and Johnson, and it is quite likely there will be nothing close to a consensus on which order these wingers are selected.

 Goalie

 Jesper Wallstedt, G, SHL

More and more often were seeing really high ranked goaltenders, and as more of them start to pan out, it’s hard to make a case picking against Wallstedt. Posting great numbers in the SHL as a skater is impressive, but in net the accomplishment becomes truly rare among draft eligibles. The position is volatile, and it often takes time to find the metal stability to be an NHL starter. That’s why despite the dominant results in the SHL, it’s probably best to err on the side of patience. That being said, it’s exciting to conceptualize that he might be able to make a difference at the NHL level in 2-3 years vs in his mid to late 20s as is common for netminders.

 Group C

 This group I would call likely 1st rounders, obviously some of this caliber of player can fall into round 2, even in more normal years. Some might even be able to push over some of the group B prospects ranked ahead.

 WINGS

 Matthew Coronato, W, USHL

The Chicago Steel have a great program, and seem to have a more consistent line of talent than most of the others in their league, perhaps similar to the London Knights of the OHL. That being said Coronato scored at a ridiculous pace, even compared to his teammates. In part thanks to the Steel this league is being seen as more and more credible when it comes to drafting prospects. It is still not quite as strong of a league as the SHL or NCAA, but it might be the only thing that keeps him from going in the top 10.

 Nikita Chibrikov, W, KHL

There is debate about who the best Russian forward prospect is between Chibrikov and Svechkov. In Chibrikov’s favour is the ranking from Central Scouting as well as a really strong U18 performance. It seems every year that the best Russian prospects don’t garner much respect from those who aren’t scouting the region specifically, so it shouldn’t be a surprise for all 3 Russians in this range (Chibrikov, Svechkov, and Chayka) to be selected earlier than one might expect.

 Fabian Lysell, W, SHL

He is not quite as good a prospect as Lucas Raymond from the 2020 draft, yet the two are similar in that they are small, offensively capable wingers who didn’t get much ice time in their draft years, and who are much better at pressuring the puck all over the ice than given credit for. It wouldn’t be a surprise for him to fall a bit due to his stature, but Lysell still figures to go I. The first round.

 Isak Rosen, W, SHL

 Simon Robertsson, W, SHL

 Brendan Othmann, W, SUI

Othmann has the size, power, and skating skills that figure to translate well to the pros. He has the shot and puck skills to be dangerous on the rush and gets a lot of chances to do so thanks to his abilities in transition and counter attacks.

 CENTRES

 Aatu Raty, C, SML

At one point a favourite to be the top ranked prospect in this class, Raty stock has cooled recently thanks to some less than promising results in the Finnish pro league. He’s big and strong enough to be effective along the walls in zone offence, and is able to find open ice in shooting positions. Typically, the Finns employ a utilitarian skillset, disposed to strong 2-way play or substance over style. I believe that this often causes the offensive capability of Finnish prospects to be undersold (thinking of Anton Lundell from the 2020 draft). If supported in the right way Raty could be a steal, especially given the scarcity of strong centres in this class.

 Fedor Svechkov, C, KHL

 Cole Sillinger, C, WHL

 Chaz Lucius, C, USNTDP

  DEFENCE

 Corson Cuelmans

 Carson Lambos

 Daniil Chayka

  Group D

 This group is players I have a first round grade on, but are by no means a lock to be selected afterwards. No doubt that some of this group will be selected from the mid second round and later. At this point there is a greater number of prospects, so I’ll merely name a few that I feel strongly about.

 Forwards

 Logan Stankoven

 Zachary L’Heureux

 Chase Stillman

  Defence

 Scott Morrow

 Stanislav Svozil

[nanasarea]

Criminal I ii

Prompt: Part 2 of Criminal, where Prince Hendery is just trying to help, is that too hard to believe? 

Genre: i have no idea at this point, you tell me 

Pairing: cop!reader x criminal!hendery

word count:  1623

a/n: cause mama, i’m in love with a criminal (au) hendery. also NOT PROOFREAD

main m.list / criminal m.list /  i  ii

Message received from: 2Yang

Can you take over for me today? I’m hot

Message sent to: 2Yang

No need to brag, sweetie

Message received from: 2Yang

Y/N, I have a fever.

Message sent to: 2Yang

fine, but you owe me boba when you get back

And with that, one of the worst weeks of your life began. Your partner in crime, Yangyang was sick for the whole week, meaning you were all alone for most of your cases, the captain wasn’t satisfied with you and your progress, or lack of, Renjun spilled coffee all over your shirt and by the time Friday came, you were more than ready to say fuck it and forget about it all. 

Or so you thought. The captain assigned you some extra work since you were no where near catching the killer from your most recent case. After 2 hours of feeling bad for yourself and trying your best to solve the case, you said enough is enough and decided if you weren’t going to get any progress done, you might as well have fun. Was going drinking by yourself your first option? No, you asked Renjun? too busy playing video games. Yangyang? still sick. Chenle? asleep at this point, or was just ignoring your calls.

You were sick of hearing no, so you just got up and went to drink by yourself. Sure, you felt awkward at first, but 3 drinks in, you couldn’t care less about being alone. What did you care about? The case. Yes, you were still thinking about it. You tried making connections in your brain, but it was useless, that was until a certain someone sat down beside you.

“And we meet again.” You heard the oh, so charming prince say before ordering you both drinks. “Indeed we do.” You smile, thanking him for the drink. “Now, I heard you’re stuck on the murder of that alley mur-” “How do you know about th-” “I have ears everywhere, sweetheart.We both know what connections I have.” He said, smirking at your confused face. “You know, I hate seeing you this hopeless.” He added before downing his drink in one go.

“Make me less hopeless then.” You laughed “Tell you what, I’ll help you out, but you have to keep me an anonymous source.” Your face practically lit up at his words, as if you were a kid on Christmas day. “But, I will say I do miss your lips, so I wouldn’t be against a little something in return.” He added, watching as you got flustered with a prideful smile.

Where you about to say yes to a member of Vision? The most infamous gang at the moment? Maybe it was the alcohol, maybe it was the desperation to find answers, maybe it was your messed up way of wanting to spend more time with him, hell who knows, maybe it’s a combination of all 3.

“With pleasure.” You said “Which is exactly what you will be experiencing at my apartment.” He said, taking your hand and dragging you out of the bar. “Hop on.” He commanded as he got on his motorbike, but as if he saw the hesitation on your face, he quickly added “Don’t you trust me, babe?”, which caused you to cave and get on the motorbike. “Hold tight.” He said as you wrapped your arms around his waist. “Shouldn’t you be wearing a helmet tho-” You got cut off by the shock of the motorbike starting and speeding across town.

He parked is vehicle before chuckling. “I know I’m hot, but you can hold me inside too, so let go.” He said, tugging at your arms. “Don’t tell me you’ve never ridden a motorbike before.” He said as you made your way into his apartment “I never had the opportunity, sue me.” You defended, causing the smile on his face to grow immensely. 

“Don’t touch anything please. You’re very pretty but you seem a little clumsy.” He informed, opening the door as you looked around the place. “I’ll have you know, I’m one of the best police off-” “And here you are, with a member of one of the most badass and elite gangs.” he cut you off, causing you to roll your eyes. He did have a point.

“So, what do know? Or what can you find out?” You asked as you sat down on the couch he insisted you to make yourself comfortable on. “Wow, what’s the rush? May I offer you a drink before we get started?” He asked, making you give him a questionable stare “What? Just because I’m in a gang doesn’t mean I’m not a gentlemen.” Hendery answered, smiling at the questionable stare “In that case, a glass of whatever you’re having, thanks.” You chuckled. 

“Now, the hair found at the crime scene leading you in circles? I’ve seen it before, it’s common for people to use wigs with real human hair to cover up their tracks, but with that quality? I’m betting it’s someone from Blood Velvet.” He informed “Yeri to be specific, she’s known for wearing those types of wigs on the job.” he added “But that’s just a hunch.” He said before taking a sip from his drink. 

“How do you know so much about Blood Vel-” “I’m giving you vital information, I suggest you don’t ask about my involvement, considering I’m helping you out of the goodness of my heart.” He cut you off, causing you to look away while drinking the strong liquor. “You understand why I can’t, right?” He asked, putting a hand on your thigh “Yeah. What if it isn’t Blood Velvet?” You asked, trying to change the subject.

“Sweetheart, its Blood Velvet. You know why they’re called Blood Velvet? Blood is red, their signature color and from what I heard, there was a piece of red thread on the victim? Besides, the victim fits the description quite well. He was in his late 40s, a past of sexual assault, hitting on barely legal girls in the club he was killed near? From those facts alone, we can guess that he’s one of the many men on Irene’s kill list.” He explained, causing you to let out a sigh and drop your face into your hands.

“So you’re telling me, Blood Velvet kill old creeps who deserve it.” You sighed “Pretty much. Life isn’t that black and white, you know.” He chuckled “I know what you’re thinking, you’re a cop. Gangs can’t possibly do something good, huh?” He asked as he poured himself another glass “That’s-” “You know, some of us aren’t evil, we just want the justice that the task force doesn’t provide.” He cut you off.

“You know why we steal so much money? One of my members, his sister isn’t well and they’re too poor to pay for the medical bill for it. Not all gangs mean harm. Sure, some are ruthless, and deserve no mercy in their punishments, some get into those gangs for money, protection, so on and end up stuck in them but some..” You could feel his hand slowly squeezing your thigh before continuing “Blood Velvet take out creeps who get away from jail time by throwing money at the government, 127 specialize in bringing justice to those who can’t fight for themselves, the Dream do their best to take out those taking advantage of the younger, easily influenced generation and Vision? we finance and we get money for those in need. We break laws but we do it for a good reason. You might be wondering why I’m telling you this. It might be the alcohol, it might be just me wanting you to understand, but I think it’s a bit of both.” Hendery said as he felt a single tear roll down his cheek.

You couldn’t help but think, is he telling you this to throw you off? Maybe Kun found out about last time and told him to make sure you don’t go on with your investigation on Vision. You didn’t mean to think that he was a possible liar, but hey, you were a cop, you’re trained to not be the most trustful with gang members, but part of you believed him, part of you wanted to believe him, so you did.

“Hendery, I didn’t know, I’m so-” “Just, promise me you’ll mark me as an anonymous source and that no one gets hurt.” “I can promise the first, but I don’t know if I can promise th-” “You have to. If not, I can’t let you leave. It’s a rule under Kun’s house.” He said, finally making eye contact. “Then I just won’t leave.” You chuckled “Let me guess, on one side, you’re a cop, you have to solve the case. On the other, it’s not a fair case to begin with.” He said, finally allowing some emotion to be displayed on his face. “Exactly.”

“Wow, I would sure hate to be in your shoes right now.” He chuckled.“Now that I’ve helped, may I get my reward?” He asked with a smirk on his face “Weren’t you all emotional, preaching the gang life 3 seconds ago and now you want to fuck?” You asked, laughing “Full 180, sweetheart. Need to learn that in a gang.” He chuckled as he took the glass from your hand and placed it on the coffee table before tightening the grip he had on your thigh. 

“Now, let me show you how good I can make you feel.” He whispered into your ear as you practically moan into him before kissing him. Before you knew it, you were on his bed, both of you stripped of almost all of your clothes and panting. “Ready, baby?” He asked as you nodded, just by his tone, you knew, this was going to be a long night.

a/n: so um this is gonna need a part 3, I told myself NO MORE SERIES but here we are, with me starting another series! But listen, listen....it’s what Hendery deserves. I see so little content for him so yknow what imma just do it myself.

[skekheck]

30 Days of the Dark Crystal Challenge

Decided to do poultry-blocks Dark Crystal challenge because it looks like a lot of fun to do. However I’m cheating and I wrote all of this within a couple of days. Warning: fairly large post with pictures and fan ramblings. 

EDIT: I FORGOT TO INCLUDE DAY 16 WHOOP. It’s in there now. 

Day 1. Your favorite skeksis

Idiot, feral, wildman who stole my heart. How? Why? Who knows. *chef kisses* Beautiful stinky bastard.

Day 2: Your favorite gelfling

Bless her and her skeksis cosplay. What a queen.

Day 3: A character that you love that everyone seems to hate.

The tides are changing for her it seems. I think people are appreciating her more, but she still faces her fair share of controversies. Not that I don’t think it warrants discussion nor am I excusing her actions. But she’s way more complex than what a lot of people are making her out to be.

Day 4: A character that you hate that everyone seems to love. 

Hate is a strong word as I don’t hate him, but I don’t really care for Amri. He feels like a bootleg Deet mixed with a little bit of Kylan and Gurjin. Wasted potential and honestly shouldn’t have been the POV for Tides of the Dark Crystal. Seems I’m alone in this opinion, though. Maybe the book warrants rereading?

Day 5: Movie or TV Show? Why?

TV Show by miles! I think the series accomplishes way more than the movie does, like establishing lore,  better written characters, and a more engaging story. I actually cared about the gelfling and it really fleshed out the skeksis in an interesting way outside of “oh they do evil things because they’re evil!”. Doesn’t mean it does everything right, but I’ll get into that later.  

Day 6: Something you wish that happened in the series but didn’t.

Just a few things. I miss the gelfling intermingling with the mystics, particularly urVa. I love everything that happens with urGoh and skekGra, but some of the bonding moments Naia had with urVa are precious and I wish we had more of that. I also wished the gelfling got the message out to the other clans like they did in the book where Kylan dreametched their message onto the Santuary Tree’s blossoms and scattered them all throughout Thra. I also wished Tavra and Onica were an established couple, but maybe it’s not too late for that.

Day 7: Favorite gelfling clan

The Sifa! It was the Dousan at first, but the more I learned about the Sifa the more I grew to love the clan. If I were a gelfling I would probably be a sifa myself LOL. 

Day 8: You opinion on Aughra

She’s a fun and fascinating character! Aughra puts a unique spin on the whole beautiful, wise earth goddess trope by making her ugly, old, and cranky. She’s also a character with her own flaws, even having a mini arc about neglecting to take care of her planet and doing whatever she can to make amends. Not to mention she’s wildly entertaining. Much love for Aughra!

Day 9: Skeksis or Gelfling?

Both!

Day 10: Your opinion on podlings?

They’re just funky little potato people who just want to have fun, dance, and drink all day and I respect them for that. They’re great. Also Hup exists and he’s just an amazing character so there’s that.

Day 11: Your The Dark Crystal unpopular opinion

I think it’s okay to sympathize with the skeksis as long as one is not excusing their actions. I see a lot of people say you shouldn’t because they’re evil and they commit atrocities. Which, yes, it’s true, but I think both can co-exist. I mean, skekTek’s whole cycle of abuse is written very sympathetically yet the show doesn’t coddle him. It shows the ugliness of his character and what happens when someone isn’t capable of cutting off from said cycle. Also the writers consider the skeksis as tragic characters due to their broken nature so I don’t think it’s wrong to be a little sympathetic. But once again with great emphasis, sympathy is fine as long as their actions are judged. They are awful bastards and no amount of sympathy will change that. 

Day 12: Something you dislike about the series

I think the stuff I don’t like about the show is a result of its pacing and cluttered cast. There are so many stories going on and while I liked how they handled it for the most part, you can also see how the show rushes to get through all of them. A lot of important moments where a character should reflect or something that should simmer more is pushed aside for the next thing. Maybe if the show was given more episodes and time to breath it would have been better off. 

Day 13: Most disappointing thing about the series

SkekMal and urVa didn’t have enough screen time and we were honestly ROBBED. 

Day 14: Your OTP

Speaking of which... . Its a crack ship, but I’m all about that allegory for self love (and I just want these two to be alive). Day 15: Favorite quote

Listed plenty of my favorite quotes before, but I’ll pick this one:

“ Life is my paint. Death is my canvas”

Day 16: Rate the skeksis from least favorite to favorite OR rate the gelfling from lest favorite to favorite [or both!]

And if you want my gelfling hot takes, here’s this list (just backwards in context to this post)

Day 17: Opinion on Raunip?

Raunip is a fantastic character. I loved him in Creation Myths and I can’t wait to see what role he’d play in the resistance. And I absolutely love the parallels between him and the urskeks it’s great. 

Day 18: A character that is most similar to you.

I too am a dark-dwelling gremlin who constantly forgets where I put things and crack a few dark jokes at my expense. 

Day 19: Which character do you strongly dislike, why?

This is entirely based on the books, but I find Mera to be awful.  I think it’s because she’s so fake and condescending? When Naia arrived in Sami Thicket, she was acting nice and polite but when the Drenchen asked her why the skeksis never visited Sog Mera responded  “It’s only worth counting what’s valuable”. She continuously disrespects her by calling her pet names even when Naia became maudra. It doesn’t come off as cute, it’s gross. I don’t recall Mera ever apologizing for any of the shit she did to Naia... or Kylan for that matter. She was a pretty neglectful step-mother to him. She doesn’t have an excuse being busy with Maudra stuff because Laesid was a kickass mom to her kids. So in conclusion, fuck this bitch.

Day 20: What do you like so much about the Dark Crystal?

The better question what’s not to love about the Dark Crystal? It has amazing creature design, an expansive world that feels real and alien from our own, having complex and interesting characters as well as villains, the fact that it relies heavily on practical effects a.k.a puppetry... . There’s nothing like it and that’s what makes it so wonderful and unique. It needs to be appreciated more. 

Day 21: Favorite music piece from the soundtrack?

Can’t beat that opening theme. 

Day 22: Your opinion on the sequel comics [Power/Beneath the Dark Crystal]

They have cool concepts and ideas, but they’re not written well. Power is just the movie if it was put into a blender and shredded and ignoring a large portion of established lore for the sake of plot. And Beneath is just a generic fantasy story with the Dark Crystal logo slapped on it. 

Day 23: Which character from the YA novels/comics do you wish we would see more of?

There are plenty of characters that are a given to appear in the series at some point (skekSa, skekLi, urSan, etc). And of course I want to see them, but I really hope Periss shows up (and his brother too). He is one of my favorite characters from the book series and we could use some more Dousan rep!

Day 24: Your opinion on the Age of Resistance comic?

I have yet to read the comics. I’m waiting on them to be part of a collection so I don’t have to buy all of the volumes at once (I prefer owning physical copies). I’ve heard good things about them, especially the story with Hup and the current Mayrin arc. I’m excited to get my hands on them. 

Day 25: The best moment/scene in the series?

There are a lot of great moments, but Rian and Ordon’s fight with skekMal is still my favorite in the entire series. The "Speak For the Dead” scene is a close second.

Day 26: The death of a character that hurt you the most?

He did not deserve this. Fuck you, skekMal. 

Day 27: Your favorite episode from the series?

It’s got to be 4. Not just because a number of my favorite characters debut in this episode, but it’s an important one for the plot. Stakes are being raised, we’re seeing set ups to major story elements and character arcs, and events that impact the rest of the series. It also has a handful of my favorite character moments and interactions. 

Day 28: Your favorite non-skeksis and non-gelfling character? Why?

I’ve come to realize the reasons why I love urVa are the same as why I love skekMal (incredibly appropriate I might say). There’s enough information about him that we get a good understanding on who he is as a character, but still mysterious enough that there’s interest in wanting to know more. Much like his skeksis, he’s unique from the other mystics and thus giving him unique experiences that are fun to speculate. However, the YA novels are responsible for my current fondness of him. 

Day 29: Do you like the urru and skeksis apart or like them as urSkeks together?

A main theme of the Dark Crystal is unity and balance. The main conflict of the franchise are the skeksis, the broken fragments of their urskek self who, according to the writers, “...[have] a dire need for the qualities they lack”. Their only salvation is to become urskeks again and unfortunately many of the pairs never achieve this.  They’re basically a giant allegory for the self and self-love. While we don’t really know what they were like when they were an urskek (aside from SilSol perhaps), we can get some understanding when we look at their pairs and see what traits they share. Speculation is also fun! So as much as I love the skeksis and mystics as individuals, I prefer them to be whole again.

Day 30: What are your wishes for a possible season 2?

A whole bunch of things. I want to see them explore more about the mystics and their lifestyle, having Raunip play a big part in the plot, seeing more of skekSa’s fall from grace from her perspective, the beginning of the Garthim Wars, and more. 

[ourkarlanicoleuniverse]

Sweet Nothing (MHA Staff AU Fanfiction)

Chapter 3

Warnings: None sfw

It turned out, Aizawa left a stupid duffle bag behind the corner of the restaurant so he could change and get to patrolling right away. I kind of find it oddly endearing despite how strange it was. I was currently walking with my tablet in hand on the way to Class 1-A; after the events of Friday night, Aizawa kept his word and sent me a list of concerns or things he's noticed about the students. So I decided it was best to take upon his request and help with training just this once to see how they really work under pressure.

As soon as I walked in, I saw the purple-headed student was tied up and hung up from the ceiling in... tape? I almost dropped my tablet in shock. The rest of the class were either sitting down and speaking to each other or yelling at the kid for being a pervert. And then Iida was just telling everyone to quiet down. Maybe I should just make a quick getaway; they didn't seem to notice me walking in. Sometimes it's good that I have my mom's height and good genes that I still look like a fifteen-year-old kid to some people. But too late, I was seen by one of the students. Midoriya.

"Good morning, Ms. Montoya! Aizawa sensei isn't here yet if you needed to see him." Midoriya bowed slightly and then raised his hand to wave at me. The rest of the students quiet down as well.

"Good morning. Ms. Montoya." They all said in unison.

"Bwahvowoand mthh monthouyaaa." And then there was Mineta, who was still tied up and had his mouth taped up.

I moved a piece of hair out of my face and straightened up, "Good morning, Class 1-A. I am here because Aizawa asked me to join today's lesson. Plus, I wanted to let you know that I will be making appointments to see some of you individually." I held my tablet tight in both hands and pointed in the direction of Mineta, "Can someone explain to me why Mineta is on the ceiling?"

Kirishima raised his hand, "He was harassing the girls, so Sero used his quirk and taped him up as a time out." The redhead smiled brightly that it was absolutely adorable.

"Oh... well, I'm sure there could've been other ways to get him to stop, right?" I smiled, despite the sentence giving me a bitter taste in my mouth. If I were them, I would've probably done the same thing. "Anyways, I'm a little too short to get him down, so can one of you boys do it and set him down at his desk before your teacher comes in and you get into trouble." Kirishima and a blonde boy named Kaminari got up immediately and grabbed Mineta.

As I walked to the corner of the room where there was an empty seat Midoriya went to ask another question, "So, since you're joining us for the lesson today, does that mean we're going to see you use your quirk?" The boy had nothing but excitement in his emerald eyes; they almost reminded me of Mic's eyes.

"That's what Aizawa told me. I have yet to decide whether I'll use it or not with you guys." I sighed and gave a small smile.

"Then why are you here if you're not going to use it." Bakugo rudely interjected.

"Well, since you asked so nicely. I am here to get to know you and your quirks to counsel you better. And it's best to show you that there is more than just knowing how to use your quirk that goes into your hero work." I opened my tablet and connected it to the board to showcase a list of heroes and their quirks. "I guess I go into a small lecture of my own before Aizawa comes in."

The first hero I showed was All Might. "I feel like this should be the first person I should go into. All Might has a lot of great qualities, which is why he's the number one hero. But there are still things he lacks. I know this better than anyone since I worked under him during my work-study and internship. You want to guess what that might be?" I raised my eyebrow at the students. "Bakugo, I've seen you've gotten the highest amount of points on your entrance exam and that you've had the highest grades in middle school. Do you want to answer my question?"

The blond hot head just blinked, and his arrogant demeanor faltered. I knew he wasn't going to expect me to call him out. "Uh, I'm sorry, I don't have an answer."

I smiled, "That's okay. It's good to know you're aware when you don't know anything." The boy huffed and crossed his arms, and averted his red eyes away from mine. "His one of few flaws is that he mostly goes off of instincts rather than strategizing his attacks or missions. He doesn't do it often but definitely has done it enough to make a difference. When you have such great power, you tend to forget how to create plans that don't revolve around them. Which is a large factor when it comes to saving people."

"She's right." Aizawa interrupted my short lecture. He had his hands in the pockets of his hero clothes and an exhausted face. His grey eyes were tinted in red due to his exhaustion and dry eye. "Montoya is one of the people I trust most to explain the importance of your relationship with your quirk. Whatever it may be. She has more than enough experience with that." I almost smiled. I was being praised by Aizawa, which annoyed me because I was for sure blushing because of it.

I nodded slightly at the man, "Thank you, Aizawa. It is important to have a good relationship with your quirk. If you don't embrace it like I didn't for a very long time, it's hard to control it and feel comfortable with it. That's mainly why I am here. To see if you guys need help with that." Most of the students nodded and looked more than willing to have my help. I noticed Shoto Todoroki was a little discontented, and Midoriya gave a nervous smile while sinking in his seat. "I will be honest and tell you all that it was a struggle for me to like my quirk. So if any of you have any concerns about your own, I will be nothing but open and supportive. I promise you that."

"I have a question." A girl student named Jiro spoke up.

"Yes?"

"You don't have to tell us why if you're uncomfortable. But why didn't you like your quirk? Midoriya said you just mimic other quirks? What made you change your mind about it?" Her voice was a little quiet and cautious, afraid if she crossed a line. She did a little. I don't really like talking about my past all too much, especially to kids. It's not the most kid-friendly Disney-like story.

Aizawa looked towards his right to look at me, probably worried about what I was about to say. I just turned my lips up in my signature smile, "I won't go into my reasons for why I wasn't comfortable with my quirk. At least not right now. It's too long of a story." I let out an awkward chuckle and scratched the back of my head, "The logistics to my quirk and how I got over my fear of it, I can explain. Think of Mr. Aizawa's quirk. But with extra steps. I can stop a quirk, yes, but I have the option to stop it forever or temporarily. Most of the time, I do a temporary pause on a quirk. But unlike Eraserhead, I also have the option to use the quirk I gained and mimic it. Or use its energy like how All Might focuses his strength and energy into his punches. It really depends on the situation." I scratched the back of my head again, "And really, I didn't start liking my quirk until I went to UA and met Aizawa and Present Mic. Since Aizawa's quirk worked similar to mine, I didn't feel so... I guess alone." I cringed when I said that; how fucking cheesy can I be. I covered my face in embarrassment, "Oh, that sounds so cringy and sad, ew. Forget I said any of that." All I heard were whole-hearted chuckles from the kids, and I swear I saw a hint of a smirk and pink on Aizawa's cheek through the slits between my fingers.

"So, you knew each other since you were our age?" Mina squealed.

I simply nodded. "Yeah. My mom got a job here when I was fifteen, so we moved, and I ended up at UA. I literally read all the books I could find to teach myself Japanese. But as you could see, it didn't help much."

Aoyama then asked, "Where did you live before, Musutafu?"

"Oh well," I put a hand under my chin, pretending to think, "Well, okay. So I was born in Tokyo, lived there until my mom was done with her Biology degree. Then we moved when I was two to Los Angeles where my family is from. Then we lived in New York and San Francisco over the course of two or three years. And then a year or two before moving to Musutafu, we lived in Paris because my grandmother is half French, so my mom had citizenship through her." As soon as I mentioned Paris, Aoyama's eyes twinkled, and everyone groaned. "What did I do?"

"Aoyama is a bit of a francophile," Aizawa mumbled in my left ear. The closeness mixed with the soft gruffness in his whisper left shivers that I had to ignore go down my spine.

"Oh, tu aimes la culture français?" I asked Aoyama, and the boy nearly fainted.

"You know, French!" The whole class screamed. Having both Aizawa and I squint.

"I also know Spanish and a little bit of Italian and Portuguese." A sea of woes was my response. "Anyways, enough about me, we have to go on with the lesson plan Aizawa had. So all of you get dressed in your gym uniforms. Chop. Chop." I clapped my hands as the kids rushed out excited.

I couldn't help but laugh. They all kind of reminded me of how my class was in high school. "They like you," Aizawa stated as a matter of factly.

"Of course they do. I'm amazing." I smiled cheekily as I made my way to the doorway. "You, on the other hand, you're alright after a while."

He chuckled. Yes, Shota Aizawa chuckled, I know, I'm shocked too. Then he leaned down to my right ear. His hot breath fanning it as he whispered, "You say that now, but a few minutes ago, you gushed all about me to the students." To say I was left paralyzed by the sudden change in Aizawa's demeanor was an understatement. Where was this fucking playfulness when we were kids? My legs felt like jelly; I was so surprised to see that I was still standing.

I had to act like it didn't affect me. But I'm sure my rose-colored face and wide chocolate eyes gave it away, "I was also talking about Hizashi. Don't go ignoring him." I turned to meet his face, and he just had this smirk. This smirk that was different from any other curl of his lips that I have seen before. And I was hooked. I wanted to see that smirk every day. As soon as it appeared, it was gone. He went back to his "I didn't give a fuck" frown and dead eyes and hunched over with his hands in his pockets. Completely different from the tall cocky devil from a second ago. "Come on, at this rate, we'll be late, and the students will be the ones waiting for us." He waved his hand at me to motion behind him. I couldn't help but gawk. What the actual fuck just happened?

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

"Are you okay, Young Montoya?" All Might walked up to my desk with his lunch in hand.

"Hmm? Yeah, I am fine." I was reading over an email with an attached file on Aizawa's analysis of Midoriya. I noticed he was a little nervous about training today, but he didn't get injured, so I didn't see what he was concerned about. But something about his quirk seemed off. He didn't have a quirk until a few months before coming to UA. Almost as if he obtained it from somewhere.

"How are the kids treating you? I heard you trained them today." Toshinori sat at his desk next to mine. He passed me a pork bun, "Here, don't want you to have another late lunch."

"Thanks, dad." I gave him a fake annoyed look.

"Shut up. We can't let people know how old I really am." He joked and then coughed. "Sorry."

"I want to suggest wearing a mask, but I feel like with the blood being coughed up would defeat the purpose of it." I reached over to give him a tissue and rub his back, "I didn't technically train; all I did was tell them more about myself and then give them advice on how to better deal with Aizawa's training. With his permission to critique his teaching, of course." I stopped rubbing Toshinori's back and took a bite out of the pork bun. "He gave me a list of reports he made on the students, but so far, I didn't see any of what he told me today. I might have to come in again."

"But overall, they didn't give you a hard time?" He raised an eyebrow at me.

"Well, when I walked in, it was pretty chaotic, but overall they enjoyed me teaching them and were very enthusiastic." I went back to my laptop, "There's this one kid I tried to put my focus on, but he seemed to be pretty okay compared to Aizawa's report. Izuku Midoriya. Do you remember him from the entrance exam? He was the one that helped the girl Uraraka when the debris prevented her from escaping the robots."

Toshinori stiffened a little, "I remember. What about him?"

"Well, he didn't have a quirk before this year. And apparently, when he uses it, he breaks his bones. I saw that happen in the exam, but I thought it was a one-time thing. It kind of reminded me of how we met, you know? Using my quirk and then passing out." Toshinori nodded. It was a funny story about how I met the All Might. It was when I was still a student at UA. My homeroom teacher decided to give us a break day, so Class 2-A and 2-B went to the beach. I was hanging around Aizawa, Mic, and our friend Shirakumo when everyone was running and cheering. I was overwhelmed because I didn't know what that meant. For all I knew, cheers and screams were the same things. But then we saw All Might and Shirakumo explained to me who he was and why people were excited to meet him. Iris was there with us and forced me to take a picture with her and All Might. He was more than happy to take a picture with us. And to be fair, I grew pretty excited like everyone else. Toshinori hoisted us up on his biceps like they do in cartoons. And before the picture was taken, I felt pulsing energy go through my body, and then I met darkness. It freaked everyone out, including the symbol of Peace himself. I had to explain to everyone how my quirk worked and why I passed out that day, but it didn't feel forced or uncomfortable when I did it.

"I remember how nonchalant you were about it. 'Or don't worry. It happens, are you okay, though?' I feel like that freaked me out more than you passing out." He chuckled and shook his head. "You were always so careless about yourself."

"Gee, I wonder why?" I rolled my eyes, "Anyways, the way Aizawa describes this kid, it's like if my homeroom teacher was describing me." I point to the screen, "Look, 'His quirk allows him to channel energy into certain appendages and grant him immense strength.' That's kind of our quirks work... wait a minute..." I slowly turned my head to the gentle blond giant to my right. "Toshinori. You didn't."

He looked at me with blue wide eyes, "Did what?"

"Toshinori Yagi. This kid didn't have a quirk before the exam. Not only that, you and I both know how One For All works." I glared at him as he seemingly shrunk down in size.

"I can explain." He rushed and waved his hands around.

"You better." I felt my energy coursing around me as I stood up; I'm sure my hair was flowing golden locks in between the brown ones, and my eyes changed to an ice-cold blue with how angry I was. Thank god the lounge was empty right now. I can't believe how reckless he was. This poor kid probably didn't know what he got himself into.

"Um, what's going on that Montoya is in her Super Saiyan mode now?" Kayama and Iris walked in for their lunch break.

I took a deep breath and turned my quirk off, "Nothing, just got told the bad news about Gran Torino. You know me, I get emotional about the old man." I sat down and looked at Toshinori, "We're not done talking about it. Just explained everything later before we leave school." He just gave me a curt nod.

"All Might really need to stop making you use your quirk when he's around. It's like he wants you to pass out." Iris giggled. "I'm only teasing, All Might." Toshinori just smiled at her and went back to eating. "You mind if we squeezed in here and hang out with you on your break, Mai?"

"Yeah, Lily is with Vlad King right now talking about Class 1-B, so you can take her desk and pull up an extra chair."

"You didn't need to do that with Aizawa?" Kayama pulled up a chair and sat down.

"Nope, I came into class already, and he sent me everything I needed to know about the students." I go to grab my water bottle on my desk to see Toshinori snuck another pork bun on my desk while he checked his own emails and reports. Skeletor is really trying to butter me up right now with food... he really does know me too well.

"Wow, you guys aren't getting along and working ahead of Vlad and Lily. Don't make it a competition." Kayama laughed.

"Oh no, Lily and I already knew we got dragged in their rivalry. I'm already dreading it. I wish I could be like Toshi and be neutral." I nudged him, but he didn't budge. "But I like the kids, so I'm sure I can deal with the two of them being childish for their sake."

A slight tap graced my shoulder, "Aizawa asked me, and Thirteen is we wanted to join him in training the students at the USJ tomorrow. Did he mention anything to you?" I turned over to Toshinori, who looked a little nervous.

"No, I have to be in a meeting with Nezu, Toyama, and the other UA counselors to discuss the new mental health section of the school. But don't be so worried, you'll be fine with Thirteen there." I gave him a smile and pat on the head. The poor guy is intimidated by Aizawa, which honestly is so adorable. "I'm sure as long as you're not late to class, he won't reprimand you. Plus, the kids themselves aren't bad."

"You didn't have to give them the villain simulation assignment. Young Bakugo almost killed Midoriya." He let out a nervous chuckle.

"True, I wasn't there, but I did have to see them after class because of the outburst." I patted his head. "Nothing is going to happen tomorrow." I took a bite out of my second pork bun. "Now, stop worrying. You're acting how you do when Gran Torino calls you."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. I shouldn't be worried." He gave a solemn smile. Iris and Kayama were both just snickering at the symbol of peace being a nervous wreck. Not a lot of people would have expected that he had that side to him.

For the rest of the day, I reviewed the points I wanted to make in the meeting for tomorrow while socializing with my colleagues. It was a relatively normal day. None of us would've expected that tomorrow would've made a complete one-eighty. If only I were actually right about tomorrow.

———————————————————————

My master list 😊

Tag list:

@inumorph @thatgirlwithcamera @mel-sanch

[wingsofkpop]

Finding SKZ - 3: WK97

pairing(s): Hybrid!Bang Chan x Reader, Hybrid!SKZ x Reader

genre: Hybrid!AU, Dystopian!AU, heavy Angst, eventual Smut, pinch of Fluff

warning(s): Mature language, violence, abuse, mentions of death, possible triggering topics

Trigger Warning: This chapter does contain depictions of abuse. Please do not read if this will trigger you. This is your final warning. 

word count: 4,9k

synopsis: After rescuing an abandoned hybrid from his fate of death, he has one other favor to ask of you. Not only do you have to find his eight other hybrid brothers, but you have to keep them safe from the deadly dangers of your city: Miroh

chapter directory

He’s late. What else is new. 

You release an annoyed sigh while gazing back down at your cell phone. It’s not like you were expecting a text message indicating his tardiness. Why would he be considerate like that? Oh that’s right… He wouldn’t. 

After shoving your phone back into your pocket, you reach for your lemonade and take another sip. With you being here for almost an hour now, this is your second glass and it’s already half empty. Fortunately, your father has good taste in the places you come for lunch, so it’s actually really good. Who knew you could make quality lemonade? 

“(Y/N), you’re here already.” You glance up at the familiar voice and nearly scream in delight at the sight of your father. He grants you a soft smile and a stiff pat on the shoulder before taking the seat across from you, dropping his briefcase at his feet. “It’s nice to see you. I hope you weren’t waiting too long.” 

“Not at all. It’s good to see you too, Dad.” As much as you wanted to voice your complaints about his lack of punctuality, you decided to keep your mouth shut. These meet-ups are always awkward enough and you don’t want to make it any worse. You take another sip of your drink before investing your full attention on the man in front of you, “Anyway, how are things?” 

Your father sends you a weak smile, “Busy. My unit took up a new project down at the Capital, so we’ve had a lot more work than usual.” 

You nod. Your father was an engineer for one of Miroh’s technological industries. It was because of him you were able to attend university without worrying about the immense debt you’d likely have in the future. Although, the only reason why he paid your tuition was one out of guilt. But hey, it’s not like you’re complaining or anything. 

“That sounds interesting. I hope they’re not working you too hard.” 

He chuckles, “You know how I am. How are your classes?” 

You shrug, “Fine. This semester actually went by pretty fast.”

“Good, good.” 

The moment of awkward silence is saved by your waitress who just so happens to show up at the right time. You hold back a sigh of relief as you tell her your lunch order, which you’ve been waiting to do for the past half hour. Earlier, you debated just eating without your father and dealing with the guilt later down the line. Curse your moral heart for shutting down that decision. 

When the waitress dashes away, the unpleasant silence from before resumes. For a few minutes, you and your father trade glances back and forth, hiding your uncomfort beneath light sips of your drinks. You hoped that he would strike up the conversation again himself, since to be honest, you hated asking him about his life. It’s not like you were bitter about his other family, you could care less about them. You just felt weird doing it. 

It’s hard to believe this man is your father in the first place with how distant the two of you are.

“Well, has anything new happened recently?” 

You praise the force above for appeasing your request. Although, you were a little wary. You didn’t really want to tell him about the two hybrids living in your apartment whose lives you actually saved. Your father and his family aren’t as heartfelt about hybrids as you are. 

They have three female cat hybrids, none of which you’ve ever met. But from the only dinner you’ve ever attended at your father’s home, you could tell they basically used them as servants. And maybe it’s a little far-fetched, but you’re pretty sure your father’s twin daughters have been raised by them more than their own parents. 

With a fake smile, you answer, “Not really. You could say I’ve been… preoccupied with school.” 

Your father doesn’t pry, and for once, you’re thankful for his closed-off tendencies. Instead, he allows silence to takeover. The conversation doesn’t pick up, not even when the waitress returns to your table to deliver your food. You were expecting no words to be exchanged until your eventual goodbyes, but about two bites into your sandwich, your father surprises you, “You know, (Y/N), you should consider doing something for yourself every once in a while. School isn’t everything.” 

You nearly choke and erupt into a more than embarrassing coughing fit. After a couple gulps of lemonade and questions about your dignity, you shake your head, “I-I know that. Winter break is coming up so-” 

“-So you should go do something. Here, I actually might have something for you.” You watch your father lean down and pilfer through his briefcase. He manages to retract what seems to be some sort of pamphlet from the mess of papers and folders and offers it to you. Hesitantly, you take the pamphlet. And when you see the front cover, you immediately regret that decision. 

“The circus?” 

Your father nods, “I’m taking the girls next weekend for a treat. It might be enjoyable for you too.” 

He couldn’t be anymore wrong. You went to the circus once with your friends in elementary school. During the show, you were nearly crushed by an acrobat, knocked out by the juggler and scared half to death by the clowns. You never went again. 

“I don’t know. This isn’t really my thing.” You shake your head and aim to offer the pamphlet back. Your actions falter though when you catch a glimpse of one of the large multi-colored sentences. Ignoring the protests of your father, you flip the booklet to better read the words: 

Come one! Come all! See Miroh’s amazing singing bear! You’ve never seen anything like it before! 

“-What’s this singing bear about?” 

Your father, surprised at your sudden interruption, shrugs and shakes his head, “I don’t know exactly. It’s some sort of bear hybrid they’ve had for the past few years. He’s supposed to have one of the most beautiful voices you’ve ever heard sing-” 

Once again, your father’s voice drowns into the background and you’re back inside your own head. With shaking hands, you flip through the pamphlet to find the excerpt detailing this strange bear. Your heart stops and blood runs cold when you spot it’s name: 

Kim Woojin.

~~*~~**~~*~~

“I don’t understand how this is even possible. I thought you said Woojin was purchased by some other scientist.” You watch as Chan paces back and forth across your living room. His eyes were darting feverishly across the pamphlet you kept. After an awkward ending to your lunch date, you rushed back home to show the wolf hybrid your findings. Between the two of you, you couldn’t tell who was more shocked. 

Then again, Chan does seem like he’s going to have a stroke. 

“I honestly don’t know.” Chan sighs, running a hand through his blonde locks. You notice how his fingers halt at his furry ears, tugging at the protruding flesh with anxiety. He shakes his head, “The people who bought us at the lab were free to do whatever they wanted with us. Woojin’s buyer could have sold him after for all we know.” 

You nod, “Okay. Well, where does this take us?”

“What do you mean ‘where does this take us’?” Your companion looks at you with incredulous eyes while the rest of his body stiffens. He shakes his head again, “We go and we get him out. That was the plan, was it not?” 

“You know what I mean, Chan,” You roll your eyes and rise from the sofa. Your feet lead you toward the tense hybrid, his gaze never once faltering from your moving body. You take the brochure from his fingers and continue, “We can’t just waltz in there and demand they give him to us. According to a lot of sources, Woojin brings in a good portion of the audience, and you know what that means, right?” 

Chan doesn’t answer and averts his eyes. 

You sigh, “Money, Chan. It means money. They’re not going to give up one of their main attractions just like that. We need to figure something out.” 

“Why not sneak him out?” Both your and Chan’s attention transfers to the kitchen doorway where you discover Seungmin stood, contently munching on a piece of jerky. He hums, “After dark, you sneak inside and just take him.” 

You open your mouth to answer but Chan beats you to it, “What do you think you’re doing? What have I told you about eavesdropping?” 

Seungmin shakes his head, “I wasn’t eavesdropping, hyung. You and (Y/N)-noona just didn’t notice I was here.” 

“Bullshit.” The sudden curse has your nerves standing on end. You turn to look at Chan, and the anxiety only spreads to the rest of your body. The hybrid was pissed, his teeth bared and eyes shooting daggers at the younger male. His ears twitch before he continues, “I told you that whenever (Y/N) and I are talking about the others-” 

“-But I want to help.” The other hybrid argues and reaches up to flick at his one floppy ear in annoyance, “Why won’t you let me help?”

Chan sighs, “I already explained why. It’s too dangerous. 

“They’re my brothers, too, you know. Why won’t you just give me a chance-?” 

“Because I don’t want to lose you again, goddamn it!” Your body flinches at the sound of glass shattering. You gaze down to see the remnants of your coffee table littering the floor. Each broken piece glitters in the sunlight streaming in through the window, and for a moment, you thought you could see your own shocked expression in the reflection. 

Footsteps call your attention back to Seungmin, whose tail you barely catch as he dashes into the hallway. A couple seconds are followed by the slam of a door and the sigh of the remaining hybrid. You glance over at Chan to see his face buried in his hands and his ears flat atop his head. You wanted to say something, but your brain seemed to be frozen in place. 

You had never seen him get so angry. 

After a long drawl of silence, you find the strength inside yourself to walk to the hybrid, careful not to slice your foot open in the process. Once again, you open your mouth to say something, but a different voice resonates instead, “I shouldn’t have lost my temper like that. I’m sorry, (Y/N).” 

“It’s okay.” You hum, rubbing the side of your head, “You’re under a lot of pressure, Chan. I get it.” 

He shakes his head and uncovers his face. His eyes are wide with guilt and despair, “There’s no excuse. I broke your table. I’m so sor-”

“-Chan, I am not the one you should be apologizing to.” Your words send Chan into a tense silence. Your heart aches as his features become pained, and with a closer look, you also notice his hands are quivering. Without another thought, you raise your arms and pull the distressed male into a gentle hug. 

You murmur softly, “We’ll get him. We’ll get him and all the others. I promise.” 

Barely a couple seconds after you uttered those words does Chan wrap his own arms around your waist. And through your embrace, you swear you could feel his hurt bleeding through your clothes and into your own body. 

~~*~~**~~*~~ 

“Seungmin, sweetheart, please stop squirming.” 

“Sorry, noona, I can’t help it.” Seungmin’s face contorts to a wince as you group his floppy ears into the black beanie. “It’s really uncomfortable.” 

You sigh, “I know, but it’s only for a little while. You’ll get used to it.” 

Once you’re satisfied the youngster’s ears are hidden completely, you throw him a smile and turn to peer at the other hybrid. Chan was in the process of pulling his own hat over his head, making sure to cover his ears as well. When he meets your gaze, he gives you a weak smile of his own. Beneath it though, you could see the anxiety and fear within his dark irises. 

Ever since the incident on Tuesday, Chan had been avoiding you as much as he could. He no longer allowed the two of you to stay in the same room together for more than three minutes at most, unless your conversation topics involved your plan for freeing Woojin from the circus. You understood he was embarrassed and ashamed for losing his temper, but you hated how distant he had become. You’d never admit it, but you missed him. 

And that scared you. 

“You remember how this is supposed to go, right?” Chan looks over at Seungmin, who’s pawing at his beanie again. At your warning glare, he stops. It took you this long to get it on. You’ll be damned if it comes off again. 

After some debate, Chan reluctantly allowed Seungmin to join the heist. Well, kind of. He was limited to the car and couldn’t help you guys with the actual ‘heist’ part, but the younger hybrid was still content nonetheless. You could tell how much he misses his other brothers. Just like Chan. 

“Yes, hyung.”

“Good. And what’s your job?” 

Seungmin rolls his eyes, “Stay in the car and wait until you and noona return with Woojin-hyung. We’ve been over this many times.” 

“I just want you to be safe. And no matter what happens, you do not leave this car, understood?” 

You shake your head, “He’ll be safe, Chan. Make sure to lock the doors behind you, okay? And please don’t take off your hat.” 

You don’t allow the wolf hybrid to stall any longer and quite literally, push him out of the vehicle. One of your friends allowed you to borrow her car for the night, seeing as once you do manage to get Woojin, you won’t be able to take the time to wait for a taxi. Plus, it’s the only reason why Chan agreed to Seungmin coming in the first place. 

You hope it won’t come to the point where you’ll need a getaway driver. 

“C’mon. The show’s gonna start soon.” You lead Chan through the brush, careful not to avoid the various branches reaching for your face. To avoid suspicion, you had parked the car on the other side of the forest from where the circus is set up. It was a longer walk, but you’d rather be safe than sorry. 

The walk through the trees is silent and tense. Chan purposely keeps a few steps behind you so you’re unable to spark up a conversation. You debated the thought anyway, but decided against it. He’s under enough pressure and stress as it already is. Who are you to invade the space he obviously needs? 

You just wish he wouldn’t avoid you like this. 

The both of you walked for about half a mile before reaching the clearing where the event is functioning in full effect. In the glow of evening, the lights of the red and white circus tent act as stars against the darkening sky. Crowds of people are streaming into the entrance, roaring with excitement for the amusement that’s about to come. 

You turn to say something to your companion, only to find him already staring at you. Your eyes remain connected for a moment until you muster up the courage to break the silence, “Are… Are you ready?” 

You curse yourself at asking such a stupid question. However, your self-depreciation fades when you feel fingers lace between your own. When you turn back, you see the hybrid beaming at you with a genuine smile that makes your knees weak and stomach flutter. 

He nods, “With you by my side. Of course.” 

You hope he doesn’t notice how his words bring heat to spread across your cheeks. Luckily, your wish is heard and Chan merely leads the both of you toward the sea of bodies entering the tent. Your hands still clasped together. 

Thankfully, you enter with no issues. The vendors at the doors take your tickets with no questions and point you in the direction of your seats. Since you bought them so close to show day, they weren’t the best, but it’s not like you had a choice exactly. The circus is only available this and next weekend, and next weekend is already sold out. It was today or never. 

“We’re at the top on the end.” You have to shout over the amount of chatter inside the tent. If Chan weren’t a hybrid, you don’t even think he would have been able to hear you at all. Nonetheless, he walks in your guided direction, his fingers tightening over yours when you’re forced to push through a group of people. 

Once you make it to your seats, you take the time to get a good look at the inside of the tent. It’s been years since you’d last been to the circus, but yet, everything still looked the same:  The sandy ring in the center, the acrobatic ropes and rings hanging from the ceiling, the metal bleachers surrounding the stage. You wonder if anything had changed. 

You sure did. 

“What’s wrong?” Your attention is stolen by your companion, who you once again realize is staring at your face. His eyebrows were furrowed in concern, lips pursed, “You look… sad.”

You shake your head, “It’s nothing. Thinking too much, I guess.” 

Chan nods, but you can tell he’s unsatisfied with your answer. His expression doesn’t fade, and if it weren’t for the dimming lights, you couldn’t tell if it ever did. 

The show goes by just how you remember it. The ringmaster comes out with his giant hat and staff, introduces himself, gets the crowd all excited, and promises a night that they will never forget. You’re pretty sure you’ll never forget this night for different reasons than the others here. 

One by one, the different acts play out. First the juggler, then the contortionist, the clowns, the acrobats, the clowns again, and a bunch of hybrids. Most of them were cats and dogs who could do things like play instruments, gymnastic tricks and martial arts. One poodle hybrid was really good at guitar, even though he messed up on a cord. As cool as they all seemed, your mind wasn’t really there until the ringmaster announced the last act of the night: 

The singing bear. 

You catch your first glance of Woojin when he enters the ring through a curtain leading from backstage. He’s dressed in a nice black and white tuxedo with golden gemstones and glitter adorning the fabric edges. His dark brown hair is nicely styled to show off his matching ears which jut out in half circles at the top of his head. You watch as he strides up to the platform in the middle of the ring where a microphone is waiting for him. Spotlights make the bling on his suit shimmer and illuminate his handsome face even more. He was smiling, but you can tell it’s artificial. 

When the music starts and his voice enters your ears, you swear it’s the most beautiful thing you have ever heard in your entire life. Good music has always been a rare thing for you, considering the radios barely play anything other than news channels and broadcasts. But you could spend an eternity just listening to Woojin sing. 

His performance is over too soon, and with one final wave and grin to the roaring crowds, Woojin disappears back behind the red curtain. The show ends with a final farewell from each of the acts and when the lights eventually flickered on again, you were more than grateful. You turn to speak to Chan, wanting to comment on Woojin’s beautiful voice, only to find the seat beside you empty. 

Chan’s gone. 

Your panic level immediately skyrockets. Jumping on your feet, you try to catch Chan in the river of people making their way towards the exits. There’s way too many, and even if you did manage to find him, you wouldn’t be able to get to him fast enough through so many bodies. Against your better judgement, you just stay where you are and continue to watch the waves leave the tent. 

After a while, the tent had mostly cleared out save for a group of stragglers and custodians. Even so, there was still no sign of Chan. You dash down the stairs, apologizing to a mother for nearly pushing over her little boy. 

Your feet carry you outside the tent, where many people are buying last minute souvenirs and carnival food. You end up wandering aimlessly through the crowds not once, but twice. All without any sign of Chan. Coupled with anxiety, your hands fly to grasp the strands of your hair as your breathing grows heavier. A couple shoots you a strange look, but you could care less. 

What are you supposed to do now? 

You shake yourself out of your helplessness and head toward the darker part of the plot where you have yet to search. By the light of the moon, you can make out the silhouettes of giant trucks. Something in your gut told you that you weren’t supposed to be here, but when you move to turn back and search for your lost companion elsewhere, a high-pitched scream has your body stiffening. Your mind transfers back to the alleyway where you rescued Chan. 

Without thinking, you take off in the direction of the yell, your pace quick and clumsy. Yet another scream leads you around one of the trucks and toward an extra part of the tent. You mold your body against the side of the vehicle, making sure to keep yourself out of sight. You don’t know what you were expecting when you peered around the corner of the truck, but it sure as hell wasn’t what you actually saw. 

The first thing you see is blood. A lot of blood littering the tarp floor of the tent. The next is a body laid face down, which at first you thought was unconscious, but the screaming said otherwise. With a closer look, you recognize them to be the poodle hybrid from the show. His costume was torn to shreds, exposing the oozing welts and gashes staining the flesh of his back. A snap of something has your figure flinching back into the truck, and when you return your gaze, a new welt had already begun to form on his skin. Your confusion dissipates at the sight of the ringmaster from before holding what looks like a long, leather belt. 

Your stomach violently turns. 

“Please stop! You’re killing him!” From your hiding place, you can see another hybrid, which you quickly realize is Woojin, banging on the bars of a large cage. Beside him, is none other than the one you’ve been looking for: Chan. 

Another crack of the belt is followed by another scream from the hybrid. You resist the urge to empty your stomach right where you’re stood and instead try to use the last functioning parts of your head to make a plan. Your attempt fails as the ringmaster attacks the poor hybrid with multiple strikes in one go, “You’re a fucking useless piece of shit! Can’t ever do nothing fucking right!” 

“Stop it! Please!” Woojin’s cries go unheard yet again. And it could have just been you, but you swear the cracks of the belt were becoming louder with each snap. 

“I should have just fucking left you on the side of the road, you little bastard! Freaks like you don’t mean shit! Just think how fucking better the world would be without you filthy scum!” 

Out of instinct, you pull out your phone and open the one broadcasting app you never needed until now. You quickly switch to the live camera, and with the little courage you have left, step into the tent and make your presence known. 

“My name is (Y/N) (L/N) and I am currently backstage of Miroh City’s Circus-” 

The ringmaster pauses at your voice, his face immediately paling when he sees your phone pointed straight at him. His mouth drops open and his fingers tighten over the belt, “What the fuck-?”

“-This man has been beating this poor hybrid along with many others to the brink of death, and has likely been doing it for as long as they’ve been in the show-” 

“-You little bitch!” The ringmaster lunges toward you, threateningly snapping the belt at his side. “I’ll-” 

“-Touch me and you’ll be answering to more than just the MHA.” You threaten back, somehow keeping your voice steady and strong. You hope he can’t see the way your hands are quivering with the camera in your grasp, “You are being broadcasted live with over eight hundred people watching right now. I wouldn’t be surprised if the police are already on their way right now-”

The ringmaster’s eyes widen, “-You-You’re lying! Th-They can’t-” 

“-I suggest you put the weapon down. It’s already looking pretty bad for you.” 

You’ve never felt more relieved in your entire life when the sound of the belt hitting the floor enters your ears one last time.  

~~*~~**~~*~~

Never before in your life have you ever been as terrified as you were in that moment. Even after the cops showed up, you still felt uneasy and sick and horrified all in one. The lady you were with likely noticed your trauma which is probably the only reason she allowed you, Chan and Woojin to leave as easily as you did. She also offered to call someone for you, but you declined. God forbid your aunt ever find out about any of this.  

You can’t even understand what the hell just happened. 

You had heard and seen so many stories about hybrid abuse, but witnessing one before your very own eyes is so much different. That hybrid was practically teetering on the cliff of death and yet his owner didn’t care one bit. All he cared was that he messed up his routine during the show. 

Humans are truly cruel, aren’t they? 

The trip back to the car was suffocating. Chan kept trying to speak to you, but all you could return were either one word answers or just complete silence. Eventually, Woojin had to tell him to leave you alone. You felt like a porcelain doll on the verge of shattering into thousands of pieces. One tap, and you’ll just break. At least he’s talking to you again. Or trying to. 

You felt a little better after Seungmin and Woojin’s reunion. The bright smile on Chan’s face made everything worth it too. Then again, you wouldn’t hesitate to do something like that again. At least, you hope you wouldn’t. 

The only issue is you can still hear the snap of the belt inside your head. 

Wanting to distract yourself, you lurch forward to turn up the heat in the car even though it’ll probably do nothing to settle the chill in your body. You peer up into the rear view mirror and your heart warms at the sight of Seungmin and Woojin sleeping against one another. You gulp, noticing the faint welts adorning Woojin’s palms. 

“(Y/N), you’re drifting again.” 

At Chan’s observation, you turn the steering wheel to correct the course of the car. You hum, “Sorry. Thanks.” 

The silence from before resumes with the only noise being Seungmin’s deep breathing and Woojin’s soft snores. From the goosebumps emerging over your skin, you can tell Chan is studying your face. And though you try to ignore it, you can’t this time. 

“What, Chan?” 

“I didn-” 

You shake your head, “I can feel you staring. If you want to say something, please, just say it.” 

Chan sighs, watching as you guide the car to turn at another yellow light. Luckily, at this hour, there were no other cars. He murmurs, “I’m worried about you. What happened was-” 

“-Terrible? You know what, yeah, it was.” You never meant for your tone to emerge bitter, but you couldn’t help it. 

“You’re upset.” 

You scoff, “No shit, I’m upset. One minute you’re there, and the next, you’re gone. Whatever happened to the plan?” 

“I just needed to get to him.” 

“And we would have. Goddamn it, Chan, we would have.” Tears well in your eyes at the images that plague your mind. The snap of the belt, Woojin’s pleas, screaming, blood, Chan. “Do you know how worried I was? What would have happened if I hadn’t found you guys? What would have happened to you?” 

“(Y/N)-” 

“-I could’ve lost you today.” You didn’t even realize you were crying until a tear drop lands on the flesh of your arm. Your mind was telling you to shut down, but with everything that had happened, you needed this. You needed Chan to know this:

“If something were to happen to you, and I wasn’t there to save you…” Your voice fades away and you find yourself unable to continue. Instead, you allow the tears to freely cascade down your cheeks. The remaining five minutes it takes to pull into the lot of your apartment building is excruciating. Chan hasn’t said one word, yet continues to stare at you. 

You shake your head and plead, “Say something, please.”

Chan still doesn’t say a word. Not even when you turn to wake the two other hybrids. Not even through the elevator trip up to your apartment. Not even through when you get Woojin and Seungmin all settled in their room. And it’s not until you’re closing your own bedroom door when Chan does answer.

But even by the time he does speak, his words are stopped by the wood of your door and never reach your ears.