#like 'hey i should do this it would be funny' and then the main/spoken train of thought goes 'no i shouldn't im just doing that for

[nintendont2502]

Lmao I found this old video I made to try and explain what my mind sounds like most of the time and its. Pretty accurate

(warning for just way too many sounds playing at once. Seriously it isn't a fun time lmao)

[xtodorcki]

“Fear,” Levi x Reader

Summary: where Levi’s partner is a normal citizen living behind wall Maria and he finds out it’s been overrun by Titans.

Warnings: noneeee just some angst for y’all

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Levi had been out on a expeditation and even then, he had barely came back in time before wall Maria had fallen. You stayed out there in your small cottage your family owned with some land and farm animals. You had met Levi through your father when he was helping Levi out with a project they were working on and your dad was one of the old scouts that had long retired but helped from inside the wall.

After your father passed away from old age, you had stepped in and helped Levi with the remaining ideas and plans your father handed down to you. You two became a good team and one thing led to another. You two never made anything official but it was an unspoken relationship that you two shared when he would come back and visit you, staying around for hours and even days until he would have to be gone for weeks at a time to lead his cadets.

You had accepted the weird relationship, you had accepted Levi for who he was inside and out, he did the same for you. He never had a problem going over to your district and spending as much time as he could, he actually loved to do it, it was peaceful and calm to spend time on such a quiet and open farm. The land you had was far from the main town but it was definitely worth the quiet and privacy.

Once the Titans had broke a hole in the wall and led more inside, you were in town shopping for food and it was bad place, bad timing. The sudden attack had you on edge and definitely worried for your life. At one point a piece of the wall had fallen just beside you and sent you flying from the blow, the wounds on your face made it hard to breathe or see anything from the blood pouring down over your eyes.

Levi had gotten word about the attack and he didn’t hesitate to make his way over to wall Maria, ignoring Commander Erwin when he tried to make him stay. His thoughts had landed on you, reaching your farm to see it empty and surprisingly in top shape which meant you were in town where the main attack was occurring and that made his anxiety worse.

He flew through the town, watching the Titans walk around and pick up citizens, tearing their limbs apart as they screamed and pleaded for their life. He wish he was more concerned and willingly to help the citizens but he would admit that he didn’t care and he only wanted you.

It had taken a while, running around and searching and searching until his eyes had landed on you, you were in a empty alleyway, unconscious and covered in blood. He noticed that a Titan had actually noticed your body and was headed your way, even picking your body up before Levi had gotten there.

He screamed, louder than he should have but the frustration he was feeling, the hatred he felt towards the Titans was so intense that he had murdered the beast and even did a slight overkill to satisfy his needs before running to where you laid.

“Y/N? Can you hear me? Y/N?” He had repeated your name, grabbing a hold of your face and gently patting it but you stayed completely still.

For a moment Levi was convinced you were dead from the amount of blood you were covered in. His eyebrows knitted together, the rage boiling inside of him was screaming to be let out and dealt with. He wanted to go out there and murder every single one of those bastards that stepped inside the walls.

But deep down he was terrified, like the scared little boy he was when he was almost of the edge of death, starving and staying inside the same room as his dead mother. He was frozen in place, his arms holding you tightly as the tears started to sting his eyes before slipping down his cheeks that had spots of blood on them.

His shaky hand had reached down to your neck, trying to feel for a pulse and at first he couldn’t find one and that made his heart almost rip out of his chest from pounding so hard until his fingers finally felt your heartbeat, it was barely there and that had given him enough confidence to finally get off his feet and use his gear to get to safety behind the next wall.

His legs ran once he made it over, going straight to the base he had stayed at for the time being and burst through the doors like a maniac, making all the scouts turn to look at him then down at your limp body in his arms.

“There’s a heartbeat, please just help,” this was the first time Levi was pleading, he would never do so unless it was an extreme emergency and it was, you were the extreme emergency.

It had been hours, hours of you being unconscious on the bed, stitched and wrapped up perfectly fine. Levi sat by your bed, he refused to leave until you opened your eyes and the cadets were actually scared, they never seen their Captain like this, this upset, this quiet and this scared to lose someone.

Levi had never spoken about you to anyone so them seeing him in a state where he is genuinely concerned for your well being- it was shocking to the others and they left him alone for almost a day until they realized he wasn’t eating or sleeping, he couldn’t anyway, even if he wanted to.

“I brought you some coffee and breakfast, I know you said you aren’t hungry but I really need you to eat.” Hange stepped inside the room, her eyes full of pain seeing Levi this way and she glanced over at you as you slept.

She left the tray on the table, leaving once Levi didn’t bother to speak or even look at her. She knew he was in pain, he just wasn’t comfortable to speak up about it right now, not when you’re like this. His eyes trained on your body, he would admit you looked peaceful as you slept. You were still beautiful in this condition and that had made his heart hurt more.

He was afraid you would never wake up.

Finally later that day, you had stirred in the bed and that had caught Levi’s attention rather quickly. He watched your hand twitch, your fingers moving until finally your eyes had opened up then closing again from the bright light that blinded you.

A groan had left your lips, the sudden pain all rushing to your head and you opened your eyes again, looking around and your eyes landed on Levi’s.

“Hey.. Y/N..” He smiled at you, leaning over on the bed and taking your hand in his, gently squeezing it.

He released a long breath that he didn’t realize he was holding in until you woke up. All his worries had slipped away, the relief washing over him like a cold shower after a hot day. He had never been happier to see your pair of eyes until today. Of course he was always happy to see you but today.. it was different.

“Levi? What happened, what are you doing here?” You had rambled, feeling his fingers trace over the top of your hand and you relaxed, staying back against the pillows.

“Titans destroyed wall Maria, you were in the middle of it. You’re at the scouts base, for now at least.” He mumbled, the bags under his eyes evident and the tears began to sting his eyes again.

He stared at you, he felt like if he blinked- you would be gone in an instant and he couldn’t handle losing you. He had moved his hands up, caressing your cheek and stroking it with the pad of his thumb, a tear managing to slip from his eye, sliding down his cheek and you sighed, wiping the tear away.

“Hey, don’t cry, come here.” You scoot over on your bed, ignoring the pain you felt shooting through you body and pat the spot beside you.

Levi was hesitant but they were both alone and you were alive and well so he moved to lay beside you on the bed, laying on his side and facing you. His arm gently snaked around your waist and pulled your body close to his, afraid of letting go.

“I’m alive because of you, Levi.” You muttered, your eyes staying on his and your hand reaching up to brush his hair back from his face.

“I can’t stop thinking about... if I was a minute late, you would’ve been a Titans dinner.” You cracked a smile, rolling your eyes, typical Levi you thought to yourself.

“I think I would make a good meal but..” You made a smile creep on his lips, his turn to roll his eyes at your dumb joke.

“Not funny.” He whispered, getting comfortable and laying his head on your shoulder with his face buried in the crook of your neck, taking in your scent and he felt like he was in heaven, you were his heaven.

His eyes had fluttered closed, taking the moment in incase it gets ripped away. His endless thoughts always went back to what if you actually gotten eaten? How would he live on without you? A sigh slipped from his parted lips, the sadness taking over again until your lips were on his head, giving him a reassuring kiss while your small arms slipped around him, hugging his body tightly.

“I’m not going anywhere, I promise.” You whispered, causing him to grunt in response and you smile at his clinginess as he gripped onto you tighter.

“Better not.”

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• Main Masterlist •

• AOT Masterlist •

[teletraan-meets-jarvis]

What I Want - Part 2

AO3 Link

Chapter Title: What I Need

Pairing: Crosshair x fem!Jedi Reader

Summary: Following the awkwardness of the night before, you go to an old friend to try and process your feelings for Crosshair.

Click here for Part 1

Warnings: 18+, a bit more frisky business but not full on so rated 18 just to be safe. Swearing.

Word Count: 2.6k

Author’s Notes: You ask, you get!! Thanks so much for all the support and love for part 1 ❤️. As a thank you, I bring you part 2, I hope you enjoy! If this one takes off a bit as well, I do have an idea for a little bonus chapter around the Bad Batches' reaction. As always, feedback/comments are massively appreciated along with reblogs. Fic is below the cut off, thanks for reading!!

Taglist: @aerynwrites @shannon-lynn-21 @saltywintersoldat @tired-night-owl @wille-zarr

A comm alarm beeped softly, slowly pulling you out your slumber. Giving the device a sleepy glare, you shut it off and huffed back onto your bunk. Wrecker’s snores were echoing off the small ship barracks, you rolled your eyes at his sleeping form across the room as you swung your legs over the side of your top bunk. Below you, Tech slept soundly, he managed to fall asleep with his goggles on which were now sitting wonky on his relaxed face. He also had a datapad clutched to his chest, almost like a teddy bear, which made you chuckle to yourself.

You’d barely slept after getting back from the mission but being a General stopping over on Coruscant meant rest would be a pipe dream. Your alarm was set to get you out of bed and ready for the first of what you were sure would be a hundred and ten briefings today. You were always happy to shoulder the politics for the team, removing that burden from Hunter so they could keep to themselves. But today, you could really do without it.

You looked over at Hunter and Crosshair’s bunks, the former sleeping up top with an arm over his eyes. Probably to block out the few small coloured lights on the ship that shone from critical systems, preventing the room from being truly pitch black. You didn’t envy Hunter’s enhanced senses, they seemed to cause him quite a bit of discomfort when they weren’t on missions. You should probably pick him up an eye mask one of these days.

Below him, Crosshair slept with his back to the open room. One of the few times you ever saw his body relaxed was when he slept. You cringed as you remembered yesterday’s awkwardness with the sniper and mentally cursed at yourself for causing, what was, an easily avoidable situation.

Shaking your head you jumped silently off of your bunk, mindful to not wake any of the batch. You gently removed Tech’s goggles, placing them in their usual spot before moving over to grab some fresh robes and head for the fresher. Today was going to be a real drag.

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“Hey! Look what the Lothcat dragged in” someone called after you as you trudged up the steps to the GAR Headquarters. You turned around to see none other than Anakin Skywalker jogging up behind you.

“Nice to see you too Skyguy” he chuckled at the nickname as he threw an arm around your shoulders.

You fell into companionable chatter as you made your way to your first meeting, the dark halls of the military headquarters looking indistinguishable as you attempted to find the correct room. Members of the Coruscant Guard patrolled the halls, nodding politely to you both as you strolled past.

Eventually you found the room where Mace, Plo and Luminara were waiting, along with some clone and human high command. You stood outside the door for a moment, readying yourself to seal your fate of being talked at for a solid eight standard hours.

Eventually you caved, mostly as you were on the verge of being late if you debated standing outside any longer. Begrudgingly, you sat through briefing after briefing. All the voices and different rooms blending into one grey blur as you tried to take in what information you could, but your tired and stressed mind was having none of it.

While it was nice to catch up with some of the other Jedi, you always felt a bit out of place among the perfect members of the council. More so now than ever.

You ended up wandering back to the temple with Anakin where you both retired to his room and you flopped down onto his simple bed with a whine.

“Okay, what’s going on? You’ve been off all day” Anakin was the closest thing you had to a brother, you trained as Padawans together and due to your similar age you became fast friends. You knew about his marriage to Padme and decided that if you could offload your dilemma on anyone, it’d be him.

“I fucked up” you groaned out from behind your hands.

“What’d you do?” Anakin replied in a playful tone.

“I might’ve got a bit hot and heavy with one of the clones in my squad, led him on and then cut it off” Anakin raised an eyebrow at your confession. “And now he’s pissed at me”

“Why?” You weren’t entirely sure which part of that entire thing he was questioning.

“Because I started the whole thing, I wanted it. Then all of a sudden I did that whole guilty Jedi, must follow every word of the order thing, gave him some pathetic look which said really sorry I can’t have attachments mate, hope you understand. He called me out on it before I could even utter the banthashit excuse and then he stomped off and hasn’t spoken to me since.”

“In his defence, seems like he was probably wound a little tight” Anakin replied with a chuckle which you just groaned at.

“He has every right to be pissed. Hells, I would be if the roles were reversed. Whats with this whole self-righteous act us Jedi have going on?”

“Look, it’s hard being a Jedi at the best of times. It takes an inhumane amount of self-control, which is why its not a path for the weak. But being a Jedi while at war… it’s a lot. You’re emotions are running high, you’re forming bonds with soldiers on the battlefield that you shouldn’t be, but none of us can help it because it’s uncharted territory. Maker knows I’d hunt down anyone who hurt Obi-Wan or my Captain. Yes, It’s not the Jedi way, but neither is fighting a grand-scale war.” Anakin’s eyes were alive with emotion as he spoke, be he quickly caught himself and then it was gone.

“My point is, don’t beat yourself up so much. No one is getting kicked out the order or in his case reconditioned if that’s what you’re worried about. Figure out what it is you want, and then just be discreet about it” you looked at Anakin like he’d grown two heads, he just winked at your confused stare.

“Okay let’s keep it simple. Are you attracted to him?” You thought back to the night before and firmly nodded in response.

“Do you like him as a person?” You pondered his question.

“Well, it’s Cross. I wasn’t sure if he even liked me for a long time. He’s closed off, anti-social, but he’s also a good guy, cares about his brothers, has saved my ass multiple times, and he is kinda funny in his own, snide way” you rattled off with fondness in your words.

“Well then I suggest you go and talk to him.” Anakin replied, giving you a knowing look when he spotted the small smile on your lips as you spoke about the sniper.

You took a deep breath, glad to have finally gotten that off your chest and feeling content that you now knew what to do next. “Thanks, Ani”

“Ugh please don’t call me that” he moaned back, apparently only Padme was allowed to get away with that one.

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Your walk back to the Marauder felt like it dragged on and on. Your brain ran over a thousand scenarios of what to say, how he’d react and you were about to short circuit. There was so much risk, so much possibility, that you did your best to shut your mind off and let yourself handle it in the moment. These things never went as planned anyway, it was best not to guess.

The large door to the ship hissed open, your boots clanking on the metal surface as you cautiously walked into your home. It didn’t take you long to find Crosshair, he was sat in the main hull methodically cleaning his hand blaster. Everyone else must’ve been asleep. He was just in his blacks, the material hugging him in the most wonderful way, it’s like whoever designed those things was trying to trip you up. The contours of his arm muscles flexing as he worked, his strong chest looked practically chiselled at the heart of his lean frame. You had to force yourself to calm down a little bit.

“Uh, hey” you greeted awkwardly. “Mind if I join you?”

You took his silence as a well he’s not saying no. He didn’t spare you a glance as you walked in and took a seat opposite him. As a General in the GAR, you rarely got nervous. War, as a concept, was simple. You knew your purpose, your objective, you had a job to get done and you’d do it. The risks never stopped you, rather they fuelled you. Probably why you’re such a good fit for the bad batch.

But this right now, personal feelings, not knowing where you stand with someone you care about. Because if you were honest, you really did care about Crosshair, the same as you did the rest of the team. You’d only been with the squad just under a year but you’d gladly lay down your life for any of them in a heartbeat. If you could at least get back to where you were before the other night, you’d be over the moon.

You weren’t used to being so nervous, you let your hands fiddle with you dark Jedi robes as you readied yourself to speak again.

“Look, I’m not here to throw some crap about being a Jedi at you, I promise. And I’m sorry for trying it before” he still didn’t look at you, finding his blaster much more interesting. But you could tell he was listening, you had his attention. Might as well keep babbling.

“In terms of an explanation for what happened yesterday, well I guess I panicked.” You sighed as you tried to find the next words “The way you made me feel that night, I… I’ve never felt like that before and everything i’d been taught over the years screamed at me that what I was doing was dangerous and wrong. I now realise that I’m just an idiot. I make my own decisions and I… uh -well, I stick by that one, starting something that is.” Still nothing.

“I know this is probably a long shot. But in the interest of being transparent” you rambled “uh… if you want to go down that road again, I’m up for seeing what happens, can be as casual as we like. I promise I won’t freak out on you again.” You chuckled and thought you almost spotted a slight pull in the corner of Crosshair’s lips “But if you want to go back to how we were before, I’d also really like that.” You watched him for a while as he gave no acknowledgement of your words, his cleaning finished as he now gave the weapon a once over in his hands. Having said everything you needed, you got up from your seat, looking away from him.

“Well, if I can do anything else, let me know” you turned on your heel to leave, feeling slightly defeated but glad you’d at least made the first step.

“I could think of a few things” he finally spoke as he leaned back into his seat and continued to stare at his blaster, still not meeting your gaze.

Well that caught your attention, you turned back around to face him as he carried on ignoring you. While his tone was unbothered as he spoke, you knew him just enough to know his words held a meaning. He was playing with you, back to his usual teasing and you could’ve laughed at the relief that washed over you. This you could work with. A cheeky idea popped into your head and you’d decided to run with it.

“Oh really?” Throwing caution to the wind, you strode over to the sniper slowly. His gaze finally meeting yours after all this time, watching you as you got closer and closer. Practically drawing you in with his amber eyes. You pushed him back by his chest, creating enough room so you could straddle his lap. “Care to elaborate?”

He huffed out a short laugh at your words, his face overall unbothered but his eyes, they were burning into you. “You’re a smart girl, I’m sure you’ll figure it out”.

You hummed in response, deciding to kick things up a notch you wrapped your arms around his neck, bringing your faces just breaths apart. “Something like this?” You asked, pausing for another second before bringing your lips to his in a surprisingly soft and gentle kiss. You felt his hands come up to rest on your back, pulling you closer as you continued your slow dance. This was so different from the other night, where before there was desperation and lust, now there was something more… tender, passionate. You were quite glad you weren’t standing as the way he moved against you would’ve definitely made your knees weak.

Dragging yourself away from his lips, you searched his face. His mouth pulled into a barely there smirk “That’s a start.”

“Who said I was finished?” And just like that, the last few strands of tension between you both snapped and you relaxed in his arms. You fisted your hands into the front of his blacks and pulled him back to you, his tongue slipped between your lips, curious and demanding. He was everywhere again, filling your nose with the scent of the standard cheap GAR soap but mixed with something earthy, something so distinctly Crosshair and you couldn’t get enough.

You could tell why the Jedi order frowned upon such activities, kissing Crosshair was intoxicating. You couldn’t think of anything else other than the handsome clone in front of you and just how much you wanted him in that moment.

His hands wandered lower and lower down you back until they rested comfortably on your backside, pulling you further up his lap. Feeling mischievous, you started trailing kisses along his jaw. Setting a teasing, languid pace as you mapped out the spots that made him squirm. Crosshair was never a man of many words, so you made it your mission to see just how vocal you could make him.

As your lips met his pulse point, he gave a loud exhale and you smirked in victory against his skin as you continued the onslaught on his senses. You definitely seemed to be doing something right as his hands found themselves in your hair, clutching slightly and you couldn’t help the soft moan that escaped you. Even while trying to gain the upper hand in the situation, he always had some control over you. It was maddening in the best way, setting your veins alight with desire.

Determined to get another victory you traced your tongue against the base of the side of his neck and trailed it all the way up to the bottom of his ear, which you teasingly took into your mouth, teeth grazing the soft skin. A strangled moan escaped the clone and that was the moment where you knew you were hopelessly and utterly gone. Your mind filled with nothing other than wanting to be closer to Crosshair.

“Not very Jedi of you” he commented, slightly breathless when you finally stopped teasing him and came back up to meet his eyes. Looking down at where your bodies were pressed against one another, you chuckled.

“What exactly about this situation led you to believe I was ever a model Jedi?” You smirked, though it was only visible for a second before his mouth was back on yours, devouring you as his hands greedily roamed your body.

You continued making out like teenagers for most of the evening, taking the time to explore each other, enjoying the closeness. Contentment settled over your body, almost as if this was were you were meant to be. If Crosshair’s arms were where you belonged, well, you could think of worse places to be.

Back to Part 1

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[itsclydebitches]

I kinda wonder, what could bakugou do (hori write bakugou to do) to make him less popular with the "anti" crowd. Like He was a horrid child no doubt and people who try to put blame on Deku or lessen the terrible shit bakugou did aren't great. But as we don't rly see it, we have to assume bakugous behaviour wasn't stopped, we only ever saw his mum "punishing" him when he was being rude after getting kiddnapped. Nothing will excuse what bakugou did, but he has stopped? He's overall a harsh person but he's not harrassing and bullying people anymore, specifically not deku, he's trying to attone for what he did to deku and has now apologised for it. His behaviour was never viewed as justified or good in the series, he's a scary figure in middle school, we're not meant to like his behaviour, so the series itself hasn't justified his actions.

As someone who relate to both bakugou and deku more than I'd like to admit (never told someone to jump tho, that's fucked lol) so I can 100% understand not liking or even hating bakugou but as someone who's not 15 anymore, looking back I also made a lot of really shitty decisions and like bakugou have tried to make up for it, and like deku I was 'friends' with people who hurt me.

Is there anything he can do for the "antis" to just dislike him rather that be "anti"?

(I'm very sorry if you've talked about this somewhere, you can just tell me to look for it if you have, I'll continue to look for your posts on the subject)

Hey there, anon! I think I’ve spoken about this only tangentially and/or in my main Bakugo meta, which is too big for anyone sane to read. So yeah, let’s chat here!

For me personally—and that’s all I can ever do: speak personally. I think it’s important to keep in mind that there is no single solution to please the “anti” crowd. Each fan will be looking for something slightly different in Bakugo’s character, much of which might contradict what a “stan” is currently enjoying. Given how charged a character he is, I'm not sure it's possible to get the entire fandom to like him—what I’m looking for hinges on having a different reading of the story than you seem to. Meaning, I think the series does justify his behavior. Not in any overt, super obvious way like having all the characters go, “Wow, Bakugo! I sure do love how you threaten people all the time. That’s super cool and heroic!” Things are rarely that straightforward. Rather, it’s in a more subtle, but consistent manner that paints a rather conclusive picture across hundreds of chapters.

Simply put, Bakugo is continually rewarded for his actions. Or, if not outright rewarded, his actions are ignored in a way that implies silent acceptance. Characters may not always like what he does... but they're willing to let it slide because Bakugo's heroism was always treated as a given, not something he had to earn and prove.

With the ever necessary disclaimer that I’m not fully caught up yet, here’s a list of some of the things that stood out to me in the first half of the series:

Bakugo’s bullying made him the most popular kid in school.

Bakugo’s bullying was ignored by/outright supported by the teachers.

Bakugo’s bullying did not hinder him from getting into U.A., one of the most prestigious hero schools around.

Despite acting horribly throughout his time at U.A. too, this behavior was continually ignored by the teachers and other authority figures around him.

Bakugo’s struggle to realize that other people aren’t “trash” doesn’t hurt his achievements in any way. He still gets top scores, still wins the tournament, etc.

Bakugo’s behavior gets him special attention from All Might, the greatest hero and Bakugo’s personal idol.

His behavior doesn’t make others dislike him in any manner that’s taken seriously. Everybody is still willing to not just put up with Bakugo, but—in time—start treating his behavior as a quirk (no pun intended lol) that they’re secretly fond of, rather than something he should legitimately be striving to change. Kirishima is the most overt example of this.

This is compounded by his behavior constantly being framed as humorous. Much like with Mineta’s perverted actions, characters might superficially go, “No, that’s bad!” but the story never demands any significant development because then we’d lose the “joke” of Bakugo screaming in rage at the slightest inconvenience, threatening to murder someone over nothing, constantly belittling everyone around him in a “funny” manner, etc. When fans talk about development of a manga character as archetypal and extreme as Bakugo, most don’t really want to see significant change to his base personality. Because then that would result in someone who doesn’t look like the “real” Bakugo: someone nicer, more even-tempered, more mature, etc. But for those of us who were never drawn to that personality in the first place, the continued acceptance of his rude, egotistical, and violent behavior is discomforting. The easiest comparison I can draw is between this and Bakugo’s mother slapping him. That slap is meant to be another “joke”—we see it constantly in shonen anime, something "humorous" you shouldn’t take too seriously because haha, it's just an overprotective mother—but many fans do take it seriously, using it as the basis for a whole “Bakugo was abused and this explains his behavior” reading. Well, I take the “joke” of Bakugo’s threats and insults seriously, especially in a story that starts with something like telling Izuku to jump off the roof. In the same way that many fans want others to treat Bakugo’s mother as a serious topic that has had a negative influence on his development, I want the series to take Bakugo’s everyday actions seriously as a negative influence on… well, everyone around him. But it doesn’t. His base personality is grudgingly adored.

The above two points are seen most overtly in Izuku, who never wavers in his respect for Bakugo despite how Bakugo treats him. Not just prior to U.A., but during their training too. Izuku, as the protagonist, is the emotional heart of this tale, so when he talks about how inspiring Bakugo is, it encourages the reader to see his behavior as inspiring too. Rather than, as said, something that needs to change. Izuku's continued friendship with Bakugo, his adoration of him, and his acceptance of the way he's treated has severely warped how the entire story sees Bakugo's actions. After all, if #pure Izuku can see the good in Bakugo, why can't everyone else? He must not be that bad after all.

I could get into detailed analyses of all the above—like how Bakugo was the one comforted after attacking Izuku outside the dorms at night and how the messed up relationship he has with Izuku is upheld as something to nurture; how the remedial courses he had to take were made to be rather silly, thereby undermining their supposed importance to his development; how Bakugo’s kidnapping had nothing to do with his flaws, but much of the fandom uses it as a way to dismiss any appropriate consequences because, “Hasn’t he suffered enough?” etc.—but in the interest of keeping this within a readable length, I’ll leave it at that. The point is that Bakugo has always been privileged when it comes to his behavior, resulting in others either outright praising it, ignoring it, or demanding that he change a miniscule bit, which always keeps him far below the standards of both his peers and the expectations of a hero. Everyone in 1-A must learn to be even better than the good people they already are... Bakugo needs to learn that other people aren't dirt at the bottom of his shoes. It's never been a particularly impressive development when pit against the rest of the class. All of which can make something like an apology feel pretty hollow. Yes, he’s apologized and I say with all seriousness that that’s great! But how does that apology stack up against 300+ chapters of content? As Bakugo’s words highlight, he's been a really awful person up "until now": he was consumed by Izuku being “miles ahead of [him],” he “looked down on [him]” because he didn’t have a quirk, he “didn’t want to recognize that,” he “hated that,” “grew distant,” “tried to beat you down,” “opposed you and tried to show my superiority over you,” and ends it all with, “it probably doesn’t mean anything telling you all this” before finally getting to the “I’m sorry.” This is basically a laundry list of how horrible a person Bakugo has been for the entire series, with an acknowledgement that this apology is coming really, really late. This is the moment where I could START to like Bakugo, depending on how he acts form here on out, but that pivotal moment arrived after six years of content and in the final arc of the story. It’s too late. Bakugo needed this kind of self-reflection and positive action 250+ chapters ago so he could (hopefully) grow into a better person across the story, not at the story's end. What we got instead is 322 chapters of him being a really horrible person, but the story going out of its way to excuse or even praise that behavior the majority of the time.

As a quick comparison to end on, I think what Bakugo needed was what Soo Jin got in True Beauty. You don’t need to have seen the drama to follow along. The tl;dr is that she has a lot of the core qualities of Bakugo: an all-consuming drive to win that was created due to abusive parents with high expectations, resulting in her bullying a peer to a pretty horrific extent. The difference between them is how the story frames their actions. When Soo Jin becomes the bully she loses everything. Rather than succeeding academically, her grades plummet, making it clear that this anxiety and self-doubt (things the fandom keeps insisting Bakugo is struggling with, but that rarely ever show up in the text) is actually impacting her day-to-day life. Her best friend drops her because she’s not going to support her choices. The boy she likes rejects her. She’s eventually forced to start over somewhere new - which importantly separates her from the girl she was bullying - and get some distance from her parents, resulting in the growth needed to become a healthier, happier, good person again. So when Soo Jin apologizes to the girl she hurt, it feels earned. The story continually recognized how horrific her actions were and put her into a place where she either had to change, or continue losing at everything else that was important to her. Bakugo? Bakugo doesn’t lose. Oh, he claims he does because he’s comparing himself to Izuku constantly, but that’s just him thinking in extremes. He still wins academically. Still wins many battles. Still wins at having friends. Still wins by maintaining the prestige of being a U.A. student. Still wins by getting All Might’s attention. Still wins by receiving Izuku’s respect and an agreement to maintain this rivalry that Bakugo is so obsessed with. Bakugo comes out well 99% of the time, he just thinks he's "lost" because he can't stand not being the absolute best.

For me, the story needed to have Bakugo face consequences for his behavior, not receive rewards and/or have others ignore it, and that revelation/apology needed to come way, way sooner. For me the issue is not a specific action that Horikoshi can have Bakugo do in the next chapter and them bam, I like him now. The problem is Bakugo’s entire concept, how he’s received by the entire cast, and his run across this entire series. "Entire" is the key word there. Which is why the “But he’s apologized. What more do you antis want?” reactions don’t sit well. What we wanted is a better written redemption arc across those 300+ chapters, not a single scene that’s meant to have us forget all the other problems inherent in the story. At this point it’s a far more complicated situation than, “Bakugo just needs to do X, Y, and Z and then we’re golden.” At the end of the day, Horikoshi failed to make me like him as a person and I’m pretty sure he isn’t going to change Bakugo enough to make him likable to me. Bakugo was never the sort of character I’d be inclined towards without a serious, nuanced redemption arc, but sadly, a core, crucial part of that redemption arc took six years to arrive. At this point there’s no way to change the problems in Bakugo’s writing for that huge chunk of the series and not enough time left in the series, it seems, to do the work we should have seen across the entire run. Honestly, idk if the Bakugo we'll get going forward is someone I can just dislike as opposed to being really uncomfortable with, but my money is on there being too little story left and too much investment in upholding Bakugo's base personality for that to happen. I could absolutely be proven wrong! But I think the problems are structural and needed to be better dealt with from page one, not hastily patched over in the final hour.

[kjhmyg]

rough edges pt. 8

pairing: jungkook | reader genre: college!au, badboy!jk warnings: swearing, drugs, drinking, trafficking, bunch of illegal stuff word count: 15k

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 6.5 / 7 / part 8 / masterlist

author’s note: *wink* *finger guns* 

RE asks tag / pinterest board

The silence of the room is deafening. For the other two. They watch your back slowly move across the room, going through the boxes in the main stockroom with a clipboard in hand, checking items off your list. You shake your head and click your tongue at something you find and take down notes.

“Hey.” Namjoon whispers to Jungkook as they unload boxes off a transport trolley, near the door. 

Jungkook looks at him with a blank face. “What?” 

“You think she’s still angry?” He asks, and Jungkook turns in your directions. 

Before he manages to answer, a dreaded sigh leaves your lips. Turning on your heel, your deathly stare lands on the two of them. “Who did this?” You pen points in the direction of the seemingly neatly arranged boxes behind you. 

The culprits look at each other, then back at you without saying a word out of fear. Jungkook isn’t afraid of a lot of things, but that scowl on your face and the angry brows that come with it are definitely not on his list. 

“Why did you put the Patron before the Hillrock? Everything should be in alphabetical order so that it’s easier to locate the stocks. Otherwise, it’s just a big mess in here!” You bark and the two remain silent, adding on to your irritation. “Fix it.” 

You strut in their direction, walking in between the two giants, bumping shoulders with Namjoon as you go. Barely did anything to him but it felt necessary. They listen to the sound of your footsteps as they grow softer. Jungkook looks at Namjoon. “Yup I think she’s still angry.” 

𝄖

It’s a bright day and you find yourself in unfamiliar territory, standing with a group of your own schoolmates while waiting for the basketball team to arrive. Other than a few cheerleaders you’ve briefly spoken to at parties, you don’t know anyone else, only their names which you’ve gotten to know from previous games. Luckily you have Taehyung with you while Hana saves you both a spot on the bleachers. 

Today’s away game would qualify the school’s team for semi-finals. It’s been a tough couple of weeks of intense training; having the coach drill them with finals in mind. Jungkook had even missed several shifts after passing out from each session. With that, and after having won most of the preliminary rounds, you’re confident they can get through today. 

“Oh no.” Dreaded words across your screen has you groaning. 

hana: heads up hana: namjoon’s here

“What’s wrong?” Taehyung peeks over your shoulder. “No one snatched our seats, did they?” 

Three weeks ago you found out Namjoon a.k.a RM, is working with Jungkook and not against him like you initially thought. Funny little detail which neither of them thought important enough to let you in on. It was confusing at first but by the time you wrap your head around it, anger sets in. Because both of them had known all along, yet feigned ignorance. You were played like a fool and you felt like one. 

“No. Something worse.” He studies your face for a while, waiting for you to elaborate, until the team bus arrives. Decked in their jerseys and sports bag hanging over their shoulders, the players step out. 

They swim through the mass of supporters wishing them luck and Jungkook sprints past Jimin, aiming right for you. “You made it.” He says, smiling wide. You haven’t missed a game yet, knowing it means a lot to him having you there. 

Resting your hands on his arms, you squeeze them gently. “Goodluck. You got this.” 

He brings his face to yours, noses touching. “I do now that my good luck charm is here.” He calls you that now that they’ve won every match you’ve been to so far. 

With a kiss for extra luck, he skips to where the coach calls out to the team. Hoseok catches your eye from somewhere among the crowd and nods. You mouth a goodluck to him, then give Jimin a quick hug before he’s running off to catch up with the rest. 

Following the crowd, you head for the gym where you can hear the music blasting from outside. Cheerleaders from each side pump up the crowd with performances and get the crowd ready for some intense cheering when the game starts. Scanning the seated area, you spot Hana in one of the rows, waving down at you. But then you sigh as you notice a certain someone sitting in the exact same row, right next to your empty seats. Hana looks apologetic, shrugging when she realises you’ve noticed Namjoon. You don’t doubt he’s done this on purpose. Still, you let Taehyung take the seat next to Hana while you settle for the one next to Namjoon. He smiles when you do, but doesn’t say anything, yet.

You quietly enjoy the performances that go on until the doors open and the players step onto the court. The crowd starts cheering even louder than before. Jungkook manages to find you among them and gives a little wave, pausing only a second when his eyes shift to the guy next to you. He doesn’t have time to think about it, moving along to join the team for warm-ups.

The game starts off strong, with both teams managing to get shots in during the first half which leads to a tie. Jungkook had been on the bench for the most part of the game. This was their play, to save him for the second half when things get intense. 

Basketball isn’t your thing. You’d only started learning about it after dating Jungkook. And if you’re being honest, it still isn’t your thing, so you mostly come to these games to watch him play without much knowledge of half the rules of the game. You cheer when others cheer and boo when others do. 

In the second half, both teams keep their momentum up. This time you get to see more of Jungkook in action. He gets shots in one after the other, but the other team manages to catch up easily. The crowd starts to get restless as the time passes. With only ten minutes left on the buzzer and still hanging on a tie, everyone is as anxious as ever. Jungkook gets another basket in which lifts spirits and the cheers go on. 

“They’re better than I thought they’d be.” Namjoon comments to no one in particular. 

“You underestimate them then.” You say, keeping your eyes on the game. 

“Oh, are we back on talking terms now?” You spare him a glance and he’s smiling proudly. “Thought you were still mad at me.” 

“I am.” You spit out just as the crowd boos at a foul. 

“Why? I didn’t lie to you.” His nonchalance is driving you mad. How does he manage to act like everything’s normal. You close your eyes to stop yourself from snapping at him. "I just didn't tell you everything about me." 

"What you just described, is lying by omission." 

"Okay but you're totally fine with Jungkook."

"So?" You turn to him again, brows furrowed. 

"So? He lied by omission too." Namjoon points out and you scoff, although he's right. 

The crowd starts chanting in unison to cheer the team on. “It’s different.”

“How? Because he’s your boyfriend?” 

Your eyes stick to the game and your hands clap along with the chants but your mind is otherwise occupied. “Yes.” 

“That makes no sense. How is it any different than what I did?” 

“Because he doesn’t tell me anything,” you hiss, leaning in closer so he can hear, “so it makes sense that he didn’t tell me about you. You on the other hand, could’ve told me from the start.” 

“You basically just said your boyfriend lies to you on a regular basis.” 

The glare you shoot him scares him a little, but he knows you wouldn’t lash out in public, in front of all these people. While you think of a comeback, the crowd erupts around you and Taehyung accidentally hits you as he puts his hands in the air, screaming. Another score for the team.

“Great. I missed the shot talking to you.” You roll your eyes at him and he grins. 

“But we’re back to talking, right?” 

“Is that all you want from me?” He shrugs and you shake your head. “Then fine. We’re talking again.” 

“Good.” He nods, then leans closer. “We should stick together you know. They don’t tell me shit either.” 

He goes right back to cheering for the team. You don’t ask what he means by that. But you also know Suga doesn’t trust him, so he might just be trying to get close to the easiest target: you. Jokes on him, no one tells you anything either. 

“Plus I don’t have a lot of friends. And you’re nice.” He adds. 

You focus on the game and leave him without a reply. The other team had put up a good fight but eventually, Jungkook’s last minute shot won the game for the boys. As the final buzzer sounds, the rest of the team runs onto the court, lifting him up on their shoulders in celebration. Your heart swells as you see the look of exhilaration on Jungkook’s face. In the midst of all the commotion, you turn only to find the space next to you now empty. Namjoon is gone. You look around but he’s nowhere to be seen. Clearly, he had only come down to speak to you. You sigh and brush it off, choosing to forget about him for now.

The cheers slowly die down to murmuring and both teams exchange high-fives and handshakes before going their separate ways. They congratulate the other on a good game while the spectators make their way out the venue, some staying back to personally congratulate the team before heading out. The three of you wait patiently for the crowd to disperse before making your way down. By then, only a handful of people are left. 

Jungkook jogs over to you with messy hair and pride on his face. “Did you see the final shot I made?” 

“I did! You were amazing!” Sweaty arms wrap around you for a congratulatory kiss and hug. 

After getting kicked off the team last year, he’s been under a lot of pressure to perform. Getting through to the semi-finals probably feels like a great weight being lifted off his shoulders, even if it means more intense training coming his way till then. 

He wipes off the sweat from his face and hair then claims a kiss from you. Before he can get another word in, the coach calls out to him from the far end of the court. With him, two men decked in suits wait for Jungkook. He tells you he’ll be back, then runs in that direction. In the meantime, you head over to where Hana, Taehyung and Jimin are. “You were awesome Jimin.”

He shrugs like it’s nothing special. “Thanks. I’m just glad this is over.” Then he sighs, chugging down water. 

Behind him, Hoseok comes up slapping a hand on his shoulder. “Over? We’re just getting started.” 

“Captain please, just let me breathe for a while.” Jimin groans. “It’s hard carrying the entire weight of this team on my back.” 

His constant shameless eloquence elicits a bout of eye rolls and scoffs. Taehyung can only shake his head at the audacity while Hoseok ruffles his hair and shoves the back of his head. “I’ll let you have that ‘cause you did good today.” 

“I always do good.” Jimin mutters.

Shifting his attention to you, Hoseok hesitates when you open up your arms to him but accepts the hug nonetheless, squeezing for a moment before letting go. “You did great too Hoseok.” 

“Did my best.” He smiles, hands on his hips. “Jungkook really came through with that last one.” 

“Yeah, he did great.”

He nods and looks around, “I should be thanking him. Where is he anyway?”

“Over there.” You nod over to where he is and Hoseok does a double take in that direction. 

“Who’s that?” Taehyung eyes the two men you noticed earlier, now speaking to Jungkook while his coach stays by his side with a proud smile on his face. They extend their hands to Jungkook as they’re wrapping up the conversation. 

Jimin squints his eyes to get a better look. “Wait. Aren’t those…?” His gaze shifts to Hoseok. 

“Yeah.” 

“What’s going on? Who are they?” You ask, tone laced with worry. 

“Talent scouts.” Both Hoseok and Jimin answer you. Jimin whistles, “We heard they’d be coming down. They must’ve really liked his performance today. I guess they’re offering him a scholarship.” 

It’s not what you were expecting, but you’re relieved it’s nothing bad. You can’t imagine how Jungkook would react to a scholarship. He might not even care for it. You’ve never heard or seen him show that much interest in basketball other than as an extracurricular activity. And as expected, he walks back after the conversation with an unreadable expression on his face.

“What was that all about?” You ask when he approaches you. 

Jungkook glances at the others then back at you. He only smiles and shakes his head. “I’ll tell you about it later.” 

Hoseok takes his attention away from Jungkook, noting the way Jungkook is cautious of him and starts gathering the team, instructing them to get ready to leave. 

“Let’s go out tonight?” Jungkook asks, eyes hopeful, as if he doesn’t already know you’re going to say yes. “You head back first and I’ll swing by later on to pick you up.” You nod and he kisses your head before joining the team. His back blends in with the rest of them, still being on the receiving end of congratulatory pats and hugs.

𝄖

“Can we eat here?” Jungkook slows down as you lean over the center console, surveying a diner from the outside. “It looks good.” 

He loves how serious you get when choosing a place, tapping the tip of your nose when you get too focused, eyes widening like a cat spotting its prey. He parks by the road and you walk hand-in-hand into the busy diner. Humming approvingly at the smell of their food, your eyes scan the menu over the counter. 

“What do you wanna eat?” You ask, hooking your chin on his arm. 

“I’ll have anything. You order.” 

Eyes lighting up, you join the back of the queue and leave him to look for a table. He walks to the end of one side with no luck and struts down the other. The place is full of people squeezed together in booths with no empty table in sight. As he’s about to turn, from the corner of his eye he spots someone getting up. Thinking it could be a table up for grabs, Jungkook turns towards it only to stop dead in his tracks.  

“Fuck.” Jungkook mutters under his breath. 

“Well well well,” Hongjun steps to him, walking like he owns the place. Only now does Jungkook remember this area is within the district under Hongjun’s assignment. “What brings you to my part of the city? Not playing dirty are we?” 

“Don’t worry, I don’t need to.” Jungkook says calmly. “Only here for the food.” 

“Right.” Hongjun sneers, eyes shifting over Jungkook’s shoulder and he tenses up. “And the girl?” 

Jungkook forces a smile, “None of your business.” 

Hongjun slips his hands into his pockets and shrugs, the wicked smile on his face making Jungkook anxious. “You made it my business the moment you stepped foot in my district.” 

“Fuck off.” 

Feeling his fight or flight instincts kicking in, Jungkook takes wide steps leading him back to you. You’re waiting your turn in line when you're suddenly being pulled away with Jungkook’s hand on your arm. You resist the sudden movement. “What’s wrong? I’m next in line.”

Others behind you watch curiously as you try to get back in position but Jungkook stops you. “Let’s go somewhere else.” 

The tension in his entire demeanor has you following him without another word. But you don’t miss the aggravated look he sends someone in there just as you leave. With all the people in there, you barely get a glimpse of the guy, standing with his arms crossed and a villainous look on his face. 

Jungkook goes on autopilot, driving to a different part of the city. Jaw clenched, brows furrowed, tight grip on the steering wheel. He settles for a place he’s familiar with, one he knows wouldn’t have any unwanted presence. It’s a cute café by the beach, the place a little more refined than the last. You don’t mind it. Besides, the vibes are much better here which you think might help calm him. This time, Jungkook orders while you wait at the table.

He comes back with drinks and takes the seat adjacent to yours, instead of across. Slipping your hand in his to get his attention, you place a palm to the side of his face, thumb caressing his cheek. “Are you okay?” 

“Yeah.” He nods, smiling. “Sorry. Ran into someone. He’s bad news.” 

“Oh.” You sigh. “Forget about him. Just focus on us, okay?”

He nods and you give him a chaste kiss. His anger dissipates with his next breath, watching the way you get excited over your green sparkling drink. Jungkook knows Hongjun isn’t going to forget this. That man goes out of his way to look for Jungkook’s faults and weaknesses. It’s only unfortunate that he himself had brought his biggest weakness into Hongjun’s radar. 

The two of you have a normal dinner when the food arrives, steering clear of any work-related topics. At the end of it, he brings you for a stroll by the beach, hand in hand, sandals on your other as you let your feet sink into the sand. The stars are hiding behind heavy-looking grey clouds as does the moon. It’s dark and scary this time of the night but Jungkook seems to love it so you go along. 

“So what happened earlier after the game? Those two men that you spoke to.”  It’s been on your mind since this afternoon. Although, Jungkook wasn’t planning on bringing it up, and he was hoping you’d forget. “What did they want?”

“Ah, that?” He finds interest in the crashing waves, taking his time to come up with a reply. 

“Jungkook,” you move to stand in front of him, “why don’t you wanna tell me?” 

“It’s nothing.” He sighs when you don’t budge. “Fine.” 

Further up the beach, you find a grassy spot near the pavement and take a seat. He lets you put your legs over his so he can wrap his arms around them. “They offered me a partial scholarship.” He states bluntly while your eyes light up in contrast. 

“Oh my god, that’s great!” He doesn’t reciprocate your excitement. Seeming rather put off by the idea, he juts out his lower lip and fiddles with several stalks of grass he’d picked. “You don’t want it?” 

“I’m not really sure.” 

“What’s holding you back?” 

“There’s just too much pressure.” He admits. “I don’t want a future in basketball. Plus, I’m not sure if I’ll even be worth investing into. I know I’m kinda good at it but it’s just not what I want.” 

“Hey,” you rest your head against his shoulder, tightening the grip around his arm, “you are worth it. Otherwise those professional talent scouts wouldn’t have given you an offer in the first place. But you do have a choice. If you don’t want to take it up, that’s fine too.” 

“You’re not mad?” 

“Why would I be mad?” You lift your head to face him. 

He gives you a timid smile. “Any other person would’ve jumped at the chance to get a scholarship like that. I know Hoseok or the rest of the team finds out I’m turning it down they’d think I’m stupid.” You now get why he wouldn’t say anything earlier in front of the others. 

“Fuck what they think.” The aggressive tone you take on doesn’t match the cute face you make when you’re angry, which amuses him. “It’s your life.”

“But what if they’re right?” He sighs. “Maybe I’m making a wrong choice?”

“So what? Sometimes, these choices help us grow and we learn to make better ones in the future.” 

“So you don’t care? If I make wrong choices in life?”

Something tells you it’s more than just the scholarship that he’s referring to. “Of course I care. But you’re saying you don’t want to take up that scholarship. So don’t. Because that’s what you think is best for you right now. I wouldn’t classify it as a wrong choice in life. But you have to realise that there’s not one person in this world that hasn’t made a decision they regret after.

“What matters is what you make of your experience. It’s not the end of the world if you mess up. We can all be better versions of ourselves if we work towards it. And I’ll be right by your side whichever route you choose to take.” 

Thinking back to the same conversation he had with Jimin some time ago, Jungkook remembers what was said in the end. To do what makes him happy. He supposes you’d agree with that. 

𝄖

“That feels so good.” You let out a pleasurable moan that gets Jungkook hot and slightly bothered. But not in that way. 

“You’re so loud.” Strong hands move up your back with calculated pressure, thumb pressing down on the muscles of your shoulders. “I’m offended.” 

Face squished into your sheets, you barely catch what he says. “Wha’?” 

“I said you’re enjoying this way too much.” With one last swiping movement down to your butt, he massages the cheeks slightly before patting them and saying he’s done. 

“That was amazing.” You sigh, turning on your back. “Please consider becoming a professional masseuse. Ooh, can you crack my back too?”

“No but I can blow your back out.” He gives you a nose-scrunching grin when you roll your eyes. “My turn?” 

Switching places, he takes his top off and falls to the bed, face down while you sit on his back. With hands smaller than his, you put in extra focus on the tips of your fingers, using your weight to get the right amount of pressure. It’s not long before he starts to make the same sounds of pleasure as you did before. “So good…” 

“You’re so tense.” You say, pressing your weight onto his upper back. The moaning gets louder when you move down. 

“Oh my god yes.” 

You’re amused at his inability to keep it quiet, then resorting to pushing his face into the mattress. When you switch it up without warning, running your nails gently against his skin, he twitches and goosebumps spread all over his back, muscles tensing up. 

“Must be from all the practice.” Your mutter, referring to how tense he is. “When’s your next game?”

“Can’t remember.” He pauses for a second. “Maybe next month.”

“Let me know the date when you find out so I can clear my schedule that day.” 

Cheek pressed to the sheets, he stares quietly at the wall, thinking. “RM was at the game the other day, wasn’t he?” You slow down but don’t reply. Two weeks since the game where you’d ‘forgiven’ Namjoon, but you’ve yet to speak to him after that day. He’s made himself scarce ever since. “I mean Namjoon.” 

“Yeah. He was there when we arrived.” 

“So...you guys talked?” 

“Yeah.” 

“And you’re okay now? You’re not mad anymore?” 

“Mad about what?” 

Trick question. He can’t answer that without admitting his faults. Choosing to keep the peace instead, he presses his lips together and remains quiet. But you meet your face with his. “Hm? About what?” 

He shuts his eyes and pretends not to hear you, stuffing his face into the mattress once again. You’re acting cute but there’s no telling what you’ll do if he answers. Turning over so you can work on his arms, he does so with eyes still shut and a tiny smile on his lips. Slowly, his face muscles relax and when you see his lips start to part, you know he’s dozed off. 

He wakes up half an hour later with you hovering over him, squeezing his cheeks. Smiling in a half-asleep state, he squeezes you in his hold. 

“Time to get ready for work.” You whisper and he groans. 

“Wanna stay in bed with you.” He says dreamily. 

“You have an important meeting tonight, remember? Suga said so.”

Jungkook opens his eyes reluctantly, haunted by Suga’s face behind his eyelids as soon as you mention his name. So much for relaxing.  

𝄖

“Are you sure it’s alright to leave y/n in charge?” RM asks from the backseat. 

Suga’s eyes dart to him momentarily in the rearview mirror as he drives them to the headquarters. “She’ll be fine.” Jungkook says. “I told Mia to help her out.” 

They left the club together half an hour ago and much to your surprise, told you to take over for the night. Since the place basically ran itself most of the time, you agreed. Besides, it was your chance to prove to Suga that you can be useful, especially as he looks on with much doubt.

“But she’s so⎼”

“Careful now,” Suga says, “wouldn’t want mister y/n here to get all defensive.” 

He’s just as skeptical as RM, making Jungkook roll his eyes. “You guys just underestimate her.” 

“Huh.” Suga scoffs, finding it ironic that it’s coming from Jungkook of all people. If anything, he underestimates you. Suga can only imagine how he’d react if he knew you’re aware of what goes down at the club all along. 

Through a maze of industrial buildings, they finally reach HQ, a large grey building, much like all the others, with a huge stationery company logo plastered over the main entrance. Suga walks ahead as they take the lift down two floors, pass through a door with heavy security, down a long white hallway, which leads to another door at the end, then finally reaching the main area.

“You’ve really never been here before?” Jungkook asks. 

“Not this part of the building at least.” RM says. 

It opens into a staircase landing overlooking a large unloading area filled with tables of white powder and workers packaging them into smaller packets. RM takes everything in, looking down at the scene before him while Jungkook and Suga head down the stairs. “So this is it.” He whispers to himself.

Down on the ground, about a dozen long tables fill the area, multiple people stationed at each, They wear masks and gloves, expertly handling the powder with nimble hands. RM looks around the place with much interest. The workers on the other hand, pay him no mind and go on with their tasks. Three doors line each side of the area and from one of them, Kyun appears with their Captain. Behind them, one of his men pushes a cart with four huge bags while another carries a couple of smaller boxes. 

The three of them watch as the Captain carefully cuts open one of the boxes. Their usual orders - strips of LSD, packets of cocaine, molly, meth and others are packed nicely inside. But what garners their interest is the newer items packed alongside the rest, looking rather out of place. Huge stacks of pens and what seems like lip balms fill up part of the box. It raises eyebrows. The Captain couldn’t be happier introducing these new items to them. 

The pens are hollowed out and white powder rests inside with a tinted plastic cover around it and its clicker replaced with a screw cap. The aluminium lip balm containers are filled to the brim, a plastic film sealing the powder inside with others pack strips of LSD. With gloves on, the caption holds up each item for them. “We’ve been running these in the other districts. It’s covert, not suspicious looking, easier for the kids to carry around.” He smiles proudly. “Any cops on your tail?” 

“We’ve got men on the streets keeping an eye out.” Jungkook says. “Nothing to worry about for now.”

“Good.” He places the items back into the box. “It’ll take a while before they come on to us with these.” 

“Interesting.” RM comments to himself. 

“Get the boxes out to the car.” Kyun nods towards the men standing by. “I know we called you guys down for a meeting, but we’re gonna have to postpone it. Boss is busy with some other stuff tonight. So you guys can go.” 

From where they’re standing, they get a view of the window of Kim’s office on the third floor, which gives him a nice view of the area. Suga looks up and finds him standing there, wine glass in hand and with company. It’s someone he recognises all too well; Barome. He waves down at Suga, who waves back.

“Is that Mr. B?” Suga asks. Jungkook and RM follow his line of sight.

“Yup.” Captain says. “They have some things to settle.” 

“I see.” He nods. “Anything we should know about?”

The Captain raises his brows, “Don’t ask so many questions. You know I don’t like that.” 

“Sorry Cap.” Jungkook cuts in. Although playfully, it doesn’t change the look in the Captain’s eyes. Kyun stands by uncomfortably. “I’ve told him a million times. He’s just so nosy.” 

“Go. Get out of here.” Captain says before heading back into the room they came from. 

“No sense of humour. Shocking.” Jungkook smiles at RM’s comment until he meets Suga’s eyes. 

They head back out to the car in silence while Kyun’s men wheel the boxes along behind them. Suga fiddles with one of the pens, looking at it curiously, although his mind is preoccupied with what Kim and Barome could be doing together. He links it back to what Bella had told him before. The merge must be in the works already. 

Just as they reach the lift landing, one of the doors opens to reveal a face Jungkook had been hoping not to see. Hongjun and his men step out, more than pleased at the run in as evident with the smirk on their faces. His men move aside while he stands before the three of them, smiling playfully at each one of them.

Nodding towards RM, the only one he seems to like, he lingers at the entrance to the elevator and looks back and forth between Jungkook and Suga. “Wow, everyone’s here. How fun. Should we have some drinks?” 

Choosing to ignore him, they shove past the man and into the elevator. Hongjun only laughs in response. He stops the doors mid-way as they start to close. “Oh. Tell your girl I said hi.” Jungkook feels himself heat up, but he can’t show how vulnerable he is. He can’t fall for Hongjun’s mind games. 

His wicked smile is the last thing they see as the doors slide to a close. Mindful of the other men present, Suga eyes Jungkook for a moment. “What the hell.” He mutters through clenched teeth. 

Jungkook is silent. He locks eyes with RM in the reflection of the door then looks away, sighing internally. 

𝄖

“You’re crazy. You let him see y/n and you, together?” Suga asks back in the privacy of the office. 

“Not on purpose.” Jungkook insists. “We went out to eat and he was just...there.”

“Oh come on…” Suga paces about the room. RM listens to them go back and forth as he unboxes their new goods and checks out a portion of it for his own supply. “Do you know what he can do with this info? What if he tells Kyun?” 

He steps closer and presses his finger to Jungkook’s chest, speaking in a low voice so RM can’t hear him. “Remember what I said? You have to be careful with Kyun. He’s suspicious of you as is⎼” 

“I know.” Jungkook sighs. 

“Don’t worry.” Suga raises a brow when RM chimes in. He carries his bag of supplies and tidies up the area before walking towards the both of them. “If knowing about y/n is really as bad as you make it out to be, I doubt Hongjun will tell on you anytime soon.” 

“Why not? He’d do anything to bring us down.” Suga asks. 

“Exactly. And now he’s got something over you.” RM gestures vaguely when they don’t seem to catch on. “He’s not gonna give it up so easily. My guess is that he’ll start using this against you.”

“Blackmail.” 

“Yeah. I don’t think you’d get into trouble because of y/n. And I bet Hongjun thinks the same. But he also knows that you don’t want him mouthing off about her. Most likely he’ll make you do dumb shit which will then get you in trouble.”

“That...makes sense.” Jungkook stares at him in awe. “I guess I’ll be expecting him soon.” 

“Probably.” RM smiles. “Well I’m off. See you guys.” 

“Bye.” Jungkook says mindlessly, still mulling over what he said. More than anything, he’s worried about you. Your safety. 

“Thinks he’s some some kind of smart ass…” Suga mumbles, going over to the supplies. 

“Sorta seems like he is.” Jungkook shrugs when Suga sends him a dirty glare. 

“Just shut up and get your supplies.”

𝄖

As Namjoon had predicted, Hongjun shows his face in the club a couple of days later. Walking around like he owns the place, he inspects every corner with hands in his pockets and a smile on his face. Jungkook and Suga had prepped the team, so they knew to expect him. Mia doesn’t give him the time of day, but neither does anyone who’s ever had to work under him before. 

“Come on Mia,” he grins, taking up space by pushing away customers from the bar, “you know you’d earn twice as much if you come work for me.” 

“Piss off.” 

He scoffs and snatches a shot she slides across the bar top to a customer, ignoring the dirty looks he gets. He’s yet to run into the target of his visit and he’s starting to get bored. Perhaps he’s been looking in all the wrong areas. Heading for the second floor, he walks past the office only to pause and go in reverse. Forget Jungkook, he’s found something better. 

“Hey.” 

You lift your head up at the unfamiliar voice and it doesn’t take you long to come to the conclusion that he must be someone Jungkook works with. It’s in the confidence he exudes, the way he dresses and the look in those eyes that seem strangely familiar. 

“Can I help you?” He crosses his arms over his chest and smiles as he gives you a once over. “Are you looking for Suga? Or⎼” 

“Yeah but...it’s fine.” He waves you off. “We haven’t met, have we?” 

You shake your head. It’s starting to feel stuffy in here. You rest the clipboard against your middle and watch as he steps further into the room. The smirk spreading across his face is when you remember; he’s the guy from the diner. 

"What's your name?" He asks. 

"You really shouldn't be here." You don't budge even when he comes close. "Why don't I get Suga to come down⎼" 

"That's not necessary. Maybe you could help me out.” 

“With what?” 

“You’re with Ace, right?” 

“Hm?” Thankfully he can’t hear the thumping in your chest. “He’s my boss.” 

“Just your boss? Come on. I’m sure there’s something⎼” 

“I’m sorry I have a lot to do and if you’re going to waste my time with these questions then you should go.” 

“Hey hey hey,” his fingers wrap around your wrist as you try to go past him. “Why are you getting all worked up?” 

Dropping the clipboard, your other hand grabs a hold of his wrist and you tug your other out of his grip. Just like Namjoon taught you to in those self-defense classes. Hongjun’s surprised at your move and it has him taking a step back. You take a deep breath and put on a fake smile. “Please don’t touch me.” 

Before he can utter another word, a heavy hand rests on his shoulder, squeezing it slightly. He turns to see RM nodding his head for you to leave. And you do so quickly, thankful for the timely intervention.

“Oh. You.” 

“What’re you doing man?” RM asks, lifting his hand away. 

Hongjun checks the door before whispering. “You know that girl? She's dating Ace, isn’t she?” 

“Dating? Nah.” 

“No seriously.” His eyes grow. “I’ve seen them together.” 

“I know her. They’re not dating.” RM laughs. “They’re just friends.” 

Hongjun rolls his tongue over the inside of his cheek, eyes studying RM then lands elsewhere in thought. “How sure are you?” 

“Very. Trust me.” 

The disappointment etched on his face at RM’s words lasts only seconds. Part of him still believes he’s right. There’s no mistaking the look on Jungkook’s face as pure terror when they ran into each other at the diner. “What? Don’t tell me you’re all best friends now.”

“No, I just spend a lot more time around them than you do. Pretty sure I’d notice if something’s going on between them.” 

“Hm.” Uninterested in any further banter, Hongjun, makes his way out slowly, hands in his pockets. He turns at the door and pauses for a minute. “She’s pretty though.” 

Namjoon waits till he’s out of sight before going to look for you. He then finds you in the break room, smiling when he sees the look of relief on your face at his presence. “Thanks for the heads up.” 

“No worries.” He sits across from you. “Saw him strutting around the place. Figured he’d find you eventually.” 

“I didn’t realise he’s the same guy that we ran into before.” You tell him. “Jungkook acted so strangely after.” 

“Probably ‘cause they hate each other. And he’s worried about you.” 

“Me?” 

“Yeah.” Namjoon scoffs. “How do you think he’ll react once he finds out you had a run in with Hongjun? He wants to keep you away from danger.” 

“I get that.” You shift uncomfortably in your seat. “Is this Hongjun guy really that bad? What’s the worst thing he could do?” 

You see the wheels turn in Namjoon’s head. He mulls over what he’s about to tell you, unsure if he should. “Jungkook wouldn’t want me telling you this. But you’re my friend.” 

“What is it?” The tone he takes makes your heart skip a beat. 

“He’s using your relationship against Jungkook.” Your lips part. “Obviously, Jungkook doesn’t want anyone to know you’re seeing each other for...safety reasons. So he’s troubled with the fact that Hongjun, his enemy, knows about you. Worst thing he could do? According to Jungkook, tell our boss about you.” 

“Oh. Oh no.” 

“Whether or not our boss cares about you, is a whole other story. Point is, Jungkook doesn’t want you to be known. To anyone else in this organisation. Besides everyone you already know here.” 

“My being here is making things difficult for him.” You say softly, gaze lowering to the table. 

“Good news is that I think I managed to convince Hongjun you aren’t together.” 

“You did? Why?” 

“I told you.” He chuckles, “You’re my friend. I don’t want you in any danger either.” 

“That’s nice.” You smile. “Thank you.” 

“It’s fine.” Your smile drops too quickly for his liking. “Wait, what’s wrong?” 

“I don’t know,” you sigh, spinning the pen between your fingers, “now that you’ve told me all this I kinda feel like I shouldn’t be here. I don’t wanna trouble Jungkook.” 

He nods silently and you take that as his agreeing to your statement. “You should probably talk to him about it. Oh, but don’t tell him I told you.” 

It was always evident that Jungkook didn’t want you getting involved in this line of work. But to find out that your relationship could cause him trouble and be used against him makes you feel guilty for insisting you’d want to work here in the first place. Not that you wouldn’t have run into Hongjun anyway, but working here just makes you, and your relationship, a more accessible liability for Jungkook.

𝄖

It’s five minutes before you’re set to meet with Seokjin and Hoseok. He had called and asked to see the two of you for an update. On campus is the last place you’d think to meet up with Seokjin, but the library is big enough to get lost in, and you’d never find Jungkook in here. You hang around the reference section of the library on the third floor. It’s quiet and almost empty save for a handful of students crouched over the table buried in paperwork. 

You pick out an encyclopedia from the shelf in front of you and flip through it to pass the time. Hoseok joins you minutes later, standing to your right. He clears his throat and whispers, “Am I late?” 

“Nope. He’s not here yet.” 

“I’m here.” Seokjin’s voice comes out of nowhere. It’s Hoseok who realises he’s speaking from the other side of the shelve, through an opening between books. You pick another book off the shelf so you can make out more of his face. Hoseok steps closer to you. “Thanks for coming.” 

“So what’s going on?” Hoseok asks. 

“We got some updates over the last weekend.” Seokjin says, careful of his surroundings, making sure no one else walks by. “Y/N, your intel was right. We checked with some of our other sources and confirmed that the two organisations are merging.” 

Your own sigh cuts through the silence. “So, where do we go from here?”

“Seems like this operation won’t end soon.” 

“What do you mean? Was it supposed to?” 

Seokjin waits till a librarian goes by pushing a cart of books. “Ideally, we’d have raided the syndicate by the end of the year. But now that it’s involved a different gang, it makes much more sense for us to get both gangs at the same time. Our side has teamed up with a separate division that’s been tracking the trafficking syndicate. We’re gonna use this chance to raid both syndicates when the time is right.” 

“So it’ll have to wait till after the merge.” You say. “Which is why it won’t end soon.”

“Unfortunately you’re right.” Seokjin agrees. “I probably sound like a broken record by now but you should really remove yourself from the club. Keep safe. There’s no telling what’s going to happen after both gangs merge. Thanks for the tip though.” 

Your silence signals to Hoseok that something’s off. All the other times you’ve been told to fall back was met with resistance. He eyes you suspiciously.

“That’s about it from me. I’ll get in touch again if necessary.” 

He doesn’t wait for you to reply before taking his leave, walking off briskly with a reference book in hand. You don’t realise how long you remain in place, zoning out while thinking about Jungkook. When you snap out of it, Hoseok’s leaning against the shelf, arms crossed, observing you. “What’s the matter?” 

You shake your head. “Nothing. Just thinking.” 

“Don’t lie.” 

You turn to him, “You don’t know me that well to know when I’m lying.”

He’s taken aback by your words but plays it off with a smile. “Ouch.” 

“Sorry.” You close your eyes and bite your tongue in slight regret. “But I wasn’t lying. I was just thinking.” 

“Alright well,” he starts to make a move, “wouldn’t wanna disturb you. Let me know if you have any updates.” 

You nod as he goes past, palming your forehead repeatedly after. Hoseok wouldn’t have understood your dilemma anyway, you reassure yourself, though it doesn’t help you feel any better. 

𝄖

Jungkook works on your desk while you settle for the bed. You watch the back of his round head as you bite the end of your pencil. 

Your shifts have gotten considerably lesser since the encounter with Hongjun which was two weeks ago. Jungkook hadn’t mentioned him at all, so you doubt he knows the two of you unofficially met. But you assume the reduced hours are because of what Namjoon had told you; that he wants to keep you safe. So you don’t complain though it does make you sad. 

When you explained to Hana what you learned from Namjoon and Seokjin, she would of course, support any opinion that prioritises your safety. “I’m not just saying this because I never wanted you there in the first place,” she clarifies, “but it seems like a valid reason to go if even Jungkook feels it’s unsafe.” 

You don’t want to stop working there. It’s not over. In fact, it’s just started, what with the upcoming merge. How else are you going to survive in this relationship knowing what you know, but not being able to do anything about it. 

“So…” 

Jungkook swivels in his chair and looks at you in exasperation. “That’s the third time you’ve said so and then trail off without getting to the point. What’s wrong?” 

“What?” You scoff unnaturally. “Nothing’s wrong. I was just about to say so...how’s Bella?”

“Bella?” He raises a brow. “She’s...good. I think.” 

“Okay.” You turn your attention back to the notes spread out in front of you and tap the pen to your chin. 

Jungkook gets up from the chair and you feel the bed sinking next to you. He lies on his front, elbow to elbow with you. “You don’t wanna tell me what’s going on?” 

“Nothing’s going on.” 

“You’re upset about your hours getting cut?” Not saying a word, you pretend to read your notes and he chuckles. He buries his nose into your hair and takes a whiff. Smells like your favourite shampoo. “You’re still scheduled for once a month.”

“Once a month?!” You pout, flipping over onto your back. “I might as well get a new job.” 

“Yeah. That’s what I’ve been telling you to do since forever ago.” He states, “Didn’t we agree it was only a temporary job?” 

You press a pillow over your face and scream into it. At this point, it has nothing to do with the job. You just want to fast forward to the part where he cuts ties with everyone from his gang. Grabbing the pillow off of you, you close your eyes and give a loud, long groan. He stares at the scene in front of him. 

“Are you...really okay?” He carefully places the pillow back on your face.

You push it away and it falls to the ground. Jungkook rests his head against his palm and watches as you stare up at the ceiling. It takes a few minutes before you move. “Do you think...you’re going to work at the club for a long time?” 

“What do you mean?” He questions, brow raising. 

“Like, is this a long term commitment or will you eventually find something else after graduating?” You ask, “Something more stable?”

“You don’t like me working there?” He rests his hand on your middle. 

You shrug. “Just asking out of curiosity. I know you really like working there.” 

He smiles, eyes glazing over as he thinks about it. “It’s fun. I mean how many people can say they’re running a club while they get their degree, right? Plus we have a great crew.” 

“So do you see yourself working there for a long time?” 

The smile falters a little, something changing in his eyes. He looks back at you as if trying to read into all the questions. You swallow, feeling awkward under his stare. You can only get so far with him. “I mean...I’m just wondering. No pressure or anything. You can do whatever you want.” 

His hand comes up to squeeze your face between his fingers. Soft lips kiss the sides of your squished cheeks. “We’ll see.” He says simply before getting up. “Let’s talk later, I have to finish up this assignment.” 

You watch him sink back down into the chair and turn his back to you. Balling your hands into fists, you silently punch the air and reach for another pillow to press over your face. 

𝄖

“Seriously what is wrong with you?” Hana stops you from tearing the sandwich in your hands apart. “You’ve been so out of it the last few weeks.” 

“I’m sad.” 

“About what?”

The dull hum of machinery fills the silence in the laundromat. Clothes had gone in ten minutes ago and since then, you’ve been wallowing in self-pity and taking it out on the sandwich you bought from the bakery next door.

“I just can’t do it anymore.” You drop the sandwich into its paper bag. “All the secrets and sneaking around. And now knowing I’m gonna have to keep pretending I don’t know anything for so much longer because we gotta wait for two gangs to have a collab before any action is gonna happen...”

Hana snorts, then apologises when you send her a look. “I don’t know what else you can do. What did you think was going to happen? Did you think Jungkook would get an epiphany out of nowhere, cut off ties with his gang, just because he loves you?” 

“Rude.” 

“I’m serious,” she says. 

“Well yeah, kinda.” You admit, avoiding eye contact. 

“Then that’s on you, dumbass.” She spits out and your jaw drops. “Didn’t he once tell you he liked the fact that you don’t ask questions about what he does? You also mentioned how happy he is at work. So clearly, this isn’t something he’s going to let go anytime soon.” 

“Did I also tell you how I’m a burden to him?” 

“You did.”

“Yeah.” You sigh. “Some guy he hates found out about us and now Jungkook’s worried about me but I guess he can’t find it in him to ask me to leave.”

“Are you kidding?” Hana laughs unbelievably. “He’s literally been telling you to get a job for months. He didn’t even want you to work there in the first place!” 

“You don’t have to yell.” 

“I have to because you’re being really stupid.” 

“What’s wrong with you? You’re so mean today.” You huff, crossing your arms. She doesn’t let you have your way this time. 

“I’m not mean, I’m being real.” She points a stern finger at you. “I told you this is something bigger than you can handle. But you wanted to get involved. You wanted to work at the club. You wanted to sneak around⎼”

“Okay okay I get it. I brought this on myself.” 

“So, what’s your next move?” She glares at you, then goes back to her food. Mouth full, intensely chewing, she raises a brow questioningly. You’re almost afraid to say anything else. “Scratch that. I wanna know what you were going to do even if the operation wasn’t extending.”

“I had a solid plan.” You pout. “Once I find out the exact date they’re gonna raid the gang, I’d come clean to Jungkook, tell him everything and make sure he’s not there that night.” 

“Right.” She nods. “And you don’t think he’d be upset whatsoever that you’ve basically been lying and spying on him all this while and made him abandon his friends?”

“....shut up.” You shove a piece of bread into your mouth and chew aggressively. “I just don’t know what to do.”

“Then don’t.” 

“Hm?”

“You don’t have to do anything.”

“You know I can’t do that.” You say softly, leaning your head against the glass window. “I love him. I don’t want him to go to jail. He’s not a bad person.”

Hana looks on in sympathy. “Then why don’t you just tell him that?” 

“It’s not that simple.” You sigh, moving the paper bag from your lap to the empty seat next to you. 

Hana exhales then hooks her arm over your shoulder, bringing your heads together. You rest against each other for a while. “How about you tone it down? I like Jungkook, he’s great. And he loves you too. Why don’t you just let go of everything else and just be his girlfriend? At least for now. You’re not Hannah Montana you know, you don’t have to live a double life.” 

When she lets go, you nod in agreement. “I guess you’re right,” you say, looking at her, “I’m not Hannah Montana.” 

Hana starts giggling and you do too, swaying to the side as she shoves you playfully. 

𝄖

Namjoon hands you a small cup of coffee he brings from the admin room. You stand by the wall and take a sip of the bitter drink. He gives a small laugh at the twist of your face. “This is disgusting.” 

“How else do you think lecturers stay awake?” He jokes. “So what’s up?” 

“I just wanted to tell you, I think I’m gonna quit.” 

He raises his brows, “Is this because of what I said?” 

It definitely had a big role in you finally accepting that you shouldn’t be there, and finally taking the advice of practically everyone telling you to quit.

“Yeah.” He nods as you speak. “I don’t wanna be a burden to Jungkook. Plus he’s been trying to kick me out anyway, might as well quit first. Thought you should know, especially since I’m your only friend and you can’t go a day without talking to me.” 

He spits out a little of his drink. “Very funny. Have you told Jungkook yet?” 

“Not yet. Maybe later I⎼”

You stop when you notice someone lingering nearby, looking over at Namjoon every few seconds. You lower your voice, “Is that someone you know?” 

“Hm?” Namjoon turns and the other guy nods, raising his hand. He comes over and has a conversation with Namjoon a few steps away. You look the other way to give them some privacy. But with the close proximity and the quiet hallway, you overhear parts of their conversation. 

“I told you, I can’t do it here.” Namjoon says and the other guy sighs in frustration.

“I know I know, I thought I’d try my luck.” He hums in thought, “Can we meet tonight?” 

“I’ll text you the location.” 

“Great.” You hear the relief in his voice. “Oh by the way, do you have any LSDs? Couple of parties over the weekend, I can definitely help you move those.” 

“I don’t carry those. But Jungkook does.” You perk up at his name. “Look for him and tell him I sent you.” 

“Cool.” They slap hands and the other guy is off, skipping down the steps. 

Your ears burn as you remember once again how much trouble Jungkook would get into for this. You’ve seen him in action at the club, you’ve seen him passing drugs to Jae at a party, but it still feels so alien to you that your boyfriend is actually engaging in drug dealing. And maybe this feeling is what’s been driving you to try and save him. But now, it seems like the lines are blurred.  If you’re going to accept whatever happens to him in the future, you’re going to have to accept that he’s not as innocent as you make him out to be. And that there’s nothing you can do to change his future.

Namjoon notices the change in your body language. Turned away from him and looking elsewhere while nervously fidgeting. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah.” You spit out. “You know what I gotta go. See you around.” 

You speed off without giving him a chance to say goodbye. You don’t even know where you’re going; letting your feet take you wherever it wants. It’s late in the afternoon and classes have ended so the hallways are bare. Halfway to nowhere, you switch gears and head for the gym instead.

The squeaking of shoes against the gym floor can be heard from outside. You push open the doors slightly and through the crack, you spot Jungkook doing drills with the team. Quietly, you make your way inside and to the seats, resting your elbows on your knees as you watch them. It takes them a whole practice play before Jungkook even notices you there. 

As soon as they get dismissed, he runs over to you while the rest head for the shower. “Hey.” Sweat drips from his hair and face but that doesn’t stop you from going in for a hug. 

“You don’t look okay.” He frowns, pulling you away from his chest to take a closer look. “What’s wrong?”

“I just missed you.” You smile, taking his hands in yours. 

He grins although he doesn’t buy it. “Are you sure you’re okay?” 

You nod, then hug him once more. “Can you come over tonight? I wanna talk.” 

𝄖

With how you sounded, Jungkook thought it’d be something serious. “You asked me to come all the way here so you can tell me you wanna stop working at the club?”

“Yes?” 

“Y/N,” he chuckles, pressing your head to his chest, “you could’ve just told me earlier or through text. It’s not a big deal.” 

“Well it’s a big deal to me.” You start to pout and he rubs your back. 

“Aww. Okay I’m sorry. It’s a big deal.” He sighs, “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure we spend lots of time together okay?” 

You nod, fiddling with a pillow on your lap. “Why…” you hesitate, “why don’t you want me working there?” 

“I love having you there.” He says gently, resting his chin on your head. “It’s just...not a good place.” 

“But you work there.”

“Yes and that’s how I know I don’t want to keep you there.” 

“Okay but why do you want to keep working there if it’s not a good place?” 

“Where is this coming from?” He pulls away to face you. The look on his face isn’t the same as before. “What’s going on?” 

“Nothing,” you reassure him, “I’m curious as to why you don’t want me working there because it’s ‘dangerous’ but it’s okay for you to work there." 

"Because I want to." 

He says it so sternly you fall silent. Jungkook doesn’t like the way you’re asking these questions. This is what he was afraid of, that you’d one day realise what he’s doing isn’t good. That you’d one day realise he’s not good. Internally, he starts panicking.

It gets awkward then and you rack your brain for something else to say. But Jungkook reacts in the only way he knows how. He shifts from beside you and starts fixing his outfit while you watch quietly. "Sorry." The word slips out from between your lips. 

If he heard it, he's ignoring you. "I need to go." He says, grabbing his stuff and abruptly leaving your room.

You didn’t want to run after him at first, but when you change your mind, you only make it off the bed before you hear the front door open and click shut with his exit. And he’s gone. "Ugh." You sit back down. That did not go well at all. 

Seconds later Hana shows up at your door, knocking gently. "What was that about?" She asks, probably noticing the hostile vibes Jungkook was giving.

You shut your eyes and fall back onto the bed with a loud thud. 

𝄖

You don’t see Jungkook the next day when he says he’s busy. The day after that, he tells you he’ll be at the library finishing up the rest of his assignment. He’s definitely mad, even if he does still leave hearts and kisses in his texts to you. And if he’s not mad, he’s avoiding you. Jimin thinks you got off easy based on his experience.  

“But what is he so dramatic for?” Hana speaks over the jumble of voices in the hallway. Jimin scoffs right next to her.

“That’s his thing.” He says, “He hates it when you pry. His first line of defense is to run.” 

“It was my fault. I shouldn’t have asked.”

“No. It’s not.” Hana stops you from going down the spiral. “It was just a question.”

“Whatever I don’t care whose fault it is.” You say. “Where is he?” You point your question to Jimin.

He recalls seeing Jungkook leave this morning, although they hadn’t exchanged hellos. “I guess he could be in class right now?” 

“Isn’t that him right there?” Hana tugs on your arm and points towards somewhere into the ocean of students. You barely see but it is him, heading right for the deli shop just by the exit of the building. Leaving behind the other two, you race towards him, squeezing past other students as the sounds of Hana calling out to you is drowned out by the noise.

You’re panting when you reach the deli and scan the store for him. You spot him by the refrigerator, studying his choices of microwaveable sandwiches, figure blurred out by the condensation on the glass door but it’s definitely him. “Hi.” You say, standing on the other side of the door. 

He peeks over the side of the door and raises a brow. “Hey. How’d you find me here?” 

“I saw you from across the hallway.” 

“Did you run all the way here?” He eyes your hair and the way it’s gotten frizzy. It’s cute. Then he smiles. “You want anything?” 

“Yeah I wanted to talk to you about the other⎼”

“I mean from the store.” 

“Oh. Right of course.” You laugh awkwardly. “No thanks, I’m good.” 

You patiently wait for him to be done. He gets two of his favourite ham and cheese sandwiches, which just so happens to be your favourite as well, then he grabs a bottle of cold-brew coffee and pays for it. Hana and Jimin wait by the entrance and keep watch from outside. Jungkook realises this and furrows his brows at the semi-dirty looks they give him. “Why are they looking at me like that?” He asks.

“Listen,” you ignore the question and grab a hold of his arm before he leaves, “I’m sorry about the other night. I shouldn’t have pressured you⎼” 

“Baby, it’s okay.”

“I know I⎼ wait what?” 

“It’s okay.” 

“You’re not mad at me?” 

“Why would I be mad at you?” 

You shrug, “Cause I was prying and you don’t like it when people do that?” 

His eyes shift uncomfortably at your reply but eventually he shakes his head and smiles down at you. “I’m not mad. But I’m late for class. Here.” He places one of the sandwiches in your palm and steals a kiss from you before heading out, briefly waving to the two standing by outside. 

“That went well.” Jimin mentions as you approach them. 

“What are you talking about? That went horribly.” You say.

Jimin tilts his head and looks at you curiously. “That’s him being nice. If it were one of us who did that, he’d rip our heads off and leave the house for a week.” 

“But I’m not one of the guys. He never acts that way with me.”

𝄖

A week later and Jungkook takes twice as long to reply to you than he normally would. And just like last time, he’s gone off the grid several nights where your texts don’t even reach him until the next morning. Jimin and Taehyung think you’re reading too much into it. But you know him all too well by now. 

He doesn’t treat you differently or avoid you, but it feels different when you see him now. And by different, you mean it feels the same way it used to back when you first started dating and he kept his double life from you. This is now him distancing his work and personal life once again, now that he thinks you’re judging him, just like everyone else. 

It’s like being stuck in a room with no windows. Stuffy. Almost claustrophobic. Because unlike before, you now know the extent of his work. And being in the loop gave you some sense of control, but now even that’s being taken away.

“Do you think he’s mad at me?” You say to the other person on the line.

Namjoon doesn’t wait to reply. “He doesn’t, I guarantee you that.” 

“How do you know? Did he say anything?” 

“You really think he’d come and speak to me about your relationship?” He scoffs. “I just think that if he’s mad at you, you’d know. And you wouldn’t be asking me if he was. You’re just feeling guilty over whatever happened.” 

“I guess you’re right…” 

Your voice quietens and you hear him laughing faintly. “Stop worrying. I’ve to go, I’m hanging up now. Bye.” 

He ends the call and you sigh. Namjoon has a way of convincing others with the way he speaks. He could be right, that it’s just your guilt. Actually, he’s right. It is guilt. Guilty of lying, going around Jungkook’s back, liaising with detectives, lying about working at the club to spend more time with him when in reality you’re keeping tabs on him.

You join Hana in the living room where she’s writing some notes while the television runs. One of your favourite late night television series plays on the screen so you snuggle up with a pillow and try to distract yourself. 

It goes on for the rest of the hour and you remain glued to the screen without uttering a single word. Suddenly reminded of your presence, Hana tears away from her papers to look at you. You’re way too quiet. Especially for someone who always has something to say about what goes on in the series. She senses you’re up to something.

“What?”

“You have that look.” She states.

“What look?” 

“The look you have when you’re about to act on impulse, like quitting your job.” 

You shrug. “No idea what you’re talking about.” 

She removes herself from the floor and positions herself right next to you on the couch, facing you. “Tell me.” 

Even if you had tried to convince her otherwise, she wouldn’t believe you. So it takes a whole two seconds for you to break. She had assumed it would be Jungkook related, but Hana couldn’t even imagine what you were about to say next. 

“I’m going to tell Jungkook everything.” 

She waits for you to tell her you’re joking. It makes no sense to have gone behind his back all this while only to come clean now, especially as it would put the undercover operation at risk. She looks at you with a blank expression. Just staring. 

Then once she fully processes it, chuckles nervously, “Excuse me?”

“I’m gonna tell him everything.” You repeat yourself. “I don’t want to lie anymore.” 

“Are you crazy?!” She raises her voice, and holds onto your wrists, forcing your body to twist and face her. “You can’t do that.” 

You sigh, throwing your head back. “Why not? It’s not a big deal! I tell him, he’ll forgive me for being honest, then remove himself from the gang to save himself and...we’ll live happily ever after I guess.”

She looks on unbelievably as you ramble with furrowed brows. “What?” 

“Hana, come on, I⎼”

“No, you listen.” She takes a deep breath to calm herself. “Do you know what could happen if you blab to him about the operation? He’s not gonna leave his friends. He’s going to tell them everything, to save them. And then they’ll find the undercover agent and kill him. You’re risking the entire operation! Lives are at stake!” 

You shake your head like you can’t even comprehend what she’s saying. “Jungkook is not going to let someone get killed.” 

Hana’s quiet again, carefully observing you. You’re in denial. Not only can you not keep the secret in anymore, but you don’t want to accept the fact that Jungkook may not be the good guy after all. Would he kill someone? Hana couldn’t say. But she knows he calls people who would, his friends. And you know that too.

You sneak your hand into your pockets and pull out your phone. “I’m gonna tell him.”

“No⎼” she reaches out for you arm and you resist, “stop it! Y/N!”

You get into a tug of war, limbs tangled which each of you has a grip on your phone. Her other hand is on your wrist, stopping you from reaching for the phone and calling Jungkook. She lunges towards you and gets on top, crushing you under her weight. “Argh, what the fuck⎼” you spit out as she musters up her strength to pull your fingers off the phone which eventually falls to the floor. She leaps off of you and makes a grab for it. 

“Got it.” Hana pants, getting up on her feet with your phone. 

You remain on your back until you catch your breath, then sit up looking at Hana. “What the hell was that?” 

“You were going to ruin everything!”

“I have to!”

“No you don’t!” 

The two of you stare each other down till you realise she’s not letting up. Her arms are crossed over her chest with your phone in between. You fall back and onto the couch, eventually breaking down into your hands. Hana softens at the sound of your soft sniffling and you feel her sink down next to you, pulling you into her arms. 

She lets you snuggle into her, wetting the parts of her clothes that your face rests on. It takes a whole half an hour before you finally calm yourself down capable of speaking coherently without bursting into tears. She pats your head gently. “Feel better?” 

“No,” you say in a nasally voice, nose blocked from all the crying, “I feel like crap.” 

“I’m sorry. I wish I knew how to help you.” She says. “But I stand by what I said. You can’t tell him about the operation and I won’t let you.”

“Then...I don’t have a choice. I have to go with Plan B.” You move off her and take a deep breath before meeting her eyes. “I’m breaking up with Jungkook.” 

“What?!”

𝄖

Hana needed a break after your last surprise. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She sent you to your room, and it was ridiculous that you obeyed but you did, walking back to your room like a spoiled teen. Peeking out from the door, you watch her pace around the room for at least thirty minutes. 

She sees you through the crack of the door and you think she might start yelling at you, but then she pauses, places her hands back on her hips and goes back to pacing back and forth. It’s when she starts walking towards your room that your eyes widen and you run to your bed, sitting nicely by the edge, getting ready for a scolding. 

Funnily, all she does is stand by the door and sigh, looking at the ground.

You get up from your seat, which startles her. She feels the need to rush over to you and grab a hold of you like she’s afraid you’re going to run. 

“What? I’m getting a glass of water.” You say. 

“Oh.” She releases her grip on you then goes quiet. “Don’t do it.”

“Don’t get water? Or the other thing?” 

“The other thing!” She insists, flailing her hands around.

You let out a heavy sigh and step out of her way, towards your desk where your mug rests. Hana tails behind. “What do you want me to do then?” You take huge gulps of water and chug it down straight. “I can’t tell Jungkook about the operation. But I can’t keep lying either. So, the only thing I can do is to break up with him!”

“Why are your options so extreme?” She cries out. “Whatever happened to just being normal. A normal girlfriend. A normal person who doesn’t know anything about any operation working on taking down a drug syndicate!”

“I can’t do it anymore!” You start to tear up again. “I can’t keep lying. I love him. So much. But I can’t keep pretending that I know nothing. I’m crumbling Hana. I can’t tell him about the operation. You said so yourself, lives are at stake. But I also can’t not say anything. I think about it every time I’m around him, every time I’m with him.

What happens when they bust the gang and he goes to jail? He’d hate me if he finds out not only that I knew the entire time but that I’ve even been in contact with the cops. I’m already back at square one. He’s distancing that part of him with me and it kills me that I can’t do anything to save him.” You swallow the lump in your throat.

“I don’t want you to get hurt.” Hana says, coming in for a hug. 

“I’ll get hurt regardless.” You say softly. “I’m trying to make this easier for him. For us.” 

Hana looks on helplessly. “I’m sure there’s another way. You shouldn’t break up with him.”

“I’d rather he hate me for breaking up with him, than for him to think I’ve betrayed his trust all this while”. You sniff.

Hana rubs your back and you let the tears fall once again. She gets you to sit on the bed and she brushes the hair out of your tear-stained face. “I want you to get some rest now. You’re not in the right state of mind to make decisions. Think it over. Go to sleep. And we’ll talk about it tomorrow.” 

She hands you your phone and you stare at it before pushing it away. “You hold on to it. I don’t trust myself.” 

Hana nods, then tucks you in bed, hugs you goodnight and switches off the light before going back outside. 

You stare at the pitch black darkness of your room, mind racing with a million different voices trying to get through to you at once.

𝄖

You stay in bed the next day, missing breakfast to continue tossing and turning. After a shower, you curl back up into a ball under the covers. The door opens and closes. Then minutes later opens again and you hear Hana calling for you. She carries with her a tray of milk and cookies. “Brunch.” She says. 

You get up slowly and take a bite of the chocolate cookies. They’re your favourite from the café. “Thanks.” You say quietly. 

“How do you feel today?” She asks carefully. 

“Tired.” 

She nods. “Have you...come to a decision?”

You shake your head even though you have. You’ve spent half the night going over your options. Ultimately, you think you’ve made the right choice. Unfortunately, Hana might disagree. So you lie. 

“Okay. Well, no rush.” Hana says. “Jungkook sent you a couple of texts.” 

She hands you your phone and you look through them. He’d only received your texts from last night this morning. You decide not to reply for now. Hana takes the phone back and leaves you to finish up the snacks. 

You find yourself in bed for the rest of the day; you’d napped most of the afternoon away and woke up to the sun almost setting. Dragging your feet, you get yourself to the washroom to splash some cool water on your face before stepping out of your room for the first time today. Hana’s got some pasta boiling on the stove for dinner. She smiles when she sees you.

You decide to make yourself useful and help her set the table and clean up the kitchen a little. She gets dinner ready and the both of you have a quiet meal, Hana not wanting to pressure you and you not wanting to tell her about your decision. 

She volunteers to do the dishes after dinner, leaving you to yourself. “Hey Hana,” you look around, “where’s my phone?” 

“Oh it’s right there.” She juts out her chin to the side table next to the window where it sits next to a flower vase. 

You pick it up and quietly make your way across the living room. 

“Is everything oka⎼ what are you doing?” She turns to see you trying to silently pick up a set of keys near the door. “Y/N…” 

“I’m sorry.” You mutter, gabbing for the keys and a hoodie hanging over the couch before slipping into some sneakers and bolting out the door. Hana’s at a loss, watching your figure swiftly move across the room and disappear out the door.

You hear her yelling after you, but you ignore her pleas and opt for the stairs for a quicker escape. As you go, you book a cab to pick you up a block from your place, so Hana wouldn’t be able to catch up with you.

Hana sticks her head out the window overlooking the street. In the dark of the night, she barely makes out your figure disappearing down the street. “ Shit.”

𝄖

Jungkook may or may not be home. But you head for the house anyway. The driver drops you off right in front of the house and you only realise how weird you probably look in a hoodie and pajama shorts as you walk up their front steps. You pull the hood over your head to hide your unmade hair and ring the doorbell. 

One of the guys answers and scans you from head to toe, hesitating. “Yes?”

“Um, is Jungkook here?” You ask quietly. 

“Oh, is that you Y/N?” He asks, making you hide yourself further into the hood, embarrassed at the state you decided to show up in. “Yeah he’s here. Come on in.”

“Thanks.” 

“No problem. He’s upstairs.” As you know your way around, he goes back to their common room where a game is on. 

You nod and thank him softly before heading up the stairs. The light under Jungkook’s door tells you he’s home. You position yourself in front of it and take a deep breath as you bring your fist up to the door. “Let’s just get it over and done with.” You whisper before knocking three times. 

But before he can answer the door, a hand comes up from behind, covering your mouth while an arm wraps around your waist and lifts you up. You squirm in the person’s hold as he carries you down the hall and right into the room at the end. Jimin’s room. 

You hear Jungkook opening his door just as Jimin puts you back down on your feet. He then kicks the door to his room close, right as Jungkook sticks his head out. Jimin quickly wraps his hand over your mouth once again, his other hand behind your neck, and he shushes you as he listens for the sound of Jungkook retreating back into his room. 

When all is quiet, you slap the back of his hand. “Ow!” He growls. 

“What do you⎼”

“Shh! He’ll hear you.” He whisper-shouts. 

“Fine,” you whisper, “what do you think you’re doing?!” 

He scoffs, “Saving you from making a big mistake. A thank you would be nice.” 

“Hana put you up to this, didn’t she?” 

“So what?” Jimin yanks your arm and throws you to his bed while he pulls up a chair and sits right in front of you, elbows on his knees and fingers pressed together. “Imagine my horror when she called and told me you were on the way here to break up with Jungkook. Unprovoked?!”

“Yes provoked! Very provoked!” You frown, crossing your legs on the edge of his bed. 

Jimin sighs. “Okay, I apologise on behalf of Jungkook. Whatever he did.” 

“That’s not how it works.” 

“That’s how it works in this house. I will pay for the sins of my little brother.” 

You roll your eyes at him. “It’s kinda cute that you called him your little brother but I’m so pissed at you I can’t even appreciate it.” 

“No seriously.” Jimin says, taking on a more serious tone. “What’s going on? Aren’t things going well between the two of you?” 

“They are but,” you pause. You can’t tell him about the operation. Hana would kill you. Hoseok would kill you. “There’s just some stuff going on that I can’t tell you. It’s better if we break up.” 

“He’ll be crushed.” Jimin says gently. He knows you know this. The way you lower your gaze and swallow tells him you’d be too. He just can’t understand why you’re doing this. “It’s obviously hurting you too. Don’t do it Y/N. I’ll help you guys work things out. I can find you a good couples counsellor. I’ll fight him for you.” 

“No.” You sigh. “It’s not...there’s nothing wrong with us. It’s just. I’d only end up hurting him if we keep this up.” 

“Is this about the fight? Or...the drugs?” 

Your eyes flinch at the mention of drugs. You hate it. You hate hearing about it. It only makes all of this too real. You nod timidly and Jimin sighs. “Yes and no. I...I can’t tell you about it. Maybe one day, I can explain it to you. But right now, there’s too much at stake. I can’t. You don’t get it, but it’s complicated, Jimin...” 

Jimin doesn’t have a solution for you. In the amount of time he’s known you, he knows you’re not one to be easily swayed. You plead with your eyes and he sees the contrast of hesitance yet determination in them. “I don’t support this. At all. But you seem like you’re set on going through with this.”

“Are you...letting me go now?” 

He backs off as if to clear the way for you. “Just to be clear, I really don’t think this is the best way. But I can’t stop you from doing what you want to do. So there’s no real point in me trying to convince you.” 

Slowly, you get off his bed and move towards the door. “I’m sorry Jimin.” You hesitate just as you place your hand on the doorknob, thinking about what’s gonna happen once you step out. 

Jimin stands, hands in his pocket. “You don’t have to do this.” He says as a last appeal.

You want to believe so as well. But you’ve made up your mind. So you twist the knob and make hurried steps towards Jungkook’s door. From the corner of your eye you can see Jimin standing by his door, hoping you’d change your mind. You take a deep breath and knock on the door once again, this time making your way in without waiting for him to answer. 

Jungkook turns in your direction from where he’s lying in bed, one arm holding his phone out in front of him. A look of surprise graces his features. “Hey. What are you doing here?” 

He sits up and you hesitate before walking over to him, which signals to him that something’s wrong. You place yourself between his legs and hug him, resting your head against his. You didn’t want to, but you couldn’t resist. You don’t know if he’ll let you hold him like this again after what you’re about to say.

“What’s the matter?” He gets worried when you don’t respond. “Did something happen?”

“We need to talk.” You finally say when you pull away. 

“Oh. Okay.” 

His big round eyes watch you attentively as you try to say it. It feels like your insides are twisting and your body's on fire. Your fight or flight instinct activated.  Your dinner feels like it’s coming back out. Maybe you could just make a run for it. Then pack your bags and go back home to your dad. Quit school and give up your degree⎼

"Y/N." 

"I think we should break up." 

𝄖

Suga flinches as the front door slams shut and in comes Jungkook, throwing his jacket over the couch before jumping on it himself, resting the back of his hand over his eyes. 

“What’s wrong with you?” Suga asks, standing over him. 

Jungkook doesn’t respond, so Suga takes the hint. He takes a seat on the adjacent armchair and lights the cigarette in his hand. It’s not unusual for Jungkook to come over, but he doesn’t always barge in like a child sentenced to be grounded. He figures it’d be better to give it some time. 

When Jungkook’s phone starts ringing, he fishes it out of his back pocket, looks at the screen and throws it across the room. Suga looks at him like he’s crazy. “Woah woah, what the hell.” Jungkook goes back to hiding his face beneath his arms. 

It’s left on the floor, incessantly ringing with calls coming in one after the other. The phone rings for the sixth time and that’s when it gets on Suga’s nerve as he goes to fetch it. Your name flashes across the screen. There were a couple of missed calls from others as well. Something bad must have happened, otherwise Jungkook wouldn’t be avoiding your calls. Suga rejects your call. 

“Okay,” Suga walks over to him and pulls him into a sitting position, “let’s go to work.”

“I’m not up for it.” Jungkook says grumpily, avoiding eye contact. 

“Not taking no for an answer.” Suga throws him his jacket and phone, then gets ready himself. “The only way to forget about something, is to forget about it.” 

He hands Jungkook a cigarette and Jungkook stares at it for a few seconds, then glances at his phone and your name flashing across the screen. Switching the phone off entirely, he takes the stick and follows behind as Suga goes. 

𝄖

Two hours after stepping into the club, Suga finds him at the bar, in the same spot as before. Jungkook had remained silent the whole ride to the club and Suga hadn’t bothered to make conversation. Knowing Jungkook, he’ll start talking when he’s ready. His initial plan was to distract him with work, get his mind off whatever’s bothering him. But Jungkook had a plan of his own. He’d aimed straight for the bar and ordered a couple of shots for himself.

Right now he stares at a half-empty glass of whiskey. Mia smiles sympathetically at Suga as he approaches, only having seen Jungkook act this way once out of all the years she’s known him. And that was when he’d mess up an assignment, losing thousands of dollars’ worth of drugs. Whatever happened must be equally as bad or worse than that.

“Hey bud,” Suga slaps his shoulder and he almost topples over, “how’s it going?” 

“This whiskey.” Jungkook winces, then looks at Suga with red eyes. “Tastes awesome. Best whiskey I’ve ever had. Have some.”

“I’ve tried it. Thanks.” 

Jungkook shrugs, then gets Mia’s attention just to rave about the drink. “This is great. You are⎼ so great, the best bartender ever. And so pretty. Can I get one more glass of this?”

She smiles and prepares another glass for him. “Tastes better than before, doesn’t it? Y/N picked out this brand. She⎼” Mia pauses when Jungkook’s eyes widen and his lips drop into a frown. Behind him, Suga shakes his head and signals for her to stop. 

Jungkook’s eyes drop to the counter top for a few moments before he starts giggling. “I’ll tell you why it tastes great.” He lifts a finger then motions for her to come close as if he’s about to share a secret. “Because I just got my heart ripped out of my chest.” 

He starts laughing after, bitterly, then goes back to staring at the drink in front of him, this time with a sad look in his eyes. It almost hurts Mia to see him hurting like this. She’s about to start comforting him but Suga waves her off. He carefully hooks his hand under Jungkook’s underarm to help him up. Jungkook gets up reluctantly and grabs the glass of whiskey with him as he slugs along next to Suga. 

Back in the office, RM sits in the chair you used to occupy and looks through the financial records books you handled. Distracted by the commotion they make as they enter, RM shifts his attention to the duo as Suga tries to get Jungkook upright. Jungkook scans the room like he’s never seen it before, then aims right for the small couch by the side. “What’s wrong with him?” 

“Don’t ask.” Suga sighs. “Okay listen, I have an announcement.” 

“An announcement?” 

“Jungkook, get up. This is serious.” Suga grabs a bottle of water and splashes it onto Jungkook’s face but it does nothing. So he slaps him across the cheek. Jungkook stares up at him in shock but seemingly sobered up, kind of. It’s more of a look of trying to piece together what just happened. 

“Great. Now you’re awake.” 

“You’re gonna tell us something important while he’s in this state?” RM asks, shaking his head at Jungkook.

The door opens and Bella steps in, nodding her head at Suga. She stands next to him and smiles at the other two, then furrows her brows when she notices Jungkook staring into the air in the disheveled state he’s in.

“Oh. Are you guys getting married?” RM looks at them. 

“Huh?” Bella and Suga look at each other and realise how close they’re standing, with her arms wrapped around his. He gently removes it. “No? Shut up and listen.” 

“My bad.” RM shrugs and winks at Bella who smiles back sheepishly. 

“So, I’ve known this for a while but I didn’t want to say anything just in case it doesn’t happen.” Suga sighs. Jungkook’s finally paying him interest, though his head still spins. “We found out that there’s gonna be a merge soon with another organisation. You guys know Barome right?” 

The other two nod. “He’s one of our top clients. And he’s who Kim is gonna merge with. But here’s the thing, according to Bella, he runs a trafficking ring.” 

Jungkook furrows his brows, trying to focus. He wishes Suga had waited at least until the alcohol is out of his system before bombarding him with this news. “What? And the boss agreed to this?” 

“Apparently.” Suga nods. “This is dangerous business. I’m not gonna lie, I am kinda worried. So I want to let you guys know that we’ve got to watch our backs. We can’t afford any slip ups or anyone running their mouths. Tie up any loose ends.”

“When’s it happening? The merge.” RM asks, now taking a seat next to Jungkook. 

“It’ll most likely happen quietly within the next few months.” Bella says. “I’ve heard Barome talking about it to his men.”

“Wait,” Jungkook mutters, “is this going to affect us? Like what we do now?” 

“I don’t know.” Suga shakes his head. “They might use us as base or transport. We’d be lucky if they keep us out of it.” 

“This is risky.” RM comments. “Why would Kim want to work with them?” 

Suga shrugs, “Whatever it is, trust no one with this info. We can only trust ourselves. Got it?”

The other two nod and Suga takes his leave with Bella following behind. Jungkook goes back to occupying the couch when RM gets up. Outside, Bella holds on to Suga’s arm once again as they make their way upstairs. “I thought you didn’t want Jungkook to know about the merge?” 

“Yeah. But something’s changed.” Suga sighs, “I think he and Y/N broke up.” 

Bella’s eyes grow wide then fill with sympathy for him. “Oh no, what happened?” 

“Who cares? This is great.” Bella shoots him a dirty look for his lack of regard for Jungkook’s feelings at this time. Now it makes sense to her why he looked worn out back there. 

“You’re horrible.” She says to him. 

“With Y/N gone, he’ll go back to being the old him. None of that emotional sappy crap. I need the old him back, especially with this merge with Barome happening. He needs to focus. Y/N’s sweet, but she holds him back. It’s better this way.” 

𝄖

(3) missed calls from Jimin (10) missed calls from Y/N 

Jimin: dude wya? Jimin: im here if u need to talk 

Taehyung: are you okay? 

You: jungkook please answer my calls You: im sorry You: please let’s talk  You: i still care about you You: :( 

[nevertheless-moving]

Suicidal Misunderstanding XVIII

Part I - - - - - - - - - - - - - Part XV - - - - Part XVI - - - - Part XVII

Star Wars Time Travel AU #27

All Conversation stopped when Obi-Wan opened the door.

The air crackled with energy as the assembled Jedi Masters (and Anakin) paused their obviously fierce debate. After a beat, their was the utterly distinct sensation of several Masters releasing their mixed emotions to the force in an overheated wave, leaving behind only serenity (mostly). Obi-Wan’s heart keened. Of course, at the time, the tendency of council meetings to devolve into petty squabbles had been a constant source of frustration but after three years where his only source of debate was haggling over stolen goods...well.

Obi-Wan smiled, aching softly at the sight of the friends and colleagues, miraculously alive and whole.

The Nautolan Healer- the person in the room with whom he was least familiar- cleared their throat and began speaking. “Master Kenobi, welcome. I want to start off by saying you are under no obligation to-”

Yoda cut them off, “A Jedi, Master Kenobi is, Obligated he is-”

“My patient, he is, Grandmaster,” they bit back. “I know soul healing might have been looked down on when you were in training, but I would have thought-”

Master Koth interrupted, disapproval permeating the room, “And we would have thought you would have more respect when addressing your senior Jedi.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” Master Mundi blustered.

Chattering rang out as everyone in the room began talking at once.

“Master, are you alright?” Anakin asked urgently.

The conversation shut down again as the group turned to look at the man in question. Who was biting down on this fist and shaking slightly.

“I told you-” Adi Galia began. Argument erupted once more and Obi-Wan doubled over with laughter.

“Something funny, you found?” Yoda asked as Obi-Wan tried to stop laughing. “Share, you can.”

Obi-Wan inhaled sharply, wiping at the corner of his eyes and forcibly pulling himself out of his explosively giddiness, “My apologies grandmaster, i’m afraid it’s not actually that funny- I simply missed the unique tones of a high council meeting.”

“All council meetings are like this?“ Bant asked, sounding unimpressed.

“Some more than others,” Master Koon acknowledged, rubbing a hand to his forehead.

Obi-Wan cleared his throat, “Master Aerdo, I appreciate your support and while I am now doubt in need of the services of a Soul Healer- it is for rather different reasons than...outward appearances have let you to believe. Now shall we all have a seat?”

Koth frowned “All of us? I thought this was a council matter, not a personal one.” Bant and Anakin stiffened.

“It’s both.” Obi-Wan responded calmly. “But beyond that, I assure you, we will be needing the skills of everyone in this room. Master Nu, Master Che- I don’t wish to impose if you need to return to running your own domains, but I would very much appreciate your presence if your willing. I think you will find it worth your time.”

“I wasn’t planning on leaving even if you asked, so I’m pleased to accept your invitation.” Master Nu replied, cheerfully taking a seat. The rest followed and Obi-Wan joined them at the head of the holo table, eyes lingering over the assembled group. He took a breath.

“The first thing you need to know is that I have detailed knowledge of one potential future. A future I intend to prevent. A future I lived through...”

- - - - -

It is necessary to note that everyone in that room had led, in one way or another, a rather remarkable life. This was the main reason none of them could claim that the next two and half hours were the most shocking they had ever experienced. It is more than likely it was the most shocking meeting any had attended.

“We would have seen if the Sith had risen to such power!”

“Oh? Just as we would have seen if the Sith had survived at all? I remember having a similar conversation to this one 10 years ago-”

“We would have noticed- for force sake he’s visited the temple, we’ve all shaken his hand-

“Arrogant, the council has become. Seen this I have. Arrogant, I have become.”

“Skywalker may have a point about mind control, tactically-”

- - - - -

“If what you’re saying is true, though I still think perhaps some more time with Masters Aerdo and Che wouldn’t be unwarranted-”

“Oh, enough all ready Ki. We’re not going to get anywhere if you keep this up.”

“Wait- I actually have something that might help convince you that I do have overly detailed knowledge of the future- we- actually can I get some flimsi? Thank you, Anakin- a few months from now Master Mundi and I ended up trapped behind enemy lines for an extended period of time. It’s hard not to learn a few things about one another when that happens. Here you are-”

". . .”

“I told you that?”

“You, uh, didn’t really have much of a choice.”

“Oh gods.”

“Now, do you believe me?”

“Well...I suppose- I can’t really imagine how else you could possibly know considering you can’t possibly have spoken to-”

“Of course not! Honestly, how would I have been able, even if I wanted to?”

“I have never wanted to steal a message this badly in my life”

“Same”

“Yes, read the flimsi, we all want to. Welcome to, clearly we are NOT.”

Master Koth who had begun to lean suspiciously far back in his chair, fell forward with a clatter, rapidly releasing guilt into the force.

“Yes, well...hm...The force has obviously given you...an unusually wide window of insight. It would be...remiss of us to ignore it.”

“Kriff, we’re never going to know what that note said, are we?”

“No.”

- - - - -

“That’s utterly impossible- I’m sorry Obi-Wan but you’ve obviously been tricked.”

“I’m sorry Plo. Believe me, I know. I- I don’t think they were themselves.”

“If it happened suddenly enough...when we were all in the field, isolated-”

“Being surrounded by our troops is not the same thing as being isolated!”

“Agreed. Explain what you mean by ‘not themselves’”

“Well, I had just defeated General Grievous.”

“Oh, hey! Nice!”

“Thank you, Anakin. I was rejoining the troops after defeating the General- My Commander handed me back my lightsaber, which I don’t think he would have done if he was planning on- well. I began- .”

“Hold on a moment. Do you mean to say you defeated Grievous without your lightsaber.”

“I’d rather not get into the distasteful specifics-”

“Ha! That means he used a blaster.”

“Keep a better grip on your saber, you should.”

“Enough interruptions- please allow him to get to the point.”

“...Master Koon, perhaps you should take a moment to release your emotions.”

“I will do so in a moment, continue Obi-Wan.”

“Yes, Cody seemed completely normal when I spoke to him. I began riding Boga up the cliff face to meet up with a rendezvous when the force started getting...dark. Darker than it had been. I heard- distant screaming. Death. It-”

“Wait, Boga? Whoargh”

“MASTER KOON CALM DOWN”

- - - - -

“...My apologies Knight Skywalker. I have had an...abnormally mentally taxing morning. My control is somewhat damaged...”

“No worries, happens to everyone, right?”

“...Let’s return to the room and discuss this later.”

- - - - -

“To breach the temple, need a force user familiar with our protections, they would...My padawan...dead at this time, he was, yes?

“Yes, Master, Yoda. It- Anakin had technically defeated him four days prior.”

“Technically?

“You- I’m sure you did defeat him- I was unconscious at the time but I’m certain of that much at least- but it was a trap. We were on a rescue mission and- I think Sidious wanted him eliminated at that point, so he could assume full control over both sides.”

“...He really has arranged things to win no matter, hasn’t he?”

"Obi-Wan, the temple purge- how-”

“I- I wasn’t on the planet at the time...”

“Well, do you have any idea what he might have done to control the clones?”

“Yes, I do have one theory actually-  I didn’t witness any of these events first hand, but several months before the purge, one of the troopers killed Master Tiplar in a fit of madness- claimed not to clearly remember doing so and was sent to Kamino to be examined. Later, another clone- Fives- attempted to assassinate the Chancellor, accused him of working with the separatists as part of a conspiracy. The Chancellor’s medics claimed he had a tumor from a parasite on Ringo Vinda but in light of what happened after...well.

“...Why would we not investigate that.”

“Shaak Ti did, but her report was...vague. I only saw her two more times in person between now and the end. Her force presence was- shadowed. Not fallen, but...tired.”

“And you didn’t follow-up? None of us did?”

“...I can not even begin to express how much was happening at the time.”

“Nevertheless, Master Kenobi-”

“To be absolutely blunt I didn’t even remember the report until I was several months into hiding, with little else to do but meditate on the past. It just- fell into the cracks. Like a lot of things.”

“Force. We’re not assigning blame, we’re just attempting to understand. The knowledge of Palpatine...well it helps us understand a bit better how we got to where we are now. But how we got from here to there...”

“Yes, of course.”

“. . .”

“Obi-Wan?”

“Sorry- just...marshaling my memories. As I said before, the last year of the war was increasingly straining, with unrelenting pressure on the Order coming from all directions. None of us were at our best, but it in hindsight I was...still reeling...in particular. From- force I still can’t believe all that happened in six months- fuck. Sorry. Pardon my language.”

“It’s fine, don’t worry about us- just keep going,”

“Krell betrayed us horrifically- I don’t think 501st or the 212th ever got over it. Immediately after that was that absolute clusterfuck of a mission- I spent a month in a Zygrian Slave Camp- I don’t even know what we were thinking dressing Ashoka like that- ”

“Wow, wow, WAIT-”

“We were trying to go undercover to rescue the Kiros colonists but obviously it blew up in our faces immediately. I was still healing from the, well, torture, when I had to go undercover as the assassin who killed myself in a Republic Jail to protect the Chancellor. I’d rather not talk about it but needless to say I was still physically and mentally not at my best when Maul returned from the dead-”

“I- Maul?”

“He wanted revenge on me for bisecting him on Naboo- turns out both sith and zabraks are very hard to kill, so that was a pleasant surprise. Didn’t really have time to meditate on that failure before we were training guerilla fighters on Onderara-”

“Wait, Naboo? You mean-'

“Yes. Anakin and Ashoka were still mad about faking my death during the ‘undercover thing’ so that made things- tense. Then Ashoka was sent to Illum for what was supposed to be a safe mission-”

“Oh gods-”

“She got kidnapped along with a number of initiates. Somehow befriended Hondo...so...that worked out fine. I guess. Then Maul and his brother. They. Well they got revenge. Satine died. They wanted to get back at me. I was still censured by the council for my actions from that incident at the time of the temple bombing-”

“You! Obi-Wan-”

“Which meant that when Ashoka was sentenced to death I could barely even speak a word in her defense, which is maybe just as well considering the blind faith we had in the senate-”

“WHAT!”

“Calm down, of course it wasn’t her, but after the sith hells she was put through she, understandably, had lost trust in the order and decided to strike out on her own. I was still trying to clean up that political mess, track her down, not to mention run multiple armies with even less help than before when I got the reports about the rogue clones. Obviously I should have done something with the information, but. Well, I didn’t.”

Obi-Wan took a deep breath, rubbing his face with both hands. When he looked up to face the room, he was faced with various shades of shock and pity. There were several long moments of silence before Master Windu reluctantly spoke.

“... Let’s start with Krell.”

“Right. Right. Well, like I said the last year of the war was...hard. A number of people fell. Krell was the first, I think. His reasons were one of the less...hard to rationalize, even intellectually.”

“Pong Krell I suppose he always was-”

“Still I thought he had gotten over such things...”

“Oh, Kriff.”

“Relax Anakin, they haven’t taken off yet.”

“Oh, remember that one time when he was an initiate- that poor little Nautolan boy, what was his name?”

“Wait, taken off? Mace... who’s leading the my troops right now?”

“Master, before you freak out, they’re still on Coruscant.”

“Master Gallia, I don’t think that’s entirely fair- you can’t judge a Master by what they did as an initiate-”

“Ok, ok. I suppose take off must have been delayed due to my- well. When are they schedule to leave?”

“We can’t judge a Jedi by if they might fall, we could only judge them by their current actions.”

“Sundown? That- force. I had the start of a plan but- that’s enough time- but if you replace him...Sith Hells. I need things to proceed normally but kriff, there’s just not enough time. I- I don’t know if I can save everyone-”

“We’ll figure it out, Obi-Wan.”

“I- we’re coming back to this Windu- That was very well said Master Koon and I’d like you to hold onto that thought. We, we can’t judge our fellow Jedi for what they might do... good people can fall into darkness, when they’re pushed hard enough.”

“Then Krell...”

“Oh kark no, Krell’s irredeemable. Uh. That is to say. I’m reasonably certain he’s already been deliberately killing his men.

“Kriff.”

“Yes, quite.”

“...Can we go back to the brain parasite?”

- - - - -

“Alright, enough.”

“Agreed. We’re going in circles about the clone’s loyalty- once we finish this meeting we’ll start brain scans at once but for now- Obi-Wan the fallen. The purge.”

“I was on Utapau- I didn’t- I wasn’t there.”

“Master Kenobi, are you stalling?”

“Of course not, I- ok the next Jedi I remember falling was Depa Bilbaba.”

“. . .”

“That’s absurd.”

“Fall, anyone’s padawan can.

“Yes, but Depa-”

“It was a mission to Harun Kul- should I go into the details?”

“Damnit, Kenobi-

“She actually returned to the light, eventually.”

“Impossible!”

- - - - -

“Vos? I suppose he is a shadow...”

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

“Oh, boy-”

- - - - -

“I’m somewhat confused.”

“I wouldn’t say she fully joined the light but...she didn’t want to be dark anymore.”

“You don’t think it was just circumstances?”

“Well, two years after the fall of the republic I ran into her at a bar-”

“Of course you did”

“Oh shut up, like you wouldn’t drink after all that”

“Fair enough.”

“Anyway, she could have turned me in. The bounty on my head was obscenely high, but after all our history... she bought me a drink.”

“He’s definitely stalling.”

“Yes I know...”

- - - - -

“Luminara’s apprentice? She can barely stand violence, even in the hypothetical.”

“Yes...I think that was rather the point. She- she couldn’t accept the Jedi’s role in the war and she thought she didn’t have a way out...”

“Force have mercy on us all.”

- - - - -

“...Yoda...you have to understand, the darkness in the force was overwhelming at that point...you could hardly breath.”

“Master Kenobi, if you are trying to tell us that Yoda fell- I am- not going to have a mild reaction.”

“. . .”

“Obi-Wan?!”

“No, Yoda didn’t fall.”

“FUCK’S SAKE KENOBI DON’T DO THAT”

“Can fall, any of us.”

“DON’T YOU START”

“Deep breaths Master Koth, Deep Breaths.”

“I apologize for the confusion- I was just trying to explain that the last time I saw him, neither of us were in particularly sound state of minds-”

“KENOBI YOU ARE DOING THIS ON PURPOSE AND WE ALL KNOW IT JUST GET TO THE PART WHERE SKYWALKER FALLS INSTEAD OF DRAGGING IT OUT”

"KOTH!”

- - - - -

“...Things were fine. Things were- hopeful. Dooku was gone. We got word on Grevious’s location. I was assigned to go after him. Anakin wanted to come with me, to watch my back. He didn’t want to stay on Coruscant. The council- the council ordered him to spy on the Chancellor. He protested, was uncomfortable with the idea. But he agreed. We made some jokes as we were saying goodbyes. I left Coruscant. Got to Utatpau. Killed Grevious. Thought the war was over. The force got dark. I was shot off a cliff. All the Jedi were dying. My bond with Anakin got dark. My troops felt- like strangers. When I got back Yoda told me he- he was lost to the darkside. Was the new apprentice. Palpatine claimed the Jedi tried to assassinate him. I don’t- actually understood what happened, it was all just a few days... but I have to assume Palpatine...or the person who was controlling Palpatine! Please adi’ka, you know I-

“I know, Master. It’s...Kriff- I don’t- I’m sorry.”

“We shouldn’t have split up. I shouldn’t have left you.

“Obi-Wan...you can’t actually blame yourself for what I did, what I- haven’t done, technically"

“I...”

“Well. That explains-”

“Explains, what Master Gallia? Explains why we shouldn’t have allowed an elderly politician unrestrained access to a child?”

“Master! Don’t say it like that-”

“That explains your stalling Master Kenobi, be at peace. We’re not going to judge Knight Skywalker for unknown actions he has yet to take.”

“Mace! are you all right?”

“Headache. Talk about it later.”

“Tell us who may fall, you did. Judge them prematurely, we shall not. Watch them carefully, we will.”

“...With all do respect I’m not sure the council is capable of meaningfully distinguishing between the two.’

“Master Kenobi! Perhaps we should revisit the ‘attachment’ discussion we had previously agreed to forestall?”

“Oh that is such-”

“Anakin, please allow me. Mundi- shut up or let us read the note.”

“Master Koon!”

“For all the distress being vented, I feel there is a notable lack of compassion in this room and quite frankly I find it unacceptable.”

- - - - -

“So...you didn’t watch the security holograms?”

“Yoda said not to. I think that’s everything- we should start brain scans now.”

“Kenobi...”

“Yes?”

“When Yoda was fighting Palpatine...”

“Master Gallia- not right now”

“Yes, Master Windu.”

“. . .”

“Force Be With Us.”

“Indeed.”

“Quite.”

“Hm.”

“Council Members- if you’ll excuse me, I think I need to get back to the archives. I have a few things I’d like to dig into.”

“Of course. We trust your discretion.”

“Take care of yourself, Obi-Wan”

“You as well, Master Nu. I am forever in your debt for what you brought me.”

“I’ll remember that.”

“...Now what?”

“It’s going to break our ‘contract’ with the Kamonian’s but...we’re going to have to get a clone into the healing halls for a neurological examination.”

“I...might be able to help with that. Without going very far at all actually.”

“What do you mean by that, Master Eerin?”

“Sorry, terribly sorry, I just remembered I have to take care of something-”

“What?”

“This...is rather the part we were hoping for your assistance Vokara-”

“Stay, Master Che. Given everything- I think we’re past the point of needing plausible deniability.”

“You’re... most likely right. Apologies, force of habit.”

“Would either of you care to explain?”

“Well...technically the temple isn’t allowed to care for wounded clones. Doing so would violate their ‘warranty’. However...”

Part XIX

[arhvste]

KIYOOMI SAKUSA - INVESTED

➵ summary : sakusa is a pain when it comes to movie night but to yourself and atsumu’s surprise, hinata has a suggestion that might give you the reaction of interest you’ve been looking for from your blunt boyfriend

➵ genre : fluff and a bit of crack

➵ an : this is dedicated to the anon who sent me the ask about what sort of films sakusa would watch, i hope you see this and thank you for giving my little fried brain an idea >:)

➵ inspo : this ask

“No.”

“Sakusa.”

“Fine.”

It was Friday night which meant it was movie night for the two of you in your shared apartment. Most couples would opt to head out for Friday nights but your boyfriend had insisted that he take you out on weeknights as less people would be out and “Contaminating the air”. So you and Sakusa would have an actual date night every other Wednesday and Fridays were stay-in-nights for the two of you.

This worked out well as Sakusa had no training on a Friday night, finishing at 2pm and you always had Friday off work so both your schedules were clear for each other.

Every week, the two of you would alternate between whose turn it was to pick out a film for the two of you to watch. Sakusa was very particular about the genre’s he’d pick out and would tend to select films no longer than an hour and forty-five minutes maximum. His attention was something that had to be worked for and most of the films the two of you would watch just didn’t meet his requirements to win over his full focus. He’d either fall asleep or find himself silently watching you and seeing all your little reactions during the film seeing as you were able to give your attention to the films all the time.

This week it was your turn to pick and you’d thought over what film you were going to pick over the last few days. You had even gone as far as to ask Atsumu and Hinata what they thought you should pick for the two of you to watch this week seeing as you weren’t exactly spoiled for choice due to Sakusa’s specific preferences.

Atsumu was eager for the two of you to watch a horror insisting he had to know what Sakusa’s reaction would be. You revealed you had already watched a handful and Sakusa hadn’t flinched once but instead critiqued the film production and how “unrealistic” everything was. Atsumu replied he wasn’t surprised over the latter’s lack of response to such films but Hinata suggested a romance film. To this, both you and Atsumu cackled, deeming the idea ridiculous. As if Sakusa would sit down and enjoy a romance film, you had to laugh at the thought.

Hinata didn’t laugh though. He insisted that Sakusa might even enjoy it and anyway, you didn’t have much choice on what to pick anyways so it was worth a shot surely. You agreed but told both boys no promises as to whether you’d get much of a reaction out of him when they asked you to let them know how it played out.

The look of distaste was clear on your boyfriend's face when you selected ‘Titanic’ for the two of you to watch. You turned and raised an eyebrow at his expression.

“Why would you want to watch this? It’s not historically accurate.”

“It’s a film love, of course it’s not going to be one hundred percent historically accurate.” You rolled your eyes and pressed down on the play button despite Sakusa’s resentment.

“I’ll watch but I won’t enjoy it.” He huffed as he sank into the couch letting you cuddle up to his chest as the film started to play.

“We’ll see.” you hummed quietly as the screen darkened.

Sakusa scoffed as the two of you settled down as the starting scene opened.

The film hadn’t even been playing for five minutes when Sakusa decided you were more interesting to watch. He observed the ways your eyes followed Leonardo Di Caprio across the screen. A small smile tugged at your lips as the american actor played his role of the protagonist, Jack, who Sakusa was going to later sympathise with; he just didn’t know it yet.

He could put up with this for the sake of you and he managed to tear his eyes away from you and observe for himself just what it was about this Leonardo guy that had you so captivated that you were able to ignore the ‘boring plot’.

-

“Isn’t he just amazing?” You sighed as you watched Jack and Rose position themself in the iconic Titanic pose on the rail of the boat.

Sakusa grunted.

He half heard you but he found himself somewhat invested in the protagonist's romance. He’d already mentally labelled Rose’s mother a ‘cow’ and Cal, Rose’s finance, ‘an arrogant dick’.

You glanced at your boyfriend due to his lack of response and a small smirk graced your face. He looked genuinely interested. Maybe Hinata was right about Sakusa falling into the trap of investment romance films always seemed to lay out for their viewers. You turned back to the screen to focus on the film yourself but the satisfaction never left your system.

-

It was 11:46PM and the two of you had just finished the film. Small dried tear stains remained on your cheeks as you sat up from Sakusa. The two of you hadn’t spoken for the majority of the film but allowed yourselves to watch the whole thing play out, both of your attention completely held by the screen.

You yawned and rubbed your eyes and tried to rub at the tear stains in the process. You mentally cursed and prayed Sakusa wouldn’t be too upset about your tears potentially dampening his shirt but when you turned to look at him, to your surprise you weren’t met with an agitated face but rather a confused and slightly bothered one.

“Baby… you okay?” You spoke softly as your hand stroked his bicep.

“Y/N, forgive me if I’m wrong and completely missed the point of something but tell me,”

“Tell you what?” you nodded for him to continue.

“Rose was a bitch for leaving Jack wasn’t she.”

“Huh?”

His blunt tone of voice caught you off guard as you tried to hold back your laughter. Sakusa had a completely serious look in his eyes as you tried to contain your amusement at his conclusion of the film.

“There was clearly enough room on the door as she didn’t even try to grab him. Did she really even love him? I would’ve left her raggedy ass behind and swam if she even dared try to act like she was helping me the way she was only half heartedly ‘helping’ Jack.”

At this point you couldn’t hold back any longer as your laugh echoed through the walls of the apartment.

“Sorry? This wasn’t a comedy Y/N, I don’t find murder very funny and I’m concerned that you do.”

“Murder? Sakusa! Hypothermia killed Jack and so many others it was an accident, Rose didn’t murder Jack it was a tough sitauion!” Your laughing had calmed down but a wide smile was still spread across your face as Sakusa tried to understand why you had a lack of anger towards Rose for her ‘betrayal’.

“Whatever, like I said it’s not historically accurate. She’s still a bitch for that though, I don’t sympathise with her at all.”

You stood up and shook your head as Sakusa took your hand and led you back to your bedroom to get into your warm sheets.

“Well I suppose you’re kinda right, there did look like there was enough room but I don't know, it’s a situation they were panicking in so I understand her too.”

The wing spiker grunted and pulled back your sheets letting you climb in first before joining you. You pulled yourself close to Sakusa as curled up beside him, one arm slung over his body. If it were anyone else, Sakusa would’ve gagged and moved to a different bed by now. You were privileged to be able to be close to him like this and Sakusa would never admit out loud just how much he looked forward to going to bed with you cuddled up close to him. It gave him a short while to forget about his germophobia before he’d have to wake up the next morning and leave the apartment for training.

“Goodnight Y/N, I love you and… maybe those films aren’t so bad.”

He pressed a soft kiss to your forehead before letting his head sink in the pillows.

“Mhm, I knew you’d like it...I love you.”

The affirmations of love spoken and now the two of you could fall asleep peacefully as you always would. You’d have to thank Hinata later on and tell him and Atsumu all about Sakusa’s interest in the dialogue but for now, being cuddled up with your Titanic enthusiast was your priority till morning.

-

“Hey.”

“Huh? Sakusa? It’s like 3AM? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing it’s just… you’d share your door with me right?”

“...Yes, I’d share my door with you.”

“Promise you’d actually try and grab for me too?”

“I promise.”

“Good, just checking. Night, love you.”

“I love you too Sakusa.”

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[amarriageoftrueminds]

i feel like it's been so long since civil war at this point s*mb*ckies have forgotten that sam really never fully understood why steve even bothered with bucky and treated him like a lost cause that steve was foolish to try and save, pretty much the only other people besides steve who have ever extended any real compassion to him were t'challa and shuri

Anon, you’re so right!

It's an absolute injustice to the potential of Sam's character as a trained healer of both bodies and minds not to have him see what Bucky truly is.

I didn't mind Sam saying 'he's not the kind you save, he's the kind you stop' (or words to that effect) in CATWS.

After the freeway fight but before he'd ever had a chance to read Bucky's casefiles.

But years later?

When he's been with Steve, hunting Bucky around the globe, and, y'know, would've been in a position to see Hydra torture chambers up close in person (and note the lack of revenge-corpses put there by Bucky, proving his current non-violence!)

Put also in a position to read Bucky's horrifying medical history, (which Sam would understand best, of anyone on Team Cap!) and to hear stories from Steve about the person Bucky is, and from Natasha about how life under Russian brainwashers is...

To have Sam then act as if Bucky is a write-off, still, is just shonky characterisation. 

(Doing things like, for example, being a dick to Bucky because the Winter Soldier just punched him; when Bucky was being electrocuted, screaming for Zemo to stop. 

Sam’s expertise should have him being neutral to Bucky, at least. 

But instead he’s saying, eg. ‘oh and just like that we’re supposed to be cool?’ Yes, Sam, just like that! 

It’s supposed to be his specific area of expertise, above anybody else’s, to be able to distinguish between the Soldier and the victim screaming in agony. 

Even if he personally doesn’t get along with Bucky, and doesn’t intend to help him with counseling like he did (stranger) Steve, if Sam is in character, he wouldn’t be treating Bucky as untrustworthy or criminal; simply because he would know, as a professional counselor, that he’s not. 

It makes you question why the writers think Sam is even there, if he doesn’t believe in the possibility of Bucky’s innocence? 

His purported background should mean he’s there because he can professionally recognise that innocence, and because his morals tell him that helping Bucky is therefore the right thing to do. 

Not because Steve thinks it’s right and Sam’s merely going along with it. 

The show had Sam strenuously objecting to going around with Zemo, because he’s a bad guy, and he acts the same about Bucky in the films. 

So why would he be friends with Steve at all, if he believes Steve is friends with bad guys? Why would he help Steve look for Bucky for two years, if he still sees Bucky as indistinguishable from the Soldier? 

It just doesn’t make sense.

Here’s an analogy: Robotics is Tony’s whole thing, so imagine if he ignored a robot or couldn’t recognise it as one. 

That would be bizarre, right? 

Never mind whether Tony liked that specific robot, or intended to help fix it. Robotics is his main skill, so at the very least he would be able to spot a robot when he sees one, if he’s written IC. 

Sam being mean to Bucky right out of the gate, before they’ve even spoken to each other, (telling him ‘I hate you’ within a couple of hours of meeting him), as if he believes Bucky is a bad person, is a failure of Sam’s specific stated skill set; comparable to Tony not being able to recognise a robot. 

It would be fine if Sam was a naturally unfriendly person with no expertise with counseling POWs or veterans; but it’s not fine if he is gregarious and kind and is supposed to have that specific innocence-recognising expertise.) 

So: it’s OOC. 

Bad writing. 

It makes it seem as if Sam being a Pararescue and a Counsellor was only tell and not show; because he's only shown giving bad advice, unless it's to a famous man whom he obviously admires and wants to impress. And doesn’t care about a veteran POW friend of a friend?

As a V.A. counselor of ex-POW and people with PTSD, if Sam were as good as his job as we're expected to believe (oh dear, we've got another Peggy Carter situation here) he should've been the person most likely, after Steve, to be able to see Bucky's innocence, and subsequently treat him neutrally and/or well. 

(Actually: Cap Quartet, Sam and Nat should've got it in a way no one else could, albeit for very different reasons.)

We see this neutral/benign treatment of Bucky from T’Challa, who isn’t an expert recogniser & rescuer of POW veterans, isn’t Steve’s friend, hasn’t dedicated two years of his life to rescuing Bucky, and isn’t as well-informed about Bucky as Sam is. 

(And then the writing has Sam giving T’Challa attitude, too, for no damn reason?! Why are they writing Sam like this?? 

It seems like they’ve just gone ‘well they were in a fight with him 5 mins ago so Sam must automatically hate them, right?’ without knowing that it contradicts Sam’s personality & backstory. 

But hey, who gives a shit so long as it’s funny, right?) 

Yet as soon as Bucky allegedly shows up planting a bomb at the UN (even though he's a sniper, not a demo expert, ffs! not to mention 50 lbs heavier and twice the width/height of the guy in the video!) Suddenly everyone, Sam included, (and Nat!) is trying to dissuade Steve from going to stop his childhood friend being shot in the head... 'while resisting arrest.' For a black man not to have empathy for that, at least, beggars belief. Sam could recognise the Accords would be abused but not recognise the injustice of this? BS!

And no one ever seems to point out that it was Sam who decided to tell Tony where Steve and Bucky were, when Tony had just been doing his damndest to fight them -- as if Sam would just turn around and trust the rich white guy who shot him out of sheer spite like half an hour ago?? 

(Again, it’s Sam shown being friendly and bending over backwards for a famous white man, even when it’s most illogical, just because the creators like Tony.)

I wonder how Sam felt when he saw how beat up Steve was, when he came to the Raft, because of him telling Tony where to go? (Or rather the writers, stupidly, having him tell Tony.)

I bet they'd never write him apologising to Bucky for costing him an arm?

So... yeah.

Even after FATWS, when you realise Sam didn't actually welcome Bucky to visit him...

(And only allowed him a- not even a bed, just a couch!- to sleep on because he was jockeyed into it, and his sister and nephews had already met Bucky and warmed to him. And then gave Bucky the same dangerous shitty victim-blaming advice they put in the mouth of that Annabelle Lecter.)

...Bucky is still in a situation where only Steve, T'Challa, Shuri, and Ayo, have ever showed him any real compassion. 

(Although you can tell the FATWS writers think what they’ve written is Sam and Zemo being compassionate).

After co-headlining an entire series?

It's fucking heart breaking.

[janaeekook]

Forlorn;

(a/n: hey guys this is a school assignment I had to write and I based the main male character off Johnny so here this is!)

pairing: 1920’s mobster!johnny x oc

warnings: character death, angsty

word count: 1.5k

-

1919, the story of a simple farmers girl from Michigan, me, Rebecca Jayne. Though my story is short and forlorning, I'm here to tell it anyway. It was simple the way it started, I was a young girl just starting adulthood and wishing to live out my dream away from my parents. That dream was to live under New York city lights and dance on grand stages and show the world my talent, prove my parents that I could do what they had told me I couldn’t. I wanted to prove them wrong to show them that I was capable of achieving my dream. I wasn’t their sweet and innocent little girl anymore, but a woman who had her own thoughts and beliefs. Though I never believed they’d truly understand, but undoubtedly I knew they couldn’t be mad at me forever.

And So I was on the next train to New York, the morning of September 21st, Headed east. My dream lay on the horizon and I was headed straight towards it. In that moment as I watched the green plains of the fields from the window of the train as I passed by, It truly did feel like a dream. Butterflies erupting in my stomach like a wild explosion of nerves and pure excitement.

“This is it” I mumbled to myself. 

I pulled out the last letter my friend whom I’d danced with in Michigan, Jordan, we’d been writing. She had always had the same dream as me, maybe that’s why we became friends. She had moved to New York last year and we’d been writing ever since, she told me of her adventures and everything magnificent of the city. She helped me find a place to stay while I was there, A simple yet quaint lodging house, a small room yet it was perfect for me. The start of my new life began there in that small room 

The studio hadn’t been far, just a few blocks away from where I would be staying, so I was able to walk to and from everyday. I settled into the room nicely, a simple wire frame bed pressed against the left wall and a dresser pressed against the right, a window on the furthest wall. I was only able to smile in that moment, because it was my own, my own space. That first day in the city I unpacked my belongings and made myself comfortable. The weeks to come were the days things truly started for me, I had my audition at the studio, though I already had an in which guaranteed me a spot though I didn’t know, thinking that all I needed was my hard work and determination. Which to an extent was true but they’d heard plenty of my abilities.

Everything seemed to rush to a start, I danced, new and old friends at my side as we perfected routines for our performances. Everything was Jazz, decorated in bright lights, and sequins galore. The calendar soon greeted us with the turn to 1920, I had been in the city for 3 months before I finally met my beloved Johnny. He had been tall as he stood at the bar watching the stage, his eyes never fleeting my form. Well put together, his blazer fit him well, He dazzled by himself alone. We eventually got to talking, and it too was simple.

He approached me first, “You’re new.”

“It’s that obvious?”

He hummed, “You out-shine everyone on the stage, darling.” My cheeks heated profusely.

“Well I wouldn’t say that.”

“Where are you from-” He paused, eyes searching yours as he expectantly awaited your name.

“Rebecca.”

“Rebecca,” He repeated and his smile was bright enough to out-shine the sun, “Where are you from, Rebecca?” 

“Michigan.”

“And what possibly could have brought you to the city?”

“I’m following a dream.”

“So you are.” He said with another smile.

We met at the club every weekend, he’d watch as I danced with a smile, before greeting me after in conversation. Life went on like that, sharing my life with Johnny, until we were all forced underground. Prohibition had been passed, but it didn’t stop the business, different clubs creating invite only speakeasies. The now illicit activities that I had lived by continued behind closed doors, club managers, bartenders and us Jazz dancers working in the dark, late through the night.

Johnny had gotten an invite, so he still came and watched me dance, speaking more of our lives. We did it for months, just out late talking at the club, months of nothing more than friendship. 

“Why don’t we meet up out of this place?” He’d asked suddenly on the first Saturday of December.

I’d quickly said yes. Everything about him seemed to enchant me, pull me into the swells of his boisterous being. Though I never fought it, albeit because I was too weak and his love was strong, or rather we were both simply, madly and truly in love, both a drug for each other. Young love was such an inviting prospect that I looked over who he may really be, seemingly skipping a page in a novel that told the preposterous backstory of the hidden main character. I had only read the good parts, studied them in fact, believing that it was all him and ignoring the shadows.

But the night came and went, Johnny never showed, It was a get together outside of my tasseled dress and feathered headpiece, no dazzling lights or sparkles just me and him as one may call normal. But he never did show. Though you thought, there must be a valid reason for his absence.

He only arrived the next day, flowers and an apology pleading on his pink lips. He had got caught up at work, he’d said, Though in the moment when I let him into my quiet room of the lodging house with a bright forgiving smile-- I hadn’t known that the work that he had spoken of was killing a man. A man who had merely said the wrong thing to the wrong person and paid with his life. It was the work of mobsters, Johnny had never stricken me as the type, it wasn’t even a possibility in my head, because there was absolutely no way he could be a member of the mob. We visited with each other for hours, talking about everything as we always did until there was nothing more to talk about. ‘You should come to my new years party to make up for this’ He’d told me, funny it was, how we’d known each other for nearly a year and he was just now wishing to introduce me as someone he was seeing. He wanted to show me off and get approval from his friends who I had yet to find out were members of the mob. I agreed to his proposal, for I always loved a good party.

Quickly that night came, His party  was a wave of people, roaring with intoxicated laughter, dancing as they wished without a care in the world. One may say a party, of the caliber Jonathan would throw them, was extravagant. The type of party people wished to experience at least once in their life. That was my, once, before I'd even known it. How could I have known? Had I known would it have changed anything of the outcome? Perhaps not, because he still would have asked me to dance and I still would have been enchanted by the familiar glint in his eyes and the chaste smile on his lips, I would never decline a dance not from him. So I took his hand, his eyes not glancing away for a second, He merely waved his hand at the musicians and the jazz tune that played, changed to a melodic piano waltz.

I can still hear it- the piano like a ghost lingering in my ear, we were the only one’s left on the dance floor. Do you know what it’s like? Having someone hold you so close in their arms as the world around you seemed to fall away, only to then die in those same arms as he tried to stop the profuse bleeding of your wound, where a bullet had slipped through the flesh of your stomach. I ask again- Do you know what it's like? Have you watched a fair dress become stained from the inside out? Maybe not, maybe you haven’t quite lived an as traumatic life as my own. It wasn’t death itself I had ever been afraid of but rather the aspect of its permanence. Though as screams became muffled as well as the haunting toll of the clock striking twelve, and my eyes drifted from Johnny’s face to the grand ceiling, I couldn’t help but think-- what an  adventure death would bring.

I died that night, adding a star to the inky black sky. I had only wished I'd been able to tell my parents about him, and had been able to tell Johnny of our unborn child that left this world with me.

[malereader-inserts]

broken crown | ix.

“Limestone pavement,” You responded, letting go of Harry’s hand, “Dad used to take me here, day out to hike about really. It was a way to get out of the house, we lived an hour and so away. We moved away in the Christmas break of the fourth year.”

Word Count:  1,899

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Harry held on your hand tightly as you had the locket around your neck.

There was tension between the three of you after Ron had left. Harry had reflected on Ron’s word, a bit of guilt had built in him when Ron felt left out so Harry was clinging on to you - making sure you were well, his affection had increased and you wondered if it made him any less stress.

The three of you walked to an unknown destination, there wasn’t much talking. After a while, the three of you thought you were away from the original location and decided to apparate to Yorkshire.

“Why here?” Harry asked, looking at the stones.

“Limestone pavement,” You responded, letting go of Harry’s hand, “Dad used to take me here, day out to hike about really. It was a way to get out of the house, we lived an hour and so away. We moved away in the Christmas break of the fourth year.”

“I’ll set up the tent,” Hermione speaks as Harry nodded, saying that he would get enchantments up.

The air had become colder, winter had definitely settled in, though you weren’t sure what month you were in or what date it was. Harry looked over to your way, seeing you sat down at one of the rocks, snapping fire on your fingertips - he smiled to himself, remembering in the third year when you were struggling to do so, but now it was natural to you. He watches how the small little flame bounce to each finger.

Harry could tell you were preoccupied, ever since Ron has left, you were just quite, reading Merlin’s notebook and whenever you were on guard for the night sometimes Harry could hear you mumble something and the swish of your wand. He could tell that even now you were just practising your magic, Hermione checks up on you that since you had a lot of free time, the progress had increased immensely and hoped by the Easter break, you’ve grown into the power rather than allow it to control you.

“Hey, Hermione,” Harry gathered Hermione’s attention, “Does (Y/n) seem off to you?”

Hermione looks at you, sitting about, flipping open the compass that Dumbledore had given to you. She looked back to Harry, tilting her head noticed the worried look upon Harry’s eyes.

“The locket affected Ron the most, perhaps it affects (Y/n) differently?” Hermione suggested, shrugging her shoulders, “He’s just concern about his dad, remember they didn’t have the best send off. Not to mention, he’s getting annoyed with any mention of Merlin recently.”

Harry had noted that; Harry moved away from Hermione to sit by you. You allowed the wind to extinguished as you looked at him. Silently, Harry takes the locket off you, you had been wearing it for hours. As he holds the locket he looks at you.

“Feeling better?” 

“Yeah.”

“Want to talk about it?” 

“Not right now.”

“Godric’s Hallow...?” You tilted your head, standing in the middle of the tent, lost on what Harry and Hermione were talking about.

“Harry wants to visit, and I think we should also,” Hermione sighs, “It was only a matter of time and I think the sword would be there.”

The two of them looked at you as if they were looking for your seal of approval. Whilst they judge each other’s opinion, your judgement was far for valuable, they think you have a sense of the way to Horcruxes. You sighed and nodded.

“You know, you should stop putting all the final decision on me,” You mumbled, pulling on your coat.

“Well, you’re-”

“Harry,” You cut him short, knowing what his reasoning would be, “I’m not omniscient, I’m not God, I don’t know all, unlike Dumbledore, who I’m convince is more of a God than I am.”

“You might as well be,” Harry says, patting you on the shoulder with a smile, “You and your nonsense wisdom and power.”

You narrow your eyes at him, “Hermione! Harry’s bullying me!”

“Boys,” She said sternly before cracking a smile, “Honestly, you two are children!”

The pair of you looked at each other before looking at Hermione, who shakes her head and starts telling you to pack up as the three of your prepare to visit. The three had apparated there, Harry gripping your hand for reassurance.

“I still think we should've used Polyjuice Potion,” Hermione mumbled, clinging on to Harry’s arm.

“No,” Harry shakes his head, refusing with a stern voice, “This is where I was born. I'm not returning as someone else.”

“Fair enough,” You mumbled, shivering.

You really despite the snow and the colder season. Though, having endured winter at Hogwarts, up in Scotland where it regularly snows you just got used to it. The three of you walked down the snowy road, seeing a Church come up to your right, the lights were on.

“Harry, I think it's Christmas Eve,” You mumbled, looking over to the church, “Guys, listen.”

The three of you could hear Christmas carols being sung within the church for the midnight mass.

“Do you think they'd be in there?” Harry asked out of the blue, his eyes trained in the graveyard, “My mum and dad?”

“Yeah, I think they would,” Hermione answers softly,

The three of you enter the graveyard as Harry separates himself to search the headstone. You looked at Hermione who takes one side of the graveyard as you did as well. You looked at all the headstones, nothing striking out to you as you lifted your head. The cold hitting your face as you noticed that Harry had stopped in front of a grave.

You had moved to stand by his side, you kneel as Hermione arrives, the pair watching you pull out your hand and held it in front of the grave. The two watch you wordlessly and wandlessly produce a wreath of flowers for them. You stand up as you softly grabbed his hand, squeezing it.

“Merry Christmas, guys,” He spoke

“Merry Christmas,” Hermione and you had spoken in unison.

You really did wonder how this world would turn out to be if one or both had survived Voldemort. Everything would have been different, you would have another uncle and an aunt. Harry would have truly grown up to be your brother or some sort. You would be childhood best friends as if the reality hadn’t conveyed that. 

“Harry, there's someone watching us. By the church,” Hermione says, looking over to the person’s direction. You looked over as well as Harry. “I think I know who that is.”

“I don't like this, Harry,” Hermione expressed her nervousness as you felt a funny feeling with this person.

You tilted your head to the side as you felt Harry let go of your hand. You looked at him in confusion.

“Hermione, she knew Dumbledore. She might have the sword.”

As Harry marches towards the gate, the woman had continued to walk as you and Hermione followed. Harry stop short noticing something, before looking up to see a house, broken beyond repair. You breathed out to see the ruins of the house that started it all.

“This is where they died. This is where he murdered them,” Harry spoke as Hermione came to your side, gripping your arm.

“Harry,” You mumbled as you noticed the woman was back, this time next to you, wordlessly staring at Harry.

Harry looked at you before noticing the woman, “You're Bathilda, aren't you?”

She uttered no words as the three of you follow her into her home. You let out a shaky breath as you looked at Hermione, gripping her hand as she grips your arm. You and her were feeling uneasy about this whole situation. As you enter her house, you looked at the dark room. 

You looked at Hermione, who was calling out to Harry, who followed Bathilda up the stairs, “I don’t feel too great about this, Hermione.”

“Nor do I,” She whispered.

Moving along the house, Hermione ventures out as you stay put, hoping Harry would come down soon. Then, you heard a thud, without thinking you raced upstairs to see a snake and Harry. You tried to grab Harry’s hand but the two of you fall back into the wall, crashing into a baby’s room.

Harry was pressed against the wall with you in between. You were struggling to get your wand out of your boot as Harry threw a book at the head, attempting to get behind you. As Nagini attacks, instead of getting Harry, its teeth latched onto your neck.

“Argh!” 

Harry’s eyes widen as you kicked the snake, it’s long fangs dragging down before detaching. Harry grabs you from under our arms as your left hand flies to your neck, feeling blood dribble out, helping you back out. As Nagini strikes again, Hermione had successfully got upstairs and cast Nagini down. The three of you taking shelter behind the bed in the main room. 

Hermione grabs Harry’s wand, which fell out of his back pocket. The three of you waited to see if the snake was to return. It did. 

Hermione exclaimed, “Confringo!”

As the fire was produced to hit back the snake, Hermione grabs a hold of Harry who was gripping you tightly. Hermione apparated you three to a forest, but by that time you had passed out. Harry, ignoring the scenery, was looking down at you. 

“Harry, set up the tent,” Hermione says softly, “I’ll sort (Y/n) out.”

“He-” Harry hiccuped, not realising he was going to get choked up with his tears because he was worried for you, “he didn’t use magic, he knows he can do magic without a wand so why didn’t he-?”

“I think he was more caught up in protecting you, Harry.”

Hermione throws him her bag as she looks down at you, applying the same potion that she had applied to Ron months ago. Watching how the wound had closed up.

“It’s going to scar but at least he’ll be fine for now.”

Hermione got up and started to make enchantments as Harry found the tent and started to set it up, every so often he would look over to you. He adored Hermione and Ron as his best friends, but you were someone different. You were his first friend, his childhood best friend.

The boy down the road who was deathly sick all the time. The boy with (e/c) eyes and wanted to play pirates with him. 

“He’ll be okay, Harry,” Hermione softly reassures him, finishing with the enchantments.

“You know, Hermione,” Harry hums as he moves to you, helping your unconscious state sit up, “What would happen to us after this? He’s going to do brilliant, magnificent things, what if he doesn’t need me anymore?”

Hermione tilted her head, helping Harry carry you into the tent. Lying you down in one of the beds as she looks at Harry with a soft gaze.

“I have seen how much he needs you, how much you need him. You’re like two sides to the same coin,” Hermione places a delicate hand on his shoulder, “You two are strangely bonded, whether it be duel mates, soul mates or whatever. You two need each other. It’s a fact.”

“But-”

“Harry, give me the locket, I’ll keep guard outside, you stay with him. Make sure he doesn’t get any worst.”

Tagged

@carefulthatsharassment-sir​​ @lanlanlan020202​ @hanniejji​ @dumbssbtch​ @lea-the-foxe​ @stan-joonies​ @littertortilla @purpleshusbandd​

[deniigi]

I WOULD LOVE A DAVE FIC !!!

Excellent. Here’s for you and  @dudewhereismy-tardis

I am putting most of it under the cut because it is LONG

Dave (Daredevil copycat from Inimitable Verse) POV. Reminder that Dave is not his real name, but one given to him disdainfully by Wade in this verse.

Title: rises in the east

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

“Dad.”

What?

“Dad.”

What time was it?

“Your phone’s ringing,” Charlie said. “It’s the boss.”

Oh, for fuck’s sake.

“Give it here,” Dave rasped, throwing an arm over his eyes.

“Mom said you’re gonna hurt your back sleepin’ on the couch,” Charlie reported as she shoved his phone into his palm.

“My couch, my rules,” Dave said. He crammed the phone to his ear. “Ansel here,” he said.

Charlie wanted to stay home and if she was a year older, Dave would have let her. But alas. The last time he’d let her stay home, she’d texted her friend Jesse who had become unspeakably jealous and had appealed to her own parents for such freedoms, and now the whole block thought that Dave recklessly abandoned his daughter when he went to the goddamn grocery store.

All that for a can of Sprite, man.

This neighborhood was off the fuckin’ charts sometimes.

Case in point: Dani standing in front of him in the lobby with her hands on her hips, telling him that he needed to wear a tighter t-shirt or to start flexing because they were losing business.

“Dani, I’m an instructor,” he reminded her. “I’m hired to do classes.”

“It’s two hours,” Dani said. “Take the damn fliers.”

But he didn’t want to?

Dani blinked at him slowly from under her headband.

 --

 Charlie was having a great time and Dave was glad for that because he was not. He was being stared at by every person in the street as if they’d never seen a dude with muscles before.

It was the shirt.

He knew it was the shirt.

And possibly his nipples. Smashing the brochures high enough against his chest to cover them wasn’t going well and the highlighter teal underarmor Dani had forced upon him left very little to the imagination here.

There wasn’t anything else to do but let the poor things live their best lives.

“Dad, gimme more,” Charlie said.

She tugged at the brochures covering what was left of his dignity.

Blessed child, who hurt you?

“Where did the others go?” he asked her.

Charlie pointed across the road to a gaggle of ladies leaning out from their stoop, smiling.

Ah.

Yes.

Them.

“Let’s try for someone who looks more like a bro,” he told his offspring.

Charlie blinked up at him.

“Why?” she asked.

Oh, baby.

“Because they’re an easy mark,” he said. “Go up and say ‘my dad can take you’ and send ‘em my way, okay?”

Charlie’s face went from confused to ready to kill instantly.

This was her game face. This was her ‘I’m gonna wreck this goalee’s teeth’ face.

Dave shouldn’t have been proud of her, really; her teachers said that she was becoming argumentative and obstinate in the classroom. But there was just something there in the fact that his kid sure as shit wasn’t no sheep that made his chest feel big, wide, and full of hot air.

“I’m on it,” Charlie said.

He gave her three brochures and let her scramble off to the other side of the sidewalk and then turned to meet the eye of a family with a father with neat hair and the beginnings of triceps peeking out from under his sleeves.

“You lookin’ for a gym, sir?” he asked.

The guy looked his way and eyed him up.

He took a flier on his way past.

 --

 “Excuse me?”

“One second, man,” Dave said, doing the rock-shuffle to keep all the fliers on the table from blowing away.

“Excuse me.”

“Hey, I said just a sec,” Dave snapped.

He turned back and found himself staring into the dark eyes of a bald man with olive skin and deep wrinkles in his forehead.

And Dave knew him.

Holy shit.

Dave knew him.

Fuck.

God.

Jesus, Lord.

“I am so sorry,” he started.

“DAD.”

Ch—Charlie?

He looked down and sure enough, holding Rudolph ‘Diamond’ De Luca’s massive bearpaw was his very own daughter. De Luca made her wiry, suntanned limbs seem like unbaked pretzels.

He was so much bigger than he’d seemed on TV all those years ago.

“This your kid?” De Luca asked.

Jesus.

“She is. I’m so sorry,” Dave said, “Did she—she didn’t bite you or anything, did she?”

“Dad,” Charlie whined. “Don’t tell ‘im that.”

“I’ll pay for whatever damage—” Dave continued.

De Luca blinked at him impossibly slowly with long dark eye lashes. He turned his face slowly back down towards Charlie.

“You sure this is your old man?” he asked.

Wh—

Wait.

What the hell did that mean?

“That’s him,” Charlie moaned. “He’s just bein’ dumb. Dad. Stop bein’ dumb. This dude’s the real deal. He’ll fight you in a heartbeat.”

Dave grabbed his child before she could cause any more damage. She made a fuss, but let go of De Luca’s mitt. Dave shoved her behind him, just in case this situation got any more tense than it needed to be.

De Luca lifted an eyebrow at that and then brought his face back up to Dave’s.

“Who’s gym?” he asked.

What?

Oh.

“Spitfire,” Dave said. “We’re, uh, just about there, on the—”

“I know where you’re about,” De Luca said.

Dave didn’t know what to say. De Luca held his eye.

Oh, god.

This wasn’t going well.

“How old are you, son?” De Luca asked.

FFFFFFFFFFFffffffffffffuck.

“38,” Dave said.

“And your baby girl?” De Luca asked, gesturing with his chin down at Charlie.

“I’m 12,” Charlie told him brightly.

“Hm,” De Luca said.

He shifted his weight back and wrapped a few fingers around his chin, surveying Dave’s whole body like he was the statue of David with a knee injury.

Dave became intimately aware of his nipples again.

“Not bad,” De Luca said.

Oh, thank god.

“Thank you, sir,” Dave said. “Is there, uh, somethin’ I could help you with?”

“You got an accent,” De Luca noted.

Uh?

“A good accent,” De Luca said. “Whereabouts did you grow up?”

Oh.

Well.

Dave could actually just point to it from here. The condo was still standing, despite all building codes and actual alien invasions. At this point, the only thing that was gonna take it down were the rampant, rapidly mutating, borderline feral gangs of chickens that roamed its halls.

Not that anyone spoke about them.

No, that was inviting trouble to your doorstep.

“The chicken coop?” De Luca said.

The one and only.

“Bless you, you poor fuck.”

Yeah, that tended to be the usual reaction.

De Luca laughed.

“You’re a funny guy, uh,” he squinted at Dave’s nametag, “Ansel?”

How could a word sound so wrong in someone’s mouth?

Where had Dave’s life gone wrong that his own name sounded so foreign and distant to his ears?

“Actually,” he said, swallowing, “My uh, my friends call me ‘Dave.’”

De Luca’s head snapped right up and slowly, a grin spread across his face.

“Oh, now, that’s a good name for ya,” he said. “You look like a Davy.”

Hng.

Diamond De Luca thought he looked like a ‘Davy.’

Diamond De Luca thought he looked like a ‘Davy.’

Welp.

Time to get that birth certificate changed.

“Listen, Davy,” De Luca said casually, “Your baby girl there was tellin’ me that your boss has you out here like dancin’ monkey; is that true?”

Fffffffffff.

Technically yes?

“It’s even his day off,” Charlie whispered.

Dave wrapped a hand over her face.

“It’s fine,” he said. “It happens. Folks’ve been sick lately. I don’t normally do this kinda thing.”

De Luca’s face said that that was real cute. Real, real cute, honey.

“Well,” he said, “Let’s just say it like this. Where you work don’t gotta be where you train.”

Oh.

Was he offering--?

“If you decide to drop by, tell the guy at the desk Rudy sent you,” De Luca said. “Your kid’s real sweet, Davy. She can come too, lord knows the damn place is a daycare at this point.”

“Thank? You?” Dave stuttered.

“Don’t mention it,” De Luca said.

He left. Dave watched him waltz down the block and wave at the gals collected on the stoop at the end of it and felt a little lightheaded.

“Dad?”

Not right now, champ.

“Dad? Is he famous or somethin’?”

HHHHHHHHHHNG.

 --

 Back when Dave had been 14 and scraping the tips of his fingers into callouses on the old guitar he’d found tossed into a dumpster in the Upper West Side, he’d had to compete with the sound of the couple fighting in the apartment next door and with the radio the old man downstairs always had playing on his fire-escape window.

The old man downstairs was a real hard-ass. Always slammed a broom into the ceiling, scaring the shit out of Mom and Dad and sister and auntie. Dave had never seen him not smoking, nor had he ever seen him without suspenders.

The man was a retired plumber, apparently. And while Jim Beam was his main vice, his passion was boxing.

To the tune of chords picked out of an out-of-tune guitar, Dave had listened to tinny commentators oohing and awing over match after match, until finally, when sleep wouldn’t come one night, Dave had snuck out of the room he’d shared with Flora. He’d settled down on the living room couch, next to his old man splayed out in the recliner.

Dad had lifted his eyes slowly his way and told him that he should have been in bed.

Dave had told him that he couldn’t sleep because the couple next door was makin’ up from their daily afternoon argument and Dad had just sighed.

He’d let Dave stay up with him and the TV in the living room had fuzzed and rattled away, making sounds really familiar to Dave at that point.

Boxing was a sport that he had, up until that night, left to his father. But for the lack of anything else to talk about that wouldn’t make his dad look at him with disappointment in his eyes for all that damn music-playin’ and eyeliner, he’d asked who the guy on the screen was.

And that was how he’d learned about Diamond De Luca.

About Kenny Varga. Bert ‘The Albatross’ Kleinfeld.

But there was one guy who Dad had mentioned was his favorite rookie and, now it felt both kind of silly and surreal that the name had been spoken so casually in Dave’s home growing up.

Dad had been puttin’ money on Battlin’ Jack Murdock back when Dave had been a little kid.

He told Dave, disappointedly, after a few weeks of Dave getting up at 12:30 to come out and watch boxing with him that he’d really thought that Murdock was gonna be the next big thing.

Guy was a wolf in sheep’s clothing, Dad had said, shaking his head. But wolves that got too wily got put down and Battlin’ Jack had been found in an alley, bled out in the arms of his reason for fighting.

Dad said it was a fuckin’ shame that Murdock had gone out with a slug in his head.

A fuckin’ shame, he said.

Dave didn’t remember him every saying that Murdock’s reason for fighting was a blind ten-year-old, but the thought was now merged with that memory.

That, in itself, was merged with the memory of Dave’s phone ringing one night was Addie’s name on the Caller ID. Her voice was shaking when she told Dave that the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen had just called her from an unknown number.

He had their baby.

He’d snatched her and Jesse out of the arms of two men looking for girls to be used in businesses Dave didn’t want to think about.

He’d saved them.

The devil had heard their screams when no one else had and he’d come flying out of the dark.

He’d held the girls in the light of a bodega and he’d coached Charlie through typing Addie’s number into his phone and then he’d taken it from there.

Addie was too scared to go meet the devil on her own. Mason hadn’t been around yet and so Dave had thrown on his shoes and had meet her on 46th.

The devil was on 48th, swinging his boots with both girls in his lap.

They were all singing. The devil had pretended like he didn’t know the words to Britney Spears’s ‘Toxic.’

Matt Murdock was under that mask.

Knowing that this whole time, he’d been the one dragging a stick against the fences and bricks of Hell’s Kitchen was almost impossible to digest.

And Dave had worked with him now.

He’d seen that smirk and that notorious jaw unwrapped from its red armor and that didn’t make reconciling the murdered boxer’s son with the man who’d saved his daughter any easier.

Charlie hadn’t remembered him.

She thought that Matt Murdock was a weird fuckin’ dude, and granted, he was a weird fuckin’ dude, but Dave had to say: he was grateful.

Matt Murdock not only brought home his baby, but he’d given Dave purpose in a life that had become consumed by the daily grind.

Matt Murdock had smiled in his direction, never quite into his eyes, and he’d passed along the baton with next to no fight.

Dave wasn’t him.

Dave would never be him.

Matt Murdock wasn’t just some poor murdered boxer’s blind son. He was the product of some serious poverty. Some serious violence. A whole fuckin’ cult induction, if he was to be believed. And Dave wasn’t so sure if he was always to be believed.

But he still appreciated Matt Murdock for what he’d done and what he’d made for this part of the city.

He’d made Daredevil.

And he shared that with Dave.

Dave’s own dad’s approval hadn’t felt like the honor that had come with Matt Murdock’s covered eyes and curled lip slowly relaxing as he’d lifted his face up from Dave’s knees.

He hadn’t been inspecting.

He’d been listening. Dipping his fingers into the blood in Dave’s heart and deciding if he was worth his salt.

Matt Murdock, son of Battlin’ Jack Murdock, was a product of Fogwell’s Gym in the Kitchen.

Diamond De Luca, retired heavyweight, was a product of Fogwell’s Gym.

The stars had aligned. And Dave had stood in their path.

And he wasn’t wasting the chance that they offered him.

--

Charlie was stoked to be allowed to come to the gym with him. She usually went to Jesse’s house, where Rubes would look after both girls for a few hours.

But De Luca had said that it was okay for her to come along, and so he figured, why not?

Fogwell’s was an institution in the Kitchen. All kids deserved to know their own history.

“I’m gonna fight Fogwell himself,” Charlie announced halfway down the block.

“You will not,” Dave told her. “Because I’m not tryin’ to get thrown out before we even get started here, alright?”

Charlie whined.

He ignored it.

 --

 This wasn’t the first time he’d been to the gym. Matt Murdock slipped in and out of it when he was in the city and he’d taken the whole team there once or twice. But it was different to be there in the presence of the daytime crew.

Dave felt very small in their presence.

The whole place was full of people pounding bags and swearing and shouting at kids who were tumbling all over the rows of benches set off to the side of the bags.

It was not what Dave had been expecting.

He told the guy at the front that ‘Rudy’ had recommended that he stop by and got a nod and a wave.

“He’s probably upstairs,” the receptionist said. “Go pick a bag, I’ll give him a buzz.”

 --

 Charlie refused to join the kids on the benches because apparently that was ‘only for babies, Dad.’ She wanted to hold the bag.

She was not, in one thousand years, holding the bag.

Dave wrapped her hands and let her go at it first to ‘soften it up’ for him.

De Luca caught him adjusting the demon-child’s thumbs before they ended up at the hospital again and laughed.

“Davy-boy, you made it,” he said.

Dave snapped up straight to attention.

“I did,” he said.

De Luca laughed again.

“Relax, kid,” he said. “Damn, you’re tight wound. Don’t worry, we won’t tell no one you’re sleepin’ with the enemy.”

Ahahahaha.

Please don’t.

These people were jacked. Dave was but a kickboxing instructor.

“Here, bub, lemme see what your pops has got,” De Luca said, shooing Charlie out of the way.

And this was the moment of truth.

 --

 De Luca seemed surprised when Dave finally laid off the bag. And Dave couldn’t read his expression for a million bucks.

“Uh?” he tried. “Not good?”

De Luca blinked himself back to earth.

“Oh, no,” he said. “It’s just uh, you fight a little like someone I know.”

Please don’t say a mobster.

Please don’t say a mobster.

“Kid used to live around here; name’s Matt Murdock,” De Luca said. “You know him?”

Did—

Did he know him?

QUICK. Answer the question.

You’re takin’ too long.

He’s gonna—

“S’alright if you don’t,” De Luca said. “I was just sayin’. Kid was like one of my own.”

He—

What?

“Yeah, boy fought like the devil like his daddy before ‘im,” De Luca said. “He’s the only one Fogwell lets call him ‘Grandpa.’ He’s about your age, actually. God, I’m old.”

AHAHAHAHAHA.

Please change the subject.

“You’re not that old,” Dave said. “I think I might have heard the name.”

Charlie looked up at him, baffled at the hedging.

He pleaded with her with his eyes not to say a damn word.

“Yeah, he’s somethin’, left here for San Francisco. Didn’t even say good-bye, the little shit,” De Luca sniffed. “Came back last year all ‘I’m gettin’ married’ and I swear to god, he’s picked up some kid. Just between you and me, pal, the old guard here have been talkin’, and we think that someone missed out on the sex ed talk, if you know what I’m sayin’.”

Oh.

Poor Sam.

He wasn’t even there to scream from the mountaintops that Red was a last resort for him at best.

“I’m just sayin’,” De Luca said with a shrug that spoke far more of supreme irritation than nonchalance, “He coulda just told us. I’m just sayin’.”

Any more ‘just sayin’s’ and Diamond De Luca was gonna go find a wall to bury them in.

“Did you, uh, have any feedback?” Dave blurted out as the guy started mumbling.

“Hm?”

“Feedback,” Dave repeated, waving a gloved hand at the bag.

“Oh. Yeah, loads, kid. You got all the muscles and not a damn lick of memory, here, lemme show you.”

Crisis averted.

Thank god.

 --

 D2: hey uh, DD?

SM: DAVE

S2: DAVEEEE

S3: DAVE

SM: what’s up man?

D2: nothing I was just trying to get ahold of DD?

BT: He’s trying to get Kirsten to give up her dreams of an indoor office pond rn. Can I help?

SM: I want an indoor office pond

S3: omg same

D2: uh yeah actually could you just tell him I met a guy named De Luca the other day and he might want to give him a call?

BT: de Luca?

D2: yeah

BT: okay sure thing

D2: thanks

BT: I’ll go see if I can get a word in edgewise.

SM: good fucking luck

S2: I hate fish

S3: leave this place and never return

S2: I HATE FISH

DD: WHAT

SM: oh shit that was quick

D2: oh. I was just saying that I met Diamond De Luca the other day?

SM: ?? Who’s that?

DD: oh no

S2: ??????????????

DP (´｡✪ω✪｡´): who the fuck is that?

DD: are you still with him?

D2: no?

D2: he caught me out fliering and invited me to Fogwell’s

D2: and when I got there he mentioned my stance was like yours and he uh

D2: got a little distracted

DD: what kind of distracted?

D2: He thinks Sam’s your bastard kid

BT: GODDAMNIT

DD: FOR FUCKS SAKE

BT: First Mrs. Jones, now this guy?? TEACH.

DD: These people have zero faith in me I swear to god.

DD: like come ON man. I did sex ed in the same class as Angie he knows I’m too catholic for that shit

DP (´｡✪ω✪｡´): I looked this man up and he looks like an Italian nate with less hair

SM: wh

DP (´｡✪ω✪｡´): okay you’re right he looks nothing like nate

SM: that

SM: that’s not even slightly helpful, wade, thanks not at all. Hey who’s angie?

DD: long story. Rudy’s daughter

S2: RED YOU FUCKED A BOXERS DAUGHTER?? That’s a million dollar baby man

DD: I

DD: what?

DD: no? Why would I fuck angie she’s like my sister?

S2: oh nvm

SM: 😬😬😬

S3: I am confused ❤

D2: you should probably call him, friend

DD: on it. thanks for the notice

DD: hey what’s your fuckin name again?

S2: f

S3: f

SM: f

D2: It’s Ansel

DD: Adams?

D2: not the photographer. Ansel West.

SM: WEST

S2: OMG

S3: guys don’t

SM: I BET YOURE A SUNSET DAVE

S2: YOU EVER FEEL CALLED TO THE PRAIRIE DAVE???

SM: YOU’RE A&W, DAVE!!

S2: ROOT BEER ROOT BEER

D2: ah yes. Middle school. I remember this feeling.

--

Dave laid his phone on his chest and stared back up at the ceiling.

It was never dull, this new life he’d settled into.

He said a prayer for Murdock and rolled onto his side.

It was still his goddamn couch.

 --

[pparkerpoetry]

hold on, i still need you

Newt (@strad-disc) and I have done it again! don't worry, we've planned some of the main fic and we'll get to it at some point :) As usual, I'll put the smaller stories here, but the main fic will be on ao3! my ao3 is MarvelDreamer and newt's is the same. Summary: Quackity had a lot going on, and he found himself struggling to stay above the waves of his thoughts sometimes.

Sapnap and Karl made it easier.

Until they couldn't.

-DSMP Maze Runner Fusion Oneshot-

(where characters from the smp are in the maze)

_______

Quackity wasn’t sure about all this.

An elevator that came from who-knows-where, a group of boys in a maze with the purpose of who-knows-what. There had to be something he could do. There had to be something that made sense in this shucking… glade.

They’d called it a glade, hadn’t they?

Phil and Tubbo were the two in charge of the place, apparently. Again, Quackity wasn’t too sure what was going on, or even if he trusted the words of the boys that had claimed leadership. Phil definitely was the oldest in the bunch, but seniority shouldn’t always equal superiority.

To be fair, though, the glade seemed pretty well run. Everyone did their job, no one seemed to hate each other. Not really a high bar, but when all that was expected was survival, they were doing pretty good.

It was dinner, on his third or so day. He was going to work with Technoblade the next day, which some people pitied him for, but Technoblade didn’t seem too bad. He just didn’t have that many friends, is all.

Quackity sighed, staring down at the sandwich on his plate. It looked good, but he didn’t feel hungry. Not after working with the slicers all day, even if they did remark at how good he was at it.

“Yo, greenie.” A boy with a white headband tied around his head slid into the seat next to Quackity. “My food not look good or something? Why aren’t you eating?”

He stared blankly at the boy. “I have a name, you know.”

“So do I,” smiled the boy, as if this had been his plan all along. “I’m Sapnap. What’s your name?”

“Quackity,” he said slowly. “And your food looks fine, I just don’t feel that hungry.”

Sapnap nodded sagely. “Yeah, you were working with the slicers today, weren’t you? Don’t worry, if you end up with them, I could probably steal you occasionally to help in the kitchen.”

“Thanks, man.” Quackity couldn’t help the smile that slid onto his face. “I appreciate it.”

-

He’d been drowning in confusion, but Sapnap had pulled him out of his thoughts.

-

Being in the glade wasn’t so bad, he supposed.

It had been a fair few months, close to a year, and he’d gone through a couple promotions to land himself in the position of Keeper of the Slicers. It wasn’t bad, just gruesome sometimes, and if it ever got bad, Sapnap pulled him out of work and let him clean the kitchen or whatever else needed to be done. It was great, and allowed some alone time that they took advantage of.

Technoblade was alright once you got to know him. He was blunt and snide, but he could be funny, too. He hadn’t been the same since the Griever sting a while ago, but in all honesty, Quackity appreciated the pessimistic outlook a little. Not to mention, Techno was a beast- and anyone had to at least respect the dude.

Quackity liked his job. It was a little dangerous, a lot bloody, and involved a lot of looking away from the animal on the chopping block, but he didn’t mind. He got good with a blade, much better than he’d have expected when he was the greenie.

He liked his job, but he didn’t like the situation he was in at that moment.

“Shuck,” He bit out, choosing to look away from the blood that was running down his arm from a blade swung awry. “Uh, Medjack? Can someone get a medjack?”

A couple heads turned, only to make a noise in sympathy. One person, Quackity wasn’t sure who, turned and started to leave the area.

“Should we try to stop the bleeding?” A voice asked, and Quackity grinned tensely.

“That would be a wonderful idea if we had any spare cloth to use. I don’t think that Tommy would appreciate having to wash blood out of our shirts, though. I’m fine, I can wait for the Medjack.” He felt a wave of nausea pass through him, and he laughed lightly. “Maybe I’ll start walking over there. Back to work everyone, I’ll return shortly.”

No one seemed eager to go back, but that wasn’t his problem yet. It would be if Phil caught them slacking, but even then he wouldn’t get in that much trouble. He was injured, after all. He couldn’t help that they decided to rest rather than work.

A little further away, Quackity could see one of the medjacks walking towards him. It was the one with fluffy brown hair that had been there longer than Quackity had- the one that Sapnap was friends with. They’d spoken a couple times, his name was Karl, but they’d never gotten close.

To be honest, Quackity had always been a little jealous of how often Karl and Sapnap could be found together.

It made sense that Karl was the one to help him, though, since the only other one was Corpse, and he was the greenie the previous month, so he was still learning.

“You alright? Heard you cut your arm.” Karl yelled over to him.

Quackity didn’t respond, because if he opened his mouth he was scared he’d vomit. The pain started to set in too, the adrenaline gone, and if he thought about anything other than preventing the onslaught of tears that threatened to fall, he’d cry.

Karl’s voice was much closer this time. “Oh, that… that’s a lot of blood. Come on, let’s get you to the homestead. It’s a long trek from the animal pens.”

He could feel an arm go across his waist and his legs almost gave out, but he forced himself to keep walking. They were out in the open, and showing weakness here meant being dead meat.

Somehow, by some miracle, they made it to the homestead without him passing out. It was an almost lost battle, but still, Quackity sat there and watched Karl fuss over his injury. He retreated into his mind, letting his eyes undoubtedly go cloudy with unfocus.

He couldn’t believe that something like this had happened. He’d let his mind wander for a split second, and suddenly the year of training he’d had was gone. The blade had sliced his arm, and there was nothing he could do. He’d been stupid enough to loose the laser focus that he constantly needed, and now, he’d probably be the one that was teased for everything, considering it was pretty late in the month and the newest addition to the glade had settled in well. Quackity wasn’t looking forward to facing all of the people he was supposed to lead when he went back to the animal pens and slaughter barn. It was his first accident, though, so maybe Phil wouldn’t replace him as Keeper. God, he hoped not. Being Keeper was the only reason he had any ounce of respect at all- and even then, Quackty had the feeling that not many people liked him.

“Hey, stop that.”

Quackity blinked his eyes lazily, letting his gaze fall onto Karl’s face. “Stop what?”

“I can hear your thoughts from here, shank.” Karl said with a little laugh at the end. “You’re doubting yourself and putting yourself down, when you shouldn’t be doing either of those.”

“Oh? And how do you know what I’m doing?”

Karl rolled his eyes. “Because Sapnap does the same thing all the time.”

“Right.” Quackity said, trying to keep the bitterness out of his voice that the cute brunet knew Sapnap so well. “Sapnap.”

“Hey, listen. I’ve got nothing against you and Sapnap hanging out together if you don’t mind us hanging out. Besides,” Karl smiled, “You’re cute. Maybe all three of us could be friends, because there’s no reason to not like each other.”

Quackity frowning. “Did you call me cute? Are you hitting on me?”

All thoughts from Quackity of how pathetic he was being, or how awful it would be to face everyone else, had gone. They’d left his brain and now all that was left was a confusing muddle of mush. If he’d retained a couple brain cells, maybe he would’ve realized that that was part of the plan.

Karl smiled, and suddenly Quackity couldn’t hold anything against him. “I mean, if you’re okay with it, then yeah I’m hitting on you.”

Quackity wanted nothing more than to give Karl the world and keep that smile on his face. “Yeah. Yeah I’m good with it.”

The door burst open and Sapnap entered. “I saw you guys making your way across the field, I got here as soon as I could- why are you looking at me like that?”

-

He’d been drowning in his doubt, but Karl had brought him out of his haze.

-

Quackity looked at the small wooden carving that sat against the grass as a feeling of dread grew in his stomach and a look of horror took over his face. It matched the one in his pocket, and maybe no one else knew what it meant, but he did.

-

He was drowning in grief, but there was no one to help him this time.

-------

Hey all! We've made a discord for this if you want to join it and get more information or tidbits of chapters before they come out :) https://discord.gg/kUTk985B9P

[princessjungeun]

Photocard: Chaeyoung x Reader

Request: Twice and Y/N group doing an interview together and Y/N members keep embarrassing her cus they know she completely biases Chae, and the others are confused on what’s going on until one of her members let it slip.

Totally made up the group name for Y/N, if there is a group with this name I didn’t know.

This is the first time your group, Kiss of Life is ever doing a variety show with another group. Your group belongs to BigHit and you all debuted shortly after groups like Blackpink and Twice. You all gained popularity for your new and interesting concepts. Not to mention the six of you were all stunning and talented.

Your group consisted of six members:

Eve: Leader and Main dancer

Sora: Main vocal

Jisu: Sub vocal and Main dancer

Y/N: Main rapper and main dancer

Lani: Lead vocal

Genesis: Visual/(Face is the group), Center, main dancer, maknae

When your managers told you that Twice was the other group your members were already starting to tease you. Everyone in your group knows you have a huge crush on Son Chaeyoung of Twice.

•

•

•

You all stood in the studio of Idol Room waiting in a line to be called onto camera. Twice stood in front of you all, Jihyo in the front and Sana in the back. You watched as Sana and Sora talked to each other casually. But the second cameras started rolling you saw Eve pull the two Japanese girls apart to get in their respective spaces.

“Welcome to IDOL ROOM! Today we have two of the most popular girl groups of this generation with us today! It’s Twice and Kiss of Life!” You all watched as the MCs started the show. Your heart beating out of your chest, nervous you’ll embarrass yourself.

The 15 of you ran by and got in your respective groups. “One in a million hello we are Twice!” The classic greeting that was like music to your ears. Your members looked down your line to make sure everyone was paying attention. Eve started “1-2-3” and the rest of you joined in “Live beautifully! Hello we are Kiss of Life!”

The MCs asked you to introduce yourselves, Eve started going down the line. When it got to Sora the MCs asked her to speak in Japanese, because she’s from Japan. When it got to you they asked “can you speak English for us?” Before you could answer your members were immediately bragging about how cool you sounded speaking English.

You took a deep breath hoping and said “Hi everyone I’m Y/N from Kiss of Life, please show us as well as our sunbaenim Twice a lot of love! Thank you we love you!” When you finished everyone gasped and did a collective “woooowww.” Your members as well as Twice showered you with complements. You laughed and found it funny how they were so amazed at you speaking a language you grew up speaking.

“It’s time to learn a little bit about Kiss of Life!” The MCs direct their attention to your group.

“First up is Y/N!” You already knew your members, especially Lani would embarrass you. The only one who’d have your back is your maknae Genesis.

“It says here you’re a fan of other girl groups! Who are your favorites?” The MC asks you. You respond “I grew up with Miss A, Wonder Girls, and Girls Generation. But I like Blackpink, Red Velvet and Loona too.” Unfortunately for you Lani couldn’t keep quiet and she blurted out “SHE LOVES TWICE TOO!” Your members and Twice laughed as you tried to hide behind Genesis who did her best to console you.

The MC turned to Lani and asked “so she likes Twice huh?” The shorter girl nodded enthusiastically, “she really does! She knows all of their choreography and she sings all of their songs!” You heard your sunbaes laughing and telling you that they loved your group too and you were their favorites.

Right when you thought it was getting better, Jisu jumped in on the conversation saying “she even has their posters on her walls at the dorm!” Thankfully Jisu is fairly soft spoken unlike Lani so the only people that heard her were Jeongyeon and Sana.

Thankfully after this the MC took attention off of you to get to another member.

Throughout the episode your members took turner dropping subtle hints that you liked Chaeyoung. Wether it was a one liner or inside joke they’d whisper to you, they showed no mercy.

During random play dance you ran up and did every song effortlessly. This was a game you’ve been good at since trainee days so you wanted to show off a little. Momo and Mina were the main ones of Twice to run out with you to dance. While Eve and Genesis danced occasionally too.

Another game started as well. “Since we heard Kiss of Life is big fan of Twice, and vice versa. We made a game for you all. One member from Kiss of Life will fill in for one member of Twice. And one member from Twice will fill in for Kiss of Life. You are only allowed to dance to one members part the whole time, no switching. Whichever team can dance perfectly to their own Random Play Dance wins. The prize is whatever food the winning team wants. You have two minutes to choose your players.”

Immediately your members huddled together to choose who would be the one to go. Lani and Sora already backed out of the challenge, they only knew the point choreography.

Eve spoke first “I only know some of Jeongyeon’s parts but not all! This is hard! I’m out.”

Jisu spoke next “I think I maybe could...I don’t know though. I know different parts for different songs.”

Genesis is the baby of the group and she trained for the least amount of time. Despite this, she’s a dance prodigy. She reminds fans of Seo Soojin, a softie offstage but on stage she’s a totally different person. “I-I don’t know guys I don’t trust myself. What if I mess up? I cant do it.”

“Ok! Time is up!” The MC shouted happily. He turned to your sunbaes “Who is the member that will be representing Twice?” The obvious choice stepped up, Momo. “I’ll be dancing in Genesis’ place.” The Japanese idol ran over and hugged your maknae.

The music started and your most recent song came on. Momo started dancing your maknae’s part perfectly. You glanced at Genesis who was happily sitting in Nayeon’s lap. You always find it funny how easily people will be whipped for the tiny girl.

As the music shuffled Momo was able to keep up, only occasionally slipping up and not knowing where Genesis would be in the formation. But Momo did get 7 out of the 10 points.

“Ok good job Momo!” The MC and her members praised her as well as your group.

“Now who will be representing Kiss of Life?” You immediately remembered you and your members didn’t ever come to a conclusion about who it was going to be.

Without hesitation Lani, Jisu, Eve, and Sora pushed you forward and shouted “Y/N!” The MC asked you “who’s part will you cover?” You looked down the line at the 9 girls before saying “Chaeyoung unnie.” Chaeyoung stepped forward and swapped places with you. Internally you prayed your members wouldn’t embarrass you while you couldn’t tell them to shut their mouths.

“Ok aaaannndd START!” The MC called the cue for the music. The first song was Feel Special.

You ran into the formation, it felt weird dancing with these girls you’ve only met a few times before. You could hear the MCs and your members laughing saying how it was almost like you belonged in the group too. Every song that played you knew where to go. You were doing better than some of Twice’s own members. Jeongyeon moved to the wrong spot and Sana fell over her own foot and you still nailed all 10 songs.

At the end all of Twice was amazed, mainly Chaeyoung. “Ahhh Chaeyoung how do you feel after seeing that?” The MC asked her with a laugh. She smiled and responded “I cant even do that!”

The MC asked you “Y/N how did you do it so easily? You were even mouthing some of the lyrics as you danced!” You caught your breath but before you could answer Lani decided she’d answer for you.

“Y/N loves Twice. Chaeyoung is her favorite too! Out of every girl group she loves Chaeyoung the most!” The MC was no help, he only egged her on, “She really loves Chaeyoung that much?” When he asked the question he turned to Genesis who was also your roommate.

Genesis was the one who saw your Twice posters and albums. Not to mention that one Chaeyoung photo card that was on the back of your strawberry print laptop case. The case was a joke gift from Eve to tease you about Chaeyoung but you still made use of it.

As if this couldn’t get any worse than it already was Genesis took this time to completely slip one of the most embarrassing things. “She even has Chaeyoung photocards on her computer at home!”

You slowly turned, your face turning red “Genesis-ahhh! Stop embarrassing meeeee!” You whined to your member in English. You did your best to hide behind Sora as the rest of your members laughed.

The MC and Jisu said “Ok ok enough teasing Y/N.” The rest of the episode you noticed Chaeyoung stealing small glances at you, blushing whenever you noticed.

At the end of the episode when cameras stopped rolling you were approached by Chaeyoung. She asked “hey can I have your phone number, we should hang out sometime.” You nodded and said “y-yeah definitely.” Before slipping your number to her and she did the same for you.

Your members held it together until getting into the car when they all started teasing you again. Your manager simply laughing along as you whined asking him to punish them for embarrassing you. You told them “Ok but if you all ever do that again, especially you Lani. I’m running my dirty socks on your pillows!” They laughed and agreed not to pull a stunt like that again, but you were grateful because you did have your crush’s phone number.

[makarov-my-beloved]

Watch Dogs: Legion x AmRev

@burgoyned Chapter 6 pumped out in an hour lol. Not sure if it's any better but feel free to share your thoughts ^^

Chapter 6: Keep Calm and Resist

André sat in front of his computer browsing through the information from the damaged Spiderbot. As he sat there pondering, Howe and Burgoyne chatted about the easiest road leading to Royal London Hospital. After hearing about increased Albion security in the streets (i.e. more fighter drones patrolling the streets), Bagley suggested a more covert way of reach the destination. “Best case scenario would just take a taxi there so that way you won’t be under the radar,” he said as he closed the map. “I’m up for whatever. You wanna come with me, André?” Howe asked the hacker. André shrugged. “I guess. I’m finding some disrupted data that needs to be cleaned up.” “I can take care of that,” Bagley chimed in. Howe looked at his phone. The time reads 10:15 PM. “If we head there now, there shouldn’t any workers present. Most likely security guards, but they can be taken care of.”

“Ok. We’ll be off. Don’t do anything stupid, Burgoyne,” warned André. The playwriter held his hands up yet said nothing. Both André and Howe left the Safehouse and walked into The Earl’s Fortune where they found the pub mostly empty except for a few patrons sitting at the lounge smoking and chatting. Clinton sat at the bar with Hanger discussing current events. The bartender looked up and smiled. “Y’all out for a night exploration?” “Of course. London looks beautiful at night. We’ll be back shortly.” “Sure thing. And do be careful Albion is everywhere tonight,” Clinton said. André gave his friend a reassuring smile before leaving the pub with Howe. Using his phone, the fighter flagged down a taxi. He climbed into the driver’s seat with the hacker in the passengers. Tossing his bag into the back, Howe began setting up the GPS route to the Royal London Hospital. “This shouldn’t be too long of drive….15 minutes. Sounds reasonable enough,” he said as he shifted into drive. “Methinks that the hospital is going to be heavily secured tonight,” André muttered while watching an Albion guard detain a civilian on the street. Howe looked over and shook his head. Around 10:30 PM, the men pulled up to the Royal London Hospital.

It was to be expected; guards patrolled the entrance of the hospital, including the driveway where ambulances are parked. Making his way towards the front entrance, Howe and André put on their masks and hid behind a brick wall. The hacker pulled out his phone and almost immediately pinged, directing the signal to a nearby ctOS fighter drone. We could use the drone to clear the guards. Hacking the drone, André began piloting it inside the main entrance where Albion guards are stationed and proceeded to take the guards down one by one. Howe watched with curiosity as the hacker pointed the drone towards a guard on the second floor before he prodded his friend. “I see the data machine look!” he hissed. There was a black box located right behind the guard which made the mission more convenient than they both thought. André shot the guard then flew the drone close to the machine. “Alright. Wait…” he stopped. Howe became confused. “What happened?” he asked. “Someone seemed to have cleared the data from the machine. The drone isn’t picking up anything.” “

“Do they know we were coming then?” “Not sure. But no data is coming from that box.” It was then Bagley pinged their earpiece. “It appears that someone has already hacked the data from the file server. I do believe there is backup storage stored somewhere on the other side. See if you can find something.” “Copy that. Alright.” André piloted the drone to the front of the hospital. There are several stories; each floor containing rooms of many patients as well as nurses and doctors working night shifts. Outside, the balcony floors were devoid of any sign of life, except for a few hospital workers. Gently flying the drone away from the windows, André finally located the backup file storage sitting on the fourth-floor balcony. “Second time the charm here we go…” He flew the drone towards the black box only for the phone to be suddenly disconnected.

Frustrated, André attempted to reconnect his phone back towards the drone. He successfully regained control only to see part of it damaged. “Oh God, who could it be now?” he groaned. Tilting the drone to the side, both men saw another fighter drone next to them. “What the...GET OUT OF HERE!!” André snarled and attempted to shoot it. He was unlucky. The other drone dodged the laser and proceeded to shoot the ctOS drone, destroying it. The phone signaled a loss of connection. Bagley pinged again. “It seems that someone has gained access to the backup storage. Looks like all the data are cleared from this location.” “DAMMIT!! Ok, what about St. Thomas could you check on that?” André said, giving Howe an incredulous look. The fighter shook his head. A moment of silence conveyed until Bagley spoke up. “Unfortunately I was unable to locate any data worth recovering from there. And don’t bother attempting Guy Hospital, that one was long cleared.” “Fuck! Ok, well appreciate your help, Bagley.” “Certainly. You should probably get back. Lord Germain has now issued a curfew at midnight.” Both men growled at that name. “We’ll be sure to head back,” André responded, tapping his earpiece. They both got up and walked towards their car only to notice a message clipped to their windshield. Howe took of his Ded Coronation mask, tossed it into the taxi, and started reading the note. André slid next to him. “What does the note say?” “It’s not a note,” Howe whispered. Staring at the paper, André read out loud the message:

Hey DedSec,

~~~~~~~~~C@N’T F1ND WH@T Y0U’R€ L00K!NG F0R? B€TT€R LUCK N€XT T1M€~~~~~~~~(8>

“DeFaLT”

“ ‘DeFaLT’? The Polish black hacker and well-known DJ? HOLY CRAP YES!!” André’s eyes lit up like fireworks. “Have you heard any of his songs Billy? He’s got helluva a collection.” His enthusiasm was not shared by his friend, who was staring at the paper with a blank expression. “William? Is everything ok?” the hacker asked, concerned. “Huh? Oh, nothing…it’s just…” Howe stopped. Defalt. Richard loves that man just like André. Even learned to hack like him. Could it be…? The fighter shoved the paper into his jacket before entering the taxi. André got into the passenger seat, head swimming with mixed emotions.

The drive back to the pub was extremely quiet. André wanted to continuously share his enthusiasm about his favorite artist but couldn’t since Howe was not in the mood to converse. They arrived back at The Earl’s Fortune. Few patrons still sat by the fireplace, conversing over the news while Hanger poured drinks to a few customers at the bar. Entering the passcode, Howe and André returned to the Safehouse where Howe tossed his bag onto the desk next to Bagley and walked towards the broken down train converted into a bar. Clinton, who was sitting on the leather couch tuned into his headphones while browsing his laptop, looked up and saw André standing there with a glum look on his face. He took his headphones off, placed his laptop on the couch before getting up to comfort the hacker. “What’s the matter? Got busted by Albion?” “No. It’s something else…” André said quietly. Bagley spoke up. “Every hospital record has been taken by someone. Not sure whom it may be, but it seems that person knows what we’re up to.” “A spy? Well well guess we’ll have to watch our backs,” Clinton said, sighing in disbelief. Howe finally emerged from the train and pulled out the note from his pocket.

“This is what I found on the taxi we drove. Looks like someone was playing ‘DeFaLT’ and got to us before we could.” Clinton took the note and stared at it. “My God it looks as if someone is trying to cosplay as an actual hacker, writing a note like that.” He turned it over to find nothing else. “Probably some kid on the street who thinks it’s funny to play games like this.” Clinton handed back the paper. “In any case, we’ll need to cover our tracks more discretely from now on.” Howe looked back at the paper. “We may have to. Although I do plan on paying a visit to the Royal Navy shipyard tomorrow.” “How so?” Clinton inquired. “I have a hunch….but I could be wrong….that my brother wrote this message. He could be trailing us.” “Richard? That guy hasn’t spoken to you in ages how could he possibly emerge from the shadows like this? It doesn’t make any sense,” André pointed out. Howe sighed. “Look, I’m going to the navy quarters to find out. Y’all wouldn’t mind coming with me?”

“Why certainly. Hmm, where is Burgoyne?” “He’s in the training room trying to ‘jack himself up.’ “ Clinton grunted. Bagley snickered. “As if that’s not the only thing he’s ‘jacking up’ on.” “DAMMIT BAGLEY!!” Clinton yelled as everyone burst out laughing. Exhausted, André slid onto his gamer chair before tossing his black DedSec jacket onto the table. His white shirt displayed the fox logo of DedSec in blue highlights, matching his black cargo pants. Stretching, André leaned back and closed his eyes. Who could be playing Defalt? Hmm...Mission Complete.

[notalwaysthevillian]

My Whirlpool of a Life

Ships: Kaminari/OC

Word Count: ~2.k

I will not be doing a tag list for this fic.

Masterlist

Chapter 5: Hero Costume

My phone chimed the next morning, making me groan. It was definitely before my alarm was set to go off.

Reaching over, I turned the screen on, wincing as the bright light filled the room.

1 New Email From: Power Loader We’ve received your hero costume if you want to pick it up before class. I’ll be in the Studio all day, whenever you want to pick it up.

Suppressing a squeal, I jumped out of bed and got ready as fast as possible. Grabbing some toast, I ran over to the Development Studio.

“Mr. Power Loader?” I called out as I walked in.

An explosion to my left had me throwing up a wall of water as a protective measure. Smoke filled the air, making me cough.

“That wasn’t supposed to happen!” A female voice yelled. “My baby will work! I know she will!”

“Hatsume, can we keep the explosions to a minimum until after lunch?”

The air cleared, revealing Power Loader and a girl with pink hair looking over some kind of…cannon? I wasn’t really sure what I was looking at.

“Yes, sir!”

The girl noticed me then, her face brightening. “I’m Mei Hatsume! If you need any new toys, let me know!”

She went back to working on her invention, without waiting for me to say anything.

“I’m Nami Kota, um -”

“Oh, you’re here for your costume!” Hatsume darted off to the back, Power Loader on her heels.

“Hatsume!”

“I’ve got it!”

She ran back out, a case in her hands. “Don’t worry, I haven’t had a chance to add anything to it. But I can if you want anything!”

I couldn’t help but marvel at her energy. “I’ll be sure to let you know, but I’m gonna try this out first.”

“Wait! You’re going to Training, right? Why don’t you try it on?”

“Sure!”

I changed into the suit, loving the way it felt. I’d gone for a basic black bodysuit, though I’d asked for it to be water resistant. There was a blue vest overtop of it, that I could use as a life vest in an emergency. A white belt around my waist could hold extra water. I filled it up, frowning at how sloshy it was.

The shoes felt nice though, made for being in the water, but also had the same form as sneakers.

I showed it off to Hatsume, who had a hand on her chin.

“I could fix the belt. The way it is now, it could throw you off balance. If we section it into smaller portions, it wouldn’t slosh as much.”

“Oh that would be great!”

Hatsume reached over and unclipped the belt. “Shouldn’t take more than a day!”

“Thanks! Here, let me give you my number and you can text me when it’s done?”

By the time I’d gotten everything all cleared with Hatsume and Power Loader, I had to race to get to class on time. Everyone was already gathered as I walked in the door.

“Oh, your hero outfit is amazing!” Hagakure squealed. “Super cute!”

Momo nodded. “Cute and functional.”

I caught Kaminari staring at me and winked. He blushed instantly. “It looks - you look…it’s great!”

Training started, mostly the same as yesterday. I was mostly there with what I was calling Geyser, but I still had the occasional slip up that would either shoot me way too far into the air or not high enough.

The third time I landed on Midnight by not going high enough, she laughed. “Alright, you need to work on hitting that sweet spot in your power level.”

Glancing around at my classmates, I winced. I knew exactly who I should ask.

Midnight caught my look. “He would be able to help you out.”

We continued on with practice until the end of class. Midnight gave me a smile as she left, as well as a “good luck”.

We all headed to the main campus buildings for our next classes. It took me all day to work up the courage to ask what I needed to.

As we went back to the dorms, I took my chance. I quickened my pace, keeping in step with Kirishima and using him as a buffer between me and Mr. Explosion.

I waited for a lull in their conversation before clearing my throat. “Hey, Bakugo?”

“What, extra?” He snapped, whipping his head toward me.

I threw my hands up in front of me. “Um, nevermind.”

“Just spit it out already.”

“How do you control your power output so well when you’re flying? I’ve been trying to figure out my power levels and I’m not getting the hang of it.” The words would’ve kept coming and I would’ve continued to ramble if he hadn’t spoken.

“It’s like making sure your volume isn’t too loud when you’re listening to music.” He twisted his hand in the air, as though he was turning a dial up and down. “You’ve gotta make your own marking of how much in your mind, and remember.”

“That makes a lot of sense, thanks!”

Bakugo looked around, seeing everyone staring at him. “Whatever.”

Then he sped up, dragging Kirishima with him and leaving me behind.

“Wow, I’m surprised he didn’t blow you up.” Kaminari whispered, linking our fingers together again. “I was sure I’d be a widow.”

“That’s if we’re married.” I couldn’t help but giggle. “And you’re not getting rid of me that easily.”

“Good. I kinda like you.”

The night passed like the previous one had, with the study group meeting and then everyone having dinner together. We had some time afterwards to relax and do our own thing, so I headed out into the back to practice just a little bit more.

I nearly slipped down icy steps, thankful when an arm grabbed me to keep me upright.

“Sorry.” Todoroki waved his left hand, steaming the ice off of the steps.

I activated my own quirk, swirling the steam in front of me and then breathing out, making it look as though the steam was coming from me. “Look, I’m a dragon.”

“Don’t dragons breathe fire?”

“Well, I can’t do that, but you could.”

Todoroki smiled ever so slightly. “Maybe that should be my special move.”

“It would probably burn your throat though.” I pointed out, seeing him nod. “What are you doing out here, freezing the steps? Trying to hurt your classmates to get to the top?”

He looked appalled. “I would never do that.”

“Sorry, that was a joke.” I rubbed the back of my neck. “Not very funny I guess. But what are you doing?”

“Practicing.” Todoroki waved his right hand again, freezing the grass instead of the steps we were standing on. “When I’m a pro, I might not get as much downtime. I’ve got to get used to it.”

“Todoroki, no.” I put a hand on his arm. “It means you need to savor the moments when you do have downtime. If you practice constantly, you’ll overwork yourself.”

He looked at me, his bi-colored eyes staring me down. “Am I wrong in saying that you came out here to practice too?”

I opened my mouth, before closing it again. “Okay, but that’s different. I was just going to work for a little bit and then go back in again. Actually, could I take you up on your offer? I think my quirk is probably the closest to yours.”

“Based on Midoriya’s notes, I’d say so.”

My head snapped up. “You read his notes?”

“He was offering, and they’re very thorough.” Todoroki took a step back. “Can you demonstrate your quirk? It’ll be easier to help if I see it in action.”

Taking in a deep breath, I focused on the frozen grass in front of me. The ice melted, turning to water as I held my hand out. I pulled it towards me, leaving it swirling around my feet. “Once it’s close enough, it’s basically an extension of me. I’m the best at using it to shield, but we’d started on combat before I came here.”

Todoroki looked at me for a second, before tilting his head. “Copy this.”

He threw his right arm out, creating a small ice wall that separated the yard in half. It was smaller than the one I’d seen at the sports festival, which meant he was holding back. Probably because we were at the dorm.

I threw my arm out, the water slicing through the grass, leaving a divot in the ground. As soon as I put my arm down, the wall fell, the water swirling back to me.

“Faster.”

“What?”

He walked around behind me, adjusting my fingers. “Like this. If you make it move faster, you’ll be able to push people away quicker. You seem like more of a long ranged fighter, like me.”

I repeated the action, the water moving with the same force as my whip. “Cool!”

“We should train together more. It would be beneficial for both of us.”

A cough came from behind us. I turned to see Kaminari standing in the doorway. “Todoroki, why is your arm around her?”

I hadn’t even realized his arm was still on mine. I stepped away from him, heading towards my clearly jealous boyfriend. “It wasn’t anything, he was helping me out with some practice is all. Our quirks are the same, just different elements.”

“I am not interested in her.” 

The bluntness of his words made me start laughing. “Damn, Todoroki, tell me how you really feel.”

“I just did.”

An arm slid around my waist, and Kaminari pulled me close. “Nothing happened?”

“I promise.” My lips met Kaminari’s cheek, making him blush again. “I kinda like you, not Todoroki.”

The other boy looked at us blankly. “You only kind of like each other? Shouldn’t you love each other?”

Kaminari started to sputter, unable to explain. My cheeks burned, but I was able to speak. “Well, at some point. Hopefully. But we’re still getting to know each other and everything. The ‘kind of like you’ thing is a joke.”

“I see.”

He walked past us, heading inside. Kaminari’s brain caught up to his mouth as soon as Todoroki was gone. “You know I really like you right?”

“I really like you too.” I said with a giggle. The giggling intensified when Kaminari started kissing my forehead and my cheeks. “Come on, we’re gonna get in trouble if we’re out here too late.”

“Maybe I’m a troublemaker.”

“Not today you’re not.”

I dragged him inside, sitting down on the couch next to Mina. He sat on my other side, dragging me into his lap.

I gave him a look. “What’s that for?”

“Now more people can fit on the couch.” He flashed me a grin, arms pulling me as close as possible. “And I get to hold you. Win-win.”

“Get a room!” Jirou called out, fake gagging. But I could see her hiding a smile.

Kaminari nuzzled into my shoulder. “We could.”

“No, absolutely not.” I slipped off his lap, back onto the couch. I maneuvered his arm around my waist instead.

“What, never been kissed before?” Mina teased, poking my side.

I rolled my eyes. “I have, thank you very much.”

“What?”

I glanced over at Kaminari. “Bug, I dated someone before you.”

“Bug?”

“Lighting Bug, just...shorter.”

He grinned, before remembering what I’d just said. “Do I know him?”

I raised an eyebrow. “Did I say it was a him?”

“WHAT?”

My classmates were all staring at me now. I flushed under the attention. “Yeah, I like guys and girls. But there was a boyfriend before you.”

Mina jumped to her feet. “Okay, we’re playing Never Have I Ever, right now. If you want to play, circle up.”

[vaguely-concerned]

I rewatched the mandalorian episode 8 and boy have I got feels for you

- lol gideon’s callouts to all of them though... you have ‘hey cara remember how we blew up your entire planet and killed your fellow soldiers’ and ‘hey din djarin yeah I know who you are lol the mysterious stranger thing doesn’t work on me remember how we apparently murdered a bunch of mandalorian children in one night’ (that’s how I’m taking ‘mandalorian recruits’ anyway) and then finally there’s just ‘greef karga. you’re really old enough to know better.’ 

- oh bb!din doesn’t cry at any point during the whole flashback :((( bb boy. he’s of course terrified but there are no tears. I’m guessing he’s in shock/dissociated the entire time. (probably also due to having a child actor but I think it makes a lot of sense in-universe too! to put on my trauma hat for a moment he’s always read to me as a combined freeze/flight type; he either dissociates or loses himself in work. I suppose he got started early) 

- the look on Papa Djarin’s (I mean I assume) face as tiny din reaches out for him and he knows he has to turn away and leave to save him :) exquisite burning agony

I still wonder so much what his parents did for a living. those red robes look almost like uniforms/religious garb to me or it might of course just be the fashion in this place, people in the background seem to be wearing similar things. 

- I LOVE the mando who saves him as a kid because that’s apparently the same actor who’s in the mando suit when it’s not pedro pascal or another stuntman (brendan wayne, I think it is?) so it gives this wonderful feeling that you get now where a lot of din’s body language and general bearing comes from but there’s also just enough difference that it’s clearly another person. with din there’s always this edge of reserve and a slight stiffness no matter how relaxed he is, and this guy has the same basic steadiness as him but seems a bit more open just from these few short shots. (there might be a little bit of character design in this as well -- din’s shoulder pauldrons are naturally uh ‘higher’ than this guy’s, who has smoother/flatter and more rounded shapes, giving the feeling of shoulders just slightly raised and relaxed down respectively)

it’s nice to see the mandos as a protective force even if they have the death watch symbol there to make you go ‘?!?!?!’, there wasn’t a lot of that in clone wars but it’s an ill wind and so on I guess 

- this confused jawa looking at the dead stormtroopers is everything. don’t worry you’re doing amazing sweetie

- the context for why din picks up the e-web (channeling the spirit of baze malbus, a man who also didn’t let the fact that his weapon was really meant to be mounted on a tank stop him :’) ) makes it even better: he sees that IG-11 has the baby and that he’s getting overwhelmed and he literally grabs the biggest gun he can find and goes to town to let him get away.  

- “I haven’t heard that name spoken since I was a child” ooof but also what are the logistics of that? I’m wondering if it might be the ‘Djarin’ part, if that’s his family name? maybe there hasn’t been a use for that among the mandos? surely someone has needed to call him by name somehow at some point in the last 30+ years lol

- one of the reasons gideon works so well as a villain is that he can get past the beskar. he knows exactly how to kill mandalorians because he’s done it before. he’s not only a huge threat emotionally -- he wants the baby and he’s done some fucked up shit to din’s culture -- he’s also one of the few people who can nullify the physical protection of our main boi in the helmet. and that scares me. because he’s my dad and I love him.

- I’m fairly sure din is properly unconscious for almost half a minute there. (which is very very bad. always go see a doctor if you lose consciousness after hitting your head if an IG unit with appropriate training and equipment is not on hand)   

- baby yoda passing out after doing one (admittedly spectacular) thing is a wholeass mood, #same buddy ilu 

- din is the first person to explicitly call the baby a foundling ;____;

- poor cara she’s already lost so much and her new bro is trying to convince her to let him throw himself on any sword made available to him. (I do love that neither she nor IG-11 buy mando’s bullshit for a moment here tho lol they’re openly saying they’ll take him with them anyway while he’s listening) 

- oh. oh din starting to jumble his words even as the gun remains rock steady in his hand is hitting me really hard this time. ow.

- I think the baby can sense din and IG coming (he gives a little sound right before they show up) 

- when cara checks in with him in the tunnel she touches her fingers to his chest so very lightly and he almost falls over backwards sdfaksdljhf

- well he definitely is trembling while picking up that helmet from the pile. so have fun knowing that with me 

it’s so messed up too because there’s not that many of them left; he’s all but guaranteed to have known every single one of them. 

- this image of him on his knees in front of this pile of the empty armor of the dead feels. I don’t know how to describe it but like a repeat. like he has been here before, this isn’t the first time and it’s hitting him all over again. (considering how things have been going for the mandos recently that might very well be true too. metaphorically this is essentially what’s going on in the background of the entire show, anyway. Friends I think mando Saw Some Shit during the night of a thousand tears or a similar event) 

maybe what gives me this feeling is how clearly he is in another time in some way during this part, before the armorer diagnoses him with Dad and brings him properly back. he’s trying to send them away with the baby, who’s like. basically the symbol of his will to live at this point. “I can’t leave it this way”, he can’t leave the dead behind and be alive, some part of him wants to stay with them. 

you can see this from how he talks about the baby too: in the scene where he’s hurt and trying to get them to leave he consistently calls him the child or the baby (not to mention the first foundling we get!) and focuses very specifically on keeping him safe. in this triggered state the baby briefly becomes it again and he doesn’t even mention him, he just tells them to take his ship and leave. in that moment all he wants to do is fight and probably die on behalf of those who are already gone. (I think bessel van der kolk has called PTSD ‘a profound loyalty to that which is lost’ or something like that. that rings very true to me here)  

the talk with the armorer is basically a very short debate between ol’ coping mechanism!din being like ‘hey I just remembered before all this I was doing my very best to work myself to an early and likely shallow grave, I should get back to that’ and Papa Wolf!din being like ‘except this is my son so we’re not doing that we’re gonna have to improvise something new on the fly here’. bless. 

(all of this is so subjective and probably me reading things into it that don’t really exist so don’t quote me on any of this but his anger at greef karga sounds to me like that of a younger, emotionally rawer man too, it’s so openly hurt and... active? I guess? these days when he gets angry he seems to tend more towards getting deathly quiet. then again this is one of the most genuinely upsetting things in the whole show so it could just be that)  

- hahahahahaha greef rests his hand on his gun before he follows them into the armorer’s workshop; it would seem he did not think it guaranteed either she or maybe especially mando wouldn’t try to shoot him  

- the way the armorer’s voice gains a brightness/warmth when she sees the child! the mandalorian ‘protect babies’ instinct in action haha, she’s like ‘oh this is why you did this bugfuck insane thing. perfectly reasonable, keep up the good work’.  the foundlings are the future is not just lip service it really is a central tenet of their culture even when it’s inconvenient 

there’s this sense that... in the face of his hurt she’s basically telling him to go be alive, to raise this child, to choose surviving and healing. I think she understands him very very well, I wonder how long they’ve known each other. (she had the mould for his signet ready <3)

- he sounds so crestfallen and lost when he asks if the baby is an enemy. and then she’s just fondly like ‘no it’s your son you absolute dummy’ and he’s like ‘...yeah I know’ 

- I. love that in these scenes he’s hurt (and not just physically) and other people are there to carry the baby until he can pick him up at the end fully as a father would.  

- I have talked about it before but I must restate how hilarious and endearing I find it that mando conscientiously leans the thing he tries to pry the boat loose with against the wall again while cara shoots the place up. one is never too busy to mind one’s manners. (this scene really showcases each of the characters too. greef: just keep fuckn pushing! mando: briefly kicks the thing with a growl then tries attacking the problem from a new angle. cara: GUN.) 

- oh the absolute sweetness of how IG says “And you will live”. there’s so much emotion in his droid voice there and all of it is peaceful and affectionate. I agree with din IG don’t goooooooo don’t leave us we need an adult

I keep whispering ‘pls someone think to shield the baby’s eyes’ through my tears in this scene, he didn’t need to see that happen D:

- I really need to repeat that despite what IG-11 says, he goes ahead with his plan anyway even though mando never satisfies his ‘programming’s’ demand. droid’s got free will and a huge big heart Y___________Y anyway... droid rights in the star wars universe when (...it would be very funny if din became embroiled in that fight somehow after this, oh how the turntables) 

- another continuity error: mando puts the jetpack on, then we get a shot of cara shooting and he’s standing there with it in his hands again haha. unless he realized he put it on upside down the first time around or something that seems unlikely. (he’s also lying in slightly different positions between cuts in the scene where IG-11 heals him, but that’s so small and subtle I don’t even really count it) 

- the jetpack scene is a beautiful encapsulation of din’s fighting style. he flails and gets jerked around a lot. he nearly blows himself up. I don’t think he’s fully in control of anything that whole time. and yet he gets the job done yet again. a disaster, but a glorious disaster still standing at the end of it all. one simply must stan. 

- a) I think din remembered how to take off better than he remembered how to land haha and b) BABY’S HAPPY LITTLE FACE WATCHING HIS DAD COME BACK DOWN c) THE BABY & MANDO MUSIC PLAYING WHEN DIN NOTICES THE BABY CLUTCHING HIS LEG *elmo surrounded by flames gif* (it’s a calmer/more grounded version of the same song that plays when they have that moment of connection right before the other mandos come to the rescue in ep 3 and also a few other times)

- baby’s joyful little trilling sound when his dad turns his head to check on him 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 and he strokes the cape with such contentment because it’s a safe familiar texture because this is his dAD (officially and legally too now, mandalorian-wise :’) im so happy)

- the unsympathetic comedy stormtroopers at the beginning could conceivably have survived (if not uh happily lol). if they become a recurring duo who show up and get more and more screwed every time I wouldn’t be mad haha

- I support these jawas in everything they do, I feel a great kinship with these lil goblins 

- anyway I love this show so much and I hope season 2 is good too and knows it holds my fragile heart in its hands