#keepin it simple my friends

[squuote]

actually getting things done on time for a change ;-P

https://artfight.net/~Squuote

[0turnthelightsout0]

.｡*ﾟ+.*.｡ Some Guardian doodles ﾟ+..｡*ﾟ+

[court-jobi]

Hi, lately I came across your blog and I really adore your writting style :3

I was very excited when I saw you have open requests (if I am not wrong, otherwise ignore me hah), so I have request for Bakugou × reader, when they are in established relationship, but lately it got rocky, because he was barely home, trying to climb ranks and just neglecting their relationship, so they barely even talk. Then reader gets kidnapped, due to being Bakugou's SO, but she feels so irrelevant at this point that she starts saying to the kidnapper that they are wasting their time, because Bakugou is not coming for her, whick Katsuki overhears, you know just good old angst with fluff at the end maybe

If this request is too complicated or specific please don't feel pressured to do this, anyway have a lovely day/night

I am very much receptive to asks, and thank you so much for providing one!! super flattered actually and spent my entire afternoon crafting up this bad boy bc I had an instant idea for it

Hopefully I touched all the right notes on this one, enjoy anon! Don't be a stranger~

Do It Scared

Words: 4.9K

Warnings: Pro Hero!Bakugou x reader TW: kidnapping, intimidation, light descriptions of violence, protective Bakugou is protective, language, angst with a happy ending (promise!!) and potential spoiler: Pro Hero!Deku

for my My Hero Academia Masterlist, check it out here!

Read on Ao3

Dynamight is on top of the world– or at least working his ass off to get there.

With Deku back on the leaderboard, he’s got twice the motivation and has never been in love with being a hero more.

“That’s what -heh- nine for you this week, Dynamight?” the newly suited Pro beams at Bakugou- not unlike the five year old version of him did back a lifetime ago.

Only instead of bashing the twerp upside the head with a gloating tease, Bakugou simple smirks and gives Midoriya a stiff push on the shoulder, 

“Ten, but who’s counting, nerd?”

The winded, black-and-blue villain currently under custody finds the heroes’ track records funny. Midoriya doesn’t necessarily take these villain types’ remarks to heart, but hates the attitude of this one today.

“Yer sidekick keepin’ count?! You wanna badge or a chest to pin it on, smartie pants? –AAGH!”

“HEY- THE ONLY GUY CALLIN’ THIS DEKU A NERD IS ME, DUMBASS!! YOU’RE THE SHITHEAD GOING TO JAIL FOR THAT STUNT– AND HE’S HEADING INTO THE TOP TEN!!”

“HO-OKAY, DYNAMIGHT, I think he’s had enough!!” 

Deku corrals the punk’s restraints a bit, but leaves the remaining process of reading rights and detainment for the police who just rolled up. Deku will proudly share that much prefers this ‘thick as thieves’ treatment to the ‘fight me or die’ dynamic they shared in school, and couldn’t be happier to be Pro Heroes once again.

And if Bakugou were completely honest, so was he. He’s in his element and closer to reaching his goal by the day.

Walking out of earshot from the police unit, the two are heading over to Ingenium and Creati who are deeply engrossed with the intelligence officers who just arrived on the scene. 

“Ten it is, then– you really need to start leaving some to me though; I can handle it, you know,” Midoriya slips his facemask down, exposing a pleading grin Bakugou still kinda wants to punch some days. “Might give you a little time to actually take a rest day now and then!”

“Tch, if you were fast enough, you’d do it, ‘Zuku.” Bakugou straightens out his gauntlet, but misses his best friend’s tilt of a frown. “N’ who said I need a rest day, anyway? I’ve never been better!”

“I can think of one person..” Midoriya hinted strongly at something that truly escaped Bakugou’s focus. Every now and then, he couldn’t quite mindread the nerd like normal, if he was deep in work mode.

“Heh?”

Midoriya raised a friendly, tired brow, “How’s your girl been lately, hm?”

Bakugou tenses a touch, but quips back, “Whaddya mean. She’s fine, been working a lot too.”

“Not as much as you. What’s she up to? You haven’t said much about her.”

Which was an oddity, indeed. Your successes, your insights, and even your random memes were common topics of conversation from Bakugou’s lips. But Midoriya did raise a finer point between the lines– you’d been put on something of a backburner, and he knew better that something must be off for the blond porcupine to rarely speak of you. Bakugou sensed it himself, but the more repeated check-in texts he received, the cycle of his non-answers worsened. This must be what the nerd is getting at.

“She’s fine-” Bakugou pressed, assuring himself and no one else, “Look, we’ve got our flow, and it works. I keep her in the loop when I’m busy and she gets it.”

Midoriya heaves a disbelieving breath, and just fixes Bakugou a look.

“What’s that shitty look for, huh? Whaddyou know?!”

“I know when she texted me yesterday that she doesn’t sound thrilled about your overtime…” the freckled sweetheart touched a personal chord within Bakugou. “Or that she hasn’t even heard from you to talk about it? I mean, I-I know it’s not my business, but Ka-”

“Deku, Dynamight!” Iida waved the two over from their aside, and back into work mode- to Bakugou’s drop in spirit, “We have a bit of a time-sensitive mission to take care of~”

Deku turned to the officer, raring to go and and straightening up his shoulders to address their more formal counterparts, “Of course, officer- how can we help?”

“Well sirs, we’ve got an ongoing heist over on the other side of the riverbank, and need a bit of coordination to respond.”

Yauyorozu had just finished off a protein pack of some sort and had demurely crumpled its trash in her hand while navigating an ipad passed to her. She’d welcomed Midoriya over when he took interest in whatever footage she’d been presented.

“Well shit, we supposed to be standin’ around like this when time’s wasting, or what?” Bakugou asked brusquely.

Ingenium -in his formal, helmeted fashion couldn’t hide his practiced patience well with the hothead in his response;

“The need for firepower is necessary, Dynamight– but caution is as well,” Iida reminded dryly. “We are in a heavily populated area, and must exercise control.”

Bakugou merely purred a low growl and turned diplomatic.

“Fine. We got live wires? Hostages?”

“To our knowledge, only a select few- a dozen at most,” the officer answered, “We can see most of the victims through the bank’s glass lobby. It’s a small, petty theft group- or so we thought, but there are some decent quirk users among them. Seems they are after more than funds, but records as well.”

Bakugou refrained from rolling his eyes, but only barely. Surely there were bigger and better missions to be pursuing than this– something a bit flashier, more suited for his skills with higher civilian rescue numbers to add to his count.

“One guest was able to contact via the emergency text line, and reported that someone did pull an emergency trigger and was taken further back into the vaults as a prisoner.”

Iida empathized, “Hardly fair- I’m sure none of these customers were armed, and they were simply acting as any hero would trying to notify the authorities.”

The officer firmed up a smile in agreement and proceeded to share some more info about how far back into the bank the team would need to infiltrate based on proximity to servers. 

“Sure you don’t just wanna call ‘Tape’, bust in there, strap ‘em up, and call it a day? Y’don’t really need a whole evac team, do you.”

A simple rescue in-and-out should be easy enough, or so he assumed- until Yaoyorozu took a bit of a sharp intake of breath in her nose, alerting Deku to fixate on the screen again,

“Bak- erm. Dynamight,” Yaoyorozu interjected gently, “-you need to see this-”

Bored and still half paying attention to the officer, Bakugou only barely looked Momo’s way, and didn’t really feel like a crowd around a tiny screen -in full sun- was warranted.

“What? It’s frickin’ bright out-”

“Kacchan,” Midoriya shot back icily, “get over here.”

Something alarming had struck him in the face, and he was purposefully putting on a front to those not personally connected to the heroes. Sidestepping ‘Legs’, Bakugou was passed the ipad and played back the security footage of the interior of the bank.

Time stamped at just fifteen minutes ago, a civilian in question had tried dipping around the counter to where some clerks had been bullied up to the opposite wall- but one of the employees jerked her head towards one of the registers- a lightning quick gesture. This cued the civvie -a woman, if the hiked up skirt was a correct indication- in the foreground to feel around the bottom lip of the keyboard for something- likely an alarm switch. Once done so, she’d merely knelt back down, hoping to stay low and sneak back to avoid the thug to lash out at the person who’d tipped her off.

But then -comically enough- the thug sneezed and unfortunately whipped to the side to let it fly. Looking up, there she was in his sightline. With something akin to a spider’s web knocking her flat onto her back, she’d been dragged up and back with the others- trying to ground herself with a squatted stance first, tried to force her elbows back, then bashing her head back in an attempt to hit her captor– until she was ultimately slapped and taken back to the far hallway, hunched over.

Bakugou saw red. His heart stopped then set itself on fire, hotter than Hades. He’d known that self defense response from having taught it, himself.

You pulled the alarm. 

For the first time in his career- he knows the target he’s saving. He’s in love with her, after all.

Damn your neck hurts. If your elbows hadn't been glued up to your sides, you woulda used those instead; but now having jerked your head back, you’d given yourself a healthy dose of whiplash.

And got a punch to the gut. And a slap to the face. Joy.

There’s fight, flight, freeze, and fawn. You’d seemingly gone for the fight route, with your body moving before your self-preservation could catch up, but it seems your fawning tactic of remaining calm and quiet wasn’t working out for you now. At least you took the attention off those poor girls in the lobby who were in near hysterics. 

Only now it seemed you’d taken on the role yourself, back here. You try to breathe deep, drop your shoulders, drop your jaw. You’d think this would double to avoid showing any fear that your captors can use against you, but it’s honestly just to help keep you grounded and not panic and curb the intense need to vomit or cry.

Please. As if you’d even call yourself heroic for pulling the theft alarm– but you suppose it’s instincts. Carry-over bravery: osmosis you assume, from hanging around these heroes. Your hero. Katsuki.

You’re stunned– you’re shocked– and you’re scared. 

Katsuki. You want Katsuki. More than the police, more than your mom. 

You want your hero to come for you, over any other in this entire country. The name pounds behind your eyes when you shut them against a wave of pain, the person you want more than anything else in the world.

–And at the same time, that man’s name hurts at the cry for it: given he hasn’t spared you more than a one or two word response in days. Because he’s overworked by his own volition. By his own drive. And you should be angry. You have been, for this is the longest you haven’t seen each other outside of a trip; considering you’ve all but committed your lives together and he’s typically at your place every other night, the drop in communication is a cold bath.

And you’re scared now- it’s a blurry feeling. Time is wonky when you’re stuck in a room with no windows, no visible clock and just waiting. All those tips they tell you about how to react in an emergency to keep calm? The ones you’ve heard over and over again in security briefings and teacher preparedness days before the school year starts? Man, is it easy for those to go out the window when you’re in actual trouble.

You just want Katsuki. And that’s a silly thought, considering how wide the city is. He could be clear across the district right now.

But just saying the name -thinking of any other pleasant time when he had his arms around you play-fighting that could make these bindings feel more bearable- that’s what you want to cling to.

The villains here are pretty pathetic as interrogators go, but that spares you no calm as they taunt you as if you were a captured magistrate or politician. They’re split into two parties; their head honcho trying to tap into the databanks of the servers two doors down while your immediate captors with the creepy quirks are choosing to go through your recovered phone seeking out blackmail like the assholes they are. Your primary apps for insurance and paying your bills are thumbprint protected, so really what could they get to that's confidential? Nothing, to your knowledge. But it seems your camera roll strikes their interest. 

Oh yeah, they hit low. They see your lock screen first- a sweet photo of your harmless, dopey dog who they snark that you won’t be home to feed on time. Then even more, as your home screen displays a picture-perfect selfie of you and your darling man. You picked it because it’s rare proof of him smiling at some wisecrack you made before snapping the shutter.

Your handsome and infuriatingly busy man. 

“Aww, well just look at little miss hero’s cute lil boyfriend! Bet he’ll be awful proud of you playing the savior~”

“Tehehe, too little too late though, yeah? Gotta be quicker than that for us.”

“Geez, how sappy can you get. This guy’s all over her…and can’t blame him, honestly. Makes me feel a little bad for roughing such a pretty thing up.~”

Gross. Just gross. You act like you don’t listen, your simpering pain turns to nausea the more they talk. Until a renewed sense of fear hits:

“Wait- go back. Oh. Ohhh shit, no.”

“Whuh.”

“Fuck, man, that’s DYNAMIGHT!!” the jerk with the copious amounts of tattoos and chains draping off his arms like whips gets nervous real fast, “We have Dynamight’s girlfriend!!”

Your other guard seems to swallow for a split second, but immediately tips to a feigned dominance,

“Well, ain’t that just icing on the cake~”

“THE HELL DO YOU MEAN? He’s gonna come after her!! You know how scary that guy is?! I’m telling the boss-”

“Don’t wimp out already,” he fires back. “Why do that and waste time- when knowing this, we could get paid double? Heroes ransoms can cost him a pretty penny, and you know he’ll do it for her. Those heroes make bank.”

You flatten your brows angrily. 

“Whaddya think, princess? Big man gonna come and save you, huh?  

You really want Katsuki. But you truly have no idea if he’d know or care to come at this point. The spiral downwards in the mind is dizzying along with your headache, and just makes your heart sick for him. 

When you see him next, you’re not sure if you’d hug him or throttle him. Though now, you just wanna see him. 

“Unless.. He doesn’t!” his mood shifts- patronizing, “Too busy makin’ a paycheck and name for himself and all his hero buddies than to settle down and think about the pretty thing at home? Well, I would fix that real quick–”

A muffled boom sounds on your right. Rooms away.

Another, louder. Two beats after, the guards look at each other.

You hear a yell, a harsh one, then another blast that sounds cracklier than the rest. Someone’s close. But you’re honestly not sure if it’s friend or foe.

You’re excited, but get nervous again when the lackeys move into action. Chains loops a rough swing of his appendages around you and starts dragging you back into the adjoining office, while the muscle goes back to type at one of their private laptops that’s downloading something.

You give off a flare of panic in your voice- a sound you hate but can’t control. 

“It’s-s not him–” you force your pitch lower, but it shakes despite your best effort. “Cmon, there’s too many heroes, s’not gonna be him–  n’there gonna come an’- bust yall anyway!! Whaddya want me for?!”

As you’re dragged, you catch a glimpse of shine from above you. In the vent, you see mustard yellow and teal saturated with shadow- all metal. Then, his voice, through a comm on his wrist that flashes in the reflected light:

“Got her. Light it up, on your left.” 

Both lackeys drop what they’re doing and look up to see the vent kicked into the floor– and the wall totally blown in from your right. 

Dynamight -the Symbol of Victory- and Deku -the Symbol of Peace- are dropping in at breakneck speed, though the former is out for blood.

“ALRIGHT, WHICH ONE OF YOU FUCKERS AM I KILLING FIRST??”

Deku’s landing creates a decent wind with his jump, revealing Bakugou behind where the door usually is, and clocking your position almost immediately. 

It’s a powerful thing, to see him in action- you’ve certainly never seen it in person, and you’ve never heard him this mad. To his credit, he never raises his voice enough for you to fear it.

He spots you and the guy who rushes him, but just snarls, evades his whip of weighted chains entirely, grabs him by the calf, and chucks him into the opposing wall with a spinning throw. Then, he sets straight to you.

“DEKU!!” he shouts to Midoriya, “Trash, at your ten!!”

“On it!” Your angel from the ceiling ducts is currently laying into the other guy, but keeps the reeling villain in his sights before he can get up and strike again. You imagine the sucker has more than a few broken bones (or truly is dead, as promised)… he doesn’t move from his figure on the floor.

While you’re still coughing up a storm from the drywall throwing dust everywhere, Bakugou comes to your side and immediately picks your bound body up in a rush from the chair you were perched on.

“C’mere you-” 

He sounds rushed and spent, huffs it out of the room and into a separate office down the hall. 

You spot Ingenium and Creati moving on to the other end of the hall where you know the final villain remains, but you can already hear the squeals of said wimp once Iida bursts in. This will be quick work for the rest of them, so you weren’t worried Dynamight would be needed anymore.

Inside an executive’s office, Bakugou kicks the door behind him shut with his heel and sets you on the dearest flat surface- a decently sized desk.

“Hey you- you still with me?”

You don’t realize you’re breathing so fast until he’s looking you square in the face with split concern. It’s night and day from when he burst in after one of his more gusty explosions, his voice all cracked and high in pitch.

“Cmon, baby look at me- here, let’s get this crap off of you..”

Your gasps for air turn wet and you can’t keep yourself from crying anymore. It would be notably sweet that he still tries his hardest not to curse wildly around you, but right now you don’t care what font his expletives are in. Every bit of stress leaving your body all at once is a rush for your senses and your emotions.

“Kats~”

After his pocketed knife’s quick, careful work separating your arms from your waistline covered in a still-sticky webbing, he sheaths the blade again and collects you up when you launch yourself at him. 

Bakugou holds you hard and fast and you can’t even be bothered to worry about how his shoulder pauldrons are nearly choking you. He’s got you back in his arms, and he’s just saved your life.

“I’m here,” he grunts to you, relieved beyond measure, “I’m here, sweet’eart. You’re safe.”

You’re so thankful. You’re so happy-

“N’d I am so sorry.

-You’re so confused.

In a flippy tone that betrays what heightened nerves you’d just gone through, you ask, 

“Huh?”

Bakugou’s fingers thread into your hair when you try and pull back-

“Don’t. S’the first.” His iron-sure voice wavers, “I- I haven't hugged you all week.”

Then, you’re both crying into each other, and it’s a healing thing. 

Dragging careful nails across the back of his hero suit, you try to offer a tiny bit of comfort to this mass of man cradling you on this desk. You know you’re still in dire need to talk about his recent absence, but what a reunion this was. Feeling him after a seven or eight day stretch of near radio silence changes the degree of flame you hold against him. Honestly now, you’re in the mind to think he deserves a pass entirely. 

Bakugou finally lifts enough to press a kiss to your head, but makes no move to let go of you. “I’ve missed you, baby.”

Has he? He’s barely texted you past the ‘I’m heading out’ and ‘I’ve gotta sleep’ with no room to offer or reciprocate any form of love between you; so much so, it threatened to make you doubt. 

“Have you? I haven’t heard.”

“No, you haven’t. And that’s all on me.”

You turn your head very slowly- your entire neck is still tender, but you'd rather listen to him with an ear to his chest, where you belong. 

“I’ve missed you too,” you settle on the truth. You might have more to say when you’re not so exhausted, but the truth is you’ll still love him no matter what, and you do always miss him.

You miss every moment, big and small. His wins and losses. Nights where he’s high off a victory or the ones where he’s bone-tired and in his head about how weak he must seem. Nights where he takes out his hearing aids and just wants to fall into your silence to sleep safely, and the mornings where he’s up and ready to go take on the day after he has your kiss and hug to charge him up. Whether he has your chapstick smeared up on his cheek, or the promise of your arms to hold him in whatever state he greets you when he comes home, you just miss him. You notice when he’s not there. The house seeks him out, with lights on for him to find his way inside, and low music to soothe what anger might have followed him home.

You take a few moments to just soak each other in. You hope and pray he’ll come home with you after this.

And thank the Maker, your prayers might just be answered.

“This was a wake-up call, sweetheart.” Bakugou sounds a bit bolder, but still talks softly to you and the dust mites around you, “I’m takin’ a leave. A long one.”

The way he promises time off is something he’s toyed with before, but never followed through on.

“You can’t do that, Kats,” there’s no coldness to the words, but you mean it.

“Yes I can. It’s my race; I can step away.”

You sigh against his pec, “I’m.. I’m not asking you to. I can’t, that wouldn’t be fair.”

To you, sure. But not for his dream. Not the dream he’s worked and fought and lived for since before you met, and long before he fell in love with you. You’d supported him in this chase to save everyone and be the best at what he does from day 1, and you’ve never wavered on that– you still wouldn’t, even if someone asked you now feeling as dejected as you do by his absences–

“Tch. Y’know what's not fair?”

Bakugou finally loosens his grip on you to lift your chin up to him with thick, strong fingers, 

“Leavin’ you for days on end; waiting up, worried sick. Leaving, and just assuming you’ll still be there when I get back. And now you’re getting fuckin’ snatched the minute I turn my back on what we have. That isn’t right.”

The correlation is irrational- this incident today was a freak accident. You couldn’t have planned it- or certainly hope that your identity as his significant other is not going to be weaponized. Shuffle in the hallway beyond tells you that the possibility of that information leaking is sufficiently locked up along with them. 

Surely Izuku would have grabbed your phone– and maybe set you up a new lock screen with a mean mug to poke some fun at ‘Kacchan’.

You slump against him, at the sound that he’s being too hard on himself, and that’s not what you want for him either.

“I just miss you, Katsuki. And I want to see you succeed.” you study the bold ‘X’ across his chest with fondness and heartache mixed, “I want both those things. I just can’t help but wonder if you have to go at it so fast? And so hard, where I never see you? Like you’re racing against the clock to be #1? I just want you there in one piece; I don’t care how long it takes.”

You have no doubt he’s going to land the spot before he’s thirty. You just hope for a balanced ascension to the height of his power and ability. And selfishly… you hope you’re in the picture of his life when he does.

Bakugou hears and you do believe he listens, as he smooths a calming hand up and down your arm all the while.

“And today..” you clam up a bit with an uncontrollable shake, “Today was- scary. But you couldn’t help that. Any more that you can help it from happening t’ anyone. I know that,”

And you look up at him despite the burn it causes you. And -a funny contrast to your still teary eyes- you smile.

“-but you did save me. And that was- honestly one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen in my life.”

The comment strikes him as funny, too, since he gives a little chuckle.

“Me blastin’ in and causing you to choke on my smoke?”

You nodded briefly.

“Kinda hot, all things considered.”

Unbelievable, his headshake and eyeroll at how easily you can -and will- make jokes. Perhaps it is the shock still, deflecting with humor. 

You do realize how fragile it is because when you laugh at the absurdity, you catch his eye again and you look just a little too long before you’re sniffling. 

The reality is that you could lose him at any time: whether by his end or yours. He’s got the more dangerous job by far, but if today was any indication on your part, you shouldn’t just think yourself as a shoe-in for safety.

Bakugou cups your face in his hands to make himself perfectly clear.

“You’re the hero today, angel. Watched you in 16-bit as you snuck back there, taking that bastard into next week. You saved every- single- one of them.” he placed a kiss on each word as he praised you. “I am so damn proud of you.”

Your hands still skipped, limbs jumpy. 

“I don’t feel like a hero.”

His lashes lured you in as he gazed at you through them, “Doesn’t mean you aren’t one. You did it scared. That’s pretty hot, too.”

You huffed your amusement as he thanked you in his own way. Best to let him carry on before he’s whisked away again. 

Just as you thought he might release you in ushering you out of the office, Bakugou takes you by the hands so that you can stand, then keeps you in place by his immovable stance.

“Things are gonna change,” he vows, “because none of this shit matters if I don’t have you. Yeah I want you now, but I’m gonna want you after my fire’s burnt out. Which means, I gotta pay attention. I have to set ‘who matters’ just as high as ‘what matters’ and remember why.”

Touched by every word, your trembling lessens. You take in his warmth and his care and his explosive loyalty with confidence and nod in agreement.

Taking one last selfish hug, you sink into your hero again, standing more as equals than you usually feel being held by him. He’s lifted you up in more ways than one. Enough to let safety back into your heart, enough to tease,

“That can’t be your line. When did ‘Zuzu’ give you that one?”

“Hey,” Bakugou flicked you in the temple lightly, “I can be nice too, dammit.”

“Sure you can,” you kiss the dip of his neck in apology.

“You’re just always nice, you can’t appreciate the difference.” he pouts, taking your hand and leading you out of the office.

“...Sure I can.”

You have to give him a solid shot– he’s nothing if not insistent with what he wants.

Outside the room, there are a host of officers, photographers, medics and heroes aiding in the recovery efforts, so you relax your hand in his to let go,

–only he doesn’t let you.

Bakugou glances to you, “You’re in shock, extra. You need to get checked out.”

“I’m fine, Mr. Dynamight,” you chortle with a little head bobble like you would have normally done, only now the movement makes you wince.

“That’s what I thought. OI, Deku- where’s her sh-phone?”

The iron hero stands with the receptionists, looks to you both and smiles gratefully, before nodding off to his company and joins you-

“This, I believe, belongs to you, maam~” he perks up as he comes around to your other side. It’s not so much that you have to pretend to be strangers, but in this high-traffic place, it seems easier to fall into roles of ‘heroes’ and ‘thankful public’.

“How kind, Mr. Symbol of Peace~ I’d be missing this!”

Double checking your lock screen, he did -in fact- change your cover screen to a playful selfie: pointing at the crumbled remains of the wall they’d broken into, with the caption:

>>Whatever Kacchan wants, Kacchan gets <3<<

Muting your laugh, you simply tilt your phone Bakugou’s way and catch Midoriya’s quick wink back to you, before he sets off running with a screaming boyfriend sprinting after him.

At least Katsuki showed up back at your place at 6:30PM on the dot, fixed you both a salmon dinner, and started getting your baseline of support back on track. With his next two weeks off and barely keeping his hands off of you so far, you believed he was making good on remembering his why.

[cupids-scream-queen]

A Little Murderess °❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･❀*

❀ female!murderer!reader x poly!ghostface ❀

Part 7 // 1.1k words

-> Part 6

Warnings: none!

A/N: sorry for the short chapter, tomorrow's is gonna end up being super long tho so hopefully that makes up for it!

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･❀*ੈ✩‧₊˚⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

Summary: You've just moved to a new town after the death of your little brother and stepfather with your mother. You're not ashamed of what you do to cope with the deaths; especially when you make two new friends who you might have more in common with than you thought...

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･❀*ੈ✩‧₊˚⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

The next morning was brutal. Your arms were sore from stabbing, your room smelled of blood. The high of killing was crashing down, and you really didn’t want to go to school.

But you had to. You wanted to see the faces of Tatum and Sidney as they worried what happened to Randy. You knew they wouldn’t discover the body in at least two days; Randy’s parents were going to get home Friday. And you wanted to see Stu and Billy. They very nearly spent the night at your place, but they weren’t quite keen on the idea of having to sneak out at five. You had two hours of sleep, and you knew you were going to need one hell of a boost of coffee to make it through the day.

You drove to school, a thermos of hot coffee added to your bookbag. You had nearly no makeup on, and you didn’t really care about who’d see you—your eyes were on two different people, and they were the only two people in which any opinion had an effect on you.

You took your beater to school, tired of fighting through the crowds to get to your normal car. Your beater was more suspicious in your opinion—nobody questioned a cherry red sports car, everyone questioned the polka-dotted paint job of your beater. Which was fine.

You were greeted by Stu, who was jumping up and down excitedly. He was wearing a Hawiian shirt, with a huge grin plastered to his face. Billy soon joined Stu, but he was dressed in a simple white tee-shirt and blue jeans.

“Sid’s out,” He drawled, his eyes glancing at you. “She’s at home, sick. We can still go after Tatum, but it won’t be as fun.”

“Is she home alone?” You asked, and Billy nodded. “Then why don’t we just kill both of them in one night? Alibi that you’re at my house.”

“Whose car would we use?”

“Steal one. Tatum’s ex-boyfriend’s, maybe?”

“What? Like, kill him, use his car?”

“Naw, I was thinkin’ of pulling one of the shit’s we’ve done to Casey and her boyfriend. Keepin’ him as a kind of reward if she answers a question right.”

“If she gets it wrong?”

“Off with his head!” Stu stuck his tongue out, his lips curled into a smile and he cackled, causing you to laugh and Billy to smile slightly.

“You’ve got to answer our trivia questions, it’s like Jeopardy but with actual incentives,” Billy explained, and you nodded, pretending to take notes. Stu ripped the pretend notebook out of your hands, and mimed stomping it on the ground.

“You don’t need to take notes, just do, don’t think,” He told you, and Billy nodded in agreement.

“So let’s see, we’ll kill off Tatum first, then Sid. Alibi is that you both are at my house, and we rented four different movies, just for safety. Who’s going to be the killer, who’s going to be the caller?” You wanted to get the general semblance of a plan formed, even though you were certain Billy already had one. He was more of a silent prepper, making sure that everything could happen just right, allowing Stu to do basically whatever his heart desired in the time Billy allotted for it.

“I was thinking we have you be the caller, and then Stu and I go after the kill. You’re shorter than us, so it’d be odd if the killer was two different heights. We don’t want to make it obvious that there’s three of us,” Billy concluded, and you agreed with him. You were good for kills that weren’t going to require planning, but they were better for the planned-out, multi-faceted kills that made the original kill of Sid’s mom a success, even though they weren’t directly to blame for it—they framed someone else. You weren’t sure if they were going to bother to frame anybody, or just leave it as a cold case.

“Are we blaming anyone for this?” You asked, and Billy and Stu’s eyes went dark with some information that you knew would make your stomach sick.

“That’s the beauty of it. We’ve kidnapped Sid’s father. He’s going to get the blame for all of this,” Billy grinned, his smile practically ear to ear. “He can be blamed for Sid’s death, and Tatum’s ex can be blamed for hers. Such a sad coincidence that they happened on the same night.” Clutching a fake string of pearls, Stu dramatically fell into Billy’s arms. Billy dropped him.

“You’re such a dick, you could’ve pretended to go along,” Stu grumbled, and Billy simply shrugged. You were excited for tonight—Randy’s death was a good introduction to the kill pattern, but tonight was going to be the big game. This was going to be one hell of a night for all of you, and it just depended on not getting caught. Which was easy when the three of you had parents that didn’t exactly care about your whereabouts.

•❃°•°❀°•°❃•

Your night started with getting your gear on, which was pretty simple. You found time to tailor the robes to actually fit you, which was wonderful since Stu and Billy couldn’t find any in your size.

The mask that Billy gave you fitted decently, but you decided to soak it in water and bleach beforehand, just to make sure it wasn’t coated in dried layers of teenage boy sweat. Your knives were in your bag, a familiar weight for you to carry. The finishing piece to the outfit was a bowie knife, one that matched the ones Billy and Stu used for their own killings.

Billy said he’d bring his voice changer, which you found relieving, since you couldn’t find the one that they used. Stu said he’d try to track down one of them, but he couldn’t remember where they got them. Billy just remembered that they weren’t the cheapest things ever. Stu said it was pocket change.

You were called at exactly nine-thirty, where the familiar and eerie tone of the voice changer greeted you, telling you to go outside past the bushes where you caught the two of them stalking you. You were to make sure to wear comfortable shoes. Even though you weren’t going to get out of the car, Billy and Stu wanted to make sure you were prepared. Just in case. Everything could go wrong, and Sid still had to end up dead. That was the singular goal of tonight. And although you didn’t know it, the end of tonight was going to be the most spectacular and unexpected turn of events that you wouldn’t have suspected in the wildest of dreams.

Enjoy my writing? Please like, reblog, or follow me! The support is super encouraging, especially since I'm going to make this a longer fic and post nearly daily 💕

♡ Want tagged every time I upload? Just send me an ask 💕💕

-> Part 8

Tag List:

@citrusbunnies @itsyoboysparkel -@winkev1 -@ghostbandghostcodghostface @dij-ology @l4vr0v @ilovefamousmen11 @cancelledkaley@4rtiee

[hellsite-detective]

There's a slow, ominous creak from your office door, letting a warm light from the other room in. Having been zoned out by the window after your latest case, listening to the rain patter against it, the sudden sound draws you away.

Though you prepare to invite the client in, there doesn't appear to be anyone there. Troubled, but unsure of what to think (pressure changes, perhaps), you close the door and turn back to your cabinet with the intention of finishing filing away the previous post.

However, there is a little void creature standing on your desk... Little trickster. But, this is one you recognize. The childish proportions, the void skin and big ol' white eyes-- The MERRY SHITSCRAM case! And... it seems the little one brought a friend?

You didn't notice it at first, hidden behind the more familiar, large-eyed doll one, but it's... outline? was less clear-cut than the other one, and its were eyes pinpricks, instead. This one seemed to lure in the surrounding light, blurring its form. The doll seems to encourage its buddy towards you--Ah, a client.

Whether it stepped out from behind the doll or tore away from it, you can't be sure, but it holds out a folded paper for you. On it, is a printed image of a... character ref, for a particular Duct Tape Wizard?

A voice, new this time - a slightly different inflection than the doll's; a spacey feel to it - chimes between layers of thought.

(If it isn't too much trouble... [We've] been having some issues finding a two panel comic with this character.)

The doll seems to elbow its blurry companion.

(Oh- Have an interesting day, Ms. Detective!)

You aren't sure if that could be considered a well-wish in this city, but it seemed well-meaning enough.

//i am. sorry for the amount of writing ive done for my two requests-- but sometimes you just gotta write--

ah! always good to see a familiar face in my office. nice to see you back here, little pal. and it's nice to meet your friend, too! let's get to work, shall we?

headin' down to the Search Bar, i asked the big fella themself, Don Google, for a very simple request. i asked for "duct tape wizard." they cracked open their briefcase and slid me a photograph of the post i was lookin' for. i let out an audible reaction...

oh i love this little guy!

i grabbed the photo, thanked the Don for their time, and went along my way. there was an address listed on the photo, so i figured that was the best place to start. weavin' through crowds in the middle of the rain, i eventually reached the apartment address listed. slippin' inside, i started my investigation, filterin' my eyes for "duct tape wizard." and to my surprise, i found not one, but two posts! the little guy was just so cute i simply had to grab both of them for my client. so i filed both of them away for safe keepin'.

here you are, my small shadowy clients! glad to see you two back for another case! if you need anything, don't hesitate to return. you two have an interestin' day as well!

Post Case: Closed

[nine-of-diamonds]

this post is mildly late bc i was Busy yesterday but!! new CTHL installment :)) — this one's a 4+1 style oneshot of four times an aurecove citizen meets a mer, and one time a meris hollow citizen meets a land person!

you can maybe read it without context from chasing the horizon line but i highly highly suggest reading the that fic first since that's the order it's meant to be read in lol

preview under the cut!

1 (2009, 10 Years Pre-CTHL)

Sunlight glittered across the ocean's surface, the arhythmic crashing of waves providing a chorus to the creaking steps of two travelers along the docks. They were dressed similarly, both in simple retail work uniforms.

The gift shop was an easy, brisk walk ahead—nestled comfortably between two stores, one a dollar store and the other for selling antiques—but the men chose to take their morning trek slow. A good reminder to relish in the beauty of nature, Joe decided, though he knew Bdubs had other reasons, displayed openly as the other man affixed his eyes to the open water.

"Still keepin' an eye out for interesting fish?" Joe questioned.

"Of course," Bdubs replied, punctuating his statement with an animated wave. "If I take my eyes off it for one second I might miss something!"

"You've been saying the same thing for years now—doesn't it seem like the right time to, y'know, change tactics?"

"And risk not—no, I'm going to be patient." Bdubs crossed his arms. "Mama didn't raise no quitter."

"Did she raise someone who sticks with ideas that're not working?" Joe pressed, his lighthearted amusement coming through in an upward inflection. "Maybe if you don't, like, look so hard, luck will just find you."

"As if anyone's just that lucky," Bdubs scoffed, a disbelieving laugh behind it. He shook his head, a glance made to his watch—out of habit more than anything, Joe knew. His expression shifted, though, and he grumbled, "Oh, shoot."

"What is it?"

"I just—I forgot I said I'd help Tango with a thing today."

Joe shot him a curious look. "Can't that wait 'til later?"

With a shake of his head, his coworker insisted, "I need to sleep after work, so no." He plastered on a smile, adding, "But it won't take long! Bdubs perfect redstone never fails."

Joe wondered, knowing Tango, what kind of guinea pig situation his friend had signed himself up for. He'd need to ask about that later, certainly, but for now he just offered back a smile. "See ya at work then, Bdubs. Have fun."

In parting, Bdubs called out, "Yep!"

His company having scampered back toward the main residential area, Joe gave one last smiling pass over the horizon before—scratch that. Near the docks, a humanoid form blatantly stuck out from the water—a teenage boy, it looked like. He tilted his head curiously but didn't otherwise move, to Joe's surprise.

"Howdy there," said Joe.

Only silence answered him for a long moment before the boy forced out, "Um. Hi." 

[marsgod]

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ “I’ve never loved anyone as I’ve loved you” ╰┈➤

♥ 200 𝙛𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙧 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙩 ♥

Do you want to find your true love? Contact myself and I’ll assign you your perfect match, free of charge, just follow these simple rules!

Send a letter describing yourself, should include;

Your hobbies, sexuality, appearance, what you look for in a date and what you avoid, and your perfect date!

Should look somewhat like;

“Can I have a matchup for (Fandom)? I like art of any kind and dancing, im a family person + an extrovert, i’m told i’m the mom of the friend group! i have short, curly, pink hair and am 5”9, I really like shorter ppl and like when they’re just as excited abt things as me! My dream date would be going to the library or going to the beach:)”

(Not exactly like that, but there’s the basic idea)

After that, keep in mind that I’m not doing NSFW in this; keepin’ it safe and whatnot👌

None of the little kids (Ortho, Eri, etc.) will be included

the more fandoms you ask for per matchup, the shorter they’ll be since more characters^^

For anyone who isn’t interested/already got a matchup but still wish to interact, I’ll still be doing character interactions!

Tell me which character you want, and what you want to say, pretty simple!

“Can you tell Jamil that I love his hair?”

And viola, there I shall write as the character!

Thank you everyone for the support and for 200 followers, I srsly didn’t think I’d get this far with my writing!🎉🎉🎊 when i tell you a gasped when i saw lmao, ya’ll are all awesome and rad as hell so tysm!

Have a great day/night yall!!!

[pesterloglog]

Equius Zahhak, Gamzee Makara

Act 5, page 2221

centaursTesticle [CT] began trolling terminallyCapricious [TC]

CT: D --> Have I ever told you what a reprehensible disgrace you are

TC: hAhA, fUcK yEaH, oNlY eVeRy MoThErFuCkIn DaY bRo!

CT: D --> I'm not in a very good mood

CT: D --> There are a few things I'd like to get off my chest

TC: MoThErFuCkIn SpIlL iT, dOn'T bE aLl KeEpIn ThAt ShIt BoTtLeD uP

TC: lIkE a FuCkIn AlL sHaKeD uP bOtTlE oF fAyGo.

TC: FuCk DoGg I'm ThIrStY.

TC: i'M dOwN tO mY lAsT bOtTlE aNd I dOn'T fUcKiN kNoW iF i CaN gEt AnYmOrE iN tHiS mOtHeRfUcKiN mAgIc LaNd So I dOn'T kNoW.

CT: D --> What you do appear to know is e%actly how to ma%imize my livid contempt for you

CT: D --> With your revolting language and your sense of decorum

CT: D --> At such breathtaking odds with the richness and perfe%ion of your b100d

CT: D --> I just hate you so much

TC: ThAt'S cOoL, i CaN't AlL bE mAkInG nOt EvErYbOdY hApPy AlL tHe TiMe.

TC: iF wE eVeR mEt I cOuLd BaKe YoU a FuCkIn PiE aNd We CoUlD cHiLl AnD mAyBe We'D bE bEtTeR bRoS tHaT wAy.

CT: D --> And the degrees to which you pollute your precious b100d

CT: D --> With your bottled fizzy sugar and soporific to%ins

CT: D --> Maddening

CT: D --> You will stop

TC: WhOaAaA, i WiLl?

TC: hOw Do YoU kNoW tHaT?

CT: D --> No, you don't understand

CT: D --> It's not a predi%ion, it's an order

CT: D --> I command you to stop

TC: Oh, AlRiGhT bRoThEr.

TC: yOu MoThErFuCkIn GoT iT.

CT: D --> What

CT: D --> Are you serious

TC: yEaH.

TC: I mEaN, yOu GoT tO sHoW sOmE fAiTh In YoUr FrIeNdS, cAuSe ThEy'Re AlL tHe OnEs WhO'rE bEiNg To LoOk OuT fOr YoU.

TC: sO fUcK iF yOu SaY i'M nOt DoInG tHe ShIt RiGhT, tHeN wHaT tHe MoThErFuCk Do I kNoW!

CT: D --> No

CT: D --> This is una%eptable

CT: D --> Ok, let's start over

CT: D --> I apologize

CT: D --> I was completely out of of line, and I'm sorry

CT: D --> I have no right to talk to you like that, or tell you what you can't do

TC: aWw, No WoRrIeS!

CT: D --> It's not my place

CT: D --> Your habits notwithstanding, I am lesser than you

CT: D --> An inferior

TC: hAhAhA. oK.

CT: D --> Don't you understand that you're better than me

CT: D --> Can you please act like it

CT: D --> That's not a command, it's just a polite request I guess

TC: oK, i CaN tRy, BuT mAn I dOn'T kNoW iF i KnOw HoW tO bE lIkE a BeTtEr MoThErFuCkEr ThAn AnY oThEr MoThErFuCkEr.

CT: D --> 100k, it isn't that difficult

CT: D --> Try to be cognizant of your desires and needs

CT: D --> And attempt to regard those around you as simple vehicles meant to bring about your gratification

TC: WoW, wHaT?

CT: D --> What are you doing

TC: uHhHhHh.

CT: D --> Right now

CT: D --> It sounds as if you have begun playing with the red team

CT: D --> Is this true

TC: yEaH!

TC: fUcK yEaH. i'M aLl Up In ThE fUcKiN sHiT oF tHiS wIcKeD mYsTiCaL mOtHeRfUcKeR.

TC: i BoNkEd An ImP oN tHe HeAd WiTh A cLuB.

TC: AnD tHeN a LiTtLe LaTeR i ScArEd OnE wItH a HoRn.

TC: :o)

CT: D --> Good

CT: D --> This is very good

CT: D --> It really pleases me to hear tales of physical subjugation

CT: D --> I presume these were lesser beings, toiling in the lower ranks of some hierarchy

TC: wElL yEaH, tHeY'rE uNdErLiNgS.

TC: AnD tHeRe'S SoMe SuBjUgGlAtIoN iNvOlVeD fOr FuCkIn SuRe!

TC: bUt NoW wE kInD oF sEtTlEd DoWn AnD mE aNd ThE iMpS aRe ShArInG sOmE pIe

TC: tHeSe MoThErFuCkErS aRe PrEtTy DoPe AcTuAlLy, I lIkE tHeM.

CT: D --> Ok

CT: D --> It pleases me considerably less to hear things like that

CT: D --> But I've already stated I have no right to be disappointed by your conduct, so I will try to control myself

TC: aW sHiT bRo, I dOn'T wAnT tO bE aLl LiKe To DiSaPpOiNt YoU!

TC: WhAt CaN i Do To MaKe A bRoThEr FuCkIn ShApE hIs ShIt Up?

TC: iF i CoUlD mAkE yOu SmIlE iT'd Be ThE bEsT fUcKiN mIrAcLe I eVeR dId PaRt Of.

TC: hOnK hOnK hOnK! :o)

CT: D --> Hmm

CT: D --> Would it be too much to ask

CT: D --> For you to maybe

CT: D --> Boss me around a little

TC: UuUhHhHhH.

TC: yOu MeAn LiKe RoLe PlAyInG?

CT: D --> If it would help to couch it in those terms

CT: D --> Then yeah, I guess so

CT: D --> But not the especially juvenile kind

CT: D --> Let's keep it serious and professional

TC: i'Ll TrY, bUt I'm NoT mUcH fUcKiN aNy GoOd At It I tHiNk.

CT: D --> Just

CT: D --> Say anything

CT: D --> As long as it's authoritative

TC: oK.

TC: uH, hEy YoU, dOn'T gO nEaR tHe MoThErFuCkIn OcEaN, cAuSe I aLl ToLd YoU nOt To A bUnCh Of TiMeS!

TC: ShIt Is StRaIgHt Up DaNgErOuS, aNd I'm GeTtInG mY hArSh On AbOuT iT.

CT: D --> Hmm

CT: D --> Decent

CT: D --> I don't live near the ocean though, so it's hard to immerse myself in the scenario

TC: aLrIgHt, WeLl, WhAt ArEn'T yOu AlL nOt SuPpOsEd To Do?

TC: WhAt KiNd Of MiScHiEf Do YoU gEt YoUr BaD fUcKiN sElF uP tO?

CT: D --> I do so many bad things

CT: D --> Just awful things

CT: D --> I'm incredibly impudent and a superior needs to put me in my place

TC: uMmMm, Ok WeLl.

TC: DoN't Be DoIn AlL tHoSe BaD fUcKiN tHiNgS bRo!

CT: D --> Yes

CT: D --> Yes, that's good

CT: D --> Like that

TC: cUt ThAt ShIt OuT, i'M sO aLl MeAnInG tHiS! hAhAhA.

CT: D --> E%cellent

CT: D --> Now tell me this, highb100d

CT: D --> I've been roughhousing a little too hard lately

CT: D --> I've made a bit of a mess and anyone in a position of authority would surely be % about it

TC: Uh.

TC: %?

CT: D --> Cross

TC: oHhH.

CT: D --> What do you make of it

CT: D --> This wretched misbehavior

TC: fUcK mAn, I aM sO mOtHeRfUcKiN sAlTy AbOuT aLl ThAt BuSiNeSs YoU sAiD!

TC: FuUuUuCk, Im LiKe AlL mOvInG mY mOuTh AnD tHe WiCkEd NoIsE iS cOmInG oUt In ThE fRoNtIeSt WaY pOsSiBlE.

TC: aNd It'S gOiNg At YoUr DiReCtIoN, cAuSe ThAt'S tHe DiReCtIoN tO fUcKiN bE aNgRy At!

CT: D --> Yes

CT: D --> So good

CT: D --> I am presently whipped into a state of contrition

CT: D --> One befitting of our class disparity

CT: D --> But I'm starting to perspire again so it's best that we stop

CT: D --> Thank you for indulging me

TC: hAhA, nO pRoBlEm BrO.

TC: It'S cOoL wE cOuLd AlL uP aNd MoThErFuCkIn OpEn Up A lItTlE bIt WiTh EaCh OtHeR.

TC: lIkE bRoS.

TC: If ThErE's StUfF yOu WaNt To GeT oFf YoUr ChEsT dUdE, lIkE i SaId I'm FuCkIn HeRe FoR a MoThErFuCkEr.

TC: kInD oF lIkE a MiRaClE, hOw It'S aLwAyS tHeRe.

TC: It NeVeR gOeS aWaY, yOu KnOw?

CT: D --> No

CT: D --> But I comprehend the sentiment

CT: D --> I have lots of thoughts, but they're difficult to communicate

CT: D --> If you'll listen

TC: sUrE! :oD

CT: D --> Honestly I'm confused by the social order

TC: mAn, Me ToO. i DoN't KnOw WhAt Of FuCkIn WhAt CoLoR iS wHaT, sO i DoN't BoThEr WiTh ThInKiN oN tHaT mOtHeRfUcKeR.

CT: D --> See, that's what I mean

CT: D --> How is it possible for one of your distin%ion to be so ignorant

CT: D --> And loathesome

CT: D --> Whereas

CT: D --> A member of the most abject, verminous b100dline of all

CT: D --> Can conduct herself with such grace and possess nothing but admirable mannerisms

CT: D --> I find these striking ju%tapositions perple%ing, and I confess strangely into%icating

CT: D --> I wonder if I have gone mad

CT: D --> To form such a pact with her

TC: WoW, i GoT nO fUcKiN cLuE wHaT yOu'Re TaLkInG aBoUt

TC: wHo Is ShE?

CT: D --> I shouldn't be talking about this

CT: D --> You're the enemy

centaursTesticle [CT] ceased trolling terminallyCapricious [TC]

[vacantgodling]

her person

wip: the chronicles of lathsbury (tcol) ; aftermath but before timeskip lol

character(s): saith praline (a knight of the royal lathsburian militia), daran “papa” isai (pub owner of the most famous pub in all of the capital), mentions of: piperlene lathsbury (originally piper fairwind & one of our mcs—lost daughter of the duke now reunited with her kin), keevan guerra (deceased; saith’s former superior/closest friend and piper’s first love), kiba lathsbury (piper’s elder brother and soon to be coronated king of terrae) & illiana aegos (kiba and piper’s step sister and another noble)

free time is a luxury that saith doesn’t often get, so he decides to spend some time down at his favorite pub to unwind with the friendly, wise bartender, papa. they discuss the upcoming coronation, which leads the conversation into territory that reopens old scars.

wish i could give y’all more context but there’s so much that’s happening & i know i haven’t really said a lick about this wip so WHOOPS. just know tcol is my huge worldbuilding fantasy extravaganza and i hope you enjoy this random snip cuz i barely write for this story (too busy daydreaming and worldbuilding/timeline planning lol)

Midday wasn’t the average time to go to a bar, but Papa’s was open nearly 24 hours without question. It was the perfect place to escape the creeping summer heat in the few hours Saith would have on break before he reconvened with his troop in the square. Despite its popularity at night, Papa’s pub was like a mirage; you could only see it when it wanted to be seen, or if you knew the route well enough for the illusion to be broken. Saith had been to this pub more times than he could count— the way etched into the soles of his shoes the same way magic was etched into his telus sword.

He paused before the establishment, briefly, before pushing open the heavy door with a wide spread palm.

“Saith!” Papa’s mighty arm gesticulated back and forth, welcoming him into the pub. With a shy little laugh, the knight ambled in, letting the loose hinged door swing shut behind him. It drew closed with a resounding slam, loud enough to make him jump.

Papa, as it was, only laughed.

“Never mind that ol’ creaky thing! Been meanin’ ta get ‘er looked at for a fortnight.”

“Made no less sturdy by your hundreds of visitors every night, I’m sure.” Papa laughed again, deep from his gut. “Pick your poison, kiddo.”

“Just beer— you know me, I’m plain.” Papa turned to easily draw down the bottle he knew was Saith’s favorite, filling up a shiny brown mug with the amber liquid.

The pub was empty, as it should be midday. Only himself and Papa to keep its old walls company. As Saith contemplated his glass, Papa finally spoke up.

“It’s been awhile since ya been up here? Piperlene keepin’ ya busy?”

“Keeping the whole capital busy, honestly.” Saith cupped his hands around his glass, drumming his fingers aimlessly against the handle. With Lord Kiba’s coronation approaching, Piperlene’s true lack of experience in noble matters was shining through, clear as a whistle. Never mind her gripes about formal wear— her dining etiquette was all wrong, her speech and pleasantries left heaps and bounds to be desired, and she refused to leave her sword alone for even a minute— even just for a simple luncheon! Between himself, Lord Kiba, and Lady Illiana, the three of them had quite a task on their hands. He rolled his eyes fondly thinking of it, finally shaking his head.

“I can’t tell who’s more excited for coronation to be over: Lord Kiba or La—Piperlene.” Papa laughed at his near slip up. Even if she wasn’t here to enforce her “no formalities” rule, he couldn’t undo years of ingrained habits with the snap of his fingers, no easier could she pick up ones wholly unfamiliar to her.

“I can bet ya it’s the lil’ missy. Heard her complaining about it aaaallll night a few weeks ago, last time I saw her. Can’t imagine it’s any better now.”

“I’m afraid I must inform you her complaining has only gotten worse.” Saith said gravely. The two men exchanged a look, then devolved into laughter. Saith let his laugh taper off into a chuckle before he continued.

“It’s endearing to see her vehemently refuse to give up though.”

“Endearin’ huh?” Papa asked, a knowing lilt in his voice. Saith ducked his head, expecting it. “Endearing.” He settled on evenly, shrugging, then brought the mug to his lips to take a sip. He sighed happily when the rich flavor hit his lips. “Damn! You always have the best brews Papa!” Papa continued to bustle around the bar, making sure everything was in order. Over his shoulder he said:

“Ya ain’t answer my question, kiddo.”

“You didn’t ask anything.” He avoided Papa’s gaze, but he could feel the older man’s stare. “You really want me to ask ya out loud?”

“I—“ Saith hesitated, then took another sip. He sighed loudly through his nose.

“Piperlene will never see me that way.” Papa shook his head. “You’re killin’ somethin’ good before it even had chance to begin.”

“No, I…” Saith sighed again. He pitched forward, pushing his beer further towards the inner counter and laid his head down on the cool wood of the bar. He closed his eyes.

“She doesn’t want to.”

“Sir Guerra has already passed on.” Papa’s voice was gentle, but quizzical, and Saith felt his eyes watering. “I know.” He swallowed thickly. “I know he has. But he was Piperlene’s person. … She doesn’t want to experience that kind of heartbreak again. She told me,” He felt a tear drop thinking of his late commander and let it fall, dropping down onto the counter. He breathed out through his nose. “She told me that was the only person she’d ever love like that. She loves her friends, she loves her family, but…” Saith shrugged. “Keevan was her person, Papa.” He finished lamely.

[witchcraftandburialdirt]

[Tarhos to Haru ❤] - I'm bringing you lunch, I'm almost there

A quick text to let his boyfriend know he'd be stopping by, but it wasn't really like anything was going on at work today. He wasn't really needed there and he wasn't in any hurry either. Instead he parked his car next to Haru's and walked inside setting the take out he had gotten them on the counter. Something simple and easy that they both liked.

"I hope I'm not bothering you, but... I thought you might like the company. It's been a slow day."

── 𝐔𝐍𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 ── MODERN VERSE

The water feels cool on his hands as it cascades down the faucet, cleansing the soap from his bronzed hands, a sign of a job well done as he glanced over to his client. The young woman was admiring the covered work with awe and excitement, chirping to him like a happy bird while he finished washing up. Haruko tilts his head to the side with a pleased expression, warm like the sun in reaction to her joy - but all things had to come to an end as she then regarded her friends. It was always like that, first tattoos were special things - the beginning of a journey ... in a strange way. Soon again Haru is left alone in the shop once more, his palm caressing the top of Bonnie's head affectionately while he knelt infront of her, "You did a good job, keepin' her calm like that, ohhhh who's my pretty girl? Yes! It's you!"

His praise is quickly cut short when the phone bursts to like on his desk, he can practically see Bonnie rolling her eyes at the thought of her snuggle time being interrupted. The artist pushes himself off of the ground to pluck the receiver off of the hook and lean against the nearby wall, "Good afternoon, Haruko Nakasone, how can I help you?" His lips feel parched while the man on the other line begins to speak, quickly switching hands as to reach towards his desk's chapstick; his curiosity picques at the notice of a text message in his inbox - flagged for his lover. Black brows furrow as he hangs up the line with a quick 'goodbye' towards the inquiry and finally opens the text, sent 15 minutes ago. The young man scanned over the words ... A bounce in his step pushes him from the nearby wall, his palm caresses his cheek in delight at the message: it was something he had learned to not expect. But lately ... lately Tarhos had been so ... romantic. Little gifts, lunch here and there, movie nights - effort that made Haruko feel like a swooning schoolgirl.

His black curls jump when the bell chimes at the door and his husband catches him in such a dreamy position, his first reaction makes him nearly toss his phone into his desk with a light flinch. Something innocent flutters to Haru's face as his expression lightens into a shy grin, dark eyes crinkling in warm regards to the man infront of him - like a blossoming rose. The polite entrance catches him off guard, softening him with a shake of his head, "You're never a bother to me, babe - I ... I'm sorry I didn't answer, I had only just seen it. But ... " He begins his approach, "I'd love the company, it always gets slow 'round this time of day, everyone's off having coffee or taking a nap ... It's like the whole city decides to momentarily turn off." Haruko closes the space between them with a quick kiss, about to speak before Bonnie stuck her head out from around his hip to raise her paw to Tarhos.

"Haha, let me - let me get you a chair. And no no, you're always welcome at the shop I just ... I just don't want to interrupt you during your day, all up in your high rise office buildings. Plus, I'm dating you, you never bother me - I mean, you do but not when you do shit like this. Alright chief? You can stop by whenever you feel like it but..." he saunters back with his hair swaying from side to side, jumping sweetly when his back hit his desk, opting to instead sit on top of it. "I'd like it if you did..."

[localhornist]

And time for Day 7 of @rosebird-week ‘s Rosebird week, Promises/Betrayals

As always, ao3 link here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/41936106

Also school killin me rn so day 8 is probs gonna be a few days late😖

“Raven, stop scratching at it, the collar’s fine.”

“But it’s not. It feels crooked, and if it looks crooked when she comes, then-”

“Raven,” Raven stopped pulling at her black collar at Qrow’s flat tone, as he gave her a thoroughly exhausted stare. “You look fine. Seriously. And I’m pretty sure Summer’s gonna drop dead seein’ you in a suit, no matter how the collar is.”

Raven mused his words over, taking her hand from the collar to scratch her neck, looking back to where guests were beginning to filter in, no doubt guided by Oscar and the Schnee boy, or one of the other ushers. Raven chuckled thinking of them. “Honestly, I don’t think this would be going so well without all the kids’ help.”

“Hmph, you tell me. Speaking of,” Qrow leaned past Raven. “Hey, Yang! Is the sword okay?” Yang looked over from where she’d been talking with blake, rolling her eyes and placing a hand on her waist.

“Yeah, yeah, it’s okay. Don’t worry yourself to death,” at his lack of amusement, she held up an intricately decorated, curved scabbard. “See?” Qrow just sighed. Raven chuckled at the two’s antics, nudging him in the side. “Hey, I wouldn't’ve chosen her if I didn’t trust her. And we’ve got Clover keepin’ an eye on them, anyway.”

“Somehow, he doesn’t reassure me.”

“Really? After so long with each other, I’d thought you’d trust him with anythin’.” She laughed at his unamused expression. “Hey, be careful. You’re gonna be in my spot with him eventually, worry wart.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.”

The two meandered for a while longer, keeping an eye out as more guests filtered in and sat down. Tai soon enough came rushing in, Qrow mocking the celebrant for being late, earning him a hit on the heads with the book of vows. As he nursed the ache given, Tai and Raven took to small talk, though Tai made sure to take the chance to embarrass Yang with mentions of ‘Taking notes for her’s and Blake’s turn’. As the ushers still outside came in, however, the group knew it was time, and took their places. Yang and Qrow stood off to the right. Raven took her place in the centre, Tai just behind with the vows ready. The groom's people took their seats at the front.

And then, the music began. And the assembled crowd grew into a hushed silence.

And she walked in.

Summer was in a rather simple wedding dress, as she’d preferred, coloured in white and lined with red. Maria led her, taking the parent role after mentoring the woman for years, though not anymore. Ruby was closed behind, grinning happily whilst covering a shield decorated with a rose, with other bridesmaids in toe, Weiss looking slightly exhausted from all the organising. Clancy followed with Robyn keeping an eye on her, as the silver and red-eyed girl scattered petals behind them. The music began to soften as the party came to the front, the various bridesmaids filling in their seats, as Ruby stayed alongside her mother. Maria gave Raven a warm smile, of empathy or reassurance or both, she couldn't tell, then nodded, letting go of Summer’s arm, and standing to the side. As they did, the music finally fell silent. Tai broke it, clearing his throat.

“Family. Friends. Today we are gathered here to celebrate the union of two people, close to us all. A union of mind and spirit, so that the two may walk together not just as two bodies, but as one soul.” He held out a hand to one, then the other. “Raven Branwen, and Summer Rose.”

“As most of you will know, I’ve known both Raven and Summer for a long time. Which is odd, given how blindsided I was by being chosen to do this by them. Granted, I’m the only person they know with a law degree, but I’d have thought they knew me better than to trust me with this, given the number of juicy things I have on these two.” That earned him a laugh from the crowd, as Summer giggled whilst Raven just rolled her eyes.

“But, that’s for later. For now, I hope to honour them both and join them in a union I know from my beacon days they’ve both longed for. Of course, if there are no objections.” No one stood, and he chuckled. “Good. I’d rather not have to witness Qrow’s scythe skills on today of all days. Now then,” he gave a nod to Yang, who stopped forward, handing the sword to Raven, who presented it to Summer, hilt first. “On this day, I give you the sword of my family, so that we may one day grant it to our own.” Though it felt formal, Raven couldn't help but notice the irony, considering either Clancy or Ruby would be the ones to inherit it. Something told her it would continue to collect dust.

Summer took the sword carefully, swapping it with ruby for the shield. “Thank you. And I, too, present you with this shield, so that our union will be kept safe from all woes.” Raven took it, nodding as a smile crept up her face, barely noticing Yang take the shield.

“Now then, it is time. Raven?” At his prompting, Raven took from a necklace around her neck a small ring, decorated with red and black gems. “Summer. We’ve... had ups and down. Many of them. When we met, and for a long time afterwards, I would try to push you away, shut myself off. Yet you kept coming back, and, eventually, you helped me break my walls, see myself for who I was and who I wanted to be. Even when I closed myself back in again, time and time again, you still never gave up hope. Never gave up that I would keep those walls up. And it’s that hope that helped me do so.”

Her voice began to grow shaky, and she stopped for a moment to catch her breath, wiping a tear away even as Summer felt her own growing. “And I promise you, for as long as my soul stays on this land we call home, I will keep them down. And I will build something new, with you to enjoy it alongside me.” Summer nodded shakily, smiling warmly through the prickling tears.

“Thank you. Summer?”

Slow, calm breath filled the room, as Summer, too, readied herself. She took her own ring from her necklace, decorated with red and white. “I, I feel I’m somewhat the same. From our first interaction, we didn’t get along, butting heads throughout beacon. But, as I got to know you, I saw small things. But they showed something grand. Wonderful. The real Raven, not the Branwen she presented herself as. And I fell in love with her. How could I not?

And I kept falling in love with her. Through the trials and tribulations, through the best and worst, I stayed for her. And I’m so glad I did, so I could see her stand in front of me today.”

Tai nodded, smiling at them both. “Now then, with the exchange of vows and rings, the two may become one, in heart, mind and coil. Summer, do you take Raven to be your partner, through highs and lows, through joy and loss?” She smiled, looking into those crimson eyes, barely holding back tears. She nodded. “I do.” She slipped the ring onto Raven’s hand, holding to close.

“And do you, too, Raven, take Summer to be your partner, through all of life’s tribulations, from highs to lows, and from joy to hardship?” And so too did crimson look into Silver, smiling through small tears of joy. She nodded, sliding the ring onto her beloved's hand, feeling the warmth as the two rings touched. “I do.”

“And so, I am glad to pronounce the two of you joined in marriage - wife to wife!”

The ensemble guests erupted into a chorus of cheers, as Summer immediately pulled Raven into a kiss, making Yang chuckle until Qrow hinted that she should be taking notes for her time, which earned him an elbow to the gut.

The pair, hand in hand, soon made their way down the aisle, grinning, and only seeing one another, as cheers and claps echoed around them. They stepped through the doorway to the outside, eye to eye and hand in hand.

With a promise in their hearts, and a world to face. Together in heart, mind and soul, as so many times before.

[advnttt]

This might be a bit long-winded, and I'm pretty sure no one's even gonna be here to read it, but I just wanted to reminisce for a bit. After all my name-changes I'm not sure who will even remember me, but this blog was named "siiq" and "addict3d" for the longest periods of time. Bear with me as I just word-vomit all over the place.

TL;DR It's been fun, but this might finally be the last time I hop on here.

Hell, the last time I logged in was like a year and a half ago. Nonetheless, it's been kinda fun coming back here and just seeing what's what who's still around, who's deactivated, and what the site even looks like.

I still remember when shortly before the end of my Senior year of high school in 2011 God I'm fucking old when one of my friends in my GFX class decided to make a Tumblr account for me against my will because SHE felt like I needed one. I didn't even do anything with it over that whole Summer either. It wasn't until September I decided to get on here and see what it was all about. Very quickly it became sort of a home away from home. Myself and my immediate family members had had our entire world rocked and flipped upside down shortly before I got on here, and Tumblr became an escape for me. A way to disconnect from my world and circumstances at the time. An outlet for me to express myself and my creativity as well. Never did I think upon logging in here for the first time that I would eventually have over 25,000 people following me, and that a fair few of them would become great friends for that season of my life. People that could relate to me. People that would listen. People that were also, in different ways, broken like I was. People that needed a friend, like I did. Side note, it amazes me that people still talk shit about friendships online. One of my best friends of 15+ years is a guy I first met gaming in like '08 and we didn't even meet each other in person for the first time until about 5 years later.

But anyways, I don't think y'all will ever really know how much everything meant to me. The messaging back and forth, getting to know each other, the late night phone calls when one of us just needed to talk, all the times we'd get the gang together in Tinychat and just hang out, the roasting and trash-talking, reblogging each other's selfies just 'cause we just wanted our friends faces on our blogs, all of it.

All the little things. Such simple things. They meant so much.

So now here I am. Sitting at my desk, almost 12 years to the day after my first post. Scrolling through my archive and my messages for the last little while, just reliving some moments, scrolling through who I'm following and remembering simpler times. A lot of us have moved on and away from this site. A lot of us have grown up and subsequently grown apart as life has carried us in different directions and down different paths. And I know at this point most of y'all will never see this, but just know, wherever you are in life, whatever you're keeping yourselves busy with, I'm thinking about you and truly wishing all of you the best of luck in whatever you set your hand to. You, unknowingly, helped me through arguably the toughest years of my life and I'll never be able to repay you for that. You deserve the world and more, and I wish I could give it to you.

Again, sorry for the wall of text but I just wanted to get this all out in one sitting. I feel like it's been a long time coming.

With that all being said, I'm not going to deactivate this blog (at least not until Tumblr decides to do it for me), but it's at this time that I will bid you all a very fond farewell.

Take care of yourselves. Take care of each other. And keep on keepin' on.

Adieu, my friends. And thank you.

Josh

[whole-wheat-trolls]

Simple Man

The moons beam down through the cracks of cloud cover, illuminating the prairie where a man drives a stake post deep into the dirt. From a glance, he’s rough and weathered despite being many sweeps younger than what one would call ‘old,’ probably not even fully grown at this point in his life though he stands just under eight foot. After the last stake is driven he wipes the sweat from his brow and carries his hammer back to a tool shed, only to emerge with a shovel instead.

His name is Jonice, although mentioning this and pronouncing it correctly is bound to get a scoff and a, “who, me?” Nowadays it’s just Jon, a simple name for a simple man, who takes care of the land around this prairie farmhouse. Jonice takes that shovel down the way, until the sounds of clucking chickens overpower the chorus of crickets and other animals. Passing through the gate into the pen Jonice mutters quiet platitudes at the birds, asking them politely not to try any funny business while he works.

I’ll spare you the details of cleaning the pen, it’s a menial task he’s performed at least a thousand times, there’s no getting around it. He does it without complaint, life may be messy but there’s routine in it now, the coop needs cleaning, cows need milking, sheep need shearing, and fences need repairing all like clockwork. There’s enough comfort in that truth to last him a lifetime.

“JON? YOU BEEN OUT THERE ALL NIGHT, HEAVEN’S SAKE COME N’ TAKE A LOAD OFF,” the voice of reason yells at him, well versed in shouting across the sprawling expanse of land.

Jon doesn’t hesitate to heed the master’s call, hell, they’ll just yell the same thing again if he doesn’t show soon enough. They own the dang farm after all. Jon’s leisurely stroll ends on the front porch, pausing in a recliner just long enough to unload his work boots.

“AND TAKE ‘EM DAMN BOOTS OFF, I AIN’T GON’ HAVE YOU TRACKIN’ MUD AND MANURE ‘ROUND MY CLEAN FLOORS,” it yells again from just inside.

“Good grief Folsom, I’d just about reckon y’like them floors more‘an me,” Jon says as he ducks under the doorway, his soft spoken chiding hitting a perfect bullseye.

“I’d reckon I’d be more fond’a ya too had I been put in charge’a keepin’ YOU clean instead,” Folsom replies, tossing a rag at Jonice. “Get yerself tidied, supper’s in ten.”

“As you wish,” Jon’s sarcasm is hard to detect, but he does as he’s told and wipes his face clean in the washroom.

“Y’know Jon, you ain’t gotta do everythin’ I ask ya to in jus’ one night, y’already do enough.”

“and ain’t I already told ya it just ain’t in my nature? ‘Sides, y’know I’m jus’ happy t’help,” it’s a sentiment Jon expresses often.

Sometimes Folsom feels like they’re taking advantage of him. Other times, they watch him in the chicken pen talking to all the hens like they’re old friends, they see him grin when it tells him what needs doing around the farm. They see a troll satisfied with a hard day’s work whenever it calls for supper time. Jon’s a simple man, but sometimes Folsom wishes they could read his mind, it asks him what he wants for twelfth perigee always to the same answer.

“S’pose a hot meal, a bed t’sleep in, an’ another sweep a livin’ oughta be fit for me,” every time no matter how often Folsom asks. That’s just the kind of man he is.

“Wouldja kick on the telly while yer out there Jon? Think they’re playin’ that horse an’ pony show Everest was in,” Folsom asks to keep the mind from wandering further.

They hear the television turn on from the kitchen, it sounds like a court case, one of Folsom’s guilty pleasures from a short stunt as sheriff. The channel doesn’t change immediately. Jon in the other room fixates on the screen. A young oliveblooded boy sits on trial while a tall cerulean lawyer accuses him of murder. The court looks full of apprehension, but nobody says a word that could save him. The gavel hits its mark, nobody says a word. The boy is sentenced to death, nobody says a word.

The channel flips after the verdicts given, it’s odd, Folsom never took Jon for a man who’d like court dramas. The two enjoy their supper quietly as usual, then it’s lights out for an early rise tomorrow.

[looven]

There's a deeper truth to most stories that are used for fairy tales, myths, an' even pirates shanties. For a lot of these though, they be relics of th' past, forgotten an' left behind as lessons for newer generations to look to for inspiration, or for perhaps for guidance..

...

I have a tale 'bout somethin' that is all too real, an' one that affected me directly. An' while most folk tend to believe it to be th' ramblings of an insane man, it is somethin' only few like me self know about, let alone want to even discuss.

Back in th' early 80's, there was a pizzeria parlor that was franchised as "Freddy's Pizza & Friends." Th' idea was simple, a pizza joint that hosts birthdays an' has an arcade in it for younglin's. Th' stars of th' restaurant bein' robots who could sing an' dance, act out scenes an' play songs for children to loose themselves to for hours at a time.. it worked like a charm too. Means th' kids got to have fun while mum an' dad got to question why they spent twenty bucks on a pizza an' a couple o' tokens for th' family.. of course they couldn't complain much, it was a decent enough way to spend th' afternoon.

Aye, an' things were perfect back then, not a care in th' world. Just simple fun for th' family, and not a way in the world they could get hurt in th' place, aye? It ain't like we didn't have guards an' employees keepin' their eyes on th' place.

For me, it was th' fifteenth of May when everything happened all at once. It was a late night, 'round dinner time. Parties were bein' held, an' I had just completed my act for th' evenin'. A pirate Shanty or two, accompanied by a story, narrated an' acted out by none other than me self, Foxy.. th' Pirate Fox. As I watched on from me cove as th' kids ran 'bout, livin' their life th' best way they new how too, I would notice somethin' out from th' corner of me eye. Against th' back of th' arcade hall, I noticed a small child huddled against th' wall. Pirate hat, plastic hook, frantic eyes, and a scared look ran across th' poor lad's mug. I couldn't help but feel awful while lookin' on from me cove, so I figured I could 'least help find th' lad's parent.. or at least somebody.

Unaware to me self an' th' other band mates, we were retrofitted with a new program to help protect an' route stranded children back to other groups to help with their safety.. I never really understood that fact at th' time, an' why we were given th' function. I was nothin' more but a husk of a robot, with a simple code to follow, an' nothin' more. Bein' th' Old salt of a sailor I am now, I know why we were implemented with th' changes.. an' I only wish I realized sooner.

As I began to make me way over to th' marooned pollywog, I would get held up by a couple of kids, askin' a bunch of questions, chattin' me ears off. I would of course respond to them, an' give em a hardy ol' pirate laugh, an' a quote they could say to their parents later that evenin'. Unbeknown to I, someone had already began to interact with th' young sailor. Once me eyes looked up to see if he was still in th' place I would see a taller rabbit figure talkin' to him, a single green balloon in hand.

Who is that.

The only question that ran through me wired brain. I could tell from the lighting that th' figure was a golden yellow color, with a draped look to th' left ear. I couldn't even get a second chance to ask to myself who it was before I would see him take the child's hand an' lead him away from the main floor of th' pizzeria, the last bit I could see was th' balloon trailing behind them, disappearing behind one of th' corners. I immediately would begin to chase th' pair, carefully makin' me way through the sea of adrenaline-drunk children nearly blockin' me path to the hallway they had gone towards.

On th' way over, all I could think was "who was that." Over an' over again to me self. It wasn't Bon, they were nowhere near that scrawny, an' if it weren't them.. then who was it. My train of thought would run short as I looked down th' hall a door, that was gapped open, the balloon now standing lone at the hinges. Th' basement, with a large label warnin' non-staff to stay away. What in th' seven seas would they be taken th' child down there? It ain't no where a young lad should ever be at

Without much thought, I began to make my way down th' staircase, leading down below the restaurant's main body. As the darkness 'round me grew, me eyes would softly illuminate, allowin' me to see th' surroundings a tad better. Every step downwards I would feel th' metal case creak below me weight. What would a child have any reason to be down here, an' who was th' figure they were with.. it has to be someone who knew th' restaurant layout, maybe a crewmate? It didn't make any sense to me..

I would finally hit th' bottom floor, and look about. Th' air was thick an' had a strange oder to it, almost like a bog. Cobwebs an' wires dangling 'round th' room. All I could see was shelves filled with some maintenance gear like hand-cranks, tool boxes, an' some other miscellaneous items. Though there were some items on th' ground, almost seemed like they had been thrown down in a scuttle. I would proceed forward, an' despite me best efforts to keep quiet, th' plating on th' floor would make me footsteps echo in th' corridor. Behind th' door I passed, I could hear th' generator for th' pizzeria whizzin' an' rattlin', surely no way there were in there.. it would be too small of an enclosure.

Just when I thought I had ran out of space, behind th' last shelf in line I would see th' kid with his head dropped low, with his pirate hat sat in his lap. A sigh of relief, or at least th' closet I could get to one, would sound from me as I saw th' child. I noticed th' tears covering the neck of his shirt an' figured I ought to be slow when talkin' to him, didn't want to alarm him after all..

...I don't ever want to remember what I saw that night.

...

"There ya are, Bucko.. what are ya doin' down here? Don't ya know this area is off limits to customers.."

...

"I can escort ya back up to th' dining hall if ye would like.. I'm sure yer parents must be worried sick!"

...

Without a second thought I would put my hand on his chin, softly redirecting his face towards me. His faced was covered with blood, a stained petrified look hallowing his once alive demeanor.. his eyes. God his eyes. They had been cut from th' sockets.

In a panic, I pushed myself back from his body, which caused it to fall over again th' cold metal floor. His back had been torn open, with a large cut running against his spine, a pool of blood quickly forming below him. I don't believe I ever felt an emotion like this up to this point, I felt defenseless, scared.. defeated. Without a moment to even process what had happened, a deep slow voice would ring through th' deafening silence. I couldn't make out th' words, I wasn't in any state too. With an act of pure instinct I would turn, swinging my hook towards th' noise. An ax blade swinging into, and ripping off the suit material right off of my endoskeleton. I dropped to th' floor, an' with a single shocking pain to my Endo, I would go dark.

...

Ever since that moment on, I would learn more 'bout th' man, and who it was that murdered that child that night. I would learn about all th' poor souls he dragged into his game.

Though we don't know his name, we know that he worked for this company, an' that he's still out there somewhere.. an' th' worst part is? I had to bare th' soul of that poor child in me for years, acting as a vessel for them to exact their revenge. Th' fact that this happened at all.. I wanted to do nothin' but protect them, an' all th' others affected by this monster..

But I did say that before, those who know these kind of tales can use them for guidance, an' for lessons for later on.

Good always comes to those who wait, an' I've certain I've waited long enough. Tonight, I got my chance to find him, an' I'm not gonna waste it.

[lovlorne]

the next attack comes in the form of an envelope slid under her bedroom door.

not the front door. the bedroom door. must've been left there while she slept.

the address on the front reads 我叫陈秀英 in a simple hand.

inside is a photograph. the way the letter is opened the back is facing her. someone wrote on it. it's her handwriting. 'they don't know you.' at the bottom is an arrow pointing to the other side of the photo.

the other side is an empty stage with a pole in the middle. to most people it would just be a strange thing to take a picture of, but the familiarity should hit home shortly when the little details are recognized.

in the bottom margin of the photo it simply reads 'wrong.'

———— 💔┊      IT'S A PIECE OF PAPER.     that's all it is. text. photography. one tear could end it all, yet her fingers tremble, her grip far too shoddy to even manage. funny, she can't see it, either, reality drowned in bubbling tears.

heaving chest ebbs and flows as nervous eyes scan the surroundings. beneath the bed. in the walk-in closet. in the treasure chest. hell, in the bookcase, even under it, as well as under her dresser, which dons a mirror she hobbles to, only to find that her face has been set alight.

her one tell: the constellations that pepper her body. they flicker, they flare, lines connecting them as a chill tickles her tendrils. like cracks on porcelain, they tear into her face, bright baby pink stars ripping through a dreary dark night. though the mirror is mere seconds away from the same fate, she shatters first.

try as she might, she cannot steady her rhythm, her breathing short and rapid. those eyes scan around, as if someone would manifest behind her   ( her agent? lono? jordan? an enemy...? a friend? )   before accepting that there were simply far too many possibilities, and not all of them were foolish enough to accept her disguise, nor her newfound freedom in becoming the queen.

like her skin, iridescent black tentacles nigh crack and shrivel, allowing a peek of their true pale pink. though she cannot see through the sea salting her cheeks, she knows she has been found. she could deflect, she could choose violence, but in the end, they still won. be that as it may, this is not the war. it is one fight.

she intends to win. if not for herself, then for the girls she left behind.

———— ❤️‍🩹┊      AS CLOCK TICKS,     her breathing steadies, head dipped and eyes closed while fingers furl along the rosewood dresser. only when the rhythm returns does she glare into the mirror, and see herself. no black tendrils. no eyeshadow   ( had she wiped it off amidst cleaning her tears? )   just a little princess trying to be something new. she'd not yet even painted her burst - bombs to keep up the guise, after all, she'd only recently woken up, but the desire to hurl them out her window sure grew.

within enclosed palm are fake nails that threaten to pierce sensitive skin, but she feels naught a lick of it. how can she vent rage to someone she cannot see? well. they clearly see her…

    ❝ you owe me money, ❞  

she mutters amidst the clatter and shatter of her perfume bottles hitting the floor.

    ❝ you lived in my head rent free,        you actin' scummy,       so i'll add it to your BITCH fee. ❞  

objects become part of a hurricane, the eye of the storm being the beast spiraling within. wiping streaks of tears across her face, painting streaks of ink along the way from glass - cut knuckles, queen stands amidst the wreckage.

    ❝ don't be shy, put some more,        you've proved you're rotten to the core.        i'm the bitch you can't ignore,        you bark, i bite, you keepin' score? ❞  

queen has the senses to store the note in her treasure chest after the destructive wreckage. under lock and key, she will come back to it another time. until then, she must question: what is worse? self - destruction? or allowing some vermin to destroy her?

no. she'd sooner fall on the sword herself. peace resides in her empty, glazed gaze.

    ❝ you listening? don't answer, i know you are. i was a damn good dancer. it put me in this position i'm in now. if i wanted to, i could go right the fuck back to it. an' i know i'd still be successful. 'cause my skill's all that matters in the end. hell, gimme the address, i'll put my ass on that pole for you. ❞  

[cerealmonster15]

22 and 55 for the fic ask

22-Do you title your fics before, during, or after the writing process? How do you come up with titles?

god definitely last minute kljsjfkleji think like ONCE i came up with a title mid writing it but thats only bc that particular fic took like 6+ months bc i got stuck on it for so long LOL [that would be the jamiazu fic "the comfort of familiarity" jklfdsjfl]

usually im sitting on the ao3 post page and going "uhhh oh god uhhh ummm uhhhHHHH-" and i try to think of like a short phrase or word that very roughly loosely has to do with the vibe or summary of the fic. short and sweet keepin it simple!

things were so much easier when there was no engtwst and i didnt know any other twst fans besides the friend i watched translations with and i just wrote fics in word and sent them to her over discord and didnt have to title them LKJFKLDSJFLSD [jk i am glad theres more people to go bonkers with about Characters]

55-Have you noticed any patterns in your fics? Words/expressions that appear a lot, themes, common settings, etc?

well for starters like i said in one of the other asks, ive realized i love writing silly fluff romance a lot lkjdsfjsd even in some of the more serious tones im like Ok How Can I Sneak Goofs In Though.

but also there are a lot of Scowls and Eye Rolls, and that is very much mostly bc i have written a Lot of jamiazu JFKLDSJFDKLS My Boy Frowns A Lot And We Love Him For That

[fic asks!]