#i used to just use a tts because i wanted to still be able to have full conversations but that was really inconvenient and slow

[psychoticjournal]

love being nonverbal and messing with my new aac in the middle of attempting to have a conversation

[snaileer]

The Messenger is Already Dead - 4

Part 1 &2 Part 3

“Talia fell in love with Bruce Wayne!?” Danny says, whipping around to the man in question.

Everything starts piecing together like the worst Fruitloop themed puzzle ever. Danny had seen his face when Batman had removed his cowl of course, and it’d looked familiar, but that could have been anything, he never thought- Bruce Wayne!? His biological father, a man who hadn’t even known he existed, who Danny had never known, was Bruce Wayne? The richest man in America?

“You didn’t know?” Tim asks and Danny wants to scream.

He doesn’t, because that would be unassassiny-like and he’s not 100% sure it wouldn’t come out as a wail- but the desire is very much there. It feels like half of his life-view is crumbling before him.

“No, I didn’t know,” Danny starts tersely, “Talia never told us who Batman- who our father was, not until we could beat her in a fight. I… never got the chance.” He winces at the last statement, feeling the way the room goes colder at the reminder.

“Tt, clearly you would not have been able to anyways.”

Danny feels his eyes flare in frustration as he looks back to Damian, “I was a better fighter than you were, it’s not like you were finishing her challenge any earlier than I was, Damian.”

“The tutors may have favored you but it was not the tutors who bested you was it?” Damian snarled back.

“Whoa Damian-“

Memories flickered through Danny’s mind.

A fight. A snowy cliff. Red. Pain. Cold. Darkness. Green-

“Danny, you good there?”

Danny jerked his head up, not realizing he’d curled in on himself, “I’m .. fine.”

“You sure? You kind of… flickered,” Nightwing said, motioning vaguely with his hands, “Like a lightbulb.”

Danny cringed, “It’s one of the side effects of being like, this,” he motioned to himself, “I’m not exactly meant to exist on this plane of existence so sometimes I.. don’t? I guess? I don’t know, ghostly stuff is always pretty hard to explain.”

A “Hn.” Is all that comes from Bruce.

Danny practically feels their stares close in on him like walls.

“Whatever! The ghost stuff doesn’t matter!” He says, throwing his hands up and rising slightly off the ground, “What matters is that Talia is after me and is probably coming after Damian, so you need to figure out how to stop her. I didn’t come to talk, I came for protection.”

Danny takes a second, mimicking a breath and collecting himself. He couldn’t blow up like Danny, not when he had to make them see him as Danyal.

An Al-Ghul shows no weakness. An Al-Ghul shows no weakness.

“Tt. There is no reason to continue to refuse to call her Mother.”

Danny feels his eyes flare as turns back to where Damian stands, still scowling. Just like he always was.

“I’ve already told you, Damian,” He says, restraining the urge to yell that Maddie was his mom not Talia, “She was not a mother to me and I will not pretend she was when she is the reason I am being hunted.”

“She raised us,” Damian says with a scowl.

Danny feels old anger spark in him, “She trained us.”

He remembers cold nights and hard floors, cruel orders and harsher whips.

“She made us stronger,” Damian says with stone in his voice. Danny hates it, hates it because it’s exactly what they were always told. ‘It made them stronger’ but that didn’t save him so what did it matter? Damian and him never did anything but fight, they never saw each other except to fight, so much so that the first time Jazz invited him to dinner he’d thought she’d poisoned it and tried to burn down the kitchen.

Danny hates it. He hates it. He hates it. He hates it.

He forces himself to let it go. This isn’t him. Not anymore.

Danny turns away from Damian completely, fists still tightly clenched as he looks Bruce- not his father, never his father- in the eye, “Now that you have proof I am who I say, how do we stop Talia?”

Back to business. Just finish this and you can go home.

Bruce turns back to the console, “First, we need to figure out her goals, and where….”

Danny steels himself as Bruce- as Batman-continues. He could do this.

He could pretend to be a ghost of himself for however long it took.

Pretend that he really had died -stayed dead- that day with Damian.

Pretend that he remembered more about his life in the league than he did.

Pretend he wasn’t an entirely different person now.

Pretend like he still knew who he was.

Pretend like every word from Damian’s mouth didn’t pull him back to a time when he was small, too small, but never weak, and-

Yeah, he could totally absolutely do this.

Definitely.

Danny cringes as the butler tells them all that a meal is ready and everyone starts to move away from the darkness of the cave. With every step into the warmly lit lights of the manor above the cave, Danny feels his hackles rise more.

It feels exposed, making him feel like his lies are muddying just by being there, the warmth of the atmosphere, tones of family, grief, growth, loss, suffocating him as he goes deeper. Knowing that he’s part of that, he’s not going to stay, he’s lying to Damian, he’s hurting him, he’s-

Danny gets one step in the dining room before he sees the family dining table sitting there, an ornate chandelier illuminating the plates laid out at each spot, favorite foods in the middle… and two slightly elder ghosts at the head of the table with love in their eyes as they watch the family sit.

He doesn’t belong here.

Danny takes a staggering step back.

He doesn’t belong here.

Damian notices his retreat, mouth opening to speak-

He doesn’t belong here.

Danny turns tail and vanishes, throwing himself back through the ground with intangibility until he reaches the cave. From there he pauses at the entrance they’d come through, turning back instead of running.

The seconds pause is enough time for someone else to notice him.

“Running already?”

Danny lurches, nearly squeaking as he startles and his visibility flickers. He follows the voice to a figure leaning against a slightly dim doorway on the side. An illuminated locker room sits behind him.

“You’re… Jay, right? The Red Hood?”

The man hums and walks closer, “It’s Jason. You’re the new kid. Talia’s huh?”

Danny wants to shrink in on himself, his muscles tightening as he gets closer, “I’m- yeah.”

Jason scoffs, looking up the stairs like he can see straight to the dining room, “God, B and this fucking family…” He turns a critical eye to Danny without moving his head, “What’s got you fleeing so soon? It didn’t look like you were causing any sort of trouble-“

“I just-“ Danny sighs, rubbing the back of his neck, “I don’t belong here okay? As far as you all know, I’m not even supposed to exist anymore. I doubt you want a dead kid messing up your family, right?”

Something in Jason’s face twitches, his shoulders shifting, “Take it from me, kid… they haven’t even considered that.”

Danny tilts his head, really looking at Jason for the first time, something tickling at the back of his senses.

Jason doesn’t hesitate to meet his eyes.

He looks back through the exit tunnel, turning back a second time, “Tell ‘em I’ll be back okay? Just… not now, alright? But I’ll be back.”

And Jason nods, a silent guarantee.

Danny returns it, finally turning and flying full speed through the tunnels until he meets open air.

It feels slightly sticky compared to the coolness of the cave, but Danny simply looks around to get his bearings before turning into the distance with determination.

He doesn’t stop until he sees the shine of a golden globe pass under him. He enters the hotel straight through the walls of the elevator shaft, dropping his ghost from the second he hits carpeted halls.

And then he pauses…

Which room were they in again?

Thankfully, he doesn’t have to wait long, as one of the doors gets thrown open moments later by the lumbering figure which can only be his dad.

“Ghost!” Dad says as he bends through the doorway, ghost-finder in his hands as he looks around until finally spotting Danny, “Danno! You’re back!”

The incessant droning of the ghost-finder is overshadowed as Danny struggles to breath around his Dad’s hug, “He..y.., Da..d” He wheezes.

He sees Jazz come bursting out of the hotel room next. She gives him a hard look before they’re both swept into Dad’s arms and practically carried back into the room.

His mom is there, tinkering on a tool Danny himself had helped design a few weeks ago.

His dad, of course, goes straight for the fudge in the mini fridge. Danny steals the remote from Jazz and plops himself down on the bed free of machine scraps.

Even as he has to keep Jazz from smothering him with a hotel pillow, Danny smiles. He feels his shoulders loosen for the first time all night.

This. This is where he belongs.

—

The demon brat’s twin was… something. They hadn’t really had the time to start forming real expectations, but most of them didn’t expect.. a ghost.

Tim can see the way Bruce’s eyes linger on the wafts of snowy hair, aching guilt lining his body whenever Danny’s back is turned even just slightly.

It doesn’t go away as they all file up to a late dinner. By Alfred’s order, they all go, pair by pair trickling up to the dining room like the most awkward yellow brick road ever.

Somewhere in the stilted chaos, Jason manages to slip out from the group, probably the first time he’s left the manor without fighting with Bruce in months.

Of course that hardly matters when the moment they step into the dining room, Danny freezes by the door, flickering again.

Tim watches as his eyes jump across them all, the table, the room, the chairs- Danny steps back and-

Vanishes.

Damian is lurching towards the door, “Danyal!”

But it’s empty. All of them had felt his presence leave, even if they hadn’t realized that’s what it was, suddenly the room is a few degrees warmer and just a bit emptier than before.

Tim looks to Bruce.

They don’t know what that was, why Danny left. Was he just scared? Or could something have happened to him? They didn’t know enough about ghosts, and what they did know said they weren’t very strong. Boston Brand couldn’t interact with the physical world without possessing someone- Danny had already said he wasn’t meant to exist on this plane, had he run out of strength?

Dick approaches Damian still brooding in the doorway, setting a hand on his shoulder- Damian throws it off immediately.

“I am fine,” he snaps, “Danyal is a coward.”

Bruce stands, “Damian, don’t say that-“

“Why shouldn’t I!? What does he have to fear!? He ran away like a coward and left me behind!”

Silence settles in the room.

Tim decides to break it, “Any chance you’re not just talking about him not staying for dinner?”

A knife pierces the wall behind him.

“I will end you, Drake.”

“Master Damian! I do not have enough portraits to continue covering holes in the paneling!” Alfred scolds, standing at the doorway.

Damian stops, glaring at them all before turning to Alfred, “I’ll take my dinner in my room please, Pennyworth.” Then he turns on his heel and strides from the room. It is too fast to be anything but fleeing.

Steph slumps into the chair beside Tim, “Boys are weird.”

Tim scowls, “Oi.”

“I stand by my statement.”

Tags:

@craftgremlin @karlyanalora @theeclecticenquirer @undead-essence @mattybook1987-blog @emergentpanda-blog @nedwec @jotaroslooseeyebrowhair @serasvictoria02 @itsloveleo @yjfk @mygood-bitch99 @wolfjackle @xysidhequeen @seraphinedemort @catnek-writing-things @idontgetpaidenoughforthisshit @tinybrie @raginblastocyst @cyber-geist @icedbluesoul @rosesandsailboats @craftybookworms @dragonimpal67 @capricedshusara @ghostreblogging @treepainting @valiantsuitcaseskellington

Also btw, I’ve added this to my Drabble/oneshot collection on Ao3. It’s under my same Username(snaileer) with work name ‘Things That Could Exist’

Hope you enjoyed!

[lelengerine]

now playing... "show and tell"

pairing | basketball varsity!chenle x artist!reader

synopsis | draw a pretty boy and perhaps he'll come to you.

genre | just literal 3 am fluff thoughts, bball player chenle slight brainrot, no specific prns are used (lmk if there's anything i've missed!)

wc | 0.9k

notes | so... i'm back and it's been a long while 😄 kinda forgot about tumblr for a sec but i hope you guys still remember me TT i was pretty much in a slump + acads were crazy, however!!! i am back!!! somewhat!!! likes and feedback are always appreciated (also new post layout yayy)

m.list

the air inside the school’s gymnasium has always felt humid as it clings to your skin like a damp blanket. the place has the distinct scent of sweat — entire buckets of it actually — while the occasional skid of sneakers on the rubber floor sends involuntary shivers down your spine. it’s hardly a place one would choose for peace of mind, yet here you are, perched on the bleachers, busily drawing on your sketchpad all because of a boy.

honestly, you wouldn’t be willingly subjecting yourself to this either if he wasn’t so… pretty. he sported vibrant orange hair that matched him well, the tips sticking together from the sweat on his forehead. his cheeks were flushed from from the heat, but that didn’t bother him one bit as he energetically ran around the court. but it's his smile that captivates you the most, its brightness rivaling that of the sun, his eyes forming playful whiskers as they crinkle into crescents — a sight you've translated onto the pages of your sketchbook more times than you’d like to admit.

how were you supposed to turn down drawing someone like him as an art student? one that’s in an art slump no less.

curse all pretty men, you tell yourself as your pencil scritches over the surface of your sketchbook.

you weren’t even acquainted to him one bit. in fact, you’ve only learned of his name around a week ago? it was zhong chenle if your memory serves you right.

your friend had told you he was the famous ace of your school’s basketball team, mostly for being able to make shots from such large distances. she was shocked you weren’t even aware of the boy when he was usually the talk of the entire student body, especially during the time championship season rolls around.

hell, you don’t even care much for the sport, but he’s making you second guess that too with the way he moves so effortlessly — like he was made to play this sport. perhaps you could understand the infatuation many others harbor for him… just a tiny bit.

you continue your sketch nonetheless, stuck erasing and re-drawing a certain line that doesn’t want to bend in your favor. it seems to have taken all of your focus, as you don’t even register the sound of footsteps approaching you. a tap is placed on your shoulder, and you turn around to find the exact boy you’ve been drawing for the entirety of his varsity practice.

“is that supposed to be me?” his words are laced with intrigue, accompanied by a gentler smile than you're accustomed to, yet just as captivating in its own right — wait. why is he even here talking to you? peeking at your drawings no less?

“nope. it’s not.” you lie through your teeth without an ounce of hesitation, flipping to the cover of your sketchbook faster than he utter out another word.

“please, who else even has orange hair here?”

“who said the person i was drawing was even real? for all you know, he could be an anime character.” you counter, trying to deflect his curiosity.

“yeah, totally explains why you’ve been hanging out here more lately.” he retorts, raising his finger in mock admonishment, his playful smirk betraying his teasing tone. “don’t think i haven’t noticed you, cause i have.”

“what are you? some security guard keeping records of the people who come to the gym?” you muse, meeting his gaze with a hint of amusement.

he leans in a bit closer, voice lowering conspiratorially. “well, maybe I've been keeping an eye out for someone who appreciates my... what should i call it? anime character potential?”

your heart skips a beat at his proximity, but you maintain your playful demeanor. "oh, is that what you're calling it now? i just needed a little inspiration and the confines of the art room weren’t doing it for me.” technically what you said is true, he doesn’t need to know that he’s actually the main reason your artist block has subsided.

his grin widens, a playful sparkle in his eyes. “inspiration, huh? well, i can guarantee you'll be entertained with me around.”

“you don’t need to keep me entertained, i do that already on my own.”

“oh yeah? by watching me?”

“you just want to fuel your ego, don’t you.”

“maybe a little.” his eyes smile, voice taking on a teasing lilt, "what else have you been sketching lately? any other anime characters i should know about?"

you laugh, a nervous pitter patter dancing in your chest at the prospect of sharing more of your work with him. these were your prized possessions after all. "oh, you know, just the usual. random doodles here and there."

he only beams at your response, leaning back slightly as if to better admire your reaction. "well, i’d love to see more of your usual sometime. maybe you could show me what else you've got hidden in that sketchbook of yours."

the invitation catches you off guard, and for a moment, you're at a loss for words. "uh, sure. yeah, maybe sometime," you stammer, mentally kicking yourself for not sounding more confident in front of him.

but before the conversation can continue, a shrill whistle cuts through the air, signaling the end of chenle’s supposed water break. he glances towards the court, a regretful expression flickering across his face. "looks like i’ve got to go," he says, pushing himself off the bleachers and standing up. "but hey, don't forget about our little art show-and-tell date, okay?”

hold on, did he just call it a date? "hey, wait a moment-" you try calling after him, yet he's already disappeared onto the court. that wasn’t anywhere close to a proper invitation, but your heart flutters at the thought nonetheless.

fine, you conclude to yourself — if it’s a date he wants, then you suppose you could spare some more time for him.

[yongility]

NEO TV # I LIKE ME BETTER WHEN I'M WITH YOU. (jaehyun x reader) 3/?

genre: angst, suggestive, gang au, rich kid au, enemies to lovers (kinda), a lil of fluffy stuff. slowburn, series.

warnings: drug use mentions, gangs, fights, use of weapons, adult language, illegal activities, cheating (not on the main couple), toxic family environment, addictions, manipulation, insecurities, illegal street racing, death mentions. jeno is jaehyun's younger brother, angst, smut and if I slip something my bad haha.

word count: +10k?

a/n: I’m sorry this took too long to post!! 😭😭 but I been so busy with college rn, I’m going to graduate this year so I’m like having a lot of work lately, and I wasn’t satisfied with what I was writing so that was the reason it took longer than expected, sorry!

I'm a sucker for cliche stuff so as soon as this fic popped in my mind l had to write it down, english isn't my first language tho.

I'm sorry if this is too long TT, but this is kinda a slowburn? it might contain a lot of parts so wait for part 3! One of the reasons this is long af it's because I would like to show you how Jaehyun and (Y/N's life is before they get together! So pls pls don't skip anything I hope you like it!

if you want to be in the taglist, just lemme know;) enjoy!

The third day of the week arrived promptly, where (Y/N) found herself comfortably seated in one of the library chairs, with her chemistry books scattered on the table in front of her as she studied for the exams she had coming up, with Jungwoo beside her.

It was becoming her routine for the week; after last Friday's party, what she most desired was to avoid being at home, especially after having an argument with her mother when she returned from the party.

She didn't want to deal with her in a good time.

Annoyed that her mother had thought it was a great idea to take away her right to use her own car as punishment for disobeying her that night and leaving the house... staying in the library seemed the most pleasant option; with silence, able to listen to music through her AirPods, without her mother bothering her every five minutes and being able to review what she had learned in her last classes: it was something she could take advantage of. She took a sip of her vanilla latte, which had been sponsored by Jungwoo, who, in an attempt to apologize for abandoning her in that way during last Friday's party, promised to pay for each of her daily drinks for a week and a half, no matter the cost.

And even though (Y/N) could afford that or even triple, she was still happy about it. Gifted things tasted even better anyway.

Of course, she first gave Jungwoo a -no- beating after telling him everything that had happened during his absence, but still, she appreciated that her friend was okay even though she hadn't heard anything from him until Saturday night.

During these last few days, with a new routine, (Y/N) was almost always in the same places, at the same times, and if she was honest, she was surprised not to have bumped into Jung Jaehyun at any moment.

It was weird; she would normally see him somewhere around the school, either accompanied by Lucas or just sitting on one of the benches while smoking his 'n' cigarette of the day. But simply, since Friday, she hadn't heard anything from him... she hadn't even bumped into Lucas, which increased the level of strangeness, considering he was a social butterfly, he was always around. (Y/N) had been aware of her words after Jaehyun had taken her home: she could no longer continue with whatever deal they had, with all the stress of her own tasks and knowing that no matter what she did, her cousin wouldn't give up his addictions, it was best to give up.

Although it would hurt her soul to know that there was no way to help Daeho.

But thinking about it, she didn't know if she had really been sincere about each going their own way... apparently Jaehyun had taken it very seriously to not show up anywhere, and although (Y/N) knew very well that being close to him didn't bring her anything good... his presence hadn't been so bothersome in the last few days. Really, after sharing a few words and spending more time with him, she couldn't say that she disliked his existence. It was funny if you asked the (Y/N) from a month ago, there would be no way she could have imagined that, somehow, she would be related to none other than Jung Jaehyun, who, on the outside, just seemed to be one more problem.

She tried to stop thinking about it and tried to focus her gaze on the book in front of her, but after a few minutes... it was difficult for her. There was something inside her that made her feel uneasy but she couldn't think what it was.

"There’s a race in Kosmo today" her best friend's voice brought her out of her thoughts.

Kosmo was the neighborhood that was right in the middle of the city, dividing Kwangya and Neo Zone. (Y/N) knew that there were usually illegal races in that area because it was when the rich kids from Kwangya usually dared to compete against Neo Zone.

"And why should I care...?"

"Your cousin will go to bet," Jungwoo replied, interrupting her study session.

The girl opened her eyes in surprise and asked, "How do you know?"

"Daeho told Mingi, and Mingi told me," he replied simply, shrugging his shoulders. The boy fell silent for a moment and cleared his throat. "Don’t you want to go?" He asked curiously.

(Y/N) looked up from her books and observed her friend incredulously. "Why would I want to go?"

"To keep an eye on Daeho," he answered.

"I'm still mad with him, I've decided not to help him anymore. I really tried, I've been trying for the past few years, but he doesn't want help and now I understand," the girl confessed, closing her book and letting out a sigh.

"Still... don't you think it would be fun? Getting out of our comfort zone a bit... seeing what all this racing stuff is about. I've heard they're amazing," Jungwoo insisted.

"Jungwoo, my mom will kill me if she finds out I went to an illegal race," the girl continued, taking a sip of her coffee.

"She won't find out."

"Jungwoo..."

"Come on, (Y/N), we won't even be in Neo Zone, it'll be in Kwangya only. We'll go, watch the race, and leave. We won't even make contact with anyone. We'll go on our own," the boy assured her, moving closer to her. "Please, I think it would be interesting to break out of our routine, just for one night, what could go wrong?"

"Many things could go wrong, Woo," she replied.

"We won't know unless we try," he pouted, clasping his hands together. "Please."

She hated how persuasive her best friend was.

She sighed and shook her head. "Fine, but at the first sign of trouble, we're leaving without a second thought."

"I love you so much," Jungwoo replied, hugging her shoulders.

"And I really hate you."

______________________________________________

The night fell faster than she expected, and among the roar of engines and the intense music that could be heard on the outskirts of Kosmo, (Y/N) felt something cold run through her body.

She could see familiar faces here and there, some of her classmates from Kwangya were in the place, and from the opposite side, the cars and familiar faces of Neo Zone were present.

It was a strange atmosphere for her; she had always played it safe, and now she didn't even know what to think. She felt herself getting closer to Jungwoo to not lose him, the last thing she needed was for them to separate like they did at the party.

She didn't think she could survive alone.

And it's not that she was dumb to think otherwise, but her parents raised her in an environment where they made her believe that she shouldn't do things outside her daily life. (Y/N) was afraid of adventures. Her life was governed by being obedient and doing the right thing; she didn't know when the moment of rebellion she had a few days ago when she left home the night of the party had been wise.

And now finding herself in Kosmo secretly from her mother at an illegal race? She must have gone crazy.

She believed even more so that she had gone crazy when something inside her hoped to run into none other than Jung Jaehyun.

She didn't understand why the urgency of what was happening, and even less why she expected to run into Jaehyun before running into Daeho.

Maybe it was because she found it strange not to have seen him since last Friday's party.

But she knew that if there was one place Jaehyun wouldn't miss... it would be the race tonight.

"Are you looking for Daeho?" Jungwoo asked when he saw her looking around. "He's probably with Mingi."

How could she explain to her friend that the person she was looking for was none other than Jung Jaehyun?

She nodded without saying more, and they both continued on their way while cautiously observing their surroundings. The smell of marijuana and car engines was embedded in the place, the music made their ears ring, and the night breeze made their bodies tremble.

(Y/N)'s eyes drifted away when she noticed Lucas in the distance, having a conversation with another guy. Lucas felt her gaze on him and looked at the girl with confusion before approaching her after apologizing to his companion.

"Hey, Kwangya kiddos, what brings you here on this magnificent night?" Lucas asked enthusiastically.

"We wanted to know what these races are about," Jungwoo replied simply.

"Hmm, interesting," the tall guy nodded. "Well, you're in luck, Jaehyun will race today, are you sure you want to see the show? The best of the area against someone from Yellow Wood," Lucas explained while cracking his fingers slightly.

Upon hearing the guy's name, (Y/N) looked up and paid attention to Lucas's words.

"If you're interested in betting, come to me," Lucas advised.

"I think we're fine like this," said (Y/N).

"Alright, take care. I'll go look for my guy to get him ready for the race," Lucas announced as he patted Jungwoo on the back.

The guy walked away from them with a smile, and Jungwoo responded with one of his own, then he looked at his friend and frowned, "relax, you're anxious."

How could she not be?

But before she could even answer anything, a few meters away, she saw the familiar face she had been looking for. In the distance, the silhouette of Jung Jaehyun was leaning against his car while talking to a few guys from Neo Zone, his neck tattoos weren't very visible due to the darkness of the night but she could distinguish them a bit, then... as if he had called him, Jaehyun's gaze moved to connect with hers, making her freeze in place.

Jaehyun frowned when he saw her standing just a few steps away from him, looking like a lost puppy as she stood beside Jungwoo.

The sight reminded him of a month ago when Daeho had clumsily brought (Y/N) to Neo Zone. Although this time she was accompanied by her best friend, another rich and spoiled kid from Kwangya. He observed the outfit she had decided to wear, once again, just like that time, it wasn't extravagant, no famous brand could be seen in her attire, and the only piece of jewelry she wore was a pair of earrings that definitely looked like gold...

He hoped she wouldn't lose them tonight.

Because they made her look good.

The surprise was evident on the girl's face when she took a better look at the brunet's body, who was now walking towards her, wearing a hoodie with its hood over his head and as he got closer, the darkness of the night was no longer so intrusive. It hadn't been enough to hide the bruises that were scattered across his body.

There was one under his cheek, just below his left eye, and it was reddish, as if it were flushed. Then, looking at the ones between his jaw and his neck, she noticed how they subtly mixed with the ink of the tattoo he had on his neck. That one was difficult to distinguish thanks to the dark lines that adorned that part of his body, but if you paid enough attention, it was alarming.

When she lowered her gaze over his torso and then looked at his hands, she could see the intense shades of red that his knuckles contained, as if ground blood had accumulated on each of them.

It wasn't the first time she had seen Jaehyun or Lucas with a bruise or two on a school day, but it was the first time she had seen it up close.

Her heart was pounding a mile a minute. Why was it suddenly doing this?

"Did you lost your way home?" Jaehyun asked when he was in front of her.

"Jaehyun," she muttered quietly, "... are you okay?"

The girl didn't need much to realize that was the stupidest question she could ask right now, of course he wasn't okay. And although she knew this happened regularly in Jaehyun's life, she couldn't help but fill her head with doubts; what had to happen for him to end up like this?

... was that the reason he hadn't gone to school?

A small smile appeared on the boy's face, and even with the different colors decorating his face, she could still notice the dimples that formed in it.

Why did he still look good?

"I don't think you came here to ask that, Angel," Jaehyun replied mockingly. "I really believed in your whole story about us going on our ways, so what are you doing at a race where most of the spectators are from Neo Zone?"

The girl was left speechless. "Jungwoo brought me here."

"Well, if that's the case, enjoy the races, I think it'll be fun for you to spice up your Wednesday nights a bit," he continued with a sarcastic smile.

"What happened to you?" She asked again.

Jaehyun didn't answer.

He had gotten himself into big trouble... all thanks to Jeno.

He had trusted that all his merchandise would be sold by the time Monday came around, but after being at Johnny Suh's party, where other dealers were also present, he didn't manage to sell what he needed.

He had a little less than half left in his pockets and in Lucas's.

Luck had not been on his side this time, and when he had to be accountable to Lee Sooman, he had to take responsibility for his brother's actions. And despite telling him that he would not take care of him like he used to after the argument they had... he'd much rather take the beatings he had received than see Jeno the way he did in the mirror.

That time, it really felt eternal. He still remembers the angry (but also mocking) look Sooman had on his face when Jaehyun and Lucas brought the money to his office and after asking Lucas none too kindly to leave, that was when Jaehyun knew what was coming.

With Cheol Uk by his side, leading him out of the office to the vacant lot not far from the warehouse, Jaehyun could do nothing but accept what was coming.

It was one blow after another, and he knew well that at that moment, defending himself was not something he should do or he would end up worse.

He remembers feeling every punch with tremendous pain, and all he could think about was Jeno and how he would have felt if it had been him getting beaten up.

At least Jaehyun was used to the beatings and had no choice; he already knew that all of this was part of being someone from Neo Zone, so he simply had to continue to comply with what Sooman demanded to the letter unless he wanted to end up again in the position he was in.

What felt like hours was really just a few minutes; Cheol Uk stopped hitting him after a while and without saying more, he left. Leaving Jaehyun in the middle of the vacant lot with a broken lip and eyebrow as he spat blood and reached for his abdomen for some support to get up and walk to where he knew Lucas was waiting for him.

How much more? How much longer would he have to keep with all of this?

But, right now, it wasn't something he should talk about.

"It's really not something you need to know," he replied with a smirk. "You came to enjoy the race, right? Then do it, I'll be running in a few minutes, if you don't get scared by the atmosphere here before that, I'm sure you'll want to see me," Jaehyun continued, winking at her.

"I think it'll be fun to see you in second place," the girl teased.

"Baby... I always win," Jaehyun bragged, looking her directly in the eyes.

It was then that the girl didn't say anything else, she just kept her gaze on his. She hated feeling intrigued by Jaehyun himself. Because right now she didn't even feel like she was in Kosmo, with Jaehyun in front of her looking directly at her, she didn't even feel real. She was getting into fire and she knew it.

And she didn't know if she could escape from it.

For a moment she felt a heaviness on her shoulders and warmth surrounded her, causing her to snap out of her thoughts and notice that the jacket that Jaehyun was wearing over his hoodie was now over her body.

"You were trembling like a chihuahua," Jaehyun explained. "Don't consider it an act of kindness, I'm just returning the favor after having done my jobs those two weeks... at least now they won't kick me out of school this evaluation period," he continued.

"I'm not sure if I should feel good knowing that I'm indirectly helping an illegal business," she replied, adjusting the jacket.

"No one needs to know," he replied. "Good luck tonight, don't get lost too much because things get interesting," he said, and without further ado, he turned around to go back to his friends.

(Y/N) stood perplexed in her place, and it was then that she felt Jungwoo's presence next to her.

"What was that?"

"I have no idea."

_______________________________________________

The next morning, after putting her books back in her backpack, (Y/N) looked at the jacket folded inside her bag, feeling a heaviness and remembering the events of the previous night.

The rumors were true... Jung Jaehyun was the best street racer in the area, because he not only competed once the day before, but two more times, winning 3 victories in a short time, and to be honest, it had been impressive.

She hadn't run into him again after the brief conversation they had, and even though she had been waiting for it... she and Jungwoo bolted from the place when they heard the police sirens approaching Kosmo.

The last thing she needed was for her parents to find out about her escapade.

She didn't hear anything from Daeho the night before, she even doubted if he had really gone to the race.

She didn't want to give too much importance to the situation, which is why she chose to continue her path through the school hallways, hoping to return the jacket that was at the bottom of her bag and trying to divert her thoughts to something other than Jaehyun.

And as if she had summoned him, she saw him under the entrance roof as he leaned against the wall and took a drag from the cigarette in his hands. (Y/N) checked the day's weather and cursed when she noticed the raindrops falling lightly. She had forgotten about today's forecast.

Jaehyun was lost in his thoughts as he watched the rain and let out the smoke in his chest.

The bruises were still visible.

She stopped abruptly to take the jacket out of her bag and, without saying anything, approached him and handed it back to him.

Jaehyun looked at her with a raised eyebrow and blew out the smoke from his lungs.

"You're welcome," Jaehyun said as he took the jacket in his hands.

"Yes, thank you," she said, feeling her cheeks flush.

"Where did you park your car?" Jaehyun asked out of nowhere.

"I didn't bring it with me, my mom confiscated it," she blurted out without thinking, and when she turned to look at Jaehyun, she noticed a mocking smile on his face.

"Oh, mom took away your Porsche," he pouted mockingly and shook his head. "Come on, I'll take you home."

"I'm fine, Jaehyun. Thanks," she said as she looked at the rain.

"Come on, it wouldn't be the first time I've taken you. Plus, the school won't be closing anytime soon."

She thought about all the possibilities that crossed her mind, but something about her was excited to think about the ride home.

"Where's your car?"

______________________________________________

It was fortunate that his car was nearby.

Jaehyun turned on the heater as soon as they got into the car, and without further ado, the journey began.

It was just like the first time they had been together in the same car. Without saying anything, both with their eyes focused on the road, and it was then that they both realized that they didn't have a topic of conversation. The few times they had interacted had been about their interests and what they needed from each other at the moment. However, Jaehyun didn't know anything about (Y/N) that he hadn't heard at school, and (Y/N) didn't know anything about Jaehyun that she hadn't heard in the hallways or from her parents about the people from Neo Zone.

At this point, they weren't even acquaintances.

They had just coincided in something and that was it.

(Y/N) took the opportunity to send a text message to Jungwoo and tell him that he no longer needed to pick her up, without explaining more, she sent the text and subsequently, Jaehyun's phone rang.

The boy sighed and cautiously looked for a quick place to park even with the sound of the mobile phone ringing filling the car. He took the device and (Y/N) could notice the slight tension that seized Jaehyun's body as he read the caller ID, without thinking twice he answered the call.

The brunette felt weird being able to hear Jaehyun's conversation, so she tried to distract herself with something else. First with her phone, then looking out the window where she could see the rain beginning to dissipate, and then she could hear a "I'll be there in a moment" that made her react and turn to see him end the call.

The boy scratched his neck and then brought his hands to his face to rub it, let out a deep sigh, and looked at (Y/N).

“Uh, I need to do something quickly and your house is still a bit far... Do you mind if we stop by that place first? It's on the way” he asked with no other option.

“Does this has to do with your job?” She asked.

It took him a moment to respond: — No, it's not about my job. You can stay in the car, it's just that, I really need to get there.

After seeing Jaehyun's face and not being able to decipher what he was trying to say, (Y/N) nodded, not very sure, and that was enough for Jaehyun to quickly start the car.

Thousands of thoughts ran through (Y/N)'s mind. Eager to know where they were headed; she didn't know if she should believe Jaehyun that this wasn't about picking up or delivering goods or meeting someone who worked on the same thing he did.

She was only sure they wouldn't go to Neo Zone because they were far from there.

She could see how impatient Jaehyun seemed while driving, and that only made her even more nervous. What exactly did they tell him in that call to make him like this? She wanted to ask, but she knew she wouldn't get an answer.

She didn't know how many minutes had passed, she only knew that the rain stopped just before the car parked and she finally noticed where they were. A gray building was a few meters away from them, and it wasn't hard to recognize it.

It was the National Rehabilitation Center.

A long and large building, which was accompanied by an extensive garden, and from the outside, you could see that there were a huge number of rooms inside it.

Her head was flooded with even more questions knowing that this was the place where Jaehyun was needed.

“You can stay in the car if you want. I'll be back in a moment” Jaehyun said as he opened the car door and got out.

Curiosity got the better of her.

And that's why she got out of the car and followed Jaehyun. Without saying anything, they entered the building where they were immediately greeted by a nurse who seemed to know the boy well.

“Jaehyun, I'm glad you were able to answer the call” said the woman as she greeted them. “We need to talk to you”.

The boy nodded and turned to (Y/N), who just nodded and said, “I’ll wait for you.”

He smiled slightly and walked with the person until they reached the reception where she was able to pull out a few papers.

It had been, perhaps, about two weeks since the last time he had been there. A place he was very familiar with and where he regularly went; he had become good friends with the friendly nurses who apparently didn't care where he came from.

He was grateful that the nurse didn't say anything when his bruises and wounds were clearly visible.

“Has something happened?” he asked after a few seconds.

“ He's fine” the nurse said with a smile “but we need to talk to you about his stay here” she continued.

That's when the small smile on his face disappeared. Jaehyun knew what she was referring to. He swallowed hard before the nurse could speak.

“The payment is overdue, Jaehyun," the nurse confirmed what he already knew. "We care about Sicheng's health, but this is not my concern. You know that the center relies on patients' monthly payments, and the administrators in charge of them request them punctually," she commented as she handed Jaehyun one of the papers. "I understand your situation and Sicheng's, but there's nothing more I can do even if I wanted to; I've tried to delay the payment as much as I could, but unfortunately, it can't be delayed any longer. The administrators expect the payment soon, or we'll have to discharge Sicheng and send him home," she concluded.

It was difficult at first for Jaehyun to process everything the nurse had said, as more than ten things ran through his mind at once; one of them being his good friend Winwin, then, thinking about how he could quickly get the money he knew he owed to the clinic, considering the beating he had just received for not being able to complete a sale. So, what would he do? He still needed half the money for that monthly payment, and between the clinic's expenses and those of his own house for his family, he couldn't see a way to get the money on time.

He would have to ask for more stash to sell if he wanted to do it.

He couldn't let them discharge Sicheng.

Not while he hasn't made progress.

"I'm sorry," Jaehyun said. "I... I still have a little left to complete the payment. It's just that lately, it's been harder, and... how much time do I have to pay it?" the breathless boy asked.

"Considering that it's only the first few days of the month, and the payment is already two weeks late... I can't give you more than three days," lamented the nurse, making a grimace.

"I'll try the impossible to bring you that money on Saturday. Sicheng still can't be discharged; he hasn't progressed the way he was supposed to," he affirmed, a slight pout evident in his mouth.

What a contrast there was between his expression and the bruises, accompanied by the tattoos on his body.

Being in the Rehabilitation Center was the place where he could be most vulnerable.

"How is he?" he asked, lowering his gaze.

"Same as the last time you came to visit him," commented the nurse. "We're doing what we can, Jaehyun, but as long as he stays the way he is, we can't move forward. We need his will to help him."

When no words came out of his mouth, the nurse continued: "Jaehyun, you know you can go see him."

For Jaehyun, each visit was just as difficult as the day he decided to admit Sicheng to that clinic, and each one left him more tormented than the previous.

He would give everything if that means that Sicheng would go back to be himself.

He nodded after a few seconds and cautiously glanced back, where, not far away, (Y/N) was reading some brochures and observing the facilities around them; when she noticed the boy's gaze on her body, she walked toward him carefully.

The brunette didn't really know what came to his mind or what caused those words to come out of his mouth, but when he wanted to back off, it was too late, because they had already been expressed.

"Are you coming with me?"

And although (Y/N) had no idea why they were there or where they were going, she accepted anyway. So they found themselves walking down the long whitewashed hallway until they reached an elevator, and then they went up about three floors.

The atmosphere was cold, the hallways and rooms were well-lit, and they could see a few nurses and what she assumed were doctors walking around in their lab coats.

Jaehyun didn't know why he was allowing himself to show her that part of his life, especially when it was such a fragile part for him. He had tried to protect it cautiously for the past few months, and now he was there, accompanied by Hwang (Y/N), with the person he never thought he would meet at that moment.

He hadn't really thought of her when he asked if they could go there before going home; his head was only thinking about the clinic and Sicheng when the call had ended, and it was too late to change his mind when they had set off.

He just hoped the girl would be discreet enough.

They reached room 119, where Jaehyun pushed the door open and where in a wheelchair, they both could see Winwin, who was facing the large window of his room, looking outside.

(Y/N)'s surprised face did not go unnoticed; she was confused in a thousand ways. She knew who Dong Sicheng was; everyone in her school knew him, however... she thought he had simply left the city. She had no idea he was in that place. So in her head, thousands of questions arose about him, why he was there, and why he was in a wheelchair.

She could only react when she heard Jaehyun's voice: "Hey, buddy. How are you today?"

Nothing.

That's what he received.

Jaehyun walked over to him, and when he stood next to him, he crouched down enough to be able to observe him better. Winwin had his gaze fixed forward, his cheeks were a little rosy, his hair fell over his forehead, and his hands were resting on his legs.

Jaehyun sighed.

"Oh, I see you've taken a shower today," the boy mentioned with a smile, and again, there was not a single response.

When he noticed the presence of the girl, who had remained in her place throughout the visit and hesitated to approach them, he spoke: "Today I'm not alone; I brought company. Maybe you'll find it helpful to hear another voice that isn't mine or Lucas's... or the nurses'," the boy teased and gestured to the brunette to come closer, who obeyed. "Do you remember (Y/N)? She was in our class; we've coincided a couple of times, that's why she's here."

"Hello, Winwin," she greeted softly. Jaehyun made a grimace and stood up from his place to be at the girl's height.

"Don't expect an answer," Jaehyun commented. "There won't be one."

"I thought... I thought Winwin had moved to China," (Y/N) confessed.

Jaehyun snorted: "Yes, that's what everyone thinks."

Those words took her by surprise, and it was when she decided to remain silent, watching from a distance the little interaction between the boys: it was just Jaehyun saying a few words while adjusting Sicheng's hair without expecting any response.

Dong Sicheng and Jung Jaehyun had been friends since birth, being two little boys who grew up on the streets of Neo Zone, it was easy to click with each other. Winwin's parents had decided to move to the infamous area after his father had met Lee Sooman in some low neighborhood in Wenzhou, China, and he had offered him a job where he could have his family at least a little better off than in his country.

Winwin had not joined the gang since it had not been of great urgency to him; his father was the active member needed by the family, and if he were honest... the farthest he could be from the Neo Zone gang... the better. He was always Jaehyun's companion at all times. Best friends who shared every detail of their lives for years, Jaehyun took care of Sicheng, and he provided the most sincere friendship he had ever had... then, a while later, Lucas Wong and Mark Lee joined their adventures.

Four boys from Neo Zone with the desire to conquer the world, but unable to leave their sad reality behind.

Jaehyun still remembers that fateful day a year ago, and he still feels like it happened yesterday.

The guilt gnawed at him every passing day, terrorizing each of his nights as he wondered: Why?

Why did something like that have to happen to someone as good as Dong Sicheng was?

A year ago, when Jaehyun had chosen to go deliver a package of stash after Winwin had asked him to stay and keep him company, and he had denied that request... that decision still drilled into his head.

Winwin's family and he had been robbed in their own home. Knowing who had done it, the reasons for the event, and who had ordered such inhumanity, were still a mystery. When Winwin's parents along with him tried to flee the place by leaving in a car; it had not been the wisest decision they had made at the moment... because not long after, outside of Neo Zone, after the group of people who had robbed their home managed to shoot a clean shot in one of the tires of the rear part of the car, causing Winwin's father to lose control of his own vehicle and not a few meters later it would impact hard enough for the car to be shot in another direction, causing immediate damage.

Jaehyun only remembers receiving a call from Lucas and minutes later finding himself at the entrance to the Emergency Room of the General Hospital, where a stretcher with Winwin's body was being transported.

He remembers seeing the blood. He remembers hearing Lucas and Mark's screams asking to see their friend. He remembers standing still at the entrance to the Emergency Room.

But above all, he remembers thinking, what would have happened if instead of deciding to go sell that stupid package of stash, what if he had stayed at home with his mother and Sicheng?

A week in a coma and a diagnosis of paraplegia was what made Jaehyun lose his mind.

It had been a year since the accident, and Winwin had not even progressed a bit. After being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, it had been difficult to help the injury in the dorsal spine that he had suffered; the damage had been partial, Winwin could handle his movements and his sensitivity to walk again... if only he would come out of the state of shock he was still in.

There were too many things he experienced in so few minutes, so much physical and mental pain for what happened, that now, Sicheng couldn't react.

It had been a year since Sicheng hasn’t spoken.

The doctors assured that he could hear and understand everything, but he was simply mentally tired to process the words and make them come out of his mouth.

His body didn't react as it should either.

And until Winwin had the strength of his own will to do it, the only thing they could do at that clinic was to keep him on medication so that the pains would not persist.

But Jaehyun couldn't take it anymore.

What he would give for Sicheng to be able to enjoy life again.

Unfortunately, the visits he made to the hospital... didn't last more than half an hour since that was the place's regulation. So, his farewell was as quick as his arrival.

"See you on Saturday, Win," he put his hand on his shoulder. "Don't give the nurses too much trouble."

He could swear he heard Winwin laugh and say goodbye.

Even though that really didn't happen.

(Y/N), who throughout the visit remained silent observing both boys, could feel her heart in her hand. She had never believed she would see that vulnerability on Jaehyun's part, and knowing what it was about because of the importance his best friend had in his life, made her heart ache with sadness even more.

"Now I'll take you home," murmured Jaehyun when he passed by her without saying anything else.

The girl glanced back, looking for the last time at Sicheng's silhouette, who hadn't moved from the same place since they had both arrived in the room. She took a deep breath and left the room when Jaehyun was already far enough away.

She didn't know what to say. There were no words of comfort for the situation, and she knew it, that's why they both silently said goodbye to the nurse who had received them and continued like that until they entered the car, which was not parked far away.

Jaehyun allowed himself to lean back on the driver's seat as he closed his eyes and sighed heavily.

"I guess you have many questions," Jaehyun said without opening his eyes.

She had.

"I don't know if I really should ask them," (Y/N) confessed as she looked at him.

The boy remained silent for a few seconds.

"Sicheng and his parents had an accident a year ago," Jaehyun said, opening his eyes to look at her. "An accident that was caused."

"By whom?"

"No one knows," he replied, taking his hands to the steering wheel of the car and squeezing it tightly. "His parents died instantly... Winwin arrived at the hospital in critical condition; it was a miracle that he came out alive."

"Why...?"

"Why is he in this clinic?" he interrupted, and she nodded with a knot in her stomach. "The accident had a great impact and damaged on his dorsal spine; the doctors diagnosed partial paraplegia; his sensitivity in his legs was minimal, and he couldn't make any extensive movements with his legs that didn't make him cry from the pain. After seven days, he woke up from the coma and realized everything that had happened, including my uncle's death... he hasn't said a single word since then... the doctors said it would take time for him to recover, and that eventually, he would speak, but Winwin doesn't have the will to do it; he's still in a kind of state of shock, and that has delayed his recovery," he explained, unable to see her in the eyes.

"Who... who pays for all this if Sicheng's parents aren't here?" she asked curiously.

Jaehyun sighed; "For the first few months, my boss covered part of the monthly fee, until suddenly he stopped doing it. Since then, I've been taking care of it."

The girl's expression was one of surprise.

"How do you do it?"

"That’s the reason I'm in the business that I'm in," he replied, changing his gaze to her, being able to see directly into her eyes and causing her to feel a shiver run through her body.

There was something about those bruised eyes that had done something to her.

"It must be hard," the girl said in a murmur.

Jaehyun snorted and nodded slowly. He hated being seen in his less tough character. The only person he allowed himself to be like that with was Lucas... or Winwin. And for a stranger to see him like that... made his blood boil.

"You know? Winwin loved dancing," Jaehyun said, smiling sideways as the memory came to his mind.

That fact wasn't strange for (Y/N), she remembers seeing Winwin at the school theater... the only boy from Neo Zone who was part of the dance team. She didn't even know how he had managed that, but he must have been good if the Kwangya students allowed him to be in the group.

"Now nobody knows if he'll be able to do it again," Jaehyun continued. "Winwin was the only one of all of us who really had a future, he wasn't even a gang member... he hadn't even gone through his initiation, and look how he ended up."

(Y/N) swallowed.

"Mark Lee is no longer friends with you, right?" The girl asked curiously.

"Things got complicated with him after the accident."

The brunette fell silent for a moment and then shifted her body to face him.

“Haven't you thought about looking for another alternative?” she questioned again “You know? If you let me help you, maybe I could get you a position at my father's company and...”

“Shh. I think I've told you it's not that easy.”

“ But it could be” she insisted.

Jaehyun scoffed and shook his head as he looked away from her.

“I not only have to cover this quota, I also have to bring money home, for my mom and for Jeno. It's the easiest way to get what I need” he confessed “besides, I told you once... in Neo Zone there's no way out, once you're in, you're in forever.”

The tattoos on his neck were what sentenced him to a miserable life forever.

But as long as that miserable life helped to ease the pain and managed to make Sicheng return to who he was, it would be worth it.

“It doesn't have to be like this” she murmured, focusing on her own hands.

"You don't know what it's like to be part of this," he countered in a low voice.

How had they opened up to have such a conversation so suddenly?

The girl felt her lip tremble as she remembered the scene she had witnessed minutes earlier in that room, and she couldn't help but think about how it would feel to lose a loved one in such a way... knowing that physically they were present, but mentally they weren't there.

(Y/N) had always had a heart easy to move, but she really never believed that Jung Jaehyun would be able to achieve that.

"Is that why you insist on continuing school?" she asked, looking at him again.

"Students are my best clients," he replied with a half smile.

(Y/N) didn't know how to take that.

She closed her eyes for a moment and then said, "I can help you with a few more assignments," she assured. "But only for a while and in my own way. But, I don't want you to involve me in any of the problems you're in, it will only be school matters. I don't want to be associated with anything you do, if anything you do is enough to help Sicheng, I'll try not to question it."

Jaehyun couldn't believe what he had just heard.

"If that helps you help me and me stay in school..." he paused "...I might be willing."

"What's the reason for your change of heart?"

"Because if I were in the same situation as you, I would also want someone to somehow help me," she replied, hugging herself.

The boy nodded with a half-smile, and without further ado, he started the car.

"Only school matters," Jaehyun confirmed.

She definitely didn't know what he had just gotten himself into.

______________________________________________

The day after the visit to the National Rehabilitation Center, something happened that made (Y/N) unable to concentrate enough during class hours. Her mind kept going back to the place over and over again, but how horrible was the situation the boy was in. One day you're capable, and the next... not even being able to move. How could anyone endure that?

At some point in the morning, during the physics period, her mind was spinning, her leg moving anxiously, and she bit her lips. She tried to erase the conversation she and Jaehyun had had the day before a thousand times and tried to erase the image of Winwin in that room.

But it was impossible.

Just when she thought she had succeeded, the image returned immediately.

She hated being someone who cared too much about things.

Because she knew something wasn't right with her when she found herself in front of the doors of the Rehabilitation Center.

Her coat shielded her from the cold breeze on that day, and as she clutched her bag to her, she didn't think anymore and entered the place.

She felt a little out of place when she entered the center, but after a few minutes, a presence came in front of her.

"Hello, good morning," the nurse greeted her. "Oh, you're the girl who accompanied Jaehyun yesterday, right?" She asked in confusion.

The girl smiled and nodded. "Yes, I'm Hwang (Y/N). I'm Jaehyun's classmate... and Winwin's."

"How nice of you to visit us... are you here to see Winwin? It's rare to see someone come for him other than Lucas or Jaehyun," confessed the nurse.

"Um, yes... I could say I'm here for a visit," the girl smiled. "But, to be honest... yesterday I overheard a bit of his conversation with Jaehyun... I know Winwin's payment is delayed this month."

"Yes, usually Jaehyun finds a way to pay on time," she sighed. "But this month it's been delayed for a few weeks, and if I'm honest, I've been doing everything I can to keep Winwin from being discharged."

The girl nodded and asked, "Do you think Winwin's treatment will still take time?"

"I can't answer that accurately," admitted the nurse. "It's all a matter of Winwin's will, but to be honest, right now he has no will at all, so far as we're concerned, and if the payment continues to be monthly... he could spend another half a year here."

The girl understood the situation, and although she would like to think more about it... she didn't, so she didn't even know when she blurted out those words: "Is there any way I can pay for the next six months?"

The nurse's eyes widened with surprise, and she looked at the girl with enthusiasm. "Are you serious?"

"Yes," she replied. "I would like to help one of my classmates as long as I can. Money is not a problem," she confessed.

"Wow... thank you, i really appreciate that. Winwin is a boy with a lot of potential from what we know, and although we're sad that we haven't made the progress we want, we know that someday he will leave through that door better," (Y/N) smiled nostalgically.

"I just need to ask you something," the brunette confessed. "Could you not tell Jaehyun that I've paid?" she questioned.

"I don't know if it's easy to lie to someone like Jaehyun," the nurse laughed. "But since it's something good you've done... I'll try," the nurse walked to the desk with (Y/N) behind her. "(Y/N)?" She called and paid attention. "I know there may be many things about Jaehyun... but he's a good guy... beneath all that facade; he really has something good."

Those words hammered in her head. "Thank you."

_____________________________________________

(Y/N) reviewed the same line of text she had read five times now on some molasses topic. Trying to understand the topic deeply.

The air coming lightly through one of the library windows was enough for her to try to hug herself to take warmth, read a bit from the physics books on the table, and impatiently move her leg.

She didn't know at what exact moment a tall figure stood in front of her, but what she did know was that that person didn't seem very happy.

"Why did you do it?" Jaehyun let out while looking directly at her.

"I don't know what you're talking about," (Y/N) replied while looking at her book attentively.

"I know you know. I thought I told you I don't need your money," Jaehyun repeated with annoyance.

"I still don't know what you're talking about," the girl stopped seeing her book and changed her gaze to the boy.

"Don't play with me," the boy exclaimed exasperatedly. "Why did I went to the center today and they told me Winwin's treatment has been paid for the next six months?"

The girl shrugged. "It could have been your boss."

"My boss doesn't give a shit about Winwin!" Exclaimed the boy. "I told you I didn't need your money, I was clear, I don't want to owe anything to anyone from Kwangya."

"You don't need to pay me back," the girl assured, standing up in front of Jaehyun. "With the money you'll save from that, you'll be able to sell less."

"It seems you don't understand a fucking thing!" Jaehyun raised your arms with annoyance. "Paying or not paying for Sicheng's treatment, it doesn't change the fact that I sell drugs!" The boy explained regardless of where they were; they were lucky the library wasn't being occupied by other people.

"Everyone starts somewhere!" the girl attacked. "I just wanted to take a weight off your shoulders."

Jaehyun scoffed and looked at her with a sarcastic smile.

"Why? I don't need your pity! If you hadn't accompanied me yesterday, you'd still be thinking Winwin had moved to China! You didn't give a fucking damn even when he was your classmate!"

(Y/N) started gathering her things and putting them in her backpack.

"Saying thank you would have been enough, Jaehyun!" the girl remarked. "I know you can do better with your life," she murmured as she turned to look at him.

Jaehyun's blood was boiling; he hated when people interfered in his life, as if he didn't already have enough to deal with.

"You don't know anything about me! You said it yourself; we're not even friends," he retorted.

"And what if I want to get to know you better?" the girl exclaimed without thinking. They both fell silent, staring into each other's eyes. (Y/N) didn't even want to say those words, but she did.

She couldn't deny that Jung Jaehyun was intriguing. She didn't know why. She didn't know why she had been avoiding him for weeks, but since that night at Neo Zone, when they had talked about the deal, she knew it would be difficult to shake him off, and when she had... something inside her wanted them to meet again. Why are things so difficult? They are two different people from different backgrounds; why would she suddenly be interested in him? Was it because she saw him vulnerable the day before? Or was it because she believed there was something good in him, just like the nurse had said?

She must be crazy to think like that.

"You really don't want to do it," Jaehyun said with a bit more calmness.

"I know you can get out out of that hole, Jaehyun."

"Winwin's parents tried, and look how that ended up!" he exclaimed. "There's no way out in Neo Zone, get that through your head," he explained. "There's nothing good about me. I don't even know why you think so, just because yesterday you saw something different or because I drove you home a couple of times, doesn't mean you know everything about me!"

"Stop acting like a fucking jerk."

"Like a jerk? This is reality! Your act of charity isn't going to change my life. I was born a dealer, and that's how my life will end!"

"I really believe there's something good in you."

"Well, keep believing it."

"If you ever feel grateful, you know where to find me," the girl said, gathering her things and walking out of the library.

Jaehyun cursed under his breath and shook his hands in frustration. In just a few days, the girl had managed to push his buttons faster than anyone else from Neo Zone.

But when he saw her walk out the door, why did he feel regret for lashing out at her?

_______________________________________________

The week had been slow this time. (Y/N) and Jaehyun had been avoiding each other like the plague, not even looking at each other when they crossed paths in the hallway. For the girl, it seemed like childish behavior, especially coming from Jaehyun and his usual façade; now he seemed nothing more than someone throwing a tantrum after she only wanted to help him.

But she still thought she really wanted to get to know him better.

What was behind his façade? What was it that made him who he was? Not the boy from Neo Zone, not the dealer everyone knew... who was Jeong Jaehyun really?

That question had been on her mind for weeks, and it disappointed her a bit to know that she might never know the answers to those doubts she had about the boy.

Today was warm compared to the weather last week. The sun was shining brightly, and luckily for (Y/N), her mother had decided to return her car. So her day had started off on the right foot, and hoping for a good day, she took the opportunity to stop by her favorite coffee shop in Kwangya. Ordering her usual vanilla latte and just before it was time to pay, a thought invaded her mind, and after debating it internally, she decided to follow her thoughts.

An hour and a half later, when she was the last one to leave her physics class, someone blocked her path at the classroom door. Holding her book to her chest, after the unexpected startle, she looked ahead to find no one but Jaehyun. Who stood silently in front of her, with the same leather jacket he used to wear, the same combination of marijuana and vanilla scent, and with the same enchanting eyes, that she had just noticed.

She was in dangerous territory.

And she knew it.

"I need to go to my next class, Jaehyun," the girl said shortly.

For a few seconds, the boy in front of her didn't say anything, he just watched her, until he sighed and slowly said, "Thank you."

Short and to the point, he didn't say anything else, and that was enough to make (Y/N)'s heart flutter in a thousand ways.

"For the coffee," the boy finished. "And for the notes."

"I did my part, I told you I would help you," said (Y/N) as she fiddled with her fingers.

"I thought you wouldn't after the last time we met," Jaehyun confessed.

"I'm sticking to that."

A small silence ensued. Two people face to face. With thousands of doubts between them and things to resolve. What had drawn them together? How was it that the universe managed to put two completely different people in the same place?

"Did you mean it?" Jaehyun asked, and when he noticed that (Y/N) didn't understand what he meant, he continued. "About wanting to get to know me more."

(Y/N) swallowed hard and looking him in the eyes, nodded.

"I still believe there's something good in you."

"Why?"

"I don't know yet," she replied honestly. "And it's killing me. A while ago, I wouldn't have wanted anything to do with you, not even to cross paths, but now, I don't know what's changed, but every time I try to stay away, it's like something brings me back here," she confessed, leaving Jaehyun speechless, who just watched her, trying to decipher everything she was saying.

It was killing him too.

"Let's go to my car," he said.

"Huh?" she asked, confused.

"You want to know more about me, then get in my car," he said again, this time making his way to the parking lot, with (Y/N) behind him, who didn't say a single word, just followed his lead.

What was he doing?

When they reached the car, Jaehyun opened the passenger door, causing (Y/N) to get in without protesting. Then Jaehyun got into the driver's seat and without further ado, started the engine. She didn't know what was happening or what would happen next, but right now she could only trust Jaehyun.

Even though she didn't know how bad an idea that might be.

A few minutes later, as they had traveled a long distance, (Y/N) noticed they were approaching Neo Zone, and with her eyes wide open, she panicked.

"This is me," Jaehyun said out of nowhere, catching the girl's attention. "See all these streets? This is where I belong. This is what I am," he explained carefully.

(Y/N) looked out the window, a couple of people smoking on the sidewalk, others passing joints, and other silent streets. The houses weren't that big... rather, they looked cramped. Unlike what she was used to, to her lifestyle, this didn't seem like it would be enough for a family.

But what did she know with the privilege she had?

"I grew up here, this is what I know," he commented. "Most people are born and die here, it's something that seems to be already written," he continued as his car slowed down. "Those of us from here have a different perspective on life... people from Kwangya lives for the money... we live to survive, and although it's getting harder and harder, we manage to do it," the car finally stopped, and still looking out the window, (Y/N) saw a small house in front of them. One story, not much to describe or point out, it was small but for some reason, it looked cozy.

(Y/N) changed her gaze to Jaehyun, who was still looking ahead and spoke.

"Is this your house?"

Jaehyun nodded.

(Y/N) smiled softly.

"Would you invite me in?"

______________________________________________

He doesn't know how (Y/N) managed to have an effect on him, but now they were there, inside his little house, (Y/N) carefully examining the walls around them and analyzing every aspect of the small space.

He was grateful there were no one at home.

"It looks cozy," (Y/N) said as she looked at one of the frames hanging on the wall.

"I guess it's not even a third of your house," Jaehyun assured to (Y/N).

“And no matter how many people are there, it always feels lonely," she confessed. "It's like no one leaves anything there, like it's something unimportant. As if it's not a home," she finished.

Jaehyun looked at her gently, and as she looked around, thousands of things went through his mind.

"To be honest with you," the girl spoke. "I see more vibes from Jeno in this house than yours," she said. "Many things here seem related to Jeno... but I don't see many things related to you..." she continued. "It's like you don't even think about staying here for long."

"I don't plan on leaving Neo Zone," Jaehyun asserted, crossing his arms.

"Don't you want a different future?"

"There's no future for me," Jaehyun pointed out. "And if there were, I'd prefer to give it to Jeno. He has much more to live for than I do."

"You also have a life to live. A future to write, you can change what is today, for something better," (Y/N) turned around to face the boy.

"I have no way out," the boy replied. "Do you think this is easy? After seeing my dad die and doing everything my bosses ask me to do no matter what. Taking care of my mom, Jeno, and now Winwin? Huh? Making sure Winwin becomes who he was again and that my brother doesn't end up being a fucking addict are enough reasons for me not to leave here," Jaehyun concluded, getting dangerously close to her, with a few centimeters separating them.

The words echoed in her head strongly.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Don't pity me," Jaehyun said under his breath.

"It's not that. It's just that every time I think about all this and now that I see your place and I don't see anything that seems to belong to you, it makes me think that's what you're looking for, to belong to something and leave here as soon as there's an opportunity,"

Jaehyun looked directly at her, not knowing what to say. And afraid to think that maybe she was right.

Because yes, maybe he wanted to get out of there, along with his mom, Jeno, and Winwin; maybe he wanted to do something with his life that wasn't illegal, but what was the point of thinking about it when he knew he wouldn't make it? He was afraid to admit that he wanted to be able to change things, to be able to make his family okay, that no shadow from the past would follow them, that they would have a place where they could forge a clean and safe future.

"This has never been about what I want," Jaehyun commented with a future. "Since I was born, everything around me was the gang. After my father's death, I knew what was coming, and I knew I would never be able to get out of it. It doesn’t matter what I want. It matter what my boss wants, he has that kind of power, no one below him has their own decision. The whole life of Neo Zone is ruled by him," he concluded, even closer to her.

(Y/N) looked him in the eyes, her breath uncontrolled. Her chest heaved, and her hands were sweating.

"What do you want, Jaehyun?" she whispered.

The boy paused for a moment and looked at her lips.

"Now?" he asked, and she nodded. "Would it be unrealistic to say that I want to kiss you?"

"How realistic would it be to say that I want you to do it?

She didn't even finish the question because Jaehyun's lips collided firmly with hers. The boy's long hands slid through (Y/N)'s soft hair, her hair smelling of lavender shampoo. He gently covered her cheek with one of his rough hands, and she melted into the touch.

It wasn't a hurried kiss, as (Y/N) thought it would be; actually, Jaehyun was taking the time to savor every passing second. As if this moment would disappear at any minute and he wanted to hold onto it.

Was he looking for something to belong to?

His hand moved from her cheek to her waist, and she took the opportunity to press her body against his and release a moan of pleasure. As if she felt complete leaning against Jaehyun's warmth.

As if it was something they both longed for for a long time.

And even though she wanted to continue with the act, they were severely interrupted when a car horn sounded incessantly outside the house, causing them to separate with tremendous confusion. (Y/N)'s red cheeks were enough to make Jaehyun's heart race, but when he heard another horn, he took her hand and they walked outside in hurry.

And then, there was Jeno, being thrown out of the back of a car, blood streaming from a cut on his eyebrow, bruises scattered all over his body, and falling firmly to the ground after being thrown.

"I want this to be the last time your brother sets foot in our zone. Next time it won't be him we throw," the familiar voice of a boy from the opposing gang spoke up. Chris. Who was with the window down and smiling maliciously. "Neither will it be you, Jung. It will be the girl who will end up like this,"

Jaehyun moved abruptly from his place to try to reach the car, but it left as fast as it could, (Y/N) shocked to hear those words, didn't do anything more than approach Jeno to help him up. Then Jaehyun cursed under his breath and looked into the distance at the girl and her brother together.

And his chest tightened as he realized that now, she too had been involved.

And he believed there was no turning back, because she was right... Jaehyun wanted to belong to something.

But how selfish would it be to belong to (Y/N)?

a/n: well now you know what happened to Winwin TT. Once again I’m sorry if this took too long I promise I’ll try to update sooner this time!

taglist is open! if you want to be added just lemme know;)

taglist: @spicyryujin @kriizztin @daegalismybiasinnct @peachfulnight @gojoscumslut @bluedbliss @dear-97 @girlwholoveslpreppyattire @hana-off-icial @cigarettesafterjae

[freyaphoria]

hello! (⁠ㆁ⁠ω⁠ㆁ⁠) i was wondering if you can make a hyung line version of this work of yours!

> https://www.tumblr.com/freyaphoria/751539404924960768/hello-i-was-wondering-can-you-do-a-yandere-maknae?source=share

thank you and have a great day~

Hi! I sent the draft by mistake, I hope you didn't see it, I'm soooooo embarrassed :,) Anyways, anon🔮 also asked this question, but since I deleted the post I sent, the question was also deleted TT I hope you both like it♡

Yandere Ateez: When their s/o starts showing affection

(Hyung Line)

maknae line

tw: knife, being drugged mentioned but not happened, stockholm syndrome, cat!:3, manipulative hwa >:(

Hongjoong

Hongjoong and his seasonal allergies... He would definitely get sick at the slightest change of season. You were both used to this situation.

While Hongjoong was coughing at the top of his lungs, you looked at him from the corner of the living room door. His habit of not being able to take care of himself would prolong his illness for at least 1 month.

You didn't want to worry about him. He was nobody to you other than the one who is obsessed with you. So why were your feet heading towards the kitchen to make some hot tea that would soothe his throat?

Normally he wouldn't let you into the kitchen. If you did, he would never let you get close to knives or sharp objects. It was a very strict rule that he made once you tried to stab him. Because of the punishment you received, you took the teapot without even coming 2 meters away from the drawer where the knives were kept. You put various herbs in the teapot and started brewing them in water, just like your mother used to do for you when you were sick. You looked into the fire burning on the stove and thought about your mother; you wonder what she's doing now? Did she ever think that your ex-boyfriend had captured you and imprisoned you in a house in the middle of nowhere, or does she think you abandoned her and ran away? Or does she think you're dead?

What broke you from your thoughts was the sound of Hongjoong sniffling as he looked at you from the kitchen door. "What are you doing here alone?" Even though he was sick, Hongjoong was still the same Hongjoong: scary. With panic, you walked in front of the stove and tried to hide what you were doing. "How many times have I told you not to turn on the stove when I'm not there? Why don't you listen? What are you doing!?" When he grabbed you by the arm and pulled you aside, he saw the herbal tea boiling on the stove. "What is this? For whom?" "For you..." You answered weakly,afraid of his tone. "Huh? For me? Why? What did you put in it? Princess, remember the last time you tried to poison me, you failed." You suddenly interrupted him. "No! Not like that this time. I swear. You were coughing and I thought tea would soothe your throat." Hongjoong stood frozen, looking from you to the tea on the stove. You hadn't treated him like this since you broke up. He was emotional, but he hid it so as not to show you his weakness. He turned off the stove and kissed your forehead. Even though he was still suspicious of you and wasn't going to drink the tea, he thanked you. "Thank you my princess."

Seonghwa

You didn't think it would be this dark outside when you opened the front door. The cold air hit your face and ruffled the thin satin dress you were wearing. Freedom was beautiful. But what were you going to do? Living alone was already difficult; On top of that, classes and work stress made it unbearable. Here, Seonghwa provided everything for you, he prepared excellent meals, you could read the books you wanted, and he loved you.

You closed the door and went inside. You quietly walked up the stairs and quietly entered the room that you shared together. You jumped when you saw Seonghwa standing and looking at you.

"Go away. Leave me like the others. What are you waiting for? I didn't lock the door." manipulative bastard. His eyes were filled with fake tears. You quickly went to him and hugged him. "I won't let you go. I decided it was better here." You said, showing Seonghwa's heart with your index finger. While Seonghwa was happy that you were finally showing affection to him and manipulating you, and you were sleepy in his warmth as he stroked your hair.

Yunho

"I'm sure it was just a cat. Can you let go of my arm, tiny?" You screamed when you heard different sounds from the other corner of the basement at 3 a.m., and Yunho literally teleported to you 5 seconds later. "No! It is not a cat!" You were trying to speak out of breath. Being imprisoned in the basement for days had damaged your psychology, and Yunho was very sure of it now. "Let go of my arm and let me look." You slowly let go of Yunho's arm and pulled the duvet from your floor bed over your face like a shield. Yunho went fearlessly and started looking among the cardboard boxes in the corner. You were surprised at how he could see so well in the dark.

Yunho let out a laugh and bent down and picked up the poor cat that was cowering in the corner in fear. "Are you really scared of this little thing?" You let out a sigh of relief as the cat let out a weak meowing sound. Yunho walked over to you with the cat and sat on your bed. "You scared the hell out of me kitty! Thank you Yunho, without you I would have gone crazy until the morning." This was the first time Yunho heard you thank him. You laid your head on his arm and petted the cat on his lap. She's finally starting to love me , he thought. Yunho's heart was pounding like it was going to explode.

"Yunho? Are you going to let the cat outside?" The frightened cat in his arms reminded him of you: Small, cute and timid. "She can stay with us if you want. What do you say? What should we name her?" "Maybe... Tiny?" He chuckled and shook his head. "No. Tiny is your name. I wouldn't call anyone else by your name, not even a cat."

Yeosang

You didn't know anything about Yeosang when he kidnapped you. He was your secret admirer. You even learned his name once during a phone conversation when the man on the other end called him by his name and you heard it even though the phone was on low volume. You were so hostile to him that you didn't want to know anything about him anyway.

Everything changed in one morning. You didn't know if he gave you a drug or if you started to get crazy and started to feel attracted to him, but suddenly you started paying more attention to his face. You were sitting on the chair of the table while he prepared breakfast for you. Normally you would look at the ground with your head down. But this morning you were looking at his face. His face was incredibly flawless, you thought. Like a statue, all facial features are proportional to each other and carefully placed. When he approached you and placed the plate in front of you, his hair came in front of his face and his birthmark was revealed.

His birthmark looked as red as a rose as the morning light hit his face. You didn't control your hands; Suddenly, your hand went to his face, the birthmark at the corner of his eye, and you touched it gently. He must have definitely drugged you. There is no other way to explain the fact that you caressed the face of the man you once hated and never looked at. Or was this what stockholm syndrome was called?

"What are you doing my dear?" He was trying to hide his shock. He would never show you his feelings. "Has this always been here?" You mentioned his birthmark. He chuckled at you and held your hand. "Yes, like my love for you, it was with me every moment of my life."

a/n: My finals have started and I may not be able to return to your requests for a while (about 2 weeks). Normally I would write this after 2 weeks, but whatever. Feel free to give me suggestions! I hope you will like it. Love u all!♡

[ramblers-lets-get-ramblin]

I’m confused about the app thing. I currently use Speechify to listen to fanfiction for accessibility reasons. It’s not uploaded and published anywhere for anyone else to access. I listen to it privately and it’s stored on my phone until I delete them when I’m finished. I still leave kudos and comments on AO3 and reblog fics on Tumblr. I took a look at the TikTok page and she said it does not host peoples work publicly, that it’s just a text to speech app that you can use to listen to fanfiction. It sounds like essentially the same thing I do now. There are also already lots of other existing apps/programs/websites that do the exact same thing. We all have text to speech we can use in the accessibility features on our phone right now. I have a disability and would not physically be able to read the amount that I currently do without text to speech technology. I feel like I’m missing something? I don’t understand what the issue is.

the main issue is not the TTS feature of the app.

per lore.fm Terms of Service they have the right to "utilize, retain and share" anything that is uploaded to their app.

They also have the right to make "unauthorized alterations to any content uploaded"

So this means that anyone with a registered ao3 account can go to my profile and download any of my works and upload them to this app. that user is innocently thinking that this app will do nothing more than read the text aloud to them. But by them uploading my work to this app they are giving the app permission to share and alter my hard work.

The creator of this app has been linked to several other apps including one that uses AI software to generate self-insert stories.

By someone uploading my work to this app they are giving the app permission to share my work, which includes feeding it into the AI software of the other apps owned by the parent company.

Beyond all of that, the only way to deny permission for your work to be used is to send the company an email opting out. but again, anyone with a registered ao3 account can download a pdf or epub of my fic and upload it to this app.

i wouldn't have an issue with this if it were in partnership with ao3 perhaps, or a browser extension or something like that. but this app is touted as being completely free and also ad free. the money for that has to come from somewhere and this creator being linked to shady AI apps makes me very suspicious of their motivations. I believe that I, as the writer, have the right to say how and where my work is used. I don't like the fact that someone else is able to give permission for my hard work to be shared or altered.

i don't like the fact that fic writers are increasingly seen as "content producers" and people are constantly trying to profit off of our hard work even though we legally cannot. we don't create fanworks to profit we create them out of love for the fandom and to foster community.

i would love for fic to be accessible for everyone and I would be supportive of something similar to this if it weren't tied to other AI story generating apps and perhaps made by someone within our community that would have the desire to maintain the integrity necessary to operate in accordance with the legal gray area that fanworks exist in.

i hope this helps explain why people are upset. I can guarantee you it is not because they don't want their work to be accessible to everyone!

[milaisreading]

Hi, is your request open? If so can I please request something like the bllk boys didn't know it's CD!YN's birthday because they're too engrossed on practicing and they just find out because Ego-san greeted her in the middle of lecturing them.

-Please excuse my grammar, English is not my first language TT

-also it's my birthday today so I gathered my courage to request for the first time to indulge myself (⁠^⁠～⁠^⁠;⁠)⁠ゞ

Have a greet day!

🌱🩷: HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE ASK! I feel honored to write this then. Hope you like it and hope you are having a great birthday, and getting a lot of presents 🥰❤️

Warnings: Reader uses she/her. In the story the boys will be using he/him when addressing Yn. Requests for this series are open.

⚽️Blue Lock belongs to Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yusuke Nomura⚽️

Ever since (Y/n) became the captain of the rowdy team known as Blue Lock, her life changed a lot. Whether it was for the better or for worse, she didn't know. Maybe someday she will be able to judge it better, but for now she barely had any time to sit down and think this through. With how chaotic everyone was, the JFA gave her a clear warning:

'Make sure they behave during interviews and on TV. Their behavior is a reflection of you as a captain. It is also a reflection of Japan to the world. Don't tarnish it.'

Back then she wanted to say a lot of colorful words to the old men, and she still does, but now she had little to no energy to do that. In fact, she completely forgot what day was when thanks to how hectic everything became. And just like that December 24th came, which is also (Y/n)'s birthday.

While the outside, aka fans and general public saw some ads and public congratulations for the player's birthday, the girl and other Blue Lock players stayed blissfully unaware of everything.

"Here." (Y/n) sighed as she offered some salmon on her chopsticks to Bachira. Grinning, the boy took a bite, smiling in victory as he received death stares from everyone else.

"Bachira, you can eat on your own." Isagi rolled his eyes and looked back at (Y/n), speaking more softly now.

"Please, eat your own food. You look like you need some."

"Huh... oh, I don't mind, Isagi. I need to make sure you guys are healthy." (Y/n) smiled weakly, feeling way too tired to say more.

"(Y/n), feed me too. Feed me, too!" Nagi begged, tugging on her sleeve.

"Oh, sure-"

"Nagi, you have your own hands and chopsticks. Let (Y/n) eat his own food." Reo warned from the girl's left side as Nagi pouted.

"Please~" The albino gave (Y/n) some puppy eyes, and before she could agree, a tray was put between her and Nagi's face.

"Huh?" She looked at the person who did it, only to find Barou glaring at her classmate.

"Eat on your own. And you, eat something, now. Let Bachira eat on his own."

"But I don't want to-" Before Bachira could finish, Gagamaru shoved a pastry into the boy's mouth.

"I will feed him instead. You eat something." Gagamaru said as he grabbed a displeased Bachira's shoulders.

"Yeah, let us handle it." Isagi agreed.

"But-"

They are right. You should eat something. I didn't see you during breakfast today." Karasu said from the table next to them.

"What?! Why did you miss out on breakfast?" Rin yelled in worry, and (Y/n) gulped as she felt Reo and Barou glare at her.

"I didn't feel like eating this morning." She excused herself.

'I had to prepare everything for an upcoming interview.' She wanted to say, but couldn't bring herself to burden them with it.

"Not feeling like eating? You? I have a hard time believing that." Otoya said suspiciously.

Yukimiya sighed and took his plate of food, walked over to (Y/n) and put the plate in front of her.

"What?" She asked the boy.

"Have my food, too. It can't bring you any good to miss out on food."

"Uh..."

Reo frantically nodded his head.

"Have mine too."

"You should have something high in protein, (Y/n)." Hiori agreed.

"Take my tofu, too."

"I can give you some of my veggies as well. They are sweet-sour." Niko added on.

"No, guys. It's fine. Please eat. It's more important that you all are full and-"

"It's also important that the captain isn't hungry, (Y/n)." Kunigami said, putting a hand on her head.

'Where did he come from?!' She thought in surprise.

"Seriously, I am fine-"

"That pale face says otherwise. I should give you a nice skin care day, (Y/n)! A nice Vitamin C mask does wonders~" Aryu added in, causing (Y/n) to raise an eyebrow.

"I am really fine, Aryu. Please, focus on yourselves. We can't have you tired-"

"We-we can't have you faint on the field, (Y/n)! P-please listen to us!" Tokimitsu interjected, clearly worried over the girl's health.

"Yes! You are important for the team, too!" Kurona added in.

'I am? I am just the captain... a babysitter if you will...' Well, at least that's what she was made to feel by the JFA.

"Here! I was given this new nutritious shake to try. It's good for the bones." Chigiri said, handing her the pinkish drink.

"Uh... this is your-"

"Eat!"

"And drink that!"

"You should really get some rest after, too."

"My pillow is very soft, I will give it to you."

"I will carry you to your room."

"Hold up! Hold up, everyone!"

(Y/n) grew a little overwhelmed, but thankfully everything stopped once Ego's voice appeared.

"What is this ruckus?!" Everyone stopped and looked at the screen that was showing the confused adult. Gulping, (Y/n) put her utensils down and got up.

"I am so sorry, Ego-san. This one is my fault-"

"Silence. I know it's not. And don't put all the blame on yourself." (Y/n) shut up and looked at Ego silently, the boys watching the interaction in confusion.

"Besides, why aren't you resting today?"

"Uh... The JFA-"

"Forget what those old farts said, I told you to rest today."

"Are you sure?" (Y/n) asked, unsure if she should listen. On one hand she had Ego, and on the other she had the duty to keep everything in line, for the country.

"Yes, besides, it's your birthday. Go and rest."

"Bitthday?! You never told us it's your birthday today!" The team yelled in unison, causing (Y/n) to flinch a little.

"I myself forgot... if I can be honest." (Y/n) blushed as Ego sighed.

"Go. Sleep. Now. I will deal with the JFA. The rest of you stay and finish your lunch."

Ego ordered as the room fell silent.

'Ego... will handle it.' The girl slowly nodded her head and walked out of the cafeteria as everyone watched her silently.

Once she was away, and out of earshot, Ego spoke up again.

"So... you guys want to take part in a surprise party Anri and I are preparing?"

"Hell yeah!"

"Of course!"

"Party for (Y/n)! Yes!" The team agreed, eagerly waiting for what Ego will say next.

Walking back into her and Rin's room, the girl sighed and plopped herself on her bed, cuddling into the pillow.

'Ego-san will handle it. I can rest for now.' As if a weight got lifted of off her, (Y/n) sighed in relief and started to drift into a slumber. Feeling more carefree now.

Once Ego finished instructing everyone what they should do, he turned off his camera and looked back at Anri.

"Is everything ready?"

Happily, Anri nodded her head and went through the list.

"All the ingredients and instructions are set for Isagi, Barou, and Rin. The meat, veggies, sauces, and spices for the katsu are there for Kunigami, Hiori, and Yukimiya. Bachira, Niko, and Karasu will get the balloons and decorations to prepare. Sanrio themed ones are so hard to find during Christmas, especially of that pink sheep." Anri commented as Ego nodded from time to time.

"Nagi, Reo, Kurona, and Aryu have the wrapping paper set for the presents. And lastly, Tokimitsu, Gagamaru, Chigiri, and Otoya will clean up and prepare the cafeteria. In case (Y/n) wakes up earlier than expected, I will try to distract her till everything is done."

"Ok. Everything is under control then. I will leave now." Ego announced as Anri finished her talk, causing the woman to raise an eyebrow.

"Go? Where to?"

"To talk with the JFA. Nobody treats my players like they are some no-name babysitters."

As the day went on, (Y/n) slept peacefully while the boys were moving fast to cook, bake and set everything up for the party. Anri was watching over everything, in case they needed help in the kitchen, while also keeping an eye on the monitor showing the door to (Y/n) and Rin's room.

6 hours later...

By now it was 8 PM and (Y/n) slowly opened her eyes, and sat up on her bed as she stretched.

"I feel so much better now. What time is it even?" She mumbled blinking the sleep away to look at her clock.

"8 pm... already? I slept for so long?"

She said in surprise and then looked at Rin's bed.

"Rin isn't here yet... maybe they are practicing still. I will go and join them." (Y/n) said, getting up from her bed, but before she could move more, a knock was heard.

"Huh? Yes?" She called out.

"Oh! Good, you are awake!" Otoya's voice was heard and the door opened, only for (Y/n) to see the said boy and Bachira.

"Hi, guys? Sorry for missing practice today, I will join-"

"No,no. We aren't practicing today. Come with us, Ego-san told us to get you."

Bachira and Otoya walked over to the confused girl, grabbing each of her arms and dragged her out of the room.

"Ha? Did something happen?"

"Nope!" The two said, sending each other secretive smiles.

'What did I miss?' She raised an eyebrow.

"We are here! We are here!" Bachira said happily as Otoya hummed along. (Y/n) grew even more unnerved now as she sniffed the air a little.

'Am I crazy? Why does it smell like Katsu?' She thought.

"Open the door~" The duo said.

"Are you guys pulling a prank on me?" (Y/n) asked in confusion.

"No!"

"Please, just open the door." Bachira and Otoya answered. Reluctantly, (Y/n) nodded her head and walked closer to the door, slowly opening it.

"Happy birthday!"

"There you are! We were worried you won't wake up till tomorrow!"

"Happy birthday, (Y/n)! Hope you like everything!"

(Y/n) blinked in surprise as Otoya gently pushed her into the room. Flabbergasted, the girl looked around the room, now decorated with different balloons.

'Oh... Sweet Piano balloons! How did they find them?! They are so hard to find.' (Y/n) thought, blushing in excitement as she saw them. The players silently, and anxiously, watched the girl inspect everything.

"Huh..." (Y/n) muttered, eyes widening in amazement as she saw the cake, decorated with the pink sheep.

'Not even my parents did this for me...' (Y/n) thought, feeling her eyes water up a little.

The boys watched in panic as tears started to stream down the girl's face.

"Ah?! Did we mess something up?" Gagamaru asked in worry.

"I don't know!" Hiori said back as Isagi went to hand her a napkin, which (Y/n) gladly took it to wipe her tears away.

"We... we are sorry..." Rin said awkwardly.

"Did I mess up the decorations on the cake?" Barou looked over the cake.

"I think it's my fault. The balloons look a little deflated." Niko gulped.

"Maybe we should have done a better job on them." Karasu muttered nervously as Bachira and he glanced at each other.

"I swear I made sure the katsu doesn't burn." Yukimiya flinched.

"Did I mess up the salad?" Kunigami bit his fingernail in worry.

"You... you guys did everything amazing! Thank you so much!" (Y/n) finally busted out, hugging Isagi, who was the closest to her. Isagi tensed up and blushed a scarlet red, but hugged her back anyways.

"You are the greatest team ever!" (Y/n) announced with a huge smile, causing their worries to lift, and smiles to appear on their faces.

"Happy to hear that..." Nagi sighed in relief, but tugged on her shirt.

"Huh?" She looked over at the boy, still hugging Isagi.

"I want a hug, too."

"Me too! Me too!" Kurona nodded, running up to her, followed by Gagamaru and Tokimitsu.

"Me as well. Please."

"Me-me too, if you don't mind." Slowly, the other guys joined in on the asked and (Y/n) couldn't help but laugh softly.

'These guys are the best.'

[hyperref-lex-ia]

Things you can’t do when you’re mute (partially for the pnf community partially cause i was just thinkin about it):

- Phone calls (yes they have TTS apps that can do this but a) they cost money to remove ads that physically interrupt you and b) people are stupid sometimes and constantly ask if you’re still there even when you introduce with the fact that you’re mute and to give you time to type)

- Fast food drive throughs

- Communicating while carrying things

- Communicating while driving (unless you are with someone who can understand sign/one handed sign)

- Asking people if they need help quickly without stopping them and having them wait for you to type

BONUS, doable things that are just kind of annoying:

- Paying for gas with cash

- Buying things at a register instead of self checkout

- Really just paying for anything in cash

- People acting like I am deaf when I am actively listening to music with large over the ear headphones loudly and having to point to my ears and do a thumbs up (this usually get the point across)

BONUS TWO, things that are cool that have happened to me:

- A hispanic guy (this is relevant) came up to me at a gas station who had seen me paying for gas inside and I guess heard me blasting my music and started speaking to me in spanish. I understand enough spanish that i was able to get that he was asking if i was mute, then he asked if i understood spanish and i shook my head, and he switched to english and started telling me about a seminar he went to on mutism. He was very sweet and it made my day

- The woman who is always working at the panda express I frequent at my school learned how to say a few things in sign presumably because I go there a LOT

- A little girl at the summer camp I went to who connected with me heard another kid ask me why I was using my phone to speak and said loudly “Some people can’t hear and some people can’t speak its a disability”

- Another little girl at the same camp kept running out into the hallway and the teacher was older and worried more about keeping an eye on everyone than her comfort so I offered to watch her in the hall. I sat down with her and asked her if she was overstimulated (in a way a small child would understand) and she nodded. I don’t remember what I said next but she signed me too. I signed asking if she signed and she signed back “a little”. I explained why I couldn’t speak and she said she was the same. I nearly burst into tears for this child and the connection we had. I spent the rest of the day with her. She spoke quietly to other kids but with me she would just smile big and point to things she wanted to show me. We read some of her favorite books quietly sitting next to each other.

- Teaching kids the ASL alphabet, they are always so eager to learn

If anyone is mute or has recently gone mute or has non verbal episodes I am here with you. There’s nothing wrong with us. I love you.

[sanjisblackasswife]

Imagine You’re Sleeping in the Same Bed with Sanji & He’s Trynna Jack Off Next to You & Hearing it (NSFW)

A/N: Yeah I’m not good w titles n I don’t feel like finishing any of my drafts/request rn. Also this was inspired by an audio I heard on TT.

Black Fem Reader in Mind

You and Sanji are so close.

Probably too close for most people, but you couldn’t care less that was your homeboy.

Sanji was the mf homie to you.

Sanji was your best friend.

Sanji was your ride or die

You loved Sanji.

And he felt the exact same feelings but 10x over because you were a beautiful woman.

He loved the attention you gave him and he swears up and down you are his even though neither of you has gone as far as him kissing your hand and you kissing his cheek.

You were very close with him as well.

So close in fact you both started sleeping in the same bed.

It only started because you had a nightmare and you went into the kitchen to drink some water but found Sanji in there instead and invited him to sleep with you.

He passed out a few times from shock but 2 months later and now it’s a new expectation to feel his body beside you at night. You loved it it was so fun to have your best friend sleep with you. If you wasn’t already sleep by the time he came in he’d bring snacks and drinks and you’d both have like a constant mini sleepover!

Sanji, However started to get restless.

Not in a bad way of course. He was able to be blessed to sleep beside a sweet, soft, and gorgeous woman every night that smelled oh so nice and had a cuddly personality to fit because you loved to hold on to something most nights and that something was Sanji’s chest.

Unfortunately for Sanji it was all platonic still between you both but he really had no complaints.

He was in Heaven, nothing could ruin this—

Except his own Dick and your new sleepwear.

It wasn’t a surprise to you Sanji gets morning wood, you woken to the small rubs and poke at your thigh or bottom early in the morning. You never confronted him about it because you didn’t want him to feel awkward or embarrassed about it. It was natural and something he couldn’t help, however now since the days are longer and hotter since it’s summer you no longer cuddle with Sanji but instead you sleep in nothing, but an unbuttoned over sized shirt.

Emphasis on nothing.

You didn’t really think to ask if Sanji was okay with you being mostly nude to sleep and he didn’t say anything but he sure as hell did notice. It started to become harder for him to sleep beside you. Your pretty smooth legs fresh out the shower slightly spread apart as you sleep on your tummy, your big shirt just barely covering your lower lady parts. It was just too hot to sleep under a blanket.

You were such a tease.

“Shit.” Sanji whispered palming his hard on. Once again. He was used to having it in the morning but when he glanced over at your exhausted and warm body beside him at arms reach tossing a little noticing the jiggle of the fabric under your body he bites his lip, but quickly shakes his head mentally cursing himself that he allows such naughty thoughts to creep in his mind about you.

You were his best friend.

He really didn’t feel like getting up to take care of himself and he could have just ignored it. He could have, but you must have been having some kind of wild dream from the way you kept shifting on your side sighing and moaning softly.

It was tempting, all was needed was one more wild movement from you and your whole bottom would be exposed to his viewing. But you didn’t move any longer, you managed to find a comfortable position and your furrowed eyebrows relaxed as you did as well.

Sanji However got frustrated, he groaned lightly rubbing his cock through his shorts not facing you, maybe if he were to be really quiet he could finish himself off and just go straight to sleep? Surely you wouldn’t notice?

He spit on his palm, looking over his shoulder a moment to see your back facing him and you sleeping peacefully, he reached his hand down to slowly stroke his got with a firm grip grazing his thumb over his sensitive head.

Closing his eyes to think of a scenario to get off to since he could get his magazines he couldn’t think about anything but you.

You what you sound like, what you look like, what you feel like,

It was all innocent thoughts but he needed to cum faster before he got caught so he got lewder.

He thought about the noises you’d make cumming from his tongue alone, he thought about your beautiful skin slapping against his if he picked you up and fucked you on the wall, he thought about how cute your facial expressions would be laying under him, kissing him,-

“Fuck.”

His mind went rapid thinking of his best friend beside him. Sanji stopped being so subtle in his strokes being so loss in the thought of you he didn’t even care to notice you slowly waking up.

You stirred a little, you were a pretty light sleeper, it sort of developed when you decided to become a Strawhat and your Captain was a damn menace to society and the marines so you always had to stay on your toes, but nothing could have prepared you from the pretty sounds you were from behind you.

The bed was shifting a little on the opposite site on you, you turned to see Sanji’s bare back slightly curled. It was relatively dark and you just woke up so your eyes had to adjust but if you were a betting woman you’d bet that he was clearly doing something he had no business doing.

But you quickly turned back around. A normal person would have just asked what was he doing, but you knew and you didn’t want to stop him for the simple fact his strained moans sounded so damn hot.

You already thought his voice was attractive, but to pair it with such pretty whines and cries you felt your thighs rub a little. You tried just going back to sleep and letting him handle himself, kind of wondering why he didn’t want to do it in the bathroom, but he sounded so cute!

And attractive

And more importantly it was turning you on.

The small sounds of his fist stroking his shaft wasn’t left unheard either and it began to get louder the longer you laid there.

Curses and moans slipped through Sanji’s mouth, he sounded like he was close, very close, and so you mentally said “fuck it” and turned over to sit up.

“Whatcha doin.”

A choked out groan came out of Sanji’s throat, he felt his cheat cave in and tried throwing the entire blanket over his body to hide himself but you were too fast and hovered over his body.

“N-nothing I—“

“Shut up I know you’re playing with yourself.”

His face turned so red and hot, he should have been more quiet, this was such a bad idea! He just wanted to run out of your room totally expecting you to never want to talk to him again for almost defiling your clean sheets on her bed, but instead you wasn’t. You just smiled and turned him on his back.

“Wha—what are you doing?!” Sanji’s hands we’re trying to hard to cover his cock, you barely could see it but you knew it was big so you bit your lip a little.

“Let me see…can I see?“

“I…I um…” He was so flustered, his eyes were shining so innocently at you after getting caught and you slowly pulled his hands away from his crotch and seen his Dick still semi-hard laying on his lower abdomen. Sanji noticed the hungry tired look in your eyes and gulped harshly. He stared at your partially exposed body and groaned to himself. Your pussy was practically hovering over his cock and he couldn’t tear his eyes away at it.

“Want me to help you out?”

“Yes please.” He spoke without hesitation and much need in his shaky voice. You giggled, why not help your best friend out?

“Wanna Kiss First.” You murmured climbing up to him and pecked his lips. He was too shocked to kiss back but once it registered he firmly pressed his mouth agains yours moaning at how soft you felt and how good you smelled.

Your hand slipped down and stroked his hot, wet cock with his saliva and pre cum mixed and Sanji immediately began to buck into your hand as he kissed you.

“Y/N….please…”

“Please What Sanji?” You teased slightly pumping him, “What do you want me to do.”

“I…”

“I….”

“I want you to fuck me, please.”

You cupped his cheek with one hand squeezing it looking into his low lidded eyes as he was a panting mess under your touch.

“Of course I will…I don’t mind helping my best friend.”

[borzoilover69]

I think part of the reason for all the Jane hate is tied to all the SA implications throughout her interactions with Jake.

You know what this is funny considering Roxy does the exact thing to Dirk if not even more implied she was not afraid to harass and cross boundaries early on in the story, but its astonishing how scot free she gets off.

People seem to forget she was 16, and incredibly reluctant to stand up to Jake for a long time leading to Jake literally taking advantage of her stance and using her as basically a doormat to dump all his relationship issues on without any regard for her feelings, even on her fucking birthday the only reason why he pestered her was to dump about his problems.

At most, Jane said some shitty things to Jake in the dersite cell, which mind you, never came to fruition and was while Jane was under LITERAL MIND CONTROL that manipulated her, and Jade, into being the worst people they could possibly be, and that does NOT equal the person she actually is.

If you’re looking for an actual harasser that took advantage of Jake do I have to pointedly swivel my chair over to the literal eight eyed blue bitch. Do i?

Majority of the time even when the other person is the one clearly in the wrong, shes the one feeling bad about it. Like when Roxy ignored her for hours before sending her a file that would blow up her computer, Jane was the one who felt she was in the wrong.

GG: I think she just wanted to be believed. Shucks. Am I an awful friend?

TT: Nope.

GG: I’m not so sure about that.

TT: Well, before you go taking a massive sad crap all over your friendship credentials, consider this. Only she could manage to blow up your computer with a nasty deathloop virus and somehow make YOU be the one to feel shitty about it.

Like when Roxy was being super not-supportive after the whole Jake convo (bringing up whether they were still having a party, comparing other people to her, and even bringing up her chances with Jake of all things) Jane lashes out, and when Roxy corrects hwr, she IMMEDIATELY apologises and feels bad about potentially RUINING her friendship with Jake, who mind you, has been taking advantage of her stance to relationship dump for AGES.

Jane snapped because all her friends were being absolutely lousy to her and ykw i do not blame her.

GG: I wonder if I’ll ever be able to look at him again without feeling miserable about myself?

[1999mercury]

THEM AS YOUR BOYFRIEND! ☆

part one, childe! gender neutral reader

٩(ˊᗜˋ)و✰ written by jules! @1999mercury

1. FLUFF

Okay, first things first. I think Childe would be more of a gift giving AND words of affirmation person. He the typa guy to praise you on tons of shit (specifically battles *cough*) just to show his love to you.

Honestly, I don't think he'd like people that are very weak either. If you can beat him in a battle and he ends up liking you, my guy will follow you around like a lost puppy.

He LOVES physical affection. Oh my LORD this guy will absolutely cling to you. I really do believe this guy fits the 'golden retriever' trope even though he is literally a walking weapon actively looking for a fight. He'd probably praise you for beating the shit out of him.

Whenever you visit his post in Liyue, he gets so happy about it. He's always missing you and he doesn't exactly get the chance to see you as much as he wants to. So if you're able to take the time to get to see him, he'll be happier then a kid on Christmas.

I mean this guy is literally just a 6 ft kid, ever wonder why they named him Childe? Even though he can be incredibly annoying and even harsher on his recruits/underlings, he's also informal with them.

If you get to the point of dating where he genuinely LOVES loves you, I think thats the time he'll take you to see his family for the first time. If you're not used to the cold, good luck in Snezhnaya. He'd probably snicker at you shivering while he's a solid as a statue.

Back to the love language's part, have you ever seen those cleaning videos where there's like 5,000 packages at the door? He would most definitely send that to you. I mean, he does spoil his siblings all the time, why not you? You might have to tell him soon enough to stop.

small headcanon where he just gets so happy and giggly if he see's you getting along with his siblings: it makes him feel like a pot of jello and it just makes him dmkJdjdj he looks so happy <333

2. ANGST

As much as you and I want him to be, he definitely is not going to be the perfect boyfriend, especially regarding his past. So let's dive into that a little.

First off, the main part of his story is that he ran away from home, fell into the Abyss and trained there for 3 months, came back and had a personality switch, and was sent to the Fatui.

My personal head canon is that he didn't join WILLINGLY. Either they dragged him in, or his parents sold him off, whatever. I just don't think he would've joined it. He also doesn't agree with a lot of their ideals, but still goes through with it because of his pride.

And here comes the first angst head canon, his pride. Pride isn't the worst on it's own, but when it becomes too much... the person starts to become a little bit of an asshole!

Childe takes too much pride in his strength and in battle, which is why if he would ever come home to you battered up and bruised like he just got jumped, he just sweeps it under the rug like its a casual thing (which it kinda is considering his job.) He doesn't really, care, if you worry too much about him.

He just pushes it off every-time as "Oh, don't worry [Name]! Ill be fine." However, you will get annoyed if he always just does that every time. Saying the same thing all about how he's going to be just peachy. It's almost anger inducing, right?

Oh, you two will most definitely get into at least one fight over it.

His pride also more than not screws him over, and that along with his straightforwardness is what led to the whole Osial ordeal. It's extremely easy to manipulate him into making him do what you want because of this pride, and how he will take on a task no matter how hard it is.

another angst head canon I have is, you know that audio on tt that says "If I betray you, I betray myself. If I betray him, I betray my country." imagine that exact audio but replace him with her and imagine it as Childe talking about the Tsaritsa in the second part. OOOH that would be such heart twisting angst especially cause we all know Childe is super loyal to Tsaritsa but, he, loves u, so much 😞😞

Another thing is that because a lot of his childhood was ripped away from him due to the abyss and the Fatui, he has temperamental issues. Due to him not being able to mature correctly, he will most always accidentally blow up on you or others once or twice. It's not exactly his fault, but don't encourage it. Just let him calm down.

He cares about you a lot, and he'd probably rip Celestia apart if that meant you two would stick together, he just isn't exactly perfect. No one is, so don't leave him.

[nikethestatue]

I don't know how else to explain it, but if the author decides to emphasize a scene, build a whole narrative around it, AND include it in the Coloring Book, then this scene is....important. It's not like the other scenes.

The Hybern Rescue scene did not need to exist. At all. If you think logically about it, it added very little to the story, other than ...Elriel. Jurian and Tamlin revealed as being allies and not enemies could've been done in many other ways, which could've been done with the IC present, or within the rest of the story. The rescue scene stands apart as a very long, very detailed, very drawn out scene created solely for Azriel and Elain. For example, IF the result of that scene would've been Cassian and Mor sneaking into Hybern afterwards, because Az was able to provide them with the layout and offer all the intel, and then say, Cassian/Mor (or anyone else) killed the King BECAUSE of the rescue, then you could say--it was a set up for the killing of the King. That's why the scene was written.

But nothing came of it. They ran, Feyre flew, and they came back, never to return to the camp.

The ONLY thing that came out of it was the Truth Teller exchange, between...who else? Azriel and Elain.

Which brings me to the next point. No, not all dagger scenes are created equal.

No, the TT scene is NOT the same as Azriel mentioning that Mor's given him a ton of useless daggers throughout the years. It's not the same as a random mention of Gwyn asking for dagger lessons. It's not the same as Lucien giving some bejeweled dagger to Feyre. It's not the same as Cassian offering Elain a dagger to protect herself.

The TT scene stands alone as the pivotal scene in all of ACOWAR. The shock and surprise from the rest of the characters at the sight of the exchange. Azriel CHOOSING Elain to have it. 'I WANT YOU TO HAVE IT' were his words. His taking her hand and closing it with his own over the hilt. Her accepting it. Him AGAIN putting himself in danger willingly, for her sake (he's done it just a couple of days before when he headed to Hybern). Her survival is more important to him than his own. He doesn't give TT to his (supposed) love of a lifetime, Mor. He doesn't keep it himself. He doesn't give it to his High Lord, or his High Lady. He chooses to give it to Elain.

So no. The scene is there for a reason. And it's important for a reason. It solidifies the connection between the two of them. It's a painting that springs up in Feyre's mind. The dagger is a 'bridge' between the two. It's a tool that causes a great shift in the war and something that uses both of their essences:

Azriel is a killer. An Illyrian warrior. A torturer and surely a murderer. And Azriel's essence is in that dagger. It's used to kill the King and Elain does it, manifesting his power through the act.

But Elain is a gentle fawn. A flower girl. Soft and sweet and possessing of a different strength. And she uses the dagger to SAVE Nesta and Cassian. She imbues the dagger with her own essence of life and goodness. And even through murder, she still saves 2 (very important) lives. She doesn't kill out of malice or personal rage. Her words are 'Don't you touch my sister!' She murders out of love for Nesta.

So the bottom line is, don't compare apples and oranges.

The Sangravah rescue is NOT the same as the Hybern rescue. The random mention of a dagger lesson is NOT the same as the exchange of Truth Teller. The 'charged look' between Elain and Azriel is not the same as Azriel lifting his brow in response to a screech.

[toh-tagteam-au]

Status Update and Warning of a Synopsis Drop

Gonna keep it a stack w yall fellas. I've written over 100 parts of this comic spanning all of the episodes (over 300 pages using 9 point font on google docs) and im realizing theres No Way I'm gonna be able to get my motivation to draw as much as I did for TT back when I first started, much less finish the thing. Much less actually GET to YBOS, which is when the canon deviance legit starts and the story gets way more interesting imo.

So here's what's going to happen:

I'm going to stop drawing the comic. As much as I really like the idea of finishing this particular scene, I know I'm not gonna be able to do it. I haven't updated consistently for months – this is the end of my line here.

BUT

I'm going to write the whole story in its own post WITH VISUALS. I'll explain what happens in every episode over the course of all the seasons, maybe even include some of my favorite visuals/boards when I was writing them. I'll also probs have some deleted concepts in a separate post (because damn I went through some rewrites when season 2b dropped). I'll consider dropping the script too, so you guys can see the actual lines I wrote for each part, but that's a big "if".

Don't get me wrong, I'll still be active (probably more active than I have been in the past few months LMAOOOO). I'm just shifting this AU story away from a comic medium and into a Tumblr AU medium, like how a lot of the TOH aus are at the moment. I want to tell this story and give you guys content, and if i have to do it without the art medium then I will.

I am so grateful you guys have stuck around. The compliments on this comic – my art, the story, literally everything – mean everything to me. I hope you guys like the Tag Team synopsis when I post it.

[roppiepop]

JayTim K-POP AU WIP

A plastic box gets shoved to his chest.

Only because he allows it, obviously, because the little gremlin of a brat is still several lifetimes away from being able to get a drop on him.

Though the demon spawn is also a picture of silence, lips pursed and shoulders tense where his fist extends to press whatever he bought on Jason’s pecs.

With a barely audible sigh, Jason peels that arm off to see what it was that demanded his attention so badly that the kid broke into one of the few safe-houses Jason thought was off the Bat-radar.

The answer is a thick box, covered with a glossy sleeve. On the cover are a group of five men piled on top of each other, composed artfully to look like a playful candid rather than an unfortunate accident. The only other thing on it is a logo stylized to look like a clock. Jason might be able to read where the lines form ‘SPF50’.

He sends Damian a blank look. The kid visibly heckles.

“Tt.” he starts, “This isn’t for me- I would like to emphasize that, for the record.”

Pause. Damian crosses his arms. “It’s Jon. He gave me an adequate birthday gift. It would be a dishonor to reciprocate with anything less.”

Jason replies to that with a hand gesture. What the hell does that have to do with him?

Damian looks at him like he’s rotten meat. Jason returns the glare twofold.

A frustrated groan. The kid almost swipes his arm back- like he was about to reach for his katana before realizing he’s out of costume. “Are you daft, Todd? I am asking for a favor. Name your price.”

“Yeah, Shrimp, I got that.” Jason bites back, “I’m just wonderin’ why the hell anythin’ related to this-“ he holds up the album, “-would be somethin’ I have an in with.”

Without missing a beat, Damian swipes back the album and pulls a card out from the middle to show him.

It’s a low angle selfie, cutting the pictured man off at the forehead. Stray locks, black with a blue-ish tint, fall just at the edge of the frame, and shadow a pair of striking blue eyes. Below that is a lopsided grin showing off a row of straight teeth. The rest of the picture is a swath of yellow- maybe a hoodie? Its laughably big though, dipping low enough to show the prominent curves of the man’s collarbones.

“This is why.” Damian says, before Jason could get a word in. “Your paramour, he’s Jon’s favorite in the group. He must be detestable if he has stooped low enough to romantically engage with you of all people, but nevertheless. Have him and his group sign this album and I will owe you one favor.”

“Huh.” Jason starts. Stops. Considers if he’s in the mood to start a fight. Sighs instead. “You’re outta luck, kid. I don’t know any of these guys.”

Damian’s eyes narrow. He steps forward in a stomp. “Don’t try and lie to me, Todd. Everyone has confirmed you are dating this idol. Agree to my terms before I am pushed to use force-Ow!”

Jason’s fingers moved to flick Damian’s forehead before he even registers that they did. “You can’t force me to do anythin’, Brat. I’ll send you back to your Mom.”

He flicks the other’s nose this time before he can respond, garnering another indignant squawk. “And two- just because you heard Blondie constantly yammerin’ about it doesn’t make it a public fact.”

Jason moves for the chin this time, but Damian has jumped away from striking range and looks a second away from hissing.

Jason would probably hiss back at him if he did. Something about this kid is just makes you want to mess with him.

But Damian seems to already be in retreat mode, sulkily skulking back to Jason’s fire escape with a deep scowl.

“Fine.” he says, right by the threshold of the apartment. “You prove yourself yet again useless. But just so you know Brown isn’t the only one talking- Father also suspects.”

And he’s gone just as Jason opens his mouth.

“Bruce?”

[sexiestpodcastcharacter]

Sexiest Podcast Character — Unscripted Bracket — Round 3

Propaganda

Ver'million "Millie" Blue (Friends at the Table: PARTIZAN):

Mech pilot with a body horror mode and a thematic dog motif. She’s trans in a culture that does gender way different than contemporary human genders, and she’s sexy about it. Escaped a military super soldier cloning program to join a revolutionary organization. Kind of a fish person (pls look up art of her, it’s all excellent). Dreams of settling down into a peaceful life and is so so so wife to me

She's a canonical goth trans woman with sick teal hair and scales and she's an alien who's vaguely fishlike and she's a sniper and an absolute shit kicker she's literally SO sexy

ok so i did just submit Pickman bc she won my tournament but i gotta say, Milli is my personal pick for sexiest f@tt character! she's goth! she could kill me! but she won't! she just wants to be away from the war! she's breaking out of the worldview she's been conditioned in to since infancy! her mech is called the stray dog! and after the campaign ends she goes around recruiting so many people that they recognizably start getting called the stray dogs! she's so excited to have literally any participation in governing! she spends a while going around the moon to install a communications system and gets to learn what its like when you approach people in a way that isn't immediately antagonistic! SHE DECLARED A GOOD HER RIVAL! she got SO close to getting out but then her sense of duty to others pulled her back in (im not actually sure if that last one is hot exactly but it SURE is compelling). AND SHE'S A FISH WHO REJECTED THE GENDER SYSTEM SHE GREW UP IN FOR ONE NOT DESIGNED TO FURTHER WARFARE!

The entire blog @fuckyeahvermillionblue.

milli cannot lose she is the second sexiest fatt character and Pickman already lost so Milli has to carry it forward come on she chose to be a woman when her culture/species literally doesn't have women, she was a prisoner doing forced labour and she still wore goth prom clothes to a state funeral and got messy drunk and she's got a big gun and a leather jacket that says "Divine Retribution" in red and she Is SO COOL AND SEXY that the revolutionary group included "Look Sick as Shit" as one of their 8 main tenets exclusively because she fucking whipped ass at the combination MET gala/Olympics by doing combined sniping/trick shots with her mech

sorry but the rest of this propaganda is too good to leave in tags

#But milli is literally a clone raised in fascist school for war and now she uses her sniping skills for revolution#She chose to be a woman when her culture/species doesn't even HAVE women. She's teal haired and trans and sexy#And she's so funny and everyone accepts that she's cool and competent and she made her mech be able to cry#She's literally goth gf. She wants to retire to a cottage. She's canonically into women. Like come on.

Millie is the best girl and you should vote for her. Her mech is a transformer that cries

VER'MILLION BLUE HOT BUFF CHICK

VOTE MILLIE

Kravitz (The Adventure Zone: Balance):

Grim Reaper. So hot he managed to date Taako from TV

gotta be krav

[amethystfairy1]

For TT, can we have a bit more info about mer culture and where Scott is coming from before he ended up on the old continent? I absolutely love the way you write hybrids, and how much effort you put into the world building of their background and cultures and behaviours. Oooh also, while I'm asking questions, do the hybrids in TT have courtship the way they do in TTSBC? Because that one is somewhat relevant for a few of them.

Oooooooo ok sure!

Let's break down Mer Culture in Traveling Thieves yayyyy!

First of all, the Mer Kingdom and Mer culture is matriarchal! Scott is the son of the Queen of the Mer and one of her concubines/performers. The Queen and other powerful women of noble standing typically have multiple husbands and also there is a very strong courtly culture of performance, and the role of the concubine is very influential in this society. However, this is where the sort of stigma against Siren Spells comes from! Scott inherited his abilities for water magic from his Mom, the magic of the royal bloodline is very powerful which is why Scott is also very powerful and natural with water magic! He inherited his ability to use Siren Spells from his Dad, but Siren Spells are seen as something only used by concubines/performers...it's not something befitting of a royal child, even an illegitimate one like Scott.

Speaking of! If we're talking about Scott and his upbringing, I want to get rid of any notions I'm sure people are assuming that because he was an illegitimate child he was treated poorly, he wasn't! He had a lot of half-siblings and all of them got along decently well, and his parents also had a reasonably healthy and cooperative relationship! Scott was still excluded sometimes, for example he wasn't allowed to show his face at courtly proceedings or performances, but some of his older siblings would occasionally help him hide in the curtains or something so he could watch his Dad perform!

Scott wasn't allowed to practice Siren Spells, because his Mom raised him, as she did all of her male children, to eventually be married off or take up political posts, and both of Scott's parents agreed it would be better for his prospects if no one ever knew that he was capable of using Siren Spells. That doesn't stop him from sneaking off to practice them in secluded areas, but he never received any official training so that's why he's pretty bad with them.

Also also! I wanna describe the Mer Kingdom a bit! Because while I do plan to do some flashbacks from Scott's POV I'm not entirely sure if we'll ever actually go there within the timeline of Traveling Thieves.

Basically think Lizzie's Empires S1 base 😆

AND BEFORE YOU ASK NO LIZZIE IS NOT THE OCEAN QUEEN IN THIS SHE IS NOT SCOTTS MOM NO WE AREN'T DOING THAT 😭

It's just that her base inspires how I think of the Mer Kingdom, like a bunch of towers that emerge from the water but are constructed both above and below water. Also it is within a series of atolls and coral reefs so lots of small islands are all around too. While the Mer can breathe underwater all of their homes and such are watertight and so while they swim place to place when they're inside it's dry and they breathe air, so it's not like Atlantis-style or anything. A lot of buildings are also on top of the islands or build from the shallower ocean shelf and then rising up out of the water. With the Royal Palace being right in the middle of the largest atoll of course!

Scott, as you might've been able to guess, perhaps, from what he said when Jimmy said he was in love with him, was running away from an arranged marriage. And the sad part was it wasn't even technically a marriage. Again, Scott is an illegitimate child, he's the son of the Queen, yes, but he's not a prince. He was raised like one, educated like one, and more or less treated like one with a few exceptions (like how he couldn't attend court) but he is not a prince.

That means by Mer societal convention he can't marry high-class nobility. So the noblewoman he's arranged with, he's technically meant to go be one of her concubines, similar to how his own Father is to his Mother. That doesn't necessarily mean anything sexual by default, but it does basically relegate him to being passed around for his pretty face and his bloodline. It would be a pretty luxurious life, all things considered, and he was also raised fairly spoiled all his life, but even still...Scott's not the type who would just pliantly go along with being a pawn for his Mother to use politically. Plus it really pisses him off because after all these years of being told to hide the fact he could use Siren Spells like his Father and not being allowed to practice them, or learn how to perform like his Father does, all of a sudden his Mother decides to give him away as a concubine instead of marrying him to someone within the mid-tier of courtly society whom Scott would actually be allowed to wed. Scott in this AU really looks up to his Dad, and he also looks very very similar to him, much more so than his Mother, which is also why he's desired for his beauty even amongst Mer. His Dad is the Queen's favorite performer, so you can imagine he's gorgeous as well, and yet after living his whole life being told he had to distance himself from being seen as similar to his Father, all of a sudden he's expected to become a concubine just like him? Without any of the training or practice or skills that his Father has? That's ridiculous! So yeah, Scott was furious and he and his mother had it out in a terrible fight.

Last thing on this! I wanna make it clear that this doesn't mean Scott hates his mother or even has a bad relationship with her! He was actually on very good terms with her, which made the news that he was going to be given away as a concubine all the more shocking. So he took off in the middle of the night after this fight with nothing but the clothes on his back...he wasn't necessarily planning on running away for good, he was just upset and trying to get away and get some space to collect this thoughts, but he went a little too close to the mainland shore, to close to the waters where humans trawl, and...well, we know what happened to him from there.

As for courting ritual, they don't have them in Traveling Thieves the way that they do in TTSBC! It's more that they have certain things that require a level of intimacy, not necessarily romantic obviously, so if a hybrid lets you do it, it's a strong sign that they trust you and believe you care about them. Examples of this being: Preening Avians wings or brushing a dog hybrids hair!

Hope this was fun for ya! Sorry for the long turn-around on this ask, I wanted to really think about it and make sure I gave ya a good response that was lined up with the AU! 💖