#in this case what reminded me is how i can suddenly focus so much better when i have a not-boring audiobook to listen to while i do chores

[sapphicautistic]

i'm always so focused on managing my much more debilitating physical symptoms that i sometimes forget that i do very much still have untreated adhd lmao

[pwinkprincess]

do u write for sukunaaaa

if so can we have cum denial wit him. like fingering n teasing reader till she’s crying n babbling 🐾 <3

sugarpie ୨ৎ

not getting sukuna’s attention has you acting out ୨ৎ

yeah probs mii first nd last time writing abt kuna ^.^ i really enjoyed doing dis for u tho ^_^

⋆｡‧˚ʚɞ˚‧｡⋆ SUGARPIE ⋆｡‧˚ʚɞ˚‧｡⋆ --->  rough fingering, pet names (baby, princess, mama), shameless use of the word daddy :P, begging, clit slapping, squirting, daddydom!kuna, lawyer!kuna, orgasm denial

“kuna.” you drag out his name as you climb onto his lap. it’s been hours since he’s given you any sort of attention, you understood that the paperwork he is working on is extremely important. he briefly explained to you days prior about taking on a big case that would bring in a lonesome amount of money once everything was said and done. which is fine, of course you’re gonna support your kuna in whatever he takes on. but what isn’t fine is his attention being diverted to papers instead of you.

he grumbles out while he leans to your side so that he could see what was displayed on his desk. you sit quietly on his lap for a few moments, your mind is racing with how you could get his attention back onto you. a deep rooted, responsible and sensible side of you reminds you that he’s working and he told you that he would be busy on it, you know you’re being selfish but you can’t find it in you to care. if anything it’s sukuna’s fault for spoiling you so much! 

“kuna.” you whine again. your head lays on his hard shoulder while your hands begin slithering against his waist. even through his shirt you could feel the hardened muscles, you loved just running your acrylic tips over his muscles and watching them tense every now and then. “daddy, are you ignoring me?” you ask with a frown that sukuna didn’t need to see, he could hear it in your voice.

“‘f course not, baby. ‘m just busy trying to sign these documents.” sukuna barely pays attention to the words coming out of his mouth as he jots down more and more onto the paper. 

“aren’t you tired?” you huff, “can’t you just take a little break?”

“not right now. i need to stay on top of this case ‘nd fill out as much as i can as fast as i can.” he suddenly leans down a little to grab a paper thats on the far end of his desk. you wrap your arms tighter around him, but you know sukuna would never let you fall. no matter how busy and out of it he seems.

you don’t like that response at all. you roll your eyes at his resistance and settle with resting your head on the crook of his neck. you breathe in his cologne. the colognes’ he wears pairs so well with his natural scent. they smell so warm but masculine in a way. you close your eyes, opting to lay there and enjoy the feeling of his heart thumping and his body movements each time he inhales and exhales. you use the sound of the pen sliding against the paper as white noise.

you hum softly against him. this is better than being in separate rooms, you suppose. you would prefer for his attention to be on you completely but you’ll take what’s given at the moment. usually, you’d be chattering away about minuscule things while sukuna works but he quickly shut that down weeks ago.

“my office is my sanctuary, princess. i don’t care if you come ‘n here but you have to stay quiet so daddy can focus.” the firmness in his tone left no room for debate, which is why you slowly nodded your head while looking up at him.

you were only able to sit still and quiet for a few minutes, you tried, you really did. but you couldn't contain yourself from letting out littles hums and shifting your hips every few minutes. your little thin panties would get snagged on the shape of his cock causing little whimpers to escape from your throat when it does happen. sukuna doesn’t comment on anything you do, only occasionally patting your thigh when he deems you are moving too much.

“kuna, please.” you whine out as you lift your head from his shoulder to look at him fully. you didn’t have to say what you wanted, he knew. he always does.

“‘m working, mama.” he reminds you. irritation is seeping through his usual tone. hearing the slowly growing firmness begin to take over his words causes little hairs to stand up on your body, you both loved and hated when he talked to you like this.

“i don’t care! i need you kuna!” you clutch at his shirt with your hands. the hairs continue to stand.. no way you just raised your voice at him. a twitch of fear settles in your stomach. 

“watch your tone.” he stops writing completely. 

“wouldn’t have gotten loud if you would’ve jus’ paid attention to me.” you mutter under your breath as you begin getting off of his lap.

“the fuck you just say?” 

୨୧

“kuna, i can’t! ‘s too much please!” you cry out as his thick fingers roughly pump into your fat pussy. the sounds of your arousal coating his digits filled the room, you were so fucking wet. he had already managed pull an almost orgasm out of you. he waited until you were breathing heavy and for your legs to be shaking desperately to pull away. 

he doesn’t respond to you, only forcing your legs further with one hand while adding another finger. you squeal and whine while clutching on his wrist. his fingers are so fucking thick inside your sensitive pussy. your clutch at his wrist does nothing to slow him down.

your poor pussy could do nothing but take his aggressive fingers, you thrashed around on his lap which only made him slink an arm around your waist to hold you in place.  fat tears ran down your cheeks as he continued holding your legs open so that he could continue to fill you.

everything about sukuna is thick. not just his fingers, but his cock (especially that), his muscles, his personality. those were just minor reasons that added up to why you loved him. 

hearing the humiliating squelch, squelch, squelch and just feeling your arousal dripping down from your everflowing pussy to his lap. if you weren’t getting fucked stupid by his fingers you would’ve been embarrassed from the growing wet spot that is forming on his slacks. 

“talkin’ t’me crazy.. have you lost your fucking mind?” he asks. with every word he’s hammering his fingers as deep as he possibly could, it’s almost to the point that it hurts. you whimper out a soft “daddy” and try to close your legs to prevent him from continuing to abuse your poor pussy.

you can’t find it in you to say a response, instead, you let out loud mewls and sobs. sukuna doesn’t take much appreciation to his words being met with silence, with a rough huff he pulls out the hand that’s fucking you to oblivion to give you three rough slaps against your right thigh.

a piercing sob breaks through your lips,“yes! daddy! ah! yes! i'm sorry daddy!” you didn’t even know what you were saying. loud sniffles mixed with the words you slobbered out. you were a complete mess, you loved when sukuna got you like this.

“‘s okay, though. don’t worry, baby. daddy’s going to make sure you remember your manners.” he plunges his fingers back into you with no warning prompting an unexpected orgasm to shoot from your sensitive pussy. he groans and begins slapping at your clit. squeals escape from deep in your throat. he remembers specifically telling you not to cum until he said so.

“daddy! oh! ah! ah! i’m sorry!” you try to crawl away from the intensity of your orgasm. sukuna clicks his teeth and roughly pushes you back up so that your back is aligned evenly to his chest. you’re fully sobbing now as a stream leaks out and sprays onto his fingers, lap, and parts of his paperwork. 

“no more, kuna, puhllleeaaa-ahhmygodd..” your sentence is broken when he powers his movements back up. you’re still leaking out your orgasm when he adds a third finger. “daddy! kuna! baby! pleaseee, no more!” drool leaks from the corners of your mouth as you are dumbly babbling out to him.

“tch.” he sighs. “cummin’ even when i told you not to. you must really not be my good girl now? hm?” you could hear the smirk in sukuna’s voice. usually when he finds your actions amusing, you’d pout at him. but you were so fucked out all you could do is continue to grip his wrist weakly.

“‘s too much, kuna. toooo muchhhh.” you groan. you try closing your legs around his hand once again and this time sukuna bites down on your shoulder making you squirm. he didn’t bite down hard, he made sure to only use enough force to make you stop moving.

“keep ignorin’ me.” he warns. “your second time now. even while getting punished, you’re still actin’ up.” he jeered. “maybe you’re not my good girl after all.” 

“‘m your good girl. promise. ‘m your good girl.” you sniffle, he was still rubbing his fingers against your walls filling you up jussttt right. your eyes glance down and you could see his hand sparkling with your arousal and to make matters more intense his fingers are etched with your cream. you could only whine at the sight.

he places soft kisses on the side of your neck and jaw. “watch me fuck my pussy.” he mumbles while placing a soft kiss on the corner of your lips. “gonna make sure my pussy gets all the attention it's been beggin’ for, and you better not fucking cum again until i say so.”

[waldau-archived]

i don't know anyone who writes wonwoo as perfect as you! you manage to capture his personality so well🥺could i please request a friends to lovers thing for wonu? you've been friends for YEARS and you've had your moments and hidden glances but this one night you're just sitting out and feeling the winter breeze together. he can feel you staring and asks why you're doing that..while you contemplate whether to give in and just confess. you're so overwhelmed with emotions for him but you're also so terrified to tell him bcos you're scared to change the dynamics your relationship has so far.

thank you so much for saying that about my writing, anon :') took me entirely too long but i had a sudden burst of inspiration after seeing the latest gam3 bo1 wonwoo with long hair 😵‍💫 hope you like this! title taken from the english version of crush by seventeen.

hearts in parallel — jeon wonwoo | 2,730 words | fluff

gender neutral reader. warnings: none.

wonwoo's standing outside your car in the parking lot of your office. part of you is convinced you're just imagining things, because he's supposed to be in japan. touring. doing idol things. having fun.

every morning you look forward to the pictures he's made a habit of sending whenever he's on tour, whether they're what he had for breakfast, or what a sleeping dokyeom looked like with a moustache drawn on his face. his only motive for doing that has been to convince you to let him take you on a vacation whenever you're free, because he says there's always something you'd enjoy wherever he goes.

it's sweet. it really is. even if you have to keep reminding him that you have your usual 9-5 that's so different from his schedules.

but it is wonwoo, when you focus on the way he's standing against the hood of your car, hands in his pockets as he looks at what you assume is the view of the sun setting in the distance. crazy how he'd sent a picture of it to you just today morning from another country.

suddenly, you fell woefully out-dressed. it's your usual work attire, but wonwoo's got his airport look on, complete with a dashing coat that you've never seen before. maybe he has it on only for today.

"surprise?" wonwoo asks sheepishly, when he catches you staring at him.

you blink once more, just in case. "wonwoo?" you ask, a little uncertain. "aren't you supposed to..."

"tour ended last night," he explains, pushing himself to stand properly. "i texted you afterwards."

you think back to the messages you exchanged last night, but they're a haze at best. all you can currently think of is your calendar you've been crossing things off of for a better part of the day.

any other time, you'd be extremely happy to see wonwoo, but today you don't feel like you can match his energy. "sorry," you murmur, rubbing your face. maybe if you rub it hard enough he'll disappear and you can catch up with him when you're a bit more presentable.

"hey, no," he says, catching your wrist as you pull your hands away. "you look perfectly fine. did i catch you at a wrong time?"

you realize you just said your last sentence out loud. "just tired," you say, proud of yourself at how even your voice is despite the fact that your hand is in his. "i'm glad you're here, though."

wonwoo lets go of your hand. "then is it fine if i drive you home?"

you look at him. he looks pretty serious, and you snort. "did you seriously come here just to drive me home?"

wonwoo nods. "straight from the airport. dropped my stuff home, then took a cab and came here."

no wonder he's still got the airport look on.

"you're a weird man, jeon wonwoo," you say, searching for your keys in your pocket.

"that's probably why we're friends," he deadpans, catching the keys you toss him.

"you should be sleeping," you say, chucking your bag on the backseat. "or resting at home. not being my chauffeur."

"maybe i wanted to be your chauffeur because i'm not sleepy," wonwoo replies, slipping on his seatbelt, waiting for you to do the same before starting your car. "it's been a while since we've hung out together."

that's true, you think. ever since you got this new job, your hours have been filled with work, and even though you're not overly swamped, you've been seeing your friends a bit less frequently than you would have liked. wonwoo included. and wonwoo's also had less time to spend with you, given how the band's been planning more foreign tours in the past year.

so you're glad you're spending time with him, even if you're not at your best.

"who said you don't look good?" wonwoo asks.

you bite your tongue when you realize you've spoken out your thoughts again — it's just a testament to how tired you are, with no filter between your thoughts and words. you shake your head, but wonwoo's not having any of it.

"i came here straight off my flight and i look absolutely dishevelled. you're lucky i don't mind you seeing me like this."

"your so-called dishevelled airport look is just as good as me at my best, so don't even start, okay?"

"yah," wonwoo says, laughing. "i don't appreciate you slandering yourself like that."

"fine, what do you appreciate?"

"you spending some time with me and not worrying about anything else."

blunt, as always. you appreciate it, even if it makes your heart jump a little. and it's not that you're worrying over anything: it's just the sudden nature of wonwoo's appearance that has you a little confused. but you're not complaining.

"by the way," wonwoo says, when you finally pull out onto the main road after leaving all the traffic behind, "i got you something."

"again? wonwoo, i told you i don't need souvenirs from every—"

"this was for your birthday, sweetheart," he says, pausing to pull something out of the pocket of his coat. "i still have your stuff from japan waiting to be unpacked."

"you're a menace, won," you say, hands hesitating to accept the slim box sitting on the dashboard. "i told you i didn't want anything."

"and i told you it'd be a crime if i didn't get you anything. maybe i would've listened to you if you didn't get that insanely expensive camera for me."

you glance at him. "that's—"

"—a completely valid argument," he retorts, reaching for the slim box and putting it in your lap. "i've been waiting to see your reaction ever since i got it."

shaking your head, you make a show of opening it. one thing about wonwoo is that he somehow always knows what to gift others. you could tell him you didn't want anything, and then he'd give you something you didn't even know you wanted.

case in point: there's a dainty silver chain sitting in the box, with the pendant looking very familiar. you take a closer look at it and realize—

"you didn't."

wonwoo has his mischievous grin on. "of course i did."

it's a customized engraving of your cat on the circular coin of metal, a perfect replica down to the little discoloured patch of fur on your cat's face.

you'd complained to wonwoo, once, drunkenly, about this really cute online jewellery store that sold customized necklaces. you'd never been able to find it again despite going through your search history and searching the web extensively.

now that it's sitting in your hands, you can't help but wonder how much time he must have spent tracking it down, finding the perfect picture for the engraving.

"i don't know how to thank you," you say honestly, looking at wonwoo. he still has the smile on his face, looking straight ahead.

"just wear it forever, and you're good."

"oh, emotionally manipulating me? is that how it's going to be?" you ask, tracing the chain with your finger.

"i don't think it's manipulation if it's your cat."

you can't argue with that. you snap the box shut and put it in the pocket of your jeans. "you shouldn't have, won," you say perfunctorily.

wonwoo doesn't respond, simply choosing to switch on the radio.

for once, you're not driving, and you get the chance to appreciate how beautiful the city looks when it's nearing night.

"you hungry?" wonwoo asks, when the car stops at a red light.

you shake your head. "not for a few more hours. you?"

"nope," wonwoo says, flexing his fingers on the wheel. "but tonight's a full moon night, so i was thinking we could go to the riverside and just hang out near the pier? if you're not too tired?"

you think about it. you get to hang out with wonwoo in the moonlight, which will definitely be a sight to behold. the way he's been living rent-free in your mind for a while now is embarrassing, to say the least.

"i don't mind."

you sneak glances at him when he's answers a call from dino asking him if he's free to hang out tomorrow, when he's excited to hear one of his own songs on the radio. he's cute, and the feeling's eating you up from the inside every single time you're with him.

he just looks so...boyfriend. he's let his hair grow out, and black really is his colour. not to mention his glasses which might just be your undoing.

wonwoo parks at a spot not far from the pier.

you get out of the car and immediately get hit by a gust of cool air, and you're really glad wonwoo decided to come pick you up today, because there's no way you would've come here by yourself.

the walkway around the river seems nicer than the last time you were here, bigger and better with more lights and somehow, lesser people. it's exactly what you need right now.

you fall in step alongside wonwoo, comfortably silent as you make your way from the car park, the relative silence amplifying the sound of insects chirping and people chattering around you.

you don't look down for a second, and suddenly there's a tiny pebble that gets stuck in your shoe and trips you up. you brace yourself for a slightly hard impact, but the next thing you know is that wonwoo's arm is around your waist, pulling you into himself.

"careful," he chides softly, rubbing your back for a moment before letting go. "are you okay?"

you nod mechanically.

"let's switch sides. the light's better here."

it's these little things that wonwoo does, that make you fall for him even more. what started off as a little crush is now a hopeless, helpless twinge in your heart that multiplies whenever you so much as look at him. no matter how much you've gotten better at controlling your feelings around him, you can't help but stare at how good he looks tonight, the moon highlighting his face, its silver beams running through his black hair.

you've really, really missed this. just hanging out with him. and maybe you miss the time before you realized your feelings were so earth-consumingly deep that it began clouding every interaction the two of you have had.

"do you have the box with you?" wonwoo asks, all of a sudden.

you question his words for a second, then remember. "yeah," you say, patting at the slim box sitting in the pocket of your jeans.

"let me put it on for you?"

what should have been a calm night out with wonwoo by the riverside has now ended up into you becoming a mess of nerves, your skin burning where his fingertips touch you, fastening the clasp into place. you can't see how it looks on you right now, but wonwoo already has a solution.

"stand here," he says, directing you to a particularly bright lamppost. "you need to see how good it looks on you."

you try protesting, but wonwoo brushes away your concerns. "let me just take a picture. just one."

it's never just one picture with wonwoo, and you can't stop him when he has his mind set on something. you give in and stand under the light and try to muster up a real smile for the camera. you succeed because it's wonwoo standing behind the camera, pulling a funny face that makes you laugh.

he shows you the photos once he's done taking them, and you're not looking at the camera in a single one. he always makes you look better than you do, somehow. you return the favour, taking pictures of him posing in the same spot.

"these are good," wonwoo remarks, scrolling through the photos. "i'm glad you got the moon, too."

you nod before you say something embarrassing like you're the moon, though. you watch as wonwoo takes some more pictures of the sky, and the life around the riverside. the restaurants and shops light up the view for you but you can't help but just look at wonwoo. he looks so serene and in his environment that you can't help but wonder if having wonwoo as your boyfriend would entail dates like this on a regular basis.

"you're staring," is all he says, after two full minutes of silence.

you hum and slowly turn your gaze away from him, focusing on the trees in the distance, trying to play it off casually. rookie error.

"is everything okay?" he asks, pocketing his phone and moving a bit closer to you. "want to go home?"

you shake your head. "you?"

"no, i'm fine."

and then his hand is covering yours.

you try your best not to freak out, but under his hand, your hand is gripping the railing so tightly that you're sure your knuckles are white.

"sorry i missed your birthday," wonwoo says, leaning in close enough that he's towering over you. it's the perfect height to k—

"it's not your fault," you say, licking your lips. "you had work. and you even called me when you were free."

"still. it doesn't make up for me not being here."

"i don't mind," you say honestly, your other hand gripping the railing for strength you don't currently possess. "you're here now."

wonwoo hums, seemingly dissatisfied. your hand's genuinely burning under his, and you resist the urge to check if it's on fire.

"well, for what it's worth," wonwoo says, turning to face you, "i hope you had a good day, and i hope i'm there for your birthday next year. like a good friend."

"you are a good friend, won," you say quietly. "the best."

you wonder if you should just give in and tell him how you feel. given you know how mature he is, you doubt he's going to shun you the way you're afraid he will, but part of you doesn't want your dynamic to change. he's so easy to talk to, and he knows so much about you, and you're afraid of having to find it all over again in another person. maybe it's for the best to let this moment pass.

"you are too, sweetheart." his thumb brushes against the back of your hand, and something in you snaps.

"would you still consider me the best if i told you i liked you?"

wonwoo blinks. in the wake of his silence you can once again hear the vehicles on the road behind you, the sounds of people around you, and maybe even your heart if you shut your eyes.

"you know," he says after a while, his grip on your hand still in place, "i've been trying to give you a chance to say that for the past few months."

your brain plays a comically loud record scratch sound. you look up at him, but he's smiling.

"what."

"i...was hoping there would be a small chance you liked me, and then jeonghan let it out one night when we were out drinking. but i couldn't make the first move because i was scared."

"you were scared? of?"

wonwoo takes his hand back and rubs his neck sheepishly. "i didn't know if he was telling me the truth or making things up. you know jeonghan."

"...yeah," you say, brain still trying to get back on track. "so right now i have one more person on my hitlist."

"whoa, what? i just...implied i liked you!"

"and i just said— wait. what?"

wonwoo laughs. "do you want to be on the same page as me?"

you nod slowly, still processing things. still not believing your luck.

"here's what we'll do, then," wonwoo says, wrapping an arm around your shoulder. "i'm going to drive you home tonight. then we can take jeonghan off your hitlist and send him some more alcohol, just as a thanks."

you wouldn't even have imagined this a few hours ago. you trail your fingers along the railing, reaching out to hold wonwoo's hand again. he meets your fingers with ease. "and what do i get in return?"

"you get to call me your boyfriend. and kiss me, if you like." wonwoo's leaning over you again. it's the perfect height to kiss you.

and he does end up kissing you, this time.

taglist: @bookyeom @wootify @strnsvt @cloudycaramel @thepoopdokyeomtouched @minnieminshi @nonononranghaee

[neewtmas]

ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴀᴜɴᴛɪɴɢ ᴏꜰ ᴀʙʙᴇʏ ʜᴏᴜꜱᴇ // ᴘᴀʀᴛ ᴠɪ

pairing: george karim x fem!reader

wordcount: 3.6k

summary: a case that takes longer than expected, an unrequited crush, and the hardest decision you ever had to make

masterlist series masterlist

taglist: @maraschinomerry @sstrawberriel @poisonquinzell @holymotherfxrkingshirtballs @the-high-lady-of-3am-crackposts @oblivious-idiot @bobbys-not-that-small @myownpainintheass @taygrls @marinalor @y0urm0m12 @fearlessmoony @pansexualwitchwhoneedstherapy @quack-quack-snacks @ahead-fullofdreams @aphroqite (if you wanna be added or removed, just tell me)

For a while, you continued like this - Emily and George reading and taking notes, you fighting your way through the text in front of you without much success.

"Have you found anything interesting?"

You jumped at the question that broke the silence so suddenly, realising that Emily was talking to you and not George. You glanced over at her before you quickly averted your eyes again.

"Not really", you mumbled, and you could feel your skin prickle from the embarrassment of having her call you out like that. In front of George, of all people.

You jumped again as you felt her hand coming to rest on your arm.

"Are you okay? You look a little pale."

You tensed. Was she making fun of you? But her smile and the concern in her eyes seemed genuine.

"I'm fine", you said, but the slight shaking in your voice proved otherwise.

She got up, her chair scraping loudly over the floor.

"Come with me, I'll get you something to drink."

You looked over to George, who nodded encouragingly before he returned his focus to his book.

A glass of water did sound good, and it would be a chance to get out of the small corner of the library that had started to feel suffocating.

You followed Emily back to her desk in the front, where she rummaged through a little cabinet under the table and pulled out a bottle of water and a cup.

She handed you the filled cup and turned around to open the window, letting in some fresh air.

"How is it, being an agent?", she asked while you sipped on your water.

"It's … I don't know." You stared down into your cup, thinking about all the near-death experiences you had in your time as an agent. "It can be scary, and dangerous. But the people you work with make it better."

She chuckled. "That's true, coworkers can make or break it. Honestly, I don't know how you do it, I could never handle working with my boyfriend every single day. I'd be scared we'd get sick of each other eventually."

She must have noticed your furrowed brows and confused expression.

"George?", she added. "Isn't he your boyfriend?"

You could tell immediately that your face was in the process of taking on the colour of her bright red sweater.

"George? No! Why would you think that?", you croaked out, trying to keep your composure. What was she on about?

Emily laughed brightly. "I just thought I picked up on some vibes between you two." Her eyes sparkled as she leaned closer to you, and for a moment she reminded you of Lucy. "But you know, never say never."

You choked on your sip of water and had to put the cup down before you spilt it all over the floor. She winked at you and made her way back into the other room, while you had to take a few seconds to recuperate.

You smoothed down your shirt and cleared your throat before you followed her. Had you interpreted it all wrong? Just a few minutes ago you could have sworn she was flirting with George. And who could blame her? You'd do the same if he hadn't made it clear to you several times that he wasn't interested.

As pathetic as it was, you felt relieved that this gorgeous girl didn't seem to be interested in your best friend. But when you turned the corner to where you'd been reading, the sight of them sitting next to each other still made your stomach turn. After all, just because she wasn't interested in him, didn't mean he wasn't interested in her.

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

It was mid-afternoon when you left to catch the train back. You had been somewhat successful and George had a few pages of notes - that truthfully, you didn't contribute much to.

Your head was a jumbled mess, and you felt an intense need to be alone for a while, just to sort out your thoughts. Too much had happened in the last few days, and at this point, you didn't know what to think anymore.

No words were exchanged between you and George, not on the walk to the train, not during the train ride. When you walked back through the fields to the manor, you let yourself fall back. George didn't seem to mind, he was clutching his notes and you knew his mind was probably far away, thinking over everything you had found out so far.

The sun warmed your skin, and you closed your eyes, soaking it in for a moment. The thoughts in your head were quieting down as you filled your lungs with fresh air, and you tried your best to push them into a far corner of your mind. As soon as you were back in London, you would have a chance to think everything over properly. Maybe you had to go through with it, even though your heart hurt just thinking about it.

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

Just a few hours later, you were walking up the driveway. The manor towered at its end, backlit by the light from the setting sun which made it look far more threatening than in the afternoon. The sound of your rapier hilts clinging against the metal of the belts slung over your torsos accompanied the crunch of the gravel under your boots. Other than that, an eery silence had taken over the scenery. The few birds that you had heard chirping during the day were quiet now, and the slight breeze that had ruffled the bushes flanking the walkway had died down completely.

You felt only marginally better prepared than yesterday. Over some sandwiches that Lucy and Lockwood had brought, you had talked through your findings of the day. It seemed as if everyone Lucy and Lockwood had talked to in their - rather mediocre - getup as tourists had roughly the same opinions - the Blackwoods were a family that highly valued their privacy and lived secluded in their manor, with no real association to anyone else. There were rumours that the son's attendance at the boarding school wasn't entirely of his own accord, and talks about how Blackwood's daughter - Genevieve - was rejecting any and all advances and wasn't planning on getting married anytime soon. Not that there was anything wrong with that, you thought, but it seemed to be a big topic of discussion in these circles. As for George and you, your findings largely matched those of Lockwood and Lucy. There hadn't been much that hadn't already been available in the archives in London, and so you stepped into this case more or less still clueless about what the origin of the haunting could be.

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You were greeted by the butler at the front door.

"Miss Blackwood is waiting for you", was all he said, and out of the corner of your eye, you noticed Lockwood looking at him weirdly. Like he had just realised something.

You didn't get to ponder too long over that though, as the butler led you into the dining room where you had had dinner just last evening. Genevieve Blackwood stood with her back to you but turned around as you entered.

Her face lit up with a smile, that for some reason had your stomach churning. Something about her…

She walked over to you, heels loud on the hardwood floor beneath her long black dress.

"I'm so glad you're finally here", she said brightly, then furrowed her brows. "Unfortunately, my father is still in a state that doesn't allow him to speak to you. We have decided to still go through with it to not take up more of your precious time."

Lockwood adjusted his rapier. "We appreciate -"

The sound of a door opening behind you interrupted him. You turned around, and in the doorframe stood an elderly woman in a bathrobe. Her hands were shaking slightly, and she looked a little dazed.

"Genevieve, darling", she said, voice quiet and breathy. "Where is he? You promised me -"

"Not now", Genevieve hissed, and you felt a shiver run down your back at the venom in her voice. "Can't you see that now is not the time?" She looked over to the butler, who gave her a curt nod and grabbed the woman by the arm. He led her out of the room, ignoring her protest, and for a moment, the sound of the door falling shut behind them was the only sound in the room.

You exchanged a look with George, who stood next to you. Genevieve Blackwood cleared her throat. She looked paler than before. "You must excuse her. She doesn't know what is going on around her. Now, the sun is setting, and we better get this over with quickly."

She led you through more corridors until she reached a large double door at the end of a hallway, that was ornately decorated with flowers and vines carved into the wood, along with iron moulded to fit some of the flowers.

"Behind that door is the wing of the house that is affected by the haunting. This door keeps it from spreading to the rest of the house, which is why we are still living here. I trust you to handle it from here."

She nodded and then walked away swiftly. Lockwood looked after her before he turned to you. "Are you ready?"

With affirmation from all of you, he slowly pushed down the handle. The door opened smoothly and swung open into the dark hallway that lay beyond. It was dimly lit from the last daylight coming through the windows that lined the wall. It didn't look too different from the other hallways you had walked through so far, with the exception that in this one, big oil paintings hung on the wall, showing portraits of the family members.

Lockwood was the first to enter. You followed him and when you crossed over the threshold, it was like stepping outside on a cold winter day. You pulled the sleeves of your jumper down so that they covered part of your hands, then reached for your flashlight.

Without much talking, you dispersed. Lucy moved down the hallway, the end of which lay in complete darkness. She kept her hands on the wall, and her eyes closed, full focus on any supernatural echoes and sounds. Lockwood trailed behind her, keeping an eye on her, ready to step in if anything were to go wrong. George had immediately started taking the temperature at different points of the hallway and scribbled down the readings in his small, tattered notebook.

You on the other hand had turned on your flashlight, moving the beam of light slowly over the walls. The paintings were shiny in the light, the shadows cast by the slight movements of your hand making them look almost alive. You stepped closer to inspect the little plaque that was hammered into the ornate wooden frame. Agatha Blackwood was engraved there, along with a birth year that indicated the woman on the portrait to be in her mid-seventies now. You pointed the flashlight back up and took a closer look at her face.

"That's Lord Blackwood's sister. The woman we saw earlier."

You almost dropped your flashlight as George's voice suddenly sounded so close to your ear. He had appeared behind you, looking over your shoulder at the painting.

"Don't sneak up on me like that in the dark", you hissed, trying to gather yourself.

He chuckled. "Maybe you just need to pay more attention to your surroundings. I could have been a ghost after all."

You huffed. "Pull something like that again and you might end up as one."

You made your way over to the next painting and missed the way his lips curled into a fond smile before he followed you.

You came to a halt in front of a portrait of a man that you identified as Lord Blackwood before you even read the name plaque. He looked exactly how you imagined him, but there was something about him that you didn't like. Maybe his piercing blue eyes, that felt like they were staring right into your soul. You turned to George. "Do you -" Your voice got stuck in your throat as you saw his expression. He was staring up at the portrait with wide, glossy eyes, lips slightly parted. "George?" No reaction. You nudged him once, twice, this time harder. With a gasp, he stumbled a little, breaking eye contact with the painting.

"George?" He looked at you, the far-away look he had just seconds ago was gone.

"Yeah?"

"Are you… okay?"

He adjusted his glasses. "Yes. I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"

You hesitated. You didn't want to bring up what his reaction had reminded you of, because you knew he didn't like to talk about it. But that look in his eyes… you felt a wave of dread wash over you at the thought of the boneglass and its effects, especially on George. It hadn't been that long, and none of you knew exactly how much it had really affected him.

"No reason", you finally said, deciding to just keep an eye out for George. Not like that wasn't what you were doing at all times anyway.

You stepped closer, trying to ignore the way the hairs on your arm stood up. You aimed the flashlight at the lower part of the painting.

The Lord was a few years older than his sister, you noted.

Without thinking about it, almost involuntarily, you reached out for the frame but immediately flinched away again as your fingers brushed over it. It was ice cold.

"George", you said quietly. He had gone off to take more temperature readings. Within seconds, he was by your side again. "What is it?"

"What's the temperature here?"

He looked down at the thermometer and pressed a few buttons.

"6°C", he said slowly. "That's much colder than anywhere else." He reached out for the frame just like you did, and just like you he pulled his hand away quickly.

"That's… interesting." You could practically see him thinking.

"Check the other paintings, I'll get Lockwood and Lucy. We might be onto something here."

You nodded and he hurried down the hallway. It was completely dark now, and with a last look at Lord Blackwood, you made your way back to Agatha Blackwood's portrait. A shiver ran down your spine, and if you didn't know any better, you could have sworn you felt his eyes burn into the back of your head as you walked away.

Every portrait you checked was the same - cold, but not overly so. So when you gathered back in front of Lord Blackwood, you all knew that this was it.

"Why his portrait though?" Lucy asked. She had her hand firmly pressed against it and her eyes closed.

"I'm getting nothing from it. It's just really cold."

Lockwood aimed his flashlight up.

"I might have an idea", he slowly said. "But I'm not sure yet. What's behind this wall?"

George pointed over to a door a few feet down the corridor.

"Let's try this door."

It opened easily and led to a study. A large desk stood facing the door, and tall shelves filled to the brim with books were lining the walls.

The glow of your flashlights had a hard time penetrating the darkness that somehow felt heavier than outside. Dust particles danced in the air, and Lockwood, who was last, secured the door - your way out, should things go south. Then he went to get the two bags of equipment you had brought but had left standing at the double door, while you and Lucy started to thoroughly check the room.

It was immediately clear that you were in the right place. The temperature had dropped noticeably, so much so that you were slightly shivering now, despite your warm sweater. You were feeling along the wall right next to the door, at whose other side lay the hallway. The textured wallpaper felt rough under your fingertips, and there was a constant, static noise that felt far away and unnervingly close at the same time. You moved slowly, mentally preparing for any flashback or rush of emotion that might be waiting for you after the next step, but nothing happened. The wall just felt progressively older, and you knew you must be getting closer to the spot where the portrait was attached to the other side of the wall.

Then suddenly, you had reached the corner. Or rather, a heavy, velvet curtain that was draped over what should be the wall. With a little difficulty, you pulled it aside to reveal another wooden door. Without thinking, you pushed down the handle. The door creaked open, and you raised your flashlight, the other hand on the hilt of your rapier as you kicked it open further. It seemed to be an extension of the study, with the same towering bookshelves, and another two desks, slightly smaller than the one in the room behind your back.

You stepped into the room, flashlight raised and your other hand resting on the hilt of your rapier. In the warm glow of the flashlight, the room looked almost inviting - but it didn't feel like it. Immediately upon entering, you could feel your skin prickling. The static noise had slowly increased in volume, and you could feel the beginning of a slight headache forming behind your temples.

You hesitated. Maybe you shouldn't be in here alone. Just at that moment, Lockwood called for you. You took a few tentative steps backwards until you felt safe to turn around. Lucy was in the opposite corner, still feeling around the books, while George was laying out an iron circle.

"What's behind that door, (name)?", Lockwood asked.

"Two desks and more books. It seems like it's just a connection between those two rooms."

Lockwood thought for a moment.

"Alright, then we'll split up. Lucy and I will stay here. George and (name), you take the other room. Put a chair and some iron at the door so that it won't close."

You tried to keep a neutral expression, but on the inside, you were screaming. Of course, you'd split up. Of course, Lockwood had you and George working together. You wondered if Lucy realised just how protective he was over her. How he'd never leave her alone in the presence of a ghost if he didn't have to. You're chest tightened. It must be nice to have someone care about you that much.

George grabbed the second bag, and the two of you moved over into the other room. With two flashlights, the space was considerably better-lit, and you took a while to slowly walk around and take everything in.

Your flashlight wandered over a row of books, and you tilted your head to read the titles. "What do you think the source is?", you asked eventually, just to break the silence. Surely, George already had several different theories, and it was unusual that he hadn't yet shared them with you.

He took a while to reply, and when he did his voice sounded shaky.

"I'm not sure."

You furrowed your brows and turned around. He stood with his back to you in front of one of the bookshelves.

"George?"

You expected him to turn to you, but he didn't. He didn't move at all, the hand holding his flashlight hanging limply by his side.

Anxiety was twisting your insides as you rushed over to him, hand on his shoulder to turn him around. He blinked and scrunched his eyes together as you shone the light in his face.

"George, what is going on?", you asked, hating the way your worry for him was so clearly audible in your voice.

He put his hand on yours and pushed down the flashlight.

"Stop that, you're gonna make me blinder than I already am. I told you, I'm fine. Just feeling a little tired, that's all."

You did not believe him.

"Something is wrong with you!"

He laughed dryly. "There are a lot of things wrong with me. And maybe I'm feeling a little out of it today, who cares?"

You wanted to shake him, scream in his face that you cared, you cared so much, and that he was putting himself in danger because something was clearly not right. Maybe the aftereffects of the boneglass were still lingering, and he just didn't want to admit that.

You took a step back from him, feeling defeated.

"I'm gonna go set up an iron circle."

While you went to gather the chains, George began pulling open the drawers in the cabinet under one of the desks. You didn't get very far with opening the bag and kneeled to take a closer look at the zipper, that seemed to be stuck. Behind you, you heard paper rustling and George muttering under his breath.

"(name)?" George's voice was quiet, maybe a little unsure.

"Mhm?" You leaned further down, moving the zipper back and forth, trying to get it loose while you waited for him to continue.

He mumbled something you didn't quite catch, and you were about to ask him to speak up, but his next words left you frozen in place.

"I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you, just the way I always dreamed about and wished for. I love you more than you could ever know."

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thank you for reading :)

[orangesaek]

hiii! could you please write fluff about haechan taking care of a sick s/o? im literally dying right now and something like that would be really comforting, thank u 🫶🏻

OMG i hope you're feeling a lot better now! Thanks so much for your request, and pls take care of your health 🥺🤍

a/n: slightly proofread

A loud clap in his face snapped Haechan out from his thoughts.

"Hey, focus!" Jeno reminded, chuckling at Haechan's distracted look. "Pull your shit together and do your best one last time."

Haechan only groaned in response.

"He's right," Jaemin chimed in. "You can finally visit your girlfriend once this is done. She's sick in bed, right?"

Haechan nodded in response before letting out a sigh for the nth time that day. He couldn't stop worrying about you ever since you got sick a few days ago, and he hated himself for being unable to visit you even once due to his packed schedules.

NCT Dream was waiting in the dressing room for their turn to perform for their final music show performance before they can finally take a few days of rest. Luckily for Haechan (and Mark), they had no other schedules lined up for the next few days as well for NCT 127.

"Don't forget to drop by the pharmacy to get her what she needs." Renjun kindly reminded. Haechan nodded again, feeling really grateful that his friends are just as genuinely worried about you.

After the performance, the boys quickly got dressed to leave, with Haechan being the quickest to get inside the van.

"Hyung, can you please drop me off over there?" Haechan asked their manager, pointing to the direction where a pharmacy was located.

"Just try not to get sick as well, alright? Inform me or Taeyong if you're gonna come home to the dorms tonight or not." their manager said before parking the van on the side of the road.

"Yes, hyung, I will." Haechan responded as he unbuckled his seat belt and quickly put on his disguise.

"Take care, and tell your girlfriend to get well soon." Mark said.

After saying a quick goodbye to his members and seeing the van leave, Haechan walked inside the pharmacy and took out his phone.

"Hi. Can I please have these?" He politely asked at the counter, showing a list of medicine and some other items for you.

"Thank you." he said as he left the pharmacy and rode a taxi on his way to your apartment, anxious to see how you were doing.

Meanwhile, you were peacefully sleeping in bed with a serious cold, not having the slightest idea that your boyfriend will be visiting you soon.

Haechan actually insisted for you to go to the hospital. But being a stubborn person that you are, you didn't listen to him anyway and just decided to stay in bed, assuring him that you'll be fine in a few days. 3 days tops, you said, which clearly wasn't the case at the moment.

A delicious aroma wafted in your room suddenly, disturbing your sleep, and prompted you to open your sleepy eyes and sniff the air.

"What...?" you mumbled to yourself groggily as you rubbed your eyes. Still lying in bed, you squinted your eyes to look at the window in case you left it open and the smell came from one of your neighbors in the apartment. Seeing that the windows were shut, you wondered where the smell came from and decided to check.

You (reluctantly) got up the bed and was just about to put on your slippers when the door to your room suddenly opened, revealing Haechan with a tray of food.

"Where are you going? Lie back in bed," Haechan said as he pointed to your bed with his lips, softly closing the door behind him with his foot.

You sat still on your bed in shock, confused as to why your boyfriend's in your apartment. Maybe it was just another extremely reaslistic type of dream, you thought, until he made his way to your bedside table and put down the tray.

"Are you seeing things? No. What am I doing here? To take care of your stubborn ass that I love. When did I get here? Half an hour ago. What about my schedules? They're all done and I don't have any other schedules for the next few days. What if I catch your cold? Doesn't matter." Haechan said with both arms on his hips and a smug look on his face.

"There, I've answered your questions, now lie back so I can start feeding you, naughty girl."

You blinked at him before snorting at his response in disbelief. Haechan just knew you too well.

You lie back in bed, adjusting yourself so you could sit comfortably. You looked up at Haechan, who was now sitting on your bed and pouring a glass of lemon water for you.

"I can't believe you're actually here..." you mumbled, affectionately placing a hand on Haechan's thighs. "Thanks, babe."

He put down the pitcher and held your hand tightly, heaving a worried sigh before looking at you softly.

"Don't worry about it, my love." he said as he softly brushed his thumb across your hand. "Just focus on getting better soon so we can go on a fun date, okay?"

You mouthed another thank you before Haechan picked up a spoonful of hot porridge, gently blew on it, and brought it to your mouth with his other hand positioned below to catch any spills.

"Mm, this tastes so delicious." you said, finally getting the source of the delicious smell earlier.

Although Haechan didn't usually cook for his members, he was actually pretty good. When you asked him about it some time ago, he said he can cook almost anything as long as there's a recipe he can follow.

"Glad to know. Eat up so you can take your meds and rest," he said as he brought another spoonful to your mouth. "Speaking of meds, when was the last time you took them?"

You actually forgot and just smiled sheepishly at him in response.

"Unbelievable." Haechan groaned and rolled his eyes at you in disbelief.

After eating and taking the medicine Haechan bought, he made you lie down in bed to rest as he scribbled down on your notepad.

"There," he said triumphantly. He brought the notepad to your face, showing a timetable he created for all of your medicine. "Oh, wait. I don't trust you enough, so I'm also going to set some alarms."

You only groaned in response, already dreading the amount of times your phone's going to blow off from all the alarms.

Haechan took your phone from the bedside table. A soft smile appeared on his face as soon as he saw your lockscreen—it was the very first picture you took together as a couple. The picture showed only your hands that was brought together to form a heart.

His smile grew bigger after he scanned his thumb on your phone for access, revealing his face as your wallpaper. It was a picture from one of his photoshoots that he loved.

"Aren't you such a big fan of me?" he chuckled teasingly. You chuckled dryly as a response but smiled after. Of course you love him with all your heart and soul. He's your everything.

"I seriously don't know what else I'm going to do with you if you still forget to take your meds after this." he said as he placed your phone back on the table. "I made sure the volume's in max."

"Should I be ready to get evicted from this place for noise complaints?" you asked jokingly. Haechan chuckled with a smirk before lying in bed with you. He placed his arm under your neck, bringing you closer, and you adjusted yourself comfortably in his arms.

"I'm really worried you're gonna catch a cold." you mumbled into his warm embrace, also taking in his sweet scent that you missed a lot. Haechan rubbed your back softly.

"I already told you, baby," he quietly said. "It hurts my heart to see you like this. I'd rather get sick than to leave you alone."

"I'm really sorry..." you responded, suddenly feeling guilt wash over you. You knew it was quite difficult for Haechan to manage between his schedules and personal life, so for him to come running to take care of you instead of resting or doing something relaxing in his free time made you feel guilty.

Haechan clicked his tongue in disapproval before gently placing his hand on your head and running his fingers through your hair soothingly.

"Don't even start." he softly reprimanded. "Just listen to me this time and focus on getting better, okay? I'm the happiest when you're healthy."

A comfortable silence filled the room for a moment, with Haechan's fingers still running through your hair.

"Anyway, I'm always going to be here for you. If you get sick again, then I'll just take care of you again." he added.

You didn't want to make him worried anymore, so you just hummed in response, feeling so grateful to have him by your side. Haechan placed a soft kiss on your forehead and started singing softly, his sweet voice being the last thing you hear before drifting off to sleep.

- end.

requests are still OPEN! feel free to send an ask ♡

[howlingmod]

Lights, Cameras , ... !

summary ; actors au because it's been stuck in my head and humanwally is very very pretty to me ... hcs that will maybe turn into something more at a later date and time

notes ; no pronouns for reader , not proof read

wc - 1.4k

-You played one of the other characters in the show, appearing frequently in episodes both as a focus and not. Sometimes you would have segments of teaching and othertimes you would simply be interacting with some of the other characters on stage when the episode’s plot called for it. Most commonly, you’d be interacting with Wally, as your characters were close friends.

-He was a sweet, charming guy- both in character and not. When the show was in its earliest days, you were admittedly a little nervous around him. No fault of his as much as it was just unfortunate ‘I am very not used to being an actor yet and you seem very calm about it, therefore you must have lots of experience, therefore I am going to look silly, therefore I am very very much so going to try and not look silly, and hope I do not look silly trying to make sure I don’t look silly,’ sort of case. In all honesty, though, being pushed to work closely with him was probably for the better. While he still had his moments of nervousness himself (more than a few times he’d come to sit with you an hour or so before shooting started to calm down, just enjoying the quiet company as you worked on getting yourself ready or checking over lines), it seemed as though his easy-going nature was one that rubbed off on you with time.

-Tense conversations about how this and that would go on set turned to more casual ones about specific scenes to practicing lines being thrown to the wayside as you both just started talking about something else. He’d still practice with you of course, typically working on segments where you took the teaching sort of role (sure, you’d been doing them for a while now, but that doesn’t make suddenly having the Big Moral Lesson shifted entirely onto your shoulders any less intimidating), it just happened that, should one of you go off topic for even a moment, you were both done practicing. There’s a line that references going outside on walks? Oh, well that reminds you of something interesting you’d seen the other day on your way home. (You can’t just turn back once you realize what you’re doing either, he will most definitely egg you on. After all, you can’t just leave him on a cliff hanger, can you?) There’s a line referencing dessert? Well, he just has to tell you about something he tried at that new cafe downtown the other day. (You’ll most certainly egg him on. It’d be rude not to return the favor and, more selfishly, you’d really just like to hear his voice a while longer.)

-You aren’t sure when things had started to change, perhaps it was just slow enough that it slipped in without either of you really noticing until it was sitting next to you both as you talked, unable to be quietly pushed back out of the room with a lame excuse. You’d say you have some specific moment in time to blame it on, but there’s just far too many.

There was that time it was raining out by the time your shifts were over, so he’d offered you his umbrella. You’d tried to refuse at first, not wanting him sacrificing his comfort for yours, but he’d insisted. He’d given some little excuse of not wanting you to get sick, only laughing when you’d pointed out he could most certainly get sick in your stead, reassuring you that he’d try his best not to.

Or there was that time you were panicking over some scene of focus, sudden stage fright taking hold of you as you seemed to lose track of all previous acting experience you had. You’d been pacing around in your room, listing off every last little thing that could go wrong from you stammering too much to you saying it all backwards and upside down (whatever that meant), only to be stopped by a hand on your shoulder holding you in place. You’d wanted to go back to listing, finding some sort of comfort in being able to identify all that could go wrong before it even happened, but you couldn’t bring yourself to when he was fixing you with some half-concerned half-placating smile. You can’t recall exactly what he’d said, something nice about how he was sure you would be just fine and that you were working yourself up over nothing, he had faith that you would deliver exactly what was asked for and more. It wasn’t anything particularly poetic or breath-taking, but it stuck with you for one reason or another. Maybe it was just how he’d been quick to offer his help in practicing some more or taking your mind off of it altogether. Perhaps it was the fact that it did in fact help, and you did in fact do well in the recording. Perhaps it was the fact he’d happily told you he knew you had it in you with some tone that was genuine enough to conjure up some warmth in your face and fidgeting in the hands.

Maybe it was that night you’d all had to stay in a little later than usual, some shooting problem or other you didn’t bother remembering, only that you would have to cut into the rest of your night with work. You moreso remember being tired -dead tired, really- by the time the problem was resolved. Most people took the opportunity to quickly say their goodbyes and quietly slip out and shamble to their cars to drive home and sleep. You, however, did not have a car, and you didn’t want to take your chances with tripping and falling into oncoming traffic in a sleepy haze. You were sizing up one of the small, semi-comfortable semi-stiff couches in the building when Wally had offered to drive you home instead. You would’ve put up more of a fight with ‘oh you dont have to’s and ‘it’s not a big deal’s but quite frankly, you were having a hard enough time opening your mouth to argue at all. It didn’t matter much, anyway, over-politeness thrown out the moment you’d gotten in his car, as you’d taken no time falling asleep in the passenger seat. He’d admitted to you later on he felt bad for waking you up when he got to your place, you seemed so comfortable for what it was. He’d helped you in your half-awake state, walking you to your door with some one-sided small talk (he had to hope you didn’t pick up on his snickering whenever you’d give a slurred, halfway-nonsensical response. you’d have to pardon his rudeness, it was just a tiny bit funny). There was some brief moment before you’d walked in to go (hopefully) lie down in a far more comfortable bed and get some proper sleep, where you’d turned to him and thanked him for his kindness. It was nothing unexpected, it was moreso just the added ‘and for all the other help, I really appreciate you’ that made something in his chest turn a bit. It wasn’t too noticable enough then, he was too focused on how the light from some faraway streetlight illuminated you just enough that he could see some twinge of something or other in your eye and perhaps he was just a little enraptured with just how close the two of you were and maybe he was a little caught up on how much he’d like to reach for one of your hands to fully realize it. He just had to hope his smile wasn’t too obviously dopey in front of you when he’d finally left your doorstep to take himself home, and that maybe you’d wanna go try that cafe downtown if he’d asked you tomorrow. He’s sure you’d appreciate the coffee anyway.

-All you really know is that you’re sure it was more obvious, on set and in recordings that there was something different. There was new little glimmer in the eye or shuffle in body language that screamed that something was different and new. It wasn’t a bad change, not at all, but it definitely gave some of your co-workers room to tease and jab when you two would make eye contact for slightly too long in that one specific way or one of you would laugh at something the other said in that near sickeningly-sweet, comedically obvious way. Whenever anyone seriously asked about it though, you’d just blamed it on those drinks that were very quickly becoming part of your morning routine.

[hibernationsuit-remade]

5 Songs, 3 Outfits

Thanks for tagging me @spaceratprodigy aaaaa this is so fun <3

Rules: Post 5 songs associated with your OC, followed by 3 outfits they would wear

Tagging @vvanessaives @elvves @yrlietlanaevyss @cilantlis @quickhacked @reaperkiller @velocitic @dickytwister @katsigian @edgepunk @devilbrakers @babylon5 @ncytiri and everyone else who wants to do this 🤍 (+ no pressure to do this obviously hehe)

picked toby for this hehe :3 also switching it to be outfits first, songs later bc i added commentary for the songs and they're under read more. hehe. i also added a bonus song there.

Outfits

sources: one / two / three

Tobias likes comfortable clothes and has a high preference for oversized sweaters and shirts. He also likes wearing flannel shirts or soft warm jackets <3 He likes somewhat neutral, earthly tones, but isn't afraid to use funny patterns either :)

Songs:

Firestorm - Siamés: Toby's a guy who easily goes to do something he really wants, especially when highly motivated, and has accepted the fact that this road can and will have lots of "falls" and problems for him. He's still going forward :) idk man this whole song just reminds me of him <3 also, these lyrics: "to be in the glory, you'll have to survive to your falls"

Black Mambo - Glass Animals: I think going against the higher-ups is a big part of Toby's story and personality tbh. This man has many opinions and he is not afraid to say them. Or blow a whistle or two. Also can be seen as the whole "some guy goes against the Halcyon Board" song.

So Much Love - Depeche Mode: I remember this one uquiz calling Toby sooooo much. This guy has so much love to give and does that all the time, he wants people to feel good, feel loved. Something something, also Dave Gahan saying this about the song: "It's like we have so much love here, we really do, but we're afraid to use it and access it." Based on what we know abt tow universe, I doubt it's better there, so showing vulnerability or doing something nice might indeed look "weird"/"unusual"/"not productive" and thus may even be looked down upon?? idk man.

Dying to Live - Poets of the Fall: honestly no matter what i said above?? toby doesn't like showing his true self to other people and gets, well, ashamed? scared? when forced to talk about himself or explain why he did something and all. He also tends to overthink everything so much :/ Which then has kinda lead to also kinda missing out on many things in fear sjfkkfkgnfkfn

Shine - Dave Gahan & Soulsavers: honestly just toby vibed song. also somehow relates to toby's optimism <3

BONUS SONG which is strongly related to young long hair Toby

Fear of a Blank Planet - Porcupine Tree: i was listening to songs that were in control at some point and idk why but the moment this was on i suddenly got?? so many long hair toby thoughts??? very fitting for him honestly. Obviously only some parts of the lyrics are fitting (which seems to be the case for most songs) but um. yeah. thank my obsession with control soundtrack for accidentally creating long hair toby. After leaving the family he kinda got into this very...unhealthy kind of behavior in which he basically either spent his time working A Lot (or doing some side gigs bc no matter how smart you are i doubt a junior chemist's salary in udl would let you pay for your rent and necessities properly) or spent in clubs or sitting all alone at his apartment doing something or having sex. Additionally I'd mention how his substance use got v high, specifically smoking and drugs. I'm pretty sure corporations actually encouraged their workers to use them to get better productivity and all even on Earth, and while Toby didn't really care abt the whole 'be profuctive' thing, boy did he enjoy getting rid of feelings and having more focus.

[authorautumnbanks]

Accidentally Dating (12)

Summary: A series of accidental dates and meetings between Kagome and Satoru over the years.

Pairing: KagomexGojo

Series Master list

"I'll just use blue and pull the house apart," Satoru says, wiggling his fingers. He tilts his head to the side, causing his shades to slide down the bridge of his nose. There is nothing but mischief in those blue eyes of his.

"Absolutely not," Kagome says, exasperated. "What if they are still in there and you hurt them?" She rolls her eyes skyward and puts up a barrier around them because despite Satoru saying he'd put up a veil, he has yet to do the actual chants for one. Dear Kami, is this how Satoru is on his missions? Runs headfirst into them and then worry about the consequences later? He's too cocky sometimes for his own good.

"What the heck did you just do?" Suguru asks. "That didn't feel like cursed energy...it felt pure, almost."

Kagome tilts her head. "I put up a barrier because Satoru is slacking off." Does Suguru not know? Well... she's not going to elaborate, just in case. Dad said to keep her powers under wraps, but he never said if she needed to keep them under wraps from normal humans or if sorcerers were included in that.

"Pfft... we didn't need a veil." Satoru pouts. "So why can't I just use blue? The house is basically the curse. It'll be easier to just get rid of it instead of going inside and hunting the thing down."

Kagome shakes her head. "I'll just purify it and then the house can stay intact." Property damage much? Satoru should be more money-conscious, sheesh. Just because he can afford to pay the property damage, does not mean he should blow it up.

"You'll do what?"

"Suguru shut up," Satoru says.

"I can ask her a question!" Suguru glares at Satoru, who presses his forehead against Suguru's. "Stop being a brat."

"You're the brat."

Kagome blinks. "Are they always like this?"

"Sadly," Shoko says, shaking her head. She pulls out a cigarette and lights it. "Though Satoru seems to be more... amped up than usual." Shoko gives Kagome a look, though, for the life of her, Kagome doesn't get why. Kagome shrugs and walks to the front door. She places a hand on the house and shivers.

Kami, this house feels awful. Makes her a little nauseous with how tainted it feels. She closes her eyes to concentrate fully and drown out Satoru's and Suguru's shouts. No doubt, those two are roughhousing with one another. At least they sound like it.

Focus.

She inhales and pushes back against the curse, determined to stay in this world. The ground shakes.

"Kagome?" Satoru calls. Suddenly, his hands are on her, but she ignores him for now. Almost there. Just a little more and... Boom!

Kagome opens her eyes and frowns. Satoru cradles her against his chest as they are suspended in the air.

"You broke the house," Satoru says.

"I wasn't trying to!" Great, now how is she going to pay for this? She may have to ask Dad for help because there's no way the amount she has in her account is enough to cover this. Maybe sorcerers have insurance?

"AHHHHH!"

"Damn, Utahime, be quiet. I'm trying to talk to Kagome," Satoru says with a huff. "And you better not be looking up here, Suguru!"

"Fuck off," Suguru says.

"YOU SHUT UP!" Utahime screeches.

Kagome frowns at the dark-haired girl sitting in the rubble. Is this who they came to rescue? Is she a priestess too, or does she just like wearing the outfit? Kagome pokes the inside of her cheek with her tongue. No, this girl is a sorcerer like Satoru, though her curse energy is really, really low. Another girl with white hair strolls forward, with a smile on her face. Maybe it's the red lipstick or maybe it's the smug look on her face, but something about her reminds Kagome of a fox.

Cunning.

"We came here to save you," Satoru says. "You could at least be silent and stop crying."

"I DON'T NEED YOUR SAVING!"

"Course you do, since you're so weak."

Kagome sighs. "Satoru, be nice. And you can put me down now."

"Satoru," Suguru says, "You should be nicer to the weak. They can't help it."

Kagome blows out a breath. "Suguru, you should be nicer, too. That was backhanded."

Suguru makes a choked noise in the back of his throat. Shoko laughs, and Satoru pokes his lip out as though he wants to say something but is refraining himself. He lowers them to the ground and sets her down on her feet.

"Would you rescue me?" the white-haired girl asks.

Satoru scoffs. "You're strong. Why would I need to rescue you?"

Kagome squints and moves closer to Satoru's side. Is that girl hitting on him?

"Oh? And you are?"

"Kagome Gojo," Satoru says.

"It's still Higurashi," Kagome says, elbowing Satoru in the side.

"... Still Higurashi? Are you two engaged?"

"No."

"Yes."

Kagome sighs. "I'm sorry, but are you a Jujutsu High student as well?"

The woman wrinkles her nose. "I'm Mei Mei and I'm not a student anymore, but I do work for the school as long as the pay is worth it."

"Wait!" Utahime says, walking up the rubble. "You two are engaged? Someone actually said yes to you?" She points a finger at Satoru. "You poor woman! Blink twice if you need help."

"I don't need help."

"They're not engaged," Suguru says, throwing an arm around Kagome. Her eyebrows furrow together. What is Suguru doing? Satoru presses his hand to Suguru's cheek and tries to shove him off. "Yeah, they're not engaged because they're siblings."

"WHAT?" Kagome and Satoru shout. Where on earth did Suguru get that notion? It's not like this is the first time they have met.

"... Why am I not surprised the Gojo clan likes to keep it in the family," Utahime says, taking a step back.

"We are not siblings," Kagome says, elbowing Suguru. "We're childhood friends."

"You call his dad, dad. He calls your mom, mom," Suguru points out.

"Okay?" Kagome crosses her arms. "Dad's been around for years and calling him Gojo-san is impersonal."

"Yeah, Suguru," Satoru says, glowering. "Mom is my mother-in-law. Why wouldn't I call her that?"

"I'm so confused," Utahime says.

"Really?" Shoko asks. "I think it's entertaining."

"Your parents are alone on a trip to Italy."

Kagome throws her hands up. "Because Mom wanted pasta." She huffs. "And now I want pasta."

"Can't you pick something else?" Satoru asks. "I don't want to go where they are."

"Oh, are we going out of the country? I have a test to study for." Maybe Satoru can help her study for it. It's math, bleh! She hates math with a passion, though Satoru has a way of making it make sense.

Satoru squeezes his cheek with his hand completely covering his mouth. He drops his hand and then tilts his head to the left. "Maybe we could just get out of the city, then?"

"Okay, but we'll need separate rooms, so Mom and Dad don't freak out."

"Ugh, that's true."

Suguru snorts and then laughs so hard that he topples over. He even kicks his feet up and laughs harder when Shoko bends down to poke him.

"Shut the fuck up, Suguru!"

"The jokes write themselves," Suguru laughs, standing up. He holds out his hands in front of him. "I'm sorry. Sorry that you have a thing for your step-sister." Suguru lets out another round of laughter. "Help me, step-brother, I'm stuck!"

Kagome frowns. Why is Satoru's face so red? "What does that mean?"

"Nothing!" Satoru says. "Are we done here?"

"No one asked you to come," Utahime grumbles. "I was this close to solving it so I could get a promotion."

Shoko holds up a hand. "You and Mei Mei were gone for three days."

"Three days?" Mei Mei asks. "I guess I'll need to have them double my pay, then." Mei Mei pauses. "What kind of veil is this?"

"It's a barrier," Kagome says, right as Suguru's phone rings. "The house wasn't supposed to crumble, though. I guess the curse really didn't want to leave it."

"Who cares about the house," Satoru says, sticking his tongue out in disgust. "It was ugly anyway."

"That's not the point." Kagome huffs and plants her hands on her hips. "Do you always go for the most destructive option?"

Satoru shrugs one shoulder. "Whatever is fastest."

"Dear Kami, you and InuYasha are so similar."

Satoru splutters. "I'm nothing like that dog."

"If you say so, but you two even fight similarly."

"Meh, that's because the old man insists on us training together. He learned his moves from me. In fact, he should thank me the next time I see him. He had no hands before me."

"If you say so," Kagome repeats.

"Hey, we gotta go," Suguru says. "Yaga said he has a mission for us. Tengen-sama requested us."

Satoru grimaces. "Now? I'm trying to take Kagome out on a date."

"I still haven't decided what I'm in the mood for since pasta is out."

Satoru huffs. "Fine, then, while you're thinking about it, I guess I can see what Tengen wants."

"Tengen-sama," Suguru says.

"Whatever."

Kagome lowers the barrier and rubs her hands up and down her arms. She looks at the mess of where the house used to be. "Maybe we should all get going before someone notices." Kagome motions to the rubble. Someone is bound to notice that a house is suddenly gone. Satoru grabs her hand and gives her a quick squeeze.

"I'll walk you back home before heading to the school."

Suguru groans. "Then I'm coming too, or you won't show up at all."

"Butt out," Satoru snaps back.

Suguru walks over Kagome's other side and grabs her other hand. "Nope. I'm coming too. I don't trust you."

Kagome frowns. "Satoru doesn't shriek from his responsibilities."

Suguru snorts. "Because I wrangle him in."

"I will kick your ass. Let Kagome's hand go."

Suguru sticks out his tongue.

"I wouldn't mind someone walking me back," Mei Mei chimes.

Satoru and Suguru scoff. Kagome inhales. She's getting really tired of them pulling on her. Kagome stares at her and Suguru's hands and gives him a shock. Nothing too strong, but enough to get him to back off. He jolts and lets her hand go.

"OI! Don't look at her like that."

"I'm not looking at her like anything!"

Kagome looks up at the sky and sends a prayer for patience, but sadly the extra patience does not manifest and she's about this close to sending a bigger shock of purification at both of them. She squeezes Satoru's hand and pulls him along. Satoru barks out a laugh. "What's so funny?"

"You're still so slow," he says, picking her up as though she weighs nothing more than a sheet of paper. Kagome pouts.

"It's because your legs are so long now."

"Satoru!" Suguru yells. "Get back here!"

Satoru laughs. "Keep up, Suguru! Slow ass!"

Kagome rolls her eyes as she snuggles closer to Satoru. Oh, he's really warm. Feels nice. "Are you really going to ditch him?"

"He doesn't need to know where you live."

"But he's your best friend?"

"You're my best friend... he's second place. And Suguru doesn't need to know where you live. He's got my number."

"But what if something happened to you and he needs to let someone know? I don't want to find out through Dad, who finds out through the school." Kagome wraps her arms around Satoru's neck and inhales. He always smells nice. Satoru huffs, but he slows down enough for Suguru to catch up.

"Walk on the other side," Satoru barks out.

Suguru throws his hands up and makes a big show of walking around Satoru. "Happy?"

"Yeah, I saw the looks you keep throwing her away."

"I'm right here," Kagome says.

"I do not want your step-sister."

Kagome closes her eyes and sighs. Why does Suguru keep calling her and Satoru siblings? She pulls back slightly to glare at Suguru, who blinks and then flushes. Huh? What's with him? "We're not siblings."

"My bad, my bad." Suguru holds his hands out in front of him.

"Yeah, the old man isn't good enough for Mom, anyway."

Kagome wrinkles her nose. "Don't talk about Dad like that."

Suguru snorts and then laughs. Satoru growls in the back of his throat and turns to run down an alley. He tightens his hold on Kagome and jumps up, landing on the roof. Satoru leans over and sticks his tongue out at Suguru below.

"Can't we ditch him?"

"You should be nice to your friends." Kagome clucks her tongue. "But...you could make him work for it." The only warning she gets is a flash of a smile from Satoru before he takes off, jumping from building to building. They move so fast that the buildings are nothing more than a blur. Her stomach is a bit queasy, so Kagome turns her head and buries it into Satoru's chest.

Yeah, he smells really nice.

And Suguru needs to knock it out. She and Satoru are not siblings.

***

A/N: Wishing you a wonderful week! If you're in the US, have an amazing 4th of July.

"Has Syouma and Satoru seen the shikon shards?" - Yep! Kagome brings them with her. They aren't tempted by it, but she does keep a seal on them because of curses and those that might be tempted.

"Has InuYasha and Suguru met?" - Not yet and Suguru is wondering why Satoru is saying that his dog has hands now.

"Is the skirt shorter than her uniform?" - It's about the same length, but she was feeling a little awkward earlier because she and Satoru pretty much took a leap in their relationship...though she forgot all about that once everything else settled.

"Does Syouma take Sota for outings too?" - Yep! Sota doesn't get neglected. He gets some training too, though it isn't nearly as rigorous as what Satoru and InuYasha have to do.

We still gotta do the gossip chapter. I can't remember if I said it or not, but I think that chapter may be a multiverse one. How To Tame Satoru will show up in his own body rather than taking over Accidental Satoru's body.

Next update will most likely be on Saturday. I've got some original stuff I've procrastinated on, so just depends on how far along I get on those. And it'll probably be a Thousand Days, though I thought of a Twisted Desire scene where they lock Kagome in the house, but that would also require them getting a high tech house with passcodes and fingerprints to get in and out.

Take care! Get plenty of sleep. Take your vitamins and drink your water. And JJK should be off break this week, so make sure to refill your well lol.

[btas-swap-au]

Zero and Loop, Together (Part 1)

[[This replaces the cutscene with Loop after beating The King in Act 2. In this case, after beating The Emperor. Subject to change cause I wrote this at midnight yesterday.]]

(Both of them don't look me in the eyes.) (…guess if anybody is going to break the silence, better be you.) 💎("So.")

(…Loop is the first to respond.) Loop: "…so?"

(…do they not get it?) 💎("So, what's our next plan of action?")

Loop: "WHAT?!" (I nearly fall off my seat in surprise.) Loop: "Gemstone, you-! You don't even want to talk about what just happened?!" Loop: "You beat THE EMPEROR! The whole thing you came here to do?! And you still looped back! Aren't you even a little-" Loop: "…urgh."

(They look away from me again. Zero, now, is the one staring.) Zero: "Subject." Zero: "Are you feeling nauseous in anyway?"

(…what?) 💎("…no?")

Zero: "Are you suffering from any headaches?" 💎("No.") Zero: "Any other forms of pain in any area at all?" 💎("No!") Zero: "Hallucinations? Bright lights? Have your ears been ringing? Nose bleeding-" 💎("I SAID I'M FINE!") Zero: "Interesting. An enraged outburst could signify-" Loop: "Oh for the Universe's sake, lay it off, you stone cold moron." Zero: "I was under the impression you were also in distress slightly about the Subject's state of psyche." Loop: "Never heard of being subtle?! Guess not! When are you ever-" 💎("Enough.")

(The two stop bickering, glaring at each other for a few moments before turning to you.) Loop: "…fine. We'll put a pin in it." 💎("So, why are you here, Zero? I thought you liked the Giving Tree Stump.") Zero: "Well, I reached a stage of understanding. I believed it was purely detrimental for me and Loop to be apart when we share such vital information together." Zero: "As much as majority of their information is wrong." Zero: "We share a similar mission and goal. It would be unwise not to collaborate despite our… differences."

Loop: "Hey, loser, you slipped up. Got tired of calling me an Anomaly?"

Zero: "Indeed. Working my way up to referring to you as: Glowing Monkey."

Loop: "Ugh. Trust me, Gemstone, there's nowhere I'd rather wish to be than away from them."

Loop: "But...we're here to help you with your loops. So that's what we have to do. Together."

Loop: "That's all there is to it." 

💎("Alright. Discussion number 2.")

💎("I'm still looping, even after beating The Emperor.")

💎("Though, it's not something I didn't expect.")

Loop: "...you...expected this?"

💎 ("Its not all that surprising, really.")

💎 ("Nothing suggested that beating The Emperor would end my loops. Just...")

💎 ("Didn't expect it to suddenly happen when I talked to the Head Housemaiden.")

Zero: "Hm. Rational, logical, and yet ever so pessimistic."

Loop: "Reminds me of someone I know. You're a bad influence."

Zero: "We're not raising a child, we're trying to help a grown adult. And to state objectively, YOU'RE a bad influence."

Loop: "...because I'm worried?" 

Zero: "Hardly. Emotions are a trait of you I respect. How you act on them irrationally...is another."

Loop: "Yeah, what about you? All about the results, all about the next step. What's wrong, too scared to stop?"

Zero: "To be quick witted is suddenly negative?"

💎 ("Can we focus, please?")

💎 ("...The Head Housemaiden said something was failing and rotting.")

Loop: "Hm. That's right."

Loop: "More than that. She said that as though she knew you were about to loop."

Loop: "I doubt she remembers like you, but she must know something else."

Loop: "Maybe you should take to her again?"

(That's something I can do.)

(Talk to the Head Housemaiden again, see what she knows. Got it.)

💎 ("There's also the matter of The Emperor.")

Loop: "Huh? What about them?"

Zero: "...you're referring to your abilities seemingly being similar to their own?"

💎 ("I can loop forwards and backwards through time...")

💎 ("...while they can suspend people a objects in time.")

Zero: "Indeed. Perhaps...I've theorised it may have something related to Crafts. A special kind. One we may not know about."

Zero: "Although, I wouldn't eliminate the possibility there's a book somewhere that holds that information."

(Search for books....the house is filled with them.)

(Anything related to controlling time.)

Zero: "And it's a risky suggestion...but..."

Zero: "I wonder. The Emperor is the only other individual we know has the power to control time. What knowledge do they posses?"

Loop: "Talking to The Emperor. I'm curious...and yet...I'm a little nervous about that."

Loop: "But I suppose it's worth trying, Gemstone!"

💎 ("I suppose that's all. I'll get to work.")

Zero: "Just a moment, Subject."

(...?)

Zero: "We have one last topic to address."

Zero: "Your companions."

Loop: "...wait, you're serious? YOU wanna talk about...them?"

Zero: "Is that so shocking?"

Loop: "Did you...go soft? Your heart finally grow three times this day?"

Zero: "Very amusing comments. I'm quite serious."

Zero: "The Rebel. She was worried about you, wasn't she? You have alerted her to something you didn't want to."

Loop: "That's right. You don't wanna open up about the loops, right Gemstone?"

💎 ("No reason to make them worry.")

Zero: "Not only that. It seemed she had something she wished to speak with you about. Perhaps you could find out what it is."

Zero: "A long list of tasks for you. Not too overwhelmed, I hope."

💎 ("...no problem.")

(Talk to the Head Housemaiden. Talk to The Emperor. Talk to Mirabelle. And find out more about what could be causing your loops.)

(Objectives, and a path set out before me. Winding, twisting. But I see it.) (…and yet…) (Something still bothers me.) (…why are they helping me?) (The two of them first appeared when my loops began.) (And their names. "Loop", "Zero" is a circle…) (They're related to your loops as well, right?) (…)

[you-are-forever-special]

There is a weird noise coming from somewhere. Only your OC can hear it and it is driving them crazy! -can they focus their mind and ignore the noise? What is something that gets to your OC so badly that they can't ignore?

(Thank you for this!! ☆ I had fun~!)

---

On a glorious summer day, Taiga sat contently in her little cottage tucked peacefully away into the dense foliage of the local woods she resided in.

It was another tranquil day, and the girl had no plans at the moment.

So, as she sat at her little desk at the corner of her room, Taiga took this time to catch up on reading a book that she recently discovered and picked up.

An ethnography on "Haitian Vodou, Cuban Yoruba, and Bahian Candomblé?"

'Sign me up,' Taiga thought almost instantly.

It was never too much, in her eyes, to be able to find out all of the things she could come to learn about the different people of this world.

However, that comforting feeling of peace she felt as she continued to be absorbed by the text printed out before her, was suddenly disturbed.

Something akin to a high-pitched human scream caused Taiga's sensitive ears to instinctively, instantaneously perk up more at attention.

But at the same time, she quickly set her book down at the current page she left off of and recoiled; making a face of discomfort and shock as that sound rattled through her bones.

A sense a dread quickly fell over Taiga like a big, suffocating murder-blanket as she covered her ears, despite her best efforts to try and stay calm about this after she recovered from the initial startle.

That... scream.

It felt off.

Was someone in trouble? Was she the only one hearing this?

Either way, she couldn't, in good conscience, just sit here and do nothing about it...

Even if noises like that tended to put her on edge, more often than not.

As Taiga uncovered her ears, she tried to remind herself to take a few deep breaths before she stood up from her chair.

She tried to strengthen her resolve.

She knew these woods, just like any place, could be dangerous.

But it's not every day Taiga heard a distressed cry out here.

She jumped slightly once she heard it cut through the air again, and the fur on her tail was much more puffed up by this point from the added consternation of this situation Taiga now found herself in.

Regardless, if this hypothetical person were in trouble, it'd be better to get moving rather than hesitate any longer.

So as she swiftly moved over and grabbed her emergency survival kit, Taiga still at least chose to try and err on the side of caution before going to check it out like a character in a predictable B-movie.

Grabbing her nata for extra protection, along with tucking her phone in her front pocket.

Just in case.

Taiga hiked the bag over her head and shoulder before leaving her cottage and locked up fast.

Keeping an ear out, whenever she heard the scream, she tried to follow where it was coming from.

Thankfully, she knew these woods well enough by now, but made sure to continue drilling it in her head to remember each of the directions she went down.

Ever since she lived on the road for a while, Taiga didn't like relying solely on a cellphone and tried having a backup plan whenever possible.

Like a physical compass.

Just. In. Case.

Her brain repeated on a loop as she tried to stay calm enough to not panic and make the situation worse.

Funny how a place so serene could turn devolve into a much more sinister atmosphere by just one change of events.

Taiga tried not to overthink, but it was still hard for her sometimes.

Moments like this, a person isn't always prepared for.

That crushing weight and ball dropping feeling within her...

Whether from natural survival instincts or the irrational side of her anxiety, it never felt good.

Even if Taiga could step up to the plate, there was always that question:

What if?

But she didn't have time to dwell on those thoughts for much longer.

Because the sound was now close behind her.

Her ears drooped after turning towards the source of the much more piercing sound.

Taiga's eyes widened, and she froze on the spot.

Questions of how, who, when, and why didn't stay in her mind's eye for long, because it was all overpowered by the crippling fear that overtook her.

This could have actually been a trap.

The noise seemed to have kept circling her most of the time.

Almost like Taiga was being evaded, and/or taunted the further she went and the harder she looked.

She honestly doubted anyone was possibly in trouble at this point.

But she wanted-

Needed to be brave.

No matter what.

After all... Leaving finding out the truth or not aside, she couldn't just stand here forever.

Taiga took a silent, deep breath, before gritting her teeth.

Clenching her nata tighter, she suddenly spun around fast; her eyes hastily scanning her surroundings as she got into a combat stance if she needed to fight.

But there was no opponent.

Besides a...

Oh.

It was a bird all along.

A starling, specifically.

It all made much more sense to her now and Taiga looked at the stance she was in before relaxing her body once again.

No wonder the cry seemed so off in a way; should've known.

She felt so silly, and so many emotions flowed through her at once while she stood there.

But as the majestic little creature let out another call, Taiga let out a sigh as she facepalmed and just laughed to herself as they flew away, off into the horizon.

[aro-attorneys]

nrmt = jekyon?? tell me more share your theories friend

(All J&H characters mentioned below are from the The Glass Scientists webcomic; other adaptations do not count for this analysis)

Oh nice, free infodump real estate!

I'll start off saying that this is entirely subjective and not everyone might agree with the connection I made between the two ships.

Furthermore, at their core they're both very much their own unique dynamic. If this seems like a stretch to you, that's totally fine!

That being said, here are my theories/takes/connections (screenshots will mostly be from TGS since that's more easily accessible):

My brain sort of made the connection after recent chapters came out. The focus on Lanyon's feelings and how he expresses (or not expresses) them reminded me very strongly of the "thanks to you, I am saddled with unnecessary feelings line." It also reminded me of this bit from chapter 3:

(ugh feelings, am i right)

Lanyon has Edgeworth Vibes to me lol. They have their "repressed victorian man" thing going on (although Lanyon literally is one).

I made a post about Lanyon's way of expressing his feelings before if you're interested.

Comparing Jekyll to Phoenix might be a bit of a stretch, perhaps. But with earlier flashbacks about Jekyll's university years and the much, much earlier scene during the Frankenstein Play, I can safely say the following things:

Both started out more expressive/open about their feelings. Only after having their hearts broken (Phoenix with Dahlia and Jekyll with Lanyon), did they take a turn and bottle their feelings up or stopped expressing them in a healthy manner.

Both have...little sense of self-preservation. Phoenix has shown over and over again that he's willing to hurt himself or even die for the things important to him. Jekyll also literally admitted to being willing to die for science. Although Jekyll has gotten a little better with it. One of the major developments he's going through right now is putting himself and his feelings and safety first.

Here is the evidence for Jekyll's case:

And Phoenix is infamous for eating a glass vial with possibly still potent poison and running across a burning bridge. And he's been more than willing to get hurt to help the people involved in his cases. It's something about sacrificing yourself because you think something or someone else is more important.

Although Jekyll has been recovering from this mindset ever since Hyde forcefully took over his body:

Another thing I've noticed with both ships is that there is a strong mutual admiration for the other, but neither actually voices it. It's a little more obvious for Narumitsu, where Phoenix admits in Turnabout Goodbyes how much he looks up to Edgeworth after the class trial. And in the Miles Edgeworth: Investigations games, he expresses the same admiration for Phoenix. They both are influenced by the other all the time and it makes them better, more well-rounded people.

This mutual admiration isn't as healthy in Jekyon, at least not consistently. In Jekyll's manifestation of his mind, he sees Lanyon as the perfect gentleman, as someone to look up to and follow no matter what. Even though he broke Jekyll's heart many years prior. But still, Jekyll believes he became a better person for it. Vice versa, Lanyon used to be kind of a heartbreaker. But meeting and dating Jekyll changed him. He wanted to commit to a relationship* and not Hurt Feelings anymore if he could help it. Unfortunately there was an arranged marriage so there's that.

*I am not saying that suddenly wanting a romantic and sexual relationship made him better, it's the not wanting to break other men's hearts that made him better.

I think...that's it? If I had to put it shortly, I'd say both ships have a unique dysfunctional way of communicating. Avoiding sharing any thoughts or feelings and then being surprised that the other party is upset. They're disasters and I love to watch it unfold :) (mainly because there's also actual character development to look forward to).

[keiraxlucy]

Okay so here is my little rant about relationships and wonze:)

First of all I think it’s important for people to realize that people who are in the public eye don’t owe us anything. They should be able to choose what they want to share with us and what they want to keep private. None of us have any idea what it means when so many people are interested in you and your relationship. Obviously most people accept privacy but there are people who cross lines (not talking about people on this blog, just in general). There is a reason why so many people have become much more private.

Second of all, every relationship is different. Not every couple want to share moments like Mapi and Ingrid do as an example. I love seeing them happy and being comfortable enough to share that with us, but some people like Keira and Lucy choose not to do that. They have their reasons for that and that doesn’t make them any worse or better. At the end of the day, the two people in a relationship need to figure out what works best for them and how they feel the most comfortable.

Moving on to my next point, relationships have its up and downs. Every couple has arguments, sometimes things are amazing while at other times things aren’t that great and relationships need work. And that is the case for couples like L and K, Mapi and Ingrid, etc. as well. Just because a couple is in the public eye, doesn’t mean those people never struggle. Everyone struggles at some point and no relationship is the way it is being shown on social media all the time. We are all humans and struggling is what makes us human.

Some things work for couples that would not work for a different couple. Sometimes I feel like people think couples don’t have a life outside of their relationship. It is normal and healthy to do things without your partner, like going out for lunch with your friends, traveling without your partner and spending time just by yourself. Every couple is made out of individuals who have their own interests, dreams, ambitions, etc and it’s not a bad thing to follow those. It is good to be independent and not to rely too much on your partner. Not everyone wants to be around each other 24/7 and it is so important to grow individually to be able to grow as a couple as well, but I feel like sometimes people expect couples to spend every second of every day with each other. For example, when K is out for lunch with some Barca girls, some people freak out and think this is proof of them not being together anymore and K visiting Leah when she has just done her all and people saying it has something to do with Lucy. Their lives do not revolve around only their partners. People are allowed to spend time without each other and with other people. Not everything K does has to do with L and the other way around and in a relationship, you learn how to deal with things and what your partner needs and how your relationship works the best.

So I just want everyone to be reminded that every relationship is different, famous people have their struggles as well even if it all seems great on social media but social media doesn’t show everything and it is normal to do things without your partner.

Anyway, let’s talk a lil bit more about wonze cause that’s what we are all interested in:)

They def can be a bit confusing, but after the euros suddenly everyone seemed to care about their relationship when they never confirmed it in the first place and there have been some weird edits and Lucy sees quite a lot of stories from fans on instagram and she has been tagged in some weird edits ( don’t get me wrong, I love the not weird ones and when players don’t get tagged) and it prob made the feel not as comfortable. Then K moved to Barca which they were probably really excited about but you wanna be seen as an individual and you wanna people to focus on your football abilities and not on your partner and relationship. There were people who said K only moved to barca to be with L and some people said Barca only signed L so they could sign K as well. Such nonsense but imagine them seeing this. I could imagine Tracy seeing a few things on twitter, cause she is quite active and sometimes twitter shows you things you don’t wanna see.

I understand why people think they act weirdly and I partly agree but for me so many things point to them still being together. Maybe they are broken up, maybe they broke up and got back together, maybe they had a little break or maybe they never broke up in the first place. I have a good feeling regarding their relationship and I agree with every thing the nice anon had on their list. Exes don’t act the way those two do and they didn’t have any obvious moments during the winter months but they had some moments actually (if anyone wants any more detail, I’m happy to explain it a bit more) and they shared clothes in winter and still do which says a lot in my opinion and no one would post their ex the way Lucy did with K recently and just look at the way they acted after they won the championship:)

Anyway my little rant os over haha:)

Nothing to add just YES YES YES thank you anon 😊 x

[matan4il]

Hello Alice,

it’s miya again :) I hope all has been well with you. I really loved your meta this week & it made me realize the reason I appreciate your analysis so much. You write about buddie but you write about them as buck AND eddie and not like they are one combined single unit. buck and eddie are their own people with different personalities and i think people forget that sometimes when it comes to talking about them together.

I love how the focus of your analysis was eddie and his clear childhood/adolescent trauma dealing with traditional parents who believe in only one way of doing things. I feel like people kinda missed that when talking about eddie & his performing. i know people interpreted the performing line as literal but it’s much deeper than that and you pointed that out very well. it all goes to show you we look at things through so many different lens but i love your focus point so much. you honestly make me want to get better at my own writing and analysis for this two lovers.

I wanted to ask you though on your thoughts about buck downplaying his brush with death. He never has explicitly said out loud “i died” & I do think that moments coming soon. I just found it interesting that everyone keeps reiterating that to him & i wonder if he’ll snap the next time someone says it. Buck has not processed or accepted that his trauma happened. him referring to him literally dying as “an accident on the job” breaks my heart cause you can tell he wants people to stop making a big deal of it, despite it being very serious. he is suppressing his trauma which i understand as someone with ptsd. anyways sorry for my rambling. buck is my favorite & character i connect to the most so i tend to babble a lot lol. hope you have a lovely rest of your day/evening/night whenever you see this ❤️

Miya, you darling! :D I'm always so happy to hear from you! I've had a very challenging week (which is not yet over... when you read this, I'll probably be recovering from another double shift), but the feedback on everything that I was most stressing out about has been amazing, so I'm exhausted, but very satisfied! How are you? Well, I hope!

Awww! Yes, that's exactly it! I think I even explained it in one of my earlier weekly meta posts, that I'll be writing about Buck, Eddie AND BuckandEddie. So I'm glad that's something you not only noticed, but also enjoy! ^u^ Thank you SO MUCH for the kind words! And I'm particularly please to learned you liked my POV on Eddie in my 614 meta. I know I've spoken to a very perceptive friend of mine back when... I think it was still s3 airing? Or possibly start of season 4, and despite how smart and insightful she is, she had missed the bit about Eddie's conversation with Bobby back in 217. So yeah, I think a lot of people might have? We all miss something, since 911 serves us with so much goodness. And I'm glad if in this case, this is something I can add to the table.

I fully agree with you, Buck is not really coping with what happened, given the fact that he's not yet said it out loud, and other characters have to remind him of it repeatedly. I also wondered this week if his PT scores being low is also a reflection of him still struggling with the lightning strike and how to recover from it. Because remember in 301, when he was coming back from the fire truck crushing his leg? He still aced his re-qualification exam. Even after he also suffered a pulmonary embolism during that very same period of time AND survived (and rescued others during) a tsunami, we never got any indication that his physical ability to bounce back had been diminished. So that suddenly changing? It could be a sign of the gravity of the matter, and how this is different, and Buck has to wrap his head around it, but because he hasn't yet, his full recovery is also stalling. I don't wanna get too much into spoilers, but based on the little that we do know about the finale, I feel like if this isn't addressed before the end of the season, then it should be in its very last ep. The themes seem like they would easily lend themselves to it, in any case. I hope that's what happens! If it also leads to some breakthrough with Eddie, one of them finally, finally ADMITTING what the other one means to them, I would be ecstatic, but I would absolutely take the win if we simply see Buck starting to actually face the trauma he had just been through.

Thank you again for your wonderful ask! I hope you're having a great day. As always, my ask tag. xoxox

[iobsessoverfictionalmen]

Competition for a heart

Tagging: @imwithyoutiltheendofthelinebucky, @jointhehunt67

If you want to be added to the tag list for this fic, send me an ask or leave a comment on the fic.

Chapter 3

AN: This chapter contains mentions of bombs, canon typical violence, and an argument.

Remember to comment your suggestions for the final pairing! Do you want Bucky/Reader or John Wick/Reader?

“We’ve been over this,” Steve uttered tiredly.

“I didn’t like your explanation then and I like it even less now,” you retorted, “Steve,” you continued pleadingly in a softer tone, “you know what I can do, you’ve experienced what I can do.  I’ve fought by your side in other dangerous situations.  Why is this one so different?”

Steve ran a hand through his hair.  Just yesterday you’d been teasing him that he was overdue for a haircut.  You got the feeling that he’d ran a hand through his hair a lot during the meeting because his hair wasn’t as neat as it normally was.  “You’re not a Champion.  You wouldn’t understand the guide….”

Steve instantly knew he’d made a mistake with those words.

“Don’t hide behind that Rogers,” you said contemptuously, “it’s not my fault that I’m not a Champion and if this knowledge is what’s keeping me benched then I’d like to at least know why you’re suddenly treating me like I’m made of glass.”

Steve had just opened his mouth to speak when Bruce squinted at the monitor hanging from the ceiling, “Is that Justin Hammer in the entrance lobby?”  He questioned, readjusting his glasses.

Tony cocked his head to the side, “Appears to be,” he murmured, “question is: how did he get in here?”

“I think a better question is: how are we going to get him out of here?” Sam stated.

“Something tells me that we are past that point,” Bucky commented as he spotted several floating objects hovering around Hammer before they surged upwards unexpectedly.

The flying objects burst through the floor with an almighty crash and sped toward you.  They appeared to be drones.

“Next time I catch up with Hammer remind me to ensure he suffers a painful death,” Tony growled as he suited up and aimed one of his blasters at the flying drones.

“If Hammer wanted to see Tony defeated, why isn’t he up here enjoying the show?” You wondered as you jumped in the air, spun, and kicked one of the drones.  The drone spun uncontrollably and crashed into another drone.  Both of the drones turned a vivid red and you realised what was going to happen before it did.

“They’re bombs!  Get out!” You cried.

“I think you’re right,” Bucky said conversationally even as he ran towards the nearest window, “they’re all turning red now and they’re beeping.  That’s usually an indicator of a bomb.”  He then threw himself out of the window.

Imitating Bucky, you sprinted for the nearest window, faintly aware of an unfamiliar presence close behind you.  Gathering all your strength, you jumped sideways into the window, causing the glass to shatter.  The last glimpse that you had of the Avengers was them jumping out of windows or in Thor and Loki’s case, summoning the Bifrost to escape.

A heartbeat later, you jumped out of the Avengers tower and fell through the air.

The air whistled as you fell and you berated yourself for not thinking further in advance.  You didn’t have much time to contemplate that as the Tower exploded behind you and you suddenly had to focus on avoiding the falling debris.

“I wish I was closer to the ground now.”

Unexpectedly your wish was granted as you were swept into a tight hug.  Fearing that it was Hammer, you clenched a fist and wrenched your body around to face the person that was hugging you so tightly.  You relaxed a little when you saw that it was John Wick.

He’d managed to get his suit jacket off and was holding onto that with one hand while he was clutching you tightly with his other arm.

“Brace yourself.”  He stated calmly in your ear as the trees and grass grew closer.

Inhaling deeply, you focused on lifting your legs just like you’d been taught to do once you had finished your skydive.   It took longer than you thought it would to land but when you did, you stood up panting.

“Thank you,” you managed to gasp out.

One side of John’s mouth quirked up in a smile but it was gone as quickly as it came leaving you to wonder if it had been a trick of your imagination.

“Don’t thank me just yet,” he replied, draping his jacket over your shoulders, “we still need to get someplace safe.  Fortunately, I know just the place.”  It didn’t surprise you when John started walking and even though you matched his pace, you had the feeling that John shortened his strides for you.

You had what felt like a million thoughts buzzing in your mind but you knew that this was neither the time nor the place to voice them.  You and John continued to walk as the sky darkened and the shadows deepened.  You did your best to blend in with the crowd and just after the sun had set, John led you to a grand building.

As you walked through the entranceway, you felt like you had stepped into another world.  The inside of the building was glamorous and although you’d visited many luxurious buildings in your time with SHIELD and the Avengers, this one seemed to be both older and on another, grander level.

John led you to the concierge desk.

“Welcome back Mr. Wick,” the concierge greeted him before the concierge’s critical gaze fell on you, “(Name) (Surname), a member of the Avengers and one of the few of them who is not a champion of a Greek God.”

Something about the concierge’s words and tone warned you not to lose your temper.

The concierge smiled, “It is nice to see that you have the ability to control your emotions, especially in an unfamiliar setting.  I am Charon and before you ask, yes, I am a champion of the Greek God Charon.”

“It seems that there are a lot more Champions than I knew,” you replied evenly.

“It would appear so,” a deep authoritative voice rumbled from the shadows and a man appeared out of them soon after.  “However, you should bear in mind that not being a Champion does not exclude you from success or prosperity.  I am Winston.  John has brought you to the Continental in order to ensure your continued safety.  He would not have brought you here without a sound reason.  I must inform you that no business is to be conducted on the grounds during your stay here.  Any acts of violence will be swiftly dealt with.  Am I clear?”

“Does that mean if someone were to attack me that I couldn’t retaliate?”

Winston drew back with a cautious expression on his face, “As a precaution, should you survive the encounter and claim that you acted in self-defence, you will be placed in a cell during that time while the Cleaners investigate.  If they can prove that you did not initiate the brawl, you will not suffer any consequences.  I will ask you again, am I clear?”

“I understand the terms of my stay at the Continental,” you replied with a clear voice.

[alostnarrator]

To Save Yourself- Chapter 5: Who hurt you?

Universe: 2018

Day: 1

Mikey re-hid himself under the blankets while he cradled his head. Every so often he heard Blue shift  in his chair he had stolen from the desk on the other side of the room. He felt like he would go crazy under here, sitting so still for so long. But his muscles were tense, his body only allowing enough movement to breathe. 

There were more sounds of people moving around him, followed by a strange humming sound. Based on what he heard, it was some sort of machinery, then they sat back down. Mikey dreaded finding out what kind of horrible demise awaited him, that is, until he felt less uncomfortable. The temperature under the blankets was suddenly more bearable. The AC? He questioned internally. Cautiously he uncurled himself, allowing his head to pop out of the blanket mountain. Blue was, indeed, back in his chair, his hands holding his head while he softly muttered to himself. The freckled turtle was ready to fall into a deep, happy, sleep when his stomach decided to tell him that it had other plans. Loudly announcing its annoyance for the lack of food, his stomach growled loudly. Loud enough that Blue shot up in his chair, his concerned eyes darting around before landing on Mikey’s face. 

“Hey- Mikey?” Blue ran a hand over his face, obviously confused with something. “Can you tell me how you got here?” Blue squatted down near the bed, keeping his hands in view the whole time. Mikey wanted to hide away again, but he felt compelled to answer. 

“My name’s Mikey Hamato… I don’t know how I got here… please let me go home.” His voice cracked at the end, tears filling his eyes. As his lower lip wobbled Blue sprung to action, yelling for ‘Raph’. The very large, very spiky, turtle from earlier came quickly through the “door” carrying a tray with various food and drink items, and a small bear under his arm. 

“Hey there lil’ man.” His deep voice shocked Mikey, but the tenderness was what really hit him hard. He approached slowly, allowing the smaller turtle time to react before he set the try on a cluttered table near the bed. “I’ve got hot coco, pizza, and some tea here for you to pick and choose from.” He set the bear down next to the tray, “This is to help ya’ feel better ‘n all. D’ explained the whole “multiverse” thing to us. We’re workin’ on getting you home right now.” Raph seemed satisfied with leaving Mikey to think, but said he’ll stay close in case Mikey needs him. Mikey only pulled himself out of his safe cave as far as necessary, any fear of poisoned food escaping him when the tantalizing smell of pizza hit him. The coco was the best drink he had ever tasted, the pizza on another level. Huge sobs racked his body as he ate. Comfort from his favorite foods warmed his body, and reminded him of his brothers. 

Mikey missed his brothers, he missed them so much. He hadn’t even been gone that long and he already wanted to go home. Once he was done eating he settled for rubbing his face into one of the fluffy blankets, the feeling reminding him of his own bed. 

“Hey? Mikey?” Blue said suddenly, Mikey had completely forgotten he was there. “When was the last time you ate, bud?” Mikey got a guilty look on his face, between patrol and missions and training, there wasn’t much time for ‘self care’. 

“A bit…” He muttered, wrapping the blanket around his shoulders. Blue held out a hand, “I’m Leo, but you can call me ‘Nardo.” He gave Mikey a goofy smile. ‘Nardo, D, and Raph… He could remember those, easy peasy. His leg bounced under the blanket, eyes drifting to observe the room again. “Hey- Mikey?” His attention snapped back to  ‘Nardo. “There we go, here-” He handed Mikey a little cube he had in a pouch, “This’ll help you focus.” He accepted the cube, and fumbled with it until it unfolded. It refolded and unfolded infinitely, and it was small enough to fit in one hand! Mikey was thrilled with this discovery, and almost missed when ‘Nardo started talking. 

“So, would you like to come hang out with us?” ‘Nardo offered, a bright and dashing smile gracing his features. Despite himself Mikey nodded, pulling the blanket tighter around his shoulders and standing to follow. He led Mikey out into a huge room, ramps went up the walls, and he noted how none of the rooms had doors- just cloth to cover them. 

A delicious smell wafted from another room, voices softly discussing something inside. ‘Nardo led him in, and Mikey was thrilled to see loads of blankets, pillows, and snacks littered around. There was a large chair in front of a projector, Raph and D were arguing about “Jupiter Jim” or something like that. A human girl was standing next to D, and Mikey felt his heart skip a beat. She was gorgeous, suddenly Donnie’s reaction to April made sense. She had a bright charming smile, amazingly styled hair, and she was rocking some rad red glasses.  

“HEY THERE!” She loudly greeted, sending Mikey stumbling a few paces back. She gasped and took a step back, a sheepish smile on her face. “Sorry.” She whispered. Mikey smiled back wearily and shook his head- “Nah, you’re all good dudette. Just startled me…” His voice was soft, and it seemed to take people by surprise. “He speaks!” D said, a teasing tilt to his tone. Despite all the stress from that morning Mikey was smiling, and he was surprised to find himself already liking these people. 

A bowl of popcorn made its way into his hands. “Hey there new turtle dude!” A drone turtle greeted. “WOAH! You sound like me!!!” Mikey gasped, starry eyed over the robot. He kept chatting with the bot as he was ushered over to a spot to sit. By the time the movie started ‘Nardo, Raph, and D (and even the girl) had soft looks on their faces. D a little more conflicted, but still happy nonetheless. This gave Mikey a bit of whiplash, so used to being told to shut up when he started rambling with someone. He gave the brothers a confused look, “Y-you guys ok?” He fiddled with the blanket, and absently grabbed some popcorn from the bowl in his lap. One by one the turtles exchanged looks, “Yeah, why wouldn’t we be?” Raph asked a bit timidly. Mikey explained how he was confused that they just let him ramble. 

“You were actually talking,” ‘Nardo started, “It was nice to see you happy. Our Mikey or not, you’re still our little brother.” As tears welled in Mikey’s eyes the boys came to hug him, D settling with patting him on the head. The human smiled at the display of brotherly affection, and gave Mikey a head pat as well. Raph and ‘Nardo spent the rest of the movie sitting “shoulder” to shoulder with Mikey. Eventually Mikey ended up cuddling into Raph’s side, ‘Nardo out cold with his back propped against him. 

The speckled turtle had never felt so comfortable, even despite these people being basically strangers to him. D quietly waved to him as he left for his lab, the human- who he learned was their April- asleep soundly in the chair behind them. Mikey found himself blinking heavily in the dimly lit living room. The heat radiating off of Raph and the soft blanket now pooled in his lap sent him drifting off into a peaceful rest. 

“Well well,” An accented, raspy voice said, “who’s this one? Doesn’t look like my orange.” Mikey startled awake, jumping into a defensive position. His sudden movements shook Raph and ‘Nardo, Raph immediately sensing something was wrong. “POPS!” He said, scrambling to Mikey, holding an arm in front of him. “This is, a- uhm.. Well, he’s, kinda- about that- he- he’s… Mikey, just another version!” He said, fumbling for the right words for a second, the stout rat raised an eyebrow at his stuttering son. “Pops, this is Mikey, Mikey this is our pops, Splinter.” The mention of his name sent Mikey stumbling backwards, and tripping over the large recliner. His eyes were glued to the short mutant as he backed out of the room. Raph and ‘Nardo were suddenly both on their feet, ready for the worst. 

Without a word Mikey ran from the room, back under the covers he woke under. With the heavy weight settled on him, Mikey felt more at ease. Less touchable. He felt so horrible for just bolting like that, but the most recent incident with his sensei was still fresh in his mind. 

Loud, heavy footsteps drew closer, stopping at the door. “Lil’ man? Can I come in?”

- - - - - - -

Once he started talking the words seemed to pour out like a broken faucet. He just kept talking, and talking, and talking, and talking . As he became bolder and bolder about what he said, Raph’s face morphed more, and more. Mikey would have counted them all individually. One, two, three, four. Rage, sadness, pity, disbelief. His voice slowly got louder, settling on a good strong level. The volume drew in ‘Nardo, then April, even D and Splinter came in to listen. All of them were currently on one of the four faces he would’ve noticed. He would have, that is, if he wasn’t currently blinded by tears. His voice cracked while he almost yelled, his body trembling as he wildly gestured to drive home his points. He jumped from story to story, insult to black eye. 

His mask had been discarded on the bed, the fabric thoroughly saturated with tears in the middle. His freckled cheeks were darkened with a strong blush, so much heat rushing to his face as he got progressively more passionate and upset made him dizzy. Hours must have passed as he said everything that possibly came to mind, for the first time in his life he had someone who would listen . 

His chest rose and fell heavily, Mikey huffed violently. A headache rang out in his head again, and silence fell over the room. ‘Nardo was the first to move, he broke from his chair desperately, tripping over his own feet in his mission to reach Mikey. He flung himself at Mikey, clinging to him like he would disappear. “I’m sorry” fell from his lips like a mantra, his body shaking while Mikey’s arms circled around his torso. D followed suit with his brother, a disbelieving look on his face. Then came Raph, his massive form encircling the whole group. April and Splinter merely sat there, both still flabbergasted by it all. 

“I-...” D was the first to form a coherent sentence, “I’m sorry Mikey, we can’t send you back.” Mikey tore away from the group, an alarmed look on his face. His eyes stung with tears he wasn’t ready to shed. His tone was panicked, it boarded on hysterical. 

“No, no-n-no no no No NO NO NO! You h-have to send- send me back!” He sobbed, almost screaming, “I want muh-my brothers, I wanna go hh-h-home.. I wanna- wan- I wanna go HOME .” He clung desperately to D, uncaring of how tight his grip was on his arms. He howled anguished, while Raph tore his grip from D’s arms and locked Mikey’s arms to his sides in a tight and restraining hug. 

“He’s hysterical-” D said, refusing to meet his gaze. 

“Mikey… We…” ‘Nardo tried, his own voice giving out while he sobbed as well. His legs buckled as he ran from the room. 

“Mikey…” Raph’s deep timbre shook Mikey, but the smaller refused to respond. “Michaelangelo.” He said more firmly, making Mikey risk a look upwards. “You’re not safe there, we can’t send you back to a home where you don’t go more than a day without being injured.” His expression was stony, and Mikey shivered a little.

So a new plan was formed. While Splinter went out to vent his frustrations, and April home to take a minute to breath, Mikey was burritoed in a few blankets (his lower legs free from it, as per his request) while the others had a very heated debate in D’s lab. From what he could make out from the projector room, and over the show that was playing, the plan was “simple”. D would locate where in the “multiverse” their Mikey was, they’d use some sort of mystic-whatever to supe up ‘Nardo’s Katana’s temporarily. Then ‘Nardo would open a portal to Mikey, pull him through, and they’d all figure out what to do from there. 

Mikey didn’t like this one bit, sure his family was a bit… rough… around the edges, but he loved his brothers dearly. But Master Splinter… maybe he could live without seeing him again. He definitely wouldn’t miss April, he was tired of being belittled for being himself. Cling to the positives, he could do that. Maybe, with luck, he could convince them to bring over Donnie and Leatherhead… And ice cream kitty! On that note… what about his room? He’s got so many… so many… His blankets? Now that he thought about it, he didn’t have much in there, and he wasn’t exactly attached to most of it. His comics are probably his second most important possession, first being Kitty. 

So… is that it? Grab a few things, drag Donnie over here? Was he really ready to just… say goodbye to his family, his home, his world?! 

Mikey sat in silence for a while. His heart was surprisingly light as he came to one conclusion.

Yeah…

Yeah he was…

[jakesduskwood]

we'll make it through

Pairing: Jake x Fem!MC (focus on the main story a bit more though)

Genre: Post-Episode 10

Words: 2,928

Summary: Following Episode 10, MC thinks she should probably be happy. Hannah has been found, the Man Without A Face is no longer a threat, and as far as she knows, Jake is safe. But when she is whisked out of her bed in the middle of the night and taken to Duskwood to be interrogated by none other than Alan Bloomgate, she realizes that maybe some secrets were better off kept that way.

[ A/N: Hello!

Thank you all so much for the love on my last story. I wrote this in one sitting and did not proofread it whatsoever, so I apologize for any mistakes that may be made. Also, I will make a Masterlist where you can read all my fics if you choose to. :)

Enjoy! ]

“You don’t believe me.”

Alan Bloomgate blinked tiredly at me from across the table. I didn’t blame him. It had been quite a long couple of days. After Richy’s reveal as the MWAF and the fiasco in the mine, the town of Duskwood seemed to be slowly returning to its former state. Still—there were questions that had to be answered. Hence, why three men had shown up at my door in the middle of the night to tell me I would be seeing Duskwood a little sooner than planned.

He sighed. “I never said that.”

“Then somebody else doesn’t believe me.”

“You know how this sounds, [MC].” He reasoned. “You tell me that your friend—Richy—chose to kidnap Hannah. Yet—neither you nor any of your other friends seemed to know. According to your chat history, you and Richy talked quite a lot.”

“Sometimes.” I admitted. “We were friends. I thought we were friends. Why would I lead you to Hannah if I had been an accomplice in Richy’s plan?”

“I’m not suggesting that you were,” He attempted to reassure me. “Just trying to understand what happened in that mine, that’s all. I’m trying to understand how you fit into all of this. You had no knowledge of this group before Thomas texted you, is that true?”

I nodded. “Yeah. I received a message from Thomas and everything kind of snowballed. Hannah sent him my number, apparently. I’m still not sure why. They asked me how I knew Hannah, but I told them the truth—that I didn’t.”

“And how does the hacker fit into all of this?”

I swallowed. “He doesn’t.”

“We have already gained access to your phone, [MC]. Truthfully, I know what I have to. But I’m hoping that you can shed some light on the situation at hand. You know, I had always known this town to be a safe place. Then suddenly, ten years ago, Jennifer Hanson’s body is found inside the forests of Duskwood. Then, recently, Amy Bell Lewis’ body is found. Both cases unsolved. Both holding a connection to the forest. Except—I don’t know what it is. But you do. I don’t think you are as suspect here, but I do think you know something you aren’t willing to share.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Jake has nothing to do with them.”

“Maybe not.” He hummed. “But the topic of him does get a rise out of you. So—take me through this one more time. You received a call from the kidnapper, asking you to come and meet him by the Grimrock Waterfall.”

“Yeah. That was after he’d been shot by Dan. His plan had gone wrong, so he needed to come up with something new, I presume. Except—I never went, so I don’t know what his intentions could have been if I did show up.”

“So, you decided not to show on your own?”

I hesitated. “No. Thomas really wanted me to go. I thought about it. But—the others were certain it was nothing more than a way to lure me there and trap me.”

“And you thought it was Michael Hanson.”

“He fit the bill,” I admitted quietly. “We were mistaken.”

“I told you he was dead.”

“Richy was supposed to be dead and he wasn’t.” I reminded him. “I thought you could’ve helped him leave. Listen. I’m not proud of it. I just believed it over the possibility of one of them having kidnapped their own friend and lied to us all this time.”

He paused. “But you did send someone into the mine.” I tensed. “[MC], please. Believe me—I’m on your side. If I wanted to arrest him myself—I would have already done so by now.”

I averted my gaze. “So, you know where he is.”

“The general vicinity, yes.” Alan paused. “What would you have done if I would have found him down in the mine?”

“I was really hoping you wouldn’t.” I admitted. “I almost told you—I was afraid that you’d shoot him so I almost told you that he was down there with you. It’s better to have him arrested than to have him wind up dead. He would’ve probably never forgiven me.” I blinked back tears. “I know what you think about him. I know they’re after him. I also know you warned me—that they were there.”

“Maybe your story’s not that crazy.”

“I didn’t want him to go,” I whispered. “He knew the risks. We both did. But—we started this all to find Hannah. We had to finish it. I know it sounds ridiculous. Please, Alan. The only person in on all of this was Richy. I was there when he told Jessy—on the phone call. I imagine it went the same for everyone else when she told them. We trusted him and we were wrong to.”

“Then Richy killed Amy?”

“No,” I ran a hand through my hair. “Amy killed herself. I suppose Richy caused her to do it, but there was a letter she wrote and he found it. Richy didn’t kill anyone.”

“And how is Jennifer Hanson tied to all of this?”

I shook my head. “That’s not my story to tell you, Alan. Please. I’ve done my part. We found the culprit. Hannah’s alive and on the road to recovery. Richy is dead. For the first time in what feels like it’s probably been years, the people of Duskwood can finally rest. Can’t you let them have it for a while?”

“And what about Richy’s family?”

“What about them?”

“What do you suggest I tell them?”

I paused. Richy’s family. Well—that was tough. Do you tell them your son kidnapped somebody and drove another to their death and in the end—all they had was knowledge that something had happened to their son and they didn’t even really know what. Do you tell them you’re sorry, that you wish you could have stopped him? Tell them about all the good moments you had—like the ridiculously bad jokes he used to tell that always made you laugh? Could you tell them anything that wouldn’t have them break down?

“You tell them—” I suggested. “That you’re sorry. He thought he was doing the right thing. You can’t fault him for that. He just—went about it the wrong way. I think, somehow, his heart might have been in the right place. Maybe it wasn’t. But you don’t let them know that the thought even crossed your mind. Tell them how much he meant to his friends. Before. I mean. Like how when Jessy was attacked by the MWAF, he went over to comfort her after. Or how he rented a place to get his friends out of Duskwood when he thought they were all in danger. Make sure to leave out the gruesome details.”

He closed the binder in front of him. “Can you think of anything more to tell me?”

“About the case?”

He shrugged. “Or in general.”

“We’re so young,” I told him. “Practically kids. We’re not, but—the decisions we make won’t be the right ones all the time. I’m including myself in this—so you know. Maybe we could have left it to the police. For the record—I’m glad we didn’t.”

“Are you saying this to make yourself feel better about all of this?”

“It’s the truth.” I told him. “Richy would have never given Hannah up willingly. The only reason she escaped is because he was injured. Because you found her. Because of my friends. So, please take it easy on them.” I paused. “And Alan? I know it’s a lot to ask for. But…can I please ask for a favor from you?”

“Depends on what you’re asking me.”

“You warned me,” I reminded him knowingly. “About the FBI. I told you everything I can when it comes to Hannah. If you could—the things you know about Jake, if you could maybe keep it to yourself. I mean—don’t poke the bear, you know? They’re already after him and—look, I’ve had bad judgement all my life, when it comes to people. Clearly, Richy is a prime example. But, Jake is the first person I’ve met that I’m sure of. He’s good. So if you could—”

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about, [MC].” He responded, and then, he stood from his chair and winked at me. “I will be back with your belongings.”

I listened to the click of the door and sighed, burying my head in my hands. The whole thing was a mess. An absolute shitshow. Richy was dead. Hannah was safe, sure, but at what cost—she had killed someone. Even if it was ten years ago, people still wanted answers. She still needed to face her mistakes. It didn’t matter that it was an accident. They’d covered it up and kept it a secret for years. All of them. And Hannah was the only one left alive to take the fall.

Somehow, it didn’t feel right.

And Jake—God, where even was he? He had texted me once outside of the mine, only once, sent a simple I’m fine followed by a smiley face. He had gone offline before I could even respond and hadn’t been back on for days. I don’t know what that meant. Maybe he had been arrested. Maybe I would never know.

The door clicked open again but I didn’t raise my head. Truthfully, I didn’t want to move. Didn’t think I could. I had been here, under Alan’s watch, for what felt like it had been days, though I’m sure it had only been a few hours. Really, I hadn’t even had time to process what happened. All I knew was that I had been brought to Duskwood for an interrogation. Alan told me he didn’t see a suspect in me, but he also told me not to leave town until they cleared me. Whatever the hell that meant.

“Do you have my phone?” I asked tiredly.

The device slid across the table and landed in front of me. I swiped up on the screen and frowned when I saw no missed messages from Jake. Then again, I suppose I wasn’t really expecting there to be. Maybe just hoping he would have gotten enough time to text me that he was okay. That he didn’t drop off the face of the earth after telling me he loved me. Well. That’s my fault for falling in love with a wanted criminal.

The chair across from my scraped against the floor. Ugh. Wonderful. Time for more questions to be interrogated with. I groaned and threw my head back to connect with the wall behind me. “I’d love to give you more—but I don’t have anything else to say.”

“Hm.” He mumbled. “I assumed you would be happier to see me.”

I cracked one eye open and tilted my head down to meet the stranger’s eyes. My mouth went dry and my head spun. The person in front of me—I hadn’t seen them before, but I knew. The smirk dancing across his face and the way he looked at me and—oh fuck.

“Jake?” I pinched the inside of my elbow. Nope. Still awake. “How are you here?”

“It’s a—” He glanced back toward the door. “Long story, actually. Surprisingly, Alan helped me out quite a bit. However, I am afraid we do not have much time. Maybe five minutes. It is a very high risk being here for me. But. I had to see you.”

I swallowed my tears. “You’re alive.”

“I am.”

My chair scraped against the ground and clattered to the floor with a loud bang. I barely had time to react to Jake’s wide eyes before I threw myself into his embrace, folding both arms around his neck. Maybe it was a bit cliché, but he smelled like home. Like—like everything I had ever been missing and didn’t know. If we only had five minutes, I wanted to spend them wrapped up in his embrace. But—I knew there were things that needed to be said.

Starting with—

“You absolute fucking asshole!”

His eyes widened comically as I pulled away to slap him across the chest. “What—?”

“You had me worried!” I screeched. “How dare you tell me that and then you disappear for days with nothing but an ‘I’m fine’? I’m glad you were fine, Jake, but I sure as hell wasn’t fine when I had to constantly worry about you.”

“I am so sorry, [MC].”

“I don’t care.” I shook my head and collapsed back into him. “I don’t care. You said we could be together after all of this was over.”

He frowned. “It isn’t over.”

“Yes, it is!” I demanded, despite knowing he was right. “It is. You said it would be over once we found Hannah. We found her, Jake.”

“That only means we are one step closer.” He tried to reason with me. His hands rubbed my arms softly. “These new turn of events have caused a slight wrench in my plans. My pursuers are close to me—closer than they have ever been. I cannot risk putting you in danger like that.”

A tear fell from my eyelash. “I don’t care about that.”

“Please, [MC].”

I took a deep breath. “How long?”

“I don’t know.” He admitted unsurely. “Until I know for sure. Please, I do not want you to worry about that, though. I promised you I would not let them separate us indefinitely. I hold every one of my intentions to keep that promise.”

“You could take me with you.”

“[MC].”

“Fine. It was a bad suggestion.” I agreed. “Just—now that you’re here, it’s going to be hard to let you go again.”

“I will find you.” He stroked a hand through my hair. “In every lifetime.”

“Do you know how sappy you sounded then?”

He grinned slyly. “I have picked up quite a few things on my years hiding out. I may have stolen that one from an elderly couple I came across once. However—it still holds true. I won’t ever let you be on your own for too much time.”

“Will we ever be together?”

“I’d like to think so.” He hummed knowingly. “We already are in some ways.”

A knock on the door made me flinch. Jake smiled knowingly. A bit of a grimace, but still enough to reassure me. Or at least try and attempt to. He pressed a long kiss to my forehead and breathed me in. I was sure I smelled like police stations and sweat and my sheets I had clambered out of at three in the morning to answer the door. Still, he didn’t seem to care.

“[MC].”

I shook my head. “No.”

“No?”

“You’re not allowed to say it again. Not until we’re allowed to be together.” I pressed my face to his chest. “Think of is as your reason to come back to me.”

“I already have multiple.”

“You know—this’ll make me miss you more.”

“You found Hannah,” He explained, though it didn’t really explain anything at all. “Changed my life in more ways than one. I needed the chance to tell you that in person. I did not care about the risks.”

“You’ll text me when you’re able to?”

He nodded. “It might be a while before then.”

“As long as you do it.”

“I will.” He promised softly. A tear escaped his eye but he wiped it before it could leave a trail of evidence down his face. “You have to let go of me now.”

I released my hold on him and gave him a watery, shaky smile. My heart clenched deep inside of my chest painfully and yet—I wasn’t sad. Well. I was. I wanted him to stay with me. But I knew we would be together again. We would both make sure of it.

“See you soon?”

“As soon as I am able.”

The door clicked shut behind him. My lip quivered slowly as I slid down the wall behind me and buried my face in my hands. There were so many things I was unsure about. So many things that had me on the edge of my seat. That had me unable to truly sleep at night. Jake’s safety had been one of them since the moment I found out he was wanted by the government. Hannah’s fate. The identity of the Man Without A Face. The well-being of my friends.

Hannah had been found. The Man Without A Face had been revealed. And yet—none of it felt as though it was truly settled. Jake was still on the run. The group had lost a friend—maybe in more ways than one. Hannah’s fate still truly wasn’t sealed. The Man Without A Face—well, maybe it was possible that sometimes, I wish I still didn’t know. Things were supposed to be better after it ended. We were supposed to be relieved. I was supposed to be with Jake. And now—

Maybe it would never truly be over.

Maybe—I realized—as I sat alone in an interrogation room in the middle of Duskwood—where I had lost one friend and where two women would never truly get justice without the cold and hard bitter truth coming out—that this was the way it was always supposed to be. No justice. No sense of relief. No back to normal. No hope. Just—

—emptiness.