#maybe other people would like him more....on the other hand maybe i'll regret selling him....

[chalkscrub]

rare wip of a new guy - anyone else take shitty photos of stuff they’re working on to stare at on their phone or just me?

[ghostcathedrals]

daddy issues toji whom you've bought lunch for because apparently him asking you to buy him lunch wasn't a joke. by a weird coincidence, you crossed the street when you saw him on your way to eat lunch during your 3-hour free time before your next class and then ofc he wouldn't reject your offer bc hey free food

the restaurant you're eating at has mostly glass pane for walls, so you have enough natural light when you study after eating. your table is big enough so it's not cramped when you're eating and studying. he steals your textbook away from your grasp bc apparently you look weird staring at your book while studying and your posture is very depressing. he's scooping food for himself while skimming through the semi-glossy pages of your textbook because he isnt that interested in reading all that shit in a ridiculously small font.

you finish eating ahead of him. "dunno why i'm still reading thick books like that when i'll amount to nothing anyway."

"you will amount to something."

"i won't."

"then you won't," he bluntly replies, skimming through your notes because somehow it's entertaining to him why you also write in ridiculously small font. "pessimism got me nowhere. besides, you're still reading this dumb book with small font. if you won't amount to nothing then you would've decided to drop out."

touché. perhaps his experience told him that. and maybe while you're still there, you shouldn't waste your opportunity like him. but he doesn't regret dropping out, it's just that his life path now would be extremely different from before. what he said rendered you silent.

but then he shuts your notebook and takes his last sip from the glass of cold water next to his empty plates. then stands up. "gotta go kid. gotta fix cars of ungrateful rich people." you look up at him, slightly dumbfounded, because you don't want him to leave so soon. you don't want to be alone for the next 1.5 hours. you guys barely talked because you were both busy eating. but you also know he has a life and you don't know him enough to demand more time with him.

what you do remember is this:

you asked him his age. "twenty-seven." you tell yours. "twenty-two."

the university he dropped out from is your university now. he didn't say anything but he did say his family hated him for dropping out esp because he's got potential and his father is current big boss of their family's business. since then, they never cared about him anymore. that's all he said and continued eating.

you asked why he's a fushiguro now and not a zen'in. he shrugged. "for the vibes." but that also meant because he didn't want to be associated with them anymore.

there's also this:

"my father left me because he said he's tired of playing the father figure as if our entire life was just a sitcom to him that he could just exit from," you told him.

he flipped a page, not looking up to face you. "i didn't ask."

rude?! you frowned. "excuse me?"

toji then looked up and even if it was merely just eye contact, you felt your gut twist. "i didn't ask you to say that type of stuff. it's personal and we barely know each other."

"you told me about your family," you retorted.

he scoffed. "because i have a habit of talking shit about them. 'bit refreshing." then he leaned back on his chair, hands on the back of his head. "and i don't care about whatever you'll do with that information."

"then that goes with my decision to open up, too."

he pressed his lips together for a brief moment and lean back closer to the table. "you're wasting your time. i dont give a fuck about what will happen about me if i share that much. you've still something for you, kid. don't trust strangers too much."

"you're not a stranger to me anymore."

"yeah?" he sarcastically smiles. "and what if i steal your shit when you go to the restroom and sell them online?"

you crossed your arms. "then i'll go to the restroom." you did without a second thought and didn't even let him react. you put your hands on the corners of the sink nervously. if he would steal your shit, then goddammit. but you were too tired for anything. same old academic burden, same old messy apartment. same old deadbeat father, same old careless mother.

with all the courage you had left, you went out of the restroom, only to see none of your shit taken and he's just reading your notes. "you can't just test someone's vanity like that, kid."

"if you're gonna be a fucking scum then, can't you just do it now just like every pther guy, just like my father?"

and before he stood up to refill his water, he replied with, "don't have the evil to do that to you, kid. i'd be fine with getting free food from you when you cry like a baby in the middle of the night."

and now he's leaving.

"do you wanna hang out again some other time?"

since he's standing up and you're sitting down. he looks down at you and ruffles your hair. "you don't deserve that. go back to your campus and study there."

as he exits the restaurant, you bite your lip in slight frustration. "he can't tell me what i deserve and what i don't."

this is gonna be a whole ass series atp.... would anybody be interested with a playlist for this

[pico-digital-studios]

Into, Across and Beyond! Scripting: Fall of an NU

CONTENT WARNING: Various use of swears, controversial topics surrounding the NU and JaizKoys

(All mockups by @becdoesthings)

In the "Prime" version of the NU, Rosy was nervously walking along the Blood Temple, headed past a few columns. Around the third one was where Sark Cream was peeking out of, spying on her.

Sark Cream: And what do we have here? Seems like that little fucker is trying to run away from the Master once more. Well, she is going to regret it.

She followed as a portal opened, with EV!Sonic and EV!Sark coming out of the portal.

EV!Sark: She's headed that way!

EV!Sonic: Right. Let's move it!

Rosy kept walking before hearing Sark Cream call.

Sark Cream: Heya, you freak!

Rosy (thinking): O-Oh, no! She's here! ... Okay, keep calm... The help you heard was coming should be here soon...

Sark Cream: Trying to run away again, eh? You really are an idiot if you think you can escape us! One day, you'll really run out of luck-

On cue, EV!Sark bowled her over as EV!Sonic also showed up.

EV!Sonic: Enough of that, brat!

Sark Cream: What the...? (sees them both) A faker of my master AND a Sonic? And who the hell do YOU think you are? You aren't my master, for all I care! HAHAHAHAHA!

EV!Sark: Doesn't matter to me, "Pearl". You're just a harlot doing nothing but seek attention, all because your disgrace of a mother tried to sell you on the market for more lust!

Sark Cream/"Pearl" Prime: I'm 18, you dumb fuck!

EV!Sark: Funny. I remember you were originally 16, and you sure as hell don't look like you're that age. It doesn't help your case at all!

"Pearl" Prime: Oh, you're gonna get it now! MASTER!!!

Sark (off-screen): What could you possibly want now?

Rosy: H-Here he comes...

EV!Sonic held her hand, the world around them temporarily dimming and time stopping around them.

Rosy: Huh? What happened?

EV!Sonic: Just a temporary time stop spell I put in. While it's active, I just want to know how you are here.

Rosy: N-Not really happy... Sark put me through hell from day one, and I've b-been despised in every sense of the word by my own "friends"...

EV!Sonic: Urgh, of course Sark Prime would be a rapist. They're the kind of people I feel deserve nothing but erasure from the multiverse.

Rosy: I... I've always felt so helpless in the midst of it all, e-even when Exetior planned to t-take me in...

EV!Sonic: Honestly? You deserve a LOT better than what that monster put you through. You managed to save others before now, but what about yourself? Do you really want to go on suffering, or do you want to take a stand and seek true happiness again?

Rosy: (talking to herself) Maybe... Maybe this Sonic's right. Plus, the Sark he came with doesn't sound anywhere near as much of a monster as my own... How long would I have to wait otherwise? (to EV!Sonic) Okay! I'm up for it.

EV!Sonic: Heh, that's the spirit. Once this is over, I'll get you escorted to a much safer location where we can get you treated and restored to a stable condition again.

The time spell wore off as Sark arrived.

Sark: Oh, Rosy... What am I gonna do with you? You keep on running away from me to side with Exetior, and now you are siding with another Sonic and an impostor?! You are really gonna get it now!

Rosy: (Now or never... Now or never...)

She got back up, genuine hatred for Sark present as she glared at him and Sark Cream bitterly.

Rosy: Listen up, Sark! I've become SICK of you and your egotistical crimes! All you care about is getting everyone horny, including minors like Tails and Cream! You're a disgusting piece of filth who only cares about himself!

EV!Sark: Yeah! And can we talk about your "creator" for a second? Yeah, THAT guy! Can I mention that he took advantage of Yuri, a minor, and KNEW what he was doing?! He didn't care about it, he just kept them for the role! And when they ditched Jaiz, his whiteknight, Merfy, said that it was their problem, not his! He blames anyone but himself for his mistakes, and refuses to actually learn from them!

Rosy: In that regard... This whole world has become a wasteland! Fake escapism from some non-threat! And I'm ready to tear it all apart, whether you like it or not!

Exetior (off-screen): What is with all this ruckus going on?!

Exetior walked into the frame as EV!Sonic and EV!Sark turned their attention to him.

Exetior: Urgh... Of course it'd have to be a pair of hedgehogs and another Sark. You shouldn't get in my way of becoming THE most popular demon the world has ever seen! Every time I take an unexpected bump in the road, "retakes" like you try to take my crown away. Even if your own creator got to help Phaton out, he can't bother to be decent himself. So why don't you buzz off and get some [BEEP]ches, HUH?! Oh, wait! You don't have any, because nobody will ever remember you.

Rosy: You do realise someone I saw in a dream told me about him, right? Be up to date, Exetior!

EV!Sonic: Yeah, that's more nonsense coming out of your mouth than should be necessary! Do I have to remind you that you seem to find it an idea to turn into a glowing red squid whenever you need to show authority, because you can't stand being proven wrong?

A gong sound was heard as Exetior reacted in shock to that call-out.

EV!Sark: Aw, what's wrong... "your highness"? Are you upset that you're no longer on top of the world?

Another gong sound played.

EV!Sonic: Even the people who you persuaded to like you don't like you! Look at your Sark over there!

He pointed at Sark Prime, who was smirking like a moron.

EV!Sonic: Look at his clearly obvious grin. That's the face of somebody that plans to backstab you for taking one of his slaves from him. Don't tell me he's not plotting against you, because he is!

EV!Sark: Gee, what a baby.

A third gong sound was heard as Sark's smirk dropped and he reacted angrily to that insult.

Sark: What did you say, you bitch?!

EV!Sark: Well, too bad you two get all the hate, since I at least redeemed myself when the Tower of Millennium showed up! Maybe if what's left of your allies didn't promote zoophilia and paedophilia, you would've regained the audience that once looked up to you.

A fourth gong sound played.

EV!Sonic: Better yet, maybe your creator wouldn't have become a punching bag on social media if he actually did choose to redeem himself instead of tripping himself up every 5 minutes!

A fifth gong sound was heard as Exetior was starting to lose his temper.

EV!Sark: VENDETTA~!

Exetior's eyes closed as he showed an angry smile.

Exetior: Oh, you son of a gun...!

He began undergoing his breakdown seen in EXE-Line 4, his Highest appearance flashing behind him.

Exetior: You brazen and brainless idiots! Your insolence towards your God shall not go unpunished! I will shatter all of your bones in a split second, and leave nothing behind but ashes!

Sark Cream: Oh, you three punks asked for it now!

Exetior: You three will regret getting in my way! And all the traitors who joined your side will wish they hadn't DARED to oppose it!

EV!Sonic: See? You're literally proving my point, "Exterior"! You're guilty every step of the way!

Exetior changed into his semi-true form, his fury now in full force.

Exetior (roaring in fury): Insolent worms!!! You are ALL going to die here! I am a former Highest! I am an Arch-Demon of Sharpness! Chaos itself has made me stronger than all other Highests! I will not let you live to tell the tale!

EV!Sark: Try me, "Arch-Demon"!

Rosy: I'm ready to end you, you bratty rabbit!

Sark Cream: HAHAHAHAHA! This will be so much FUN!

EV!Sonic ran forward to deal with Exetior while Rosy turned her attention to her former master and ex-friend.

Rosy: I'm not afraid of you anymore, Sark! It's time to knock those teeth out of your ugly grin! Bring it on!

Sark: I'm gonna have SO much fun tearing you apart limb-by-limb! Let the fun begin!

He charged at Rosy, who quickly dodged and used her Piko Piko Hammer to clobber the pair. Elsewhere, Sark Sally heard the crash from the attack.

Sark Sally: Uh oh. Master Sark is in danger.

She rushed forward, seeing the chaos unfolding in the Blood Temple.

Sark Sally: Rosy is daring to rebel against the Master?! She is going to regret having made such a decision!

She ran to join the fight while EV!Sonic fought Exetior.

EV!Sonic: Sark, go deal with your "Prime" self! I'll take care of this freak!

EV!Sark: Right!

Sonic leapt up in the air after Exetior as he blew a hole in the ceiling.

EV!Sonic: Okay, Exetior! It's time to get serious. No jokes, no games!

He dodged each of Exetior's attacks.

EV!Sonic: Back in my dimension, I might be more tolerant of such things, but you made it personal with everything you stand for!

Exetior: You worthless scum! You are NOTHING before me! I am the supreme being here! You are just trying to dethrone me!

EV!Sonic: Shut it!

He kicked Exetior backwards as his Tails and Knuckles showed up.

Demonized Tails: Exetior!

Demonized Knuckles: What's going on?!

Exetior: There's a counterpart of Sark AND that vermin rodent trying to take away my position of authority! Deal with them, NOW!

Demonized Tails: Count on us, Exetior!

Demonized Knuckles: This will be easy!

They charged forward to get EV!Sonic.

EV!Sonic: Oh, boy. I really did not want to be fighting corrupted versions of my own friends.

Demonized Tails flew in the air and did a curl drop as Sonic avoided the attack.

EV!Sonic: Woah! Steady there!

Demonized Knuckles yelled as he charged at EV!Sonic, who leapt in the air and used his Enerbeam bracelet to catch them both and slam them to the ground.

Demonized Tails: Argh!

He saw Knuckles got badly injured from the attack.

Demonized Tails: Knuckles!

Demonized Knuckles: Be careful, Tails. This faker of Sonic... is strong.

Demonized Tails: Hey, you're tough too, Knucklehead! Get back up and let's fight!

He did just that.

Demonized Knuckles: Remind me to punch you for talking back at me after this is over. Right, I'll focus on the phony Sark while you halt this Sonic's tracks!

Knuckles used his Tornado attack to try and hit EV!Sark, though he teleported out of the way.

EV!Sark (impressed): Heh, not bad! I forgot how ample in combat you two are!

EV!Sonic held Demonized Tails back.

EV!Sonic: Cool it, Tails! This isn't about you! It's about your "boss"! We're here to see to it that your world has the happy ending it deserves!

Demonized Tails: You think I'd fall for your tricks?! Knuckles, NOW!

Knuckles charged up the attack again, this time aimed at EV!Sonic.

EV!Sark: Sonic, heads up!

He noticed and jumped out of the way in the nick of time, causing the attack to collide with Tails and send the two spinning away.

Demonized Tails: GAH! GET OFF OF ME!

In another part of the temple, Negagen and Pervision were present, hearing the commotion.

Negagen: What's happening here?

Pervision: Sounds like trouble-.

On cue, Exetior's two elites crashed right into a wall.

Pervision: What happened to you two?

They quickly got unstuck.

Demonized Tails: We have intruders in here, and Rosy's become a traitor to all of us. We have to exterminate them!

Demonized Knuckles: We'll need whatever you've got to stop this mess!

Pervision: Very well.

He summoned Boddys and Brally to his call.

Pervision: Go gather Robotnik's forces from Fatal Iron and bring them here in full force!

Demonized Knuckles: Right!

He went to do so as Negagen rushed forward to assist his master, freezing time around EV!Sonic.

Negagen: Master, now!

Exetior took the opening to attack Sonic in full brunt, throwing punches and kicks at him.

Exetior: You can unfreeze time now, Negagen.

He did so, causing EV!Sonic to fly into a wall. He quickly got unstuck, glaring at the Arch-Demon.

EV!Sonic: Okay! You've asked for it now!

He activated a phony voice message transmitted to, who else?

"Exetior" Voice: Exetior to the Highests! I am giving myself up! My location is Dimension NB-23!

Sonic held himself up, barely paying any mind to his black eye and bleeding mouth and smirking seeing Exetior, Negagen and Pervision all express shock and horror, now realising that their chance of victory had decreased rapidly.

Exetior: !!! How did you-?! What did you do?! They'll destroy this world, you idiot!

EV!Sonic: Heh, wrong! I've set in motion the stages to restore this world back to how it once was! Before you decided to start ruining it!

The temple started shaking in full-force. In the girls' room, the three girls could feel the tremors shaking the area.

Demonized Fleetway Amy: What's going on?!

Demonized Cream: Why is the room shaking so much?

Demonized Sally Nettle: I don't know, girls. But I heard fighting on the other side of the temple.

Demonized Amy: Oh, great... Is Sark involved in this mess this time?

Demonized Sally: I really hope not. With the way he's treated Rosy, I wouldn't be surprised-.

The room was starting to crumble as Cream rushed to Amy's side, hugging her in fear.

Demonized Cream: I'm scared, M-Miss Amy!

Demonized Sally: Should we do something about this?

Demonized Amy: We need to get out of here first!

And on cue, their bodies glowed white as they were warped out of the temple before the room caved in. Outside, EV!Sonic continued to fight off Negagen and Pervision, using his Enerbeam to catch various EXE clones and use them as living ammo against the pair.

Demonized Knuckles: Get over here, you freak!

Knuckles engaged in fist-to-fist combat with EV!Sonic as the walls of the Blood Temple began to collapse, revealing the night sky outside.

Demonized Knuckles: What did you do to this place?!

EV!Sonic: Calm down and I'll explain it to you and Tails!

Demonized Knuckles: The time is NOT for talk; only your death!

EV!Sonic: You really want to do this to a parallel of your best friend? Do you really want to prove him right about only caring about serving a bloodthirsty killer?!

Knuckles's eyes widened remembering his Sonic, giving EV!Sonic the chance to trip him up and knock him unconscious. Demonized Tails, seeing this, started snarling in anger as his inner demons began taking over his rational thinking.

Demonized Tails: YOU!!!!! You are going to REALLY regret this! I'm going to tear you apart until you become my next meal!

EV!Sonic: Uh oh... He's literally going feral!

EV!Sark: No doubt due to a fatal flaw Exetior exploited during the demonization process. Go calm him down while I rip apart Pervision's experiments and set their souls free!

EV!Sark rushed off as EV!Sonic did his best to handle Tails, avoiding each bite he tried to make into his flesh. Soon enough, he reluctantly slammed Tails into the floor, hurting him but calming him down.

EV!Sonic: I'm sorry, Tails. I had to do that to calm your primal instincts down.

Demonized Tails: You... fool... The Highests will soon get you, and stop you...

EV!Sonic knelt to his level.

EV!Sonic: Tails, look at me. The Highests aren't going to erase Mobius like Exetior let you on for. They're gonna recreate it without him there to torment you. You'll be together with Sonic in the next life, little buddy, don't worry.

Tails visualised when his Sonic had comforted him in a similar pose, fully calming down and accepting what was to come.

Demonized Tails: I... I guess so. We'll be there soon, Sonic. I promise.

He and Knuckles glowed white too as they were transported away from the temple to their new life. Back with EV!Sark, he managed to smash Brally through multiple Badniks as she screeched like a banshee, before dying out and her soul energy passing on. Demonized Eggman got bowled over in the crossfire, before he too was warped away.

Pervision: Their powers... are becoming much more powerful than ours! How does he do that?

EV!Sark: Simple. I've seen every trick in your books and torn them down! Your "Nightmare Universe" ends today!

He tore Boddys in two, freeing the souls of the Tails and Knuckles that got fused into the monster. Close by, Rosy continued her fight against Sark and his slaves, soon getting grabbed by Exetior who was furious about her betrayal.

Exetior: I did give you a chance to have happiness again, even if I was reluctant to be with you to begin with. I even aimed to provide you willing companionship!

Rosy: If you really want to change your ways, come with me! You can become a better person if you really want to!

Exetior: ...I was content with where I was, until those rodents decided to ruin it!

Rosy: They came here to save me for good!

Exetior: ... I should've known better than to try and intervene in those simulations.

Rosy's trust in Exetior finally broke as she reluctantly knocked him backwards for EV!Sonic to deal with, while she aimed to teach the monsters she could barely call "friends" what for.

After enough effort, EV!Sonic succeeded in overpowering Exetior and slamming him into the ground.

EV!Sonic: Nowhere to run now, demon!

He spin-dashed into Exetior, outright killing him while releasing NU!Sonic's soul into the skies for the world's recreation.

Elsewhere, Chaos Hunter/Junter was rushing through a variant of the Hidden Palace.

Junter: I must stop Exetior at all costs! That monster will pay. Pay for what he'd done to my friends-

He suddenly felt Exetior's death, freezing in shock before turning to dust and dying.

Back in the Blood Temple, Rosy had knocked Sark out cold and murdered Sark Sally, before turning her attention to Sark Cream.

Rosy: As for you...

Sark Cream: You're a selfish traitor, you know that?! No wonder Sark hated you! No wonder everyone hates you for who you-!

She got bashed by the hammer for that.

Rosy: Shut up, SHUT UP, SHUT UP!!!!

She used her hammer to leave a fracture on Sark Cream's head, before smashing her arm off.

Sark Cream: A-ARGH! STOP THIS, PLEASE!

Rosy didn't listen to her pleas for mercy, knowing she was getting what was coming to her for all the mistreatment she gave Amy over the years. By the time she was done, EV!Sonic had to pull her away to calm her down.

EV!Sonic: Leave it, leave it!

She took steady breaths, turning away from Sark Cream's bashed-in face as it laid on the floor.

EV!Sonic: It's over. You don't have to worry about them anymore.

Rosy: Sonic, I... I'm scared that I might hurt someone else in a similar way. Please... tell me I'm not going to become who I was in that moment.

EV!Sonic: Hey, Rosy, that's not gonna happen, I promise.

He hugged her close to give her the comfort she really wanted for so long, as she embraced it, a tear dropping from her normal eye. She really did appreciate EV!Sonic being there to help her be free of everlasting torture, finally happy that a mortal could understand her suffering.

(For anyone curious, that's Pearl/Sark Cream off-screen to the left, and what happened to her, I honestly can't describe to you.)

Rosy: It's something I should've done with those scumbags long ago... But what's gonna happen to this world now?

EV!Sonic: Truth is, the Highests aren't all that bad. Exetior just fabricated them as a threat just to justify his actions. This world's soon gonna be in shambles, and HE is going to have to man up and admit that what he's done is wrong in every way. If he continues refusing to do so, well, that's his problem.

He looked back at Pervision, Negagen and Sark knocked unconscious, with EV!Sark grabbing his original version.

EV!Sark: I'm already itching to tear him to shreds after hearing what he did to the Pearl I met, but I know you've got other plans for him, Sonic.

EV!Sonic: Yeah. I'm gonna get him in containment before ensuring he's given a treatment worse than any torment he's dished out.

Rosy: What about me? I'm pretty much the only one standing here.

EV!Sonic: You... You wanna tag along with me? I'm running a huge superhero team and taking in anyone that's been suffering to help them recover.

Rosy: You're really willing to give me proper companionship?

EV!Sonic: Yeah!

She smiled, holding his arm.

Rosy: I... I don't know what to say. Thank you so much.

EV!Sark: We should get moving. We've only a few seconds before the whole place collapses.

EV!Sonic: Right! (on his communicator) Tekno, open our gate back out of here!

Tekno: Right on it!

A warp ring appeared as their ticket out, which they took, with Sark captured and in tow...

before that NU was wiped clean...

...a fresh Mobius created in its place with no demonic influence.

Trivia:

After this, Rosy got therapy from what she went through and was given a prosthetic eye to replace her missing one.

She developed separation anxiety following the ordeal and tends to stick close to EV!Sonic when they're together, or Nitro if he's busy elsewhere. Otherwise, she's allowed to stay over in the Errorverse.

This was the build-up to why Sark was sealed away in the Quill Society HQ Tour post from before.

Rosy enjoys being around other Amys and Creams, seeing them as rays of sunshine throughout the multiverse. While still paranoid about the Pearl EV!Sark managed to find (who ran away from the old timeline after her fallout with Sark), she's developed mutual respect for her while she makes an effort to change her ways.

Rosy sometimes helps staff therapy sessions with CD!Sonic and/or Sara via using her mind-reading to relay some info to them to help their jobs.

[mirikitakato]

[Translation] Reflections of the Moon in the Teardrops of Pavone: Episode 8

Cain: ...Murr, isn't there any way to save him?

Murr: Not while he's alive. Angelo is completely integrated with the Taboo Peacock. Their bodies have fused into one life. If you tear him out, what's left of him will be a corpse. He will have to live in this state, neither human, fairy, nor plant, until the tree rots. There's nothing we can do.

Akira & Cain: ......

Cain: But... at this rate, the credit for the Taboo Peacock antidote will all go to Keith.

Angelo: ...Keith?

Murr: Keith announced your research under his own name. It seems he hasn't made the actual antidote yet, though. Maybe he sneaked into the research lab after you became like this.

Angelo: ...Oh, well. Whatever, that's fine with me.

Akira: What...?

Angelo's eyes, despite his casual tone, held a surprising coldness.

Angelo: Murr, you're right. My precious Taboo Peacock doesn't need to be loved in this world. It's enough for me to love it. The antidote... maybe that's what changed Keith too. I shouldn't have made an antidote that would erase this child's individuality.

Murr: ...

Angelo: So, I don't care what happens to the antidote now. More than that, look at me now. I became one with the being I love... Isn't this the greatest happiness?

Murr: You're wrong. This isn't what you truly desire. Your deepest wish is for the antidote to be readily available and for everyone to love the Taboo Peacock. That's when you'll experience the greatest happiness. But the research is incomplete. No one has been saved by this medicine yet. Escaping into this fantasy while the work is still ongoing is a disservice to yourself. Angelo, where is the antidote?

Angelo: ...Ugh.

At Murr's words, the Taboo Peacock leaves that were sprouting from Angelo's body shook. Despite the Taboo Peacock leaves quivering at his words, Murr directed Angelo's attention to his own pocket.

Murr: That's the pen I gave you. You weren't robbed of everything by the con man. You could have made money selling this. But you didn't choose that method. Why is that? Did you value me more than the Taboo Peacock? Was it harder to be betrayed by Keith than to be hated by everyone for the Taboo Peacock? Hiding and burying the antidote - do you have no regrets about making that choice?

Angelo: ...Ughhh. You're noisy, noisy, noisy...!

Dryad: ...!!

Cain: What's that? The tree is shaking again...

Bradley: ...! You lot, get out of here!

Akira & Cain: Ah...!

Cain and I are lifted into the air by Bradley's hand around our necks. The next moment, spikes like stakes began to shoot out of the ground one after the other.

Akira: Ugh!

The sharp tree branches grazed the soles of my feet. I couldn't even imagine what would have happened if Bradley hadn't helped me.

Cain: Thanks, Bradley, you saved my life.

Bradley: Hmph, if you're grateful, just hang on here like a docile kitten.

Murr: Oh? I made you mad. Am I not good at persuasion?

Akira: Eh?

Cain: You were persuading him?! I thought you were provoking him.

Bradley: Screw this, let's get out! I'm just gonna get screwed over if I stick around. C'mon, Murr, grab my arm!

Akira: But how can we leave...

The moment I voiced my doubt, Murr, who had grabbed Bradley's arm, created a pepper spray with magic.

Murr: Brad, here goes the seasoning!

Bradley: ...Achoo!

[Scene changes]

Keith: ...Are you okay over there? You crouch down in the corner... and you look pale.

Angelo: Oh...I'm sorry. I'm in the way, aren't I? I came looking for sponsors, but I don't usually come to places with this many people. Maybe I should say I got drunk and leave...

Keith: ...Well, you’re definitely in the way.

Angelo: ...! I-I'm sorry...

Keith: So let's go.

Angelo: Eh...?

Keith: I know a place with fewer people. I'll take you there and you can rest.

Angelo: ...... You're kind...

Keith: Huh?

Angelo: I'm so lucky to meet someone so kind like you. I didn't get a single sponsor... But still, I'm glad I came here today because I met you.

Keith: …… ...Haha!

Angelo: U-uhm…? Did I say something strange?

Keith: You did. To be so touched just from meeting me... ...What a strange guy.

Keith: ......

[Flashback ends]

Bradley: ...Achoo!

Akira: ...!

Murr: Escape successful!

Akira: So that's what you meant!

Cain: Your injury is really convenient!

Bradley: And always a bit annoying, but oh well. I guess it's useful.

Murr: You're lucky, Bradley! If you'd escaped into the fireplace, we'd all be doomed!

Akira: We've been separated from Shylock and the others, so let's get back into the research insitute quickly...Oh.

Keith: ...Ah, you guys are...

Murr: Wah. Keith is still here!

Cain: Keith? That's...

Cain's expression shifted upon hearing that name. Before us stood none other than Keith.

[Scene changes]

Riquet: ...! The Taboo Peacock…!

Oz: 《Vox Nox》

Mitile, Rutile, Riquet: …!

Mitile: Thank you, Lord Oz.

Oz: I have cast a barrier around me. Do not leave my side.

Riquet: Yes…!

Rutile: But suddenly, the branches have turned into whips and... what on earth is happening?

Shylock: ...Murr, what on earth did you do in the tree?

Murr: Wanna know?

Shylock: …!

Riquet: Murr!

Akira: M-Murr…you..are…too fast…!

Bradley: Look, the Sage is gaspin' cuz you're movin' too fast.

Cain: We finally back…Is everyone safe there?

Mitile: Sir Sage!

Rutile: Mr. Bradley and Mr. Cain too...!

Shylock: I’m glad you’re okay. Thanks to Oz's barrier, we’re safe.

Oz: ...Sage, are you alright?

Akira: Yes! Thanks to you all...!

Mitile: ...Oh, that person is...

Keith: ...Uhm...

Rutile: Mr. Keith...

Cain: ...I brought him.

At Cain's words, Rutile and the others exchanged glances. Their expressions show that they, too, had learnt of what happened between Angelo and Keith.

Riquet: Cain, the Taboo Peacock told us. Keith is...

Cain: Oh, I know too. That's why I asked him to go with us.

Riquet: Why...

Cain: Because if he misses this chance, he might lose the opportunity to face Angelo forever.

Keith: ...

Cain: As an outsider, I have no intention of telling Angelo to forgive you, or you to apologize to Angelo. …But if the burden of regret has whittled you down to this, there might still be a chance for redemption. I too, had a strained relationship with someone I admired... And by the time I wanted to talk to him again, it was already too late.

His profile held a quiet pain, as if someone just touched on his unhealed wound beneath his skin.

Cain: If you want to face the consequences of what you did to Angelo, now is the time. I'm probably overstepping my bounds here, but this is what I think.

Mitile: Cain…

Keith was looking blankly at the swaying Taboo Peacock.

Keith: ...Is that really Angelo...?

Cain: Yes. After being deceived by you, his precious friend, he lost hope in this world...and had became one with the tree. There is no way to separate them and save him now.

Keith: ...Because of me...

The tree grazed Oz's barrier. At that moment, the Taboo Peacock's leaves erupted in a cascade of shiny purple drops. Falling like a mesmerizing rain, the liquid was revealed to be the Peacock's nectar. They looked like tears that could no longer be held back.

Riquet: It’s like…the Taboo Peacock tree is crying...

Shylock: ...Oz, what should we do now?

Oz: ...Seal the Taboo Peacock's movements and cast a purification spell. Step back, everyone-

Murr: Don't step back! Before that, there's something I want to test out. I want to know what conclusion Angelo came to in his research.

With that, Murr pulled out his broom, ready to rush out of the barrier at any moment.

Akira: Murr?!

Episode 7 | Episode 9

[msmargaretmurry]

"when summer" - Quinn/Brady

this is a futurefic. are u surprised.

technically, it is a futurefic spin on the new classic genre of "hughes bros lakehouse shenanigans." it is set like a decade in the future. brady and quinn are still close, they still call each other best friends, but they have had these whole adult lives mostly apart from each other: brady captaining ottawa into a force to be reckoned with in the east; quinn captaining vancouver to more middling success in the west. (quinn still isn't sure if staying was the right decision — he still gets jealous, sometimes, of jack and luke together in new jersey, without him — but he mostly doesn't regret it. he stayed and accepted the c because he wasn't sure he trusted anyone else to look after his teammates the way they should be looked after, and he still feels that way, even as age has started to wear him down.) brady got married. (quinn was there, obviously.) brady had a kid. (quinn mostly knows the kid through facetime.) brady got divorced. (quinn wasn't there, and it was several years ago now, but he still feels guilty for not being there.) the once-daily texting and weekly facetimes have long since become more sporadic; they get dinner every time they play each other, hang out when they're at nhl events together, but it's a rare occasion that they see each other away from hockey. it's been a few years since that happened at this point.

and then jack and quinn decide to sell the lakehouse. for non-dramatic reasons that i don't feel like figuring out; maybe they just found a place they like better, and something something property values, whatever. but they're selling. it's kind of bittersweet — they grew up in that house almost as much as they grew up in their parents' house, in a way, spending the past ten summers there as they turned from kids who thought they were so grown up into real adults. brady gets his kid for most of the summer, since he's so busy during the season, and he's telling quinn on the phone about how stir-crazy he's gonna go for the two weeks his ex-wife has the kid in early august, so quinn says, hey, why don't you come up here? help me pack, say goodbye to the lakehouse with me. i'll put you to work, keep you distracted.

ten years, and brady's never actually made it out to the lakehouse before. it feels weird, having a place in quinn's life that brady hasn't touched, but then it also feels weird when he gets there. he's out of place. quinn can't figure out why. they're still the same as they ever were, laughing and bickering and needling each other, wrestling over the tv remote, falling into companionable silences. but it's different. quinn can't put his finger on what.

it's a particularly hot summer that year. the humidity is thick, heavy. heavier than it's been in all of quinn's michigan summers. brady helps him sort through all the junk that's accumulated in the garage — keep, donate, toss — his t-shirt sticking to him in dark, sweaty patches. quinn has spent half his life not looking, and he shouldn't start now.

quinn never did settle down. well. he hates putting it like that; he feels plenty settled. he never found a partner. never committed to a long-term romantic relationship. he doesn't think there's anything particularly sad about it, like some people seem to. he has all the things that are most important to him. packing up the house with brady, though, he gets a little lost imagining that this is almost what it would feel like. someone with him doing the quiet, annoying, domestic tasks that it takes to keep life moving along. it's not the first time he's put thought he'd like to have brady like that, but it is the first time in years. he's spent the last decade not thinking that, and he shouldn't start again now.

except it's brady who kisses him, sitting out on the dock at sunset, two beers in, their feet dangling above the water. it's romantic as hell, except then brady sticks a hand down quinn's shorts, which is not romantic, but quinn's not complaining. he doesn't really care about romance anyway. they spend a lot of the rest of the time they should be packing having sex all over the lakehouse, and quinn keeps thinking maybe it's a good thing they're selling the place, so when he and brady snap out of this weird hot summer daze, he won't have to relive it every off-season.

but they are adults now, so instead of leaving things hanging and hurting each other, they actually do have the long hard conversation about what brady wants and what quinn wants and how they can fit those things into their lives, with teams on opposite sides of the continent, with a kid involved, with such different needs when it comes to relationships like this. but they'll figure it out.

[final-girl96]

Firefly Chapter Forty-Two

The Neighborhood

After leaving the tunnels we came out to a neighborhood outside the city. We were almost home free. Ellie and Sam were walking ahead of us adults, who were talking about our old lives. “I remember when everything first happened; when they started to evacuate places,” Henry said. On the side of some houses people had spray painted messages, it was for the people who were going around looting and breaking into people’s homes to steal whatever they had. It was a warning to let them know that if they tried, they would regret it. “Yeah, I remember how everything was chaotic and out of control,” I said. We walked through the houses that hadn’t been boarded up to look for anything useful. To nobody’s surprise we didn’t find anything. We rounded the corner to the lower part of the neighborhood to see the road was blocked off and we would need to go through one of the back yards.

“What is this?” Ellie asked. Sam picked up the little pad he had around his neck and began writing before showing it to Ellie. “No way. Joel?” she called, looking back at us. “Did they really drive around in this and sell ice cream?” she asked. He nodded his head and hummed, “Sure did. They would drive around neighborhoods like this and play a creepy song that would have all the kids, even adults coming out to buy ice cream,” he told her. She looked over at me to confirm that he wasn’t just pulling her leg, and I nodded my head. “It’s true and the ice cream was always so damn good on a hot day.”

We moved past the truck and walked between two houses, down a few steps and into the lowest part of the neighborhood. Henry asked where we were going from here, which Ellie told him and then suggested that he and Sam could come along with us. Joel did not seem too happy about that, but I didn’t see a problem with it. Henry didn’t seem to be a bad guy, he was just trying to protect his little brother and give him the best life he could. Joel was about to say something when a gunshot went off. We were quick to duck behind a car just as another went off. “Is someone fucking shooting at us?” I asked. Joel looked up over the car to the house at the end of the street. “There’s someone on the top floor of that house, with a rifle."

Henry had made the decision to try and run with Sam only to be shot at. He was quick to come back and duck behind the car again. "Okay, I'm going to go up there." I looked at Joel like he was crazy. "What? No way. You can't go up there by yourself, Joel. I'll go with you," I said. He shut that down real quick though. "No. I want you to stay here with Ellie." I didn't argue. I knew I had to stay with Ellie, because if something were to happen it would be up to me to make sure she got to where she needed to go.

While Joel made his way to the house. Of course on his way there we hadn't noticed there were others hidden around the neighborhood. "Maybe you should go with him," Ellie said. "Joel will be fine, trust me. He doesn't need me to help him," I told her. It was true he didn't need my help, he was able to take those other men out easily enough as he made his way to the house at the end of the street.

I wrapped an arm around her, pulling her closer to me and peaked around the car. There were a few more gunshots until I saw Joel standing in the window. He gave me a sign that everything was clear and we got up to get ready to move.

The four of us stood up and started towards the house when Joel started to yell at us. I couldn't hear but I could hear the sound of a vehicle. When I looked up at the house Joel was waving his hand to signal for us to hide and he was still yelling. "Get down! Now!" I pulled Ellie with me behind another car, Henry and Sam close behind us. The woman who was looking for Henry and Sam was here and she wasn't alone. She had a small army of people with her.

She wanted Sam, i didn't know exactly what for but it didn't matter at the moment. Henry decided to show himself, which wasn't good enough. She wanted to kill a child, that unsettled me, and I needed to hold myself back from doing something stupid. When she and her little group of people came charging in, Joel had shot at them. Of course he had good reason to shoot at them. They were shooting at us while we were trying to run.

He hit the driver of the lead truck, which crashed into one of the houses, and caused a fire to start growing. Everyone was now watching as that truck started to slow sink. Henry was right about FEDRA chasing all the infected underground. What he wasn't right about was them getting rid of all of them. When the ground gave way under the truck there were only a few seconds of silence before the howls of the infected echoed through the night air.

Clickers started to slip out of the giant hole in the ground, gunfire erupted, people were running to get away. Then it happened, a bloater crawled out of that hole, a huge one at that. My bones felt like they were shaking when it roared and stomped towards the man, the woman who was after Henry, was standing behind. He begged her to just run and she did.

I told Ellie to make a run for it while we had a chance. Henry had Sam as they tried to hide from the clickers. While Ellie and I made a run for it I caught a glimpse of the bloater ripping the man's head right off his shoulders. Joel was up in the house taking out any infected that got too close to me and Ellie. Clickers were getting a little too close for comfort. I helped Ellie into an open window of a van and started to take out any infected that got close.

I looked around for Henry and Sam and when my eyes landed on them my feet took over. They were both trying to crawl under a car to get away from two clickers. Kicking their feet at them as they scooted further under the car. Joel was right there the whole time, taking any infected out that got too close. I grabbed the clicker going after Sam, gripped my knife in my hand, and shoved the blade into its head. I took care of the one trying to grab Henry when Ellie came up beside me.

Once Henry and Sam were on their feet, we ran towards the house, dodging infected as we went. Joel shot a few more infected and then met us outside. We were almost there when the woman after Henry stopped us. She was going to say something when the sound of clicking caught our attention. There was a little girl, or what used to be a little girl only a few feet away. It only took a few seconds before she was punching on the woman, giving the five of us the chance to run.

[virtie333]

One Year Ago

I almost didn't post this. I wrote it for catharsis, but a friend said I should post it as it may help others. I can count on one hand the number of people who know about this. I don't know, maybe I'll delete it....

One year ago today, while cleaning Chester’s paddock, I made plans.

A few days earlier, I had received an email from my brother-in-law that involved some very hurtful and offensive accusations. My sister responded a few days after that, but not with an apology. She defended him, and added her own opinions.

When someone you have loved and trusted your whole life essentially says you are worthless, then it must be true.

So, the next day, I made plans.

I would have to complete my will, first. I would have to make sure Chester went to a local rescue. He wasn’t ridable and though I know a friend might take him as a ‘pasture pet,’ if push comes to shove and they ran short on money, he would be the first to go. The rescue would care for him, and I would make sure that if ever they could no longer do so, they would euthanize him.

My brother would get the other animals and all my belongings. He could sell my truck, trailer, etc. and use the funds to care for my dog Jackson, my cat Rodney, and Stache, the barn cat I had just brought home from work a month earlier. He would take care and love them.

It would have to look like an accident so my life insurance would pay out. God forbid my sister would have to pay for my funeral! I am an avid hiker, and there are trails very close that follow the canyon rim, with a 60 to 100 foot drop straight down. I usually hike with Jackson, but I could say I was leaving him home because he was sore. It would be very easy to slip while checking out the view. It’s happened before up there.

Could I actually do it? Was I brave enough? It was the only way. And I needed to do it soon.

That was my plan.

But wait. I can’t do it right away. Moon Knight just started, and I waited so long for this show and it’s even better than I had hoped and only two episodes have aired so far. I really want to see the rest. It takes my mind off the pain. I’ll wait.

Then I started posting a new story I had written. I didn’t think it would be very popular, as it was very different from my last, popular one, but I have loyal readers. I can’t just leave it unfinished, and have them wondering what happened to me. And I can’t post it all at once, because that will give away the fact that it was planned. So, I’ll wait.

An acquaintance that hated Moon Knight complained and criticized it over and over and I finally broke. I said things. I don’t regret them, because they were the truth, but I immediately became the villain to the rest of the group. Once more, I was reminded that I was unimportant, that my thoughts and feelings were inconsequential. How could I tell them? How could I explain this show literally kept me alive?

So, I waited.

A spark of hope. My brother and I worked toward a future we could both live with. I prayed, and found that I began to believe again for the first time in a long time. The story I was posting, the one I thought would not do well, became my greatest hit. Not only did its success thrill me, but once again, I had something to thank for keeping me alive.

Though low on funds, I made a trip west, to California, to meet up with my best friends in the world. They were the only people I told about my plans. They made sure to let me know how grateful they were I hadn’t followed through. I loved every minute of Galaxy’s Edge and I continued to hope for a better future. And I waited.

The hope was realized just before Christmas. My future wasn’t as dark and scary as it had been. Unfortunately, the loss of Rodney just before New Years kept me down. I was still depressed and full of non-stop anxiety, and on the anniversary of my mother’s death, I once more started falling into that darkness. I left a group I cared a great deal about because I realized a lot of my anxiety was coming from there; it’s hard caring more about people than they do about you. I bawled my eyes out while I clicked that ‘leave’ button, but I don’t regret it. It’s been over two months and only two people have even noticed I left. That says something right there.

Now, for the first time since Tariq got very sick in November 2020, I actually have the desire to do things. I’m not working and writing just to keep sane. I’m reading again. I’m playing with Chester. I’m taking Jackson on walks. I’m going back to mass, not because I have to but because I want to. I still resent my brother-in-law, and I’m still waiting for an apology from my sister, but I’m not holding my breath. I’m still alone. I’m still uncertain of my worth. But I have my animals, including two new cats, and my home. I have plans. New plans. Better plans.

One year ago today, while cleaning Chester’s paddock, I made plans.

But today I’m alive. And I’m happy. All because I waited.

Don’t give up. Things WILL get better.

[randomnameless]

Based random JP Amazon reviewer:

People who have a strong attachment to the previous work will feel the pain. Especially if you like Byleth, Claude, Sothis, Cyril, and Hanneman, you will regret buying this for a long time. This work deliberately lowers the class of Claude and Golden Deer in order to raise Edelgard, and Byleth and Sothis in order to raise the level of the less attractive new protagonist, and Claude is like Edelgard in the main story. He's a tyrant, his classmates praise him for not thinking, he's an idiot, Byleth is turned into a real NPC, and they say, ``It would have been better if he hadn't become a teacher (lol).'' The encounter with the teacher must have been an inevitable encounter, right? I'm convinced that the person who wrote this scenario hasn't played Three Houses. Well, I think there are cases where someone who doesn't know the original work writes the scenario, like a certain Hollywood version of Dragon Ball, but I don't want this writer to write the scenario again.

On the other hand, I think it's a good game for people who have no attachment to the previous game, don't care about the scenario, and just like mowing grass. The price is dropping at a fast pace for a Switch game, so if you really want to play it, you might want to wait a little bit before buying.

The most diabolical parts of this critique have to be the guy pointing out how the price is dropping bizarrely fast for a new Switch release, that the game is only worth it as mindless fun for people who don't care about Three Houses, and comparing Nopes to Dragon Ball Evolution💀

LOL

But yeah, the price dropping so fast, at least in Japan? (here it's still worth more than 10 euros) is, imo, a sign that part of the fanbase really didn't like this game.

Maybe some people who preordered it on Amazon.co.jp cancelled their order when the leaks were revealed? So Amazon had to sell those things no one wants anymore?

And re-lol at the mention that the devs didn't play FE16 - one of the devs in his interview legit said he forgot parts of the FE16 plot as he played Nopes...

(I'll forever be salty that they retconned the existence of magic tomes in the Fodlan verse!).

[e-adlirez]

How would you describe the Stilton family?

Or

How do you think a Thea Sisters x Geronimo Stilton book would go down?

How about I answer both? :3

OKAY SO the Stilton family is, dare I say it, one big dysfunctional mess :D There are good parts and members of the family who are vibing (see Aunt Sugarfur and her family, who made their debut in The Wedding Crasher), but they are an absolute MESS.

Thea is the crystal clear favorite, Trap is... well, Trap, and WILLIAM SHORTPAWS. Oh BOY. His whole "only I'm allowed to talk smack about him" thing and constant Steven He emotional damage dealt on Geronimo would probably be considered emotional abuse at this point. Actually nah I looked it up and it IS emotional abuse, from the neglect to the verbal abuse to the gaslighting (I SEE YOU WILLIAM PUTTING A LITERAL KID-FRIENDLY SHOCK COLLAR ON G JUST TO MAKE SURE HE'S WORKING AND EMOTIONALLY MANIPULATING HIM TO SELL HIS HOUSE AND BELONGINGS IN MOUSE HOUSE HUNTER). The entire package. Not the best look for the main patriarch of the Stilton family, is it?

AND NOW WITH THAT OUT OF THE WAY I've actually been toying around with the idea of a Thea Sisters x Geronimo Stilton book for a while now. Stuff going into the grindstone, maybe I might put out something but so far nothing's stuck besides "what if Violet and Geronimo switched places?" Okay hear me out.

Violet and G have been known to be very similar to each other: shy, introverted bookworms who like classical music, antiquities and history-related things; both of them are planners who prefer not to have things shoved upon them at the last minute; take sleep very seriously; can come off as "lazy" when they have a day off just to relax (Colette even calls Violet "lazy" in one of the Secret Thea Sisters' Diary entries, Italian because Scholastic hASN'T TRANSLATED THEM YET--); AND TO PUT THE CHERRY ON TOP, they love their families, although one is more problematic than the other.

As a pleb who hasn't read the Thea Stilton books, you'd think "hmmm okay, if Vi is that much similar to G, doesn't that just make Violet a genderbent G?"

Well, yes and no. Violet, for one, isn't a doormat. She's inarguably one of if not THE Thea Sister who's thrown the absolute most shade on people she doesn't exactly like (from roasting Colette on multiple occasions albeit from behind her back, to confronting villains like the Three Scottish Assholes (the Golden Grumps and Angus from Old Castle), A PERSON HOLDING THEM HOSTAGE (Dunya from Blue Scarab Hunt), AND a guy who literally had her life or death in his hands (Luke Von Klawitz from the Treasure Seekers). Then there's the time she schooled Enrico Mousetti in Dancing Shadows, and chef's kiss, beautiful, 10/10, would watch her roast the hell out of him again.

Violet is a confrontational person when it counts, and unlike Geronimo, she is not good with people pushing her around like it's nothing (if anything, it's one of her biggest pet peeves).

So I ask again: what if Violet and Geronimo switched places?

How it happens is up for you to headcanon, but what if Violet had to have one of those adventures where either Hercule Poirat, Bruce Hyena, Wild Willie or someone else burst in like "VIOLET HOLY F#^K" and dragged her onto a mission? She wouldn't take it sitting down, I'm sure :]

I'll leave you to think on that :]]]

Was the second question an excuse for me to vomit my brain out for the entire fandom to see? Yes.

Do I regret it? No.

Would I make fanfic about this sort of scenario when an idea more solid than daily brainrot comes to me? Maybe.

Anyway, I hope you like that answer Anon. I'm very surprised and mildly flattered on just how fast a question came into my inbox. Hope to answer your questions again ^^

[rubysunnday]

as the world caves in

A/N: ok, so this is angst heaven. Potentially a bit of ooc Kaz at the end, I tried to not make Kaz too soft but I really wanted that moment in here so, tada

warnings: reader death, drowning, grief, usual six of crows shit

request 1 @maggiescarborough: Request: Hi love 💛 I need to request these two, pretty please! 1) of the prompt list for Kaz and 3) for Jesper, platonic or romantic relationships, I don’t mind either 😊 Thank you so much, love!!

request 2 - ✨anon: Hi lottie!! Its me ✨! Could I request an angsty jesper fahey x fem!reader fic? Idk a plot but I'm a sucker for protective!jesper and maybe they could have a crush on each other already? I love your other jesper writings so so much, you write him so accurate😊 Hope this request is fine and thank you!!💓

request 3 @mysticalfuncollectorus Congratulations on the followers!! I just found your blog and you are an amazing writer!! If the requests are still open can you do sentence prompt #11 with Jesper x romantic!reader? Please and thank you!

"Jesper, there are times in my life where I seriously regret becoming friends with you."

Jesper turned around to frown at Y/N. "What, why? What've I done this time?"

Y/N raised an eyebrow at the obnoxiously bright top hat Jesper was wearing. It was a ghastly shade of orange with a bright blue ribbon wrapped around it. It was so bright it was practically glowing in the dim of Ketterdam.

"Oh, do you not like it?" Jesper asked, reaching a hand up to pat his hat affectionately.

"Well it's certainly... unique," Y/N said, struggling to find the right words. She frowned at her choice of words, questioning her decision to label the hat unique when it was probably anything but.

"I won it in a card game last week," Jesper continued, still patting the top of the hat.

"Well, that explains it," Y/N muttered to herself.

Jesper often wandered back into the Slat with random items he'd won in card games. They ranged from odd pieces of jewellery to an entire house. Y/N would never forget the face Kaz made when Jesper waltzed into his office with a baby goat under his arm, proclaiming him to be Milo II.

"Oh, look!" Jesper exclaimed, grabbing Y/N's wrist and dragging her over to a stall selling waistcoats and jackets. He picked one up and held it against his chest. "Thoughts."

Y/N opened her mouth and closed it again. The waistcoat had left her speechless. It was even more garish and obnoxious than the bloody hat.

"It's... nice," she said slowly, nodding. She glanced down at the other waistcoats on the stall, running a finger over the buttons. Typically, Jesper had ignored the more subdued, subtle colours and had gone straight for the bright green one.

As Y/N rummaged through the waistcoats on the table, Jesper let out a heavy sigh. She glanced over at him and saw him patting his pockets, sticking his hand in every single one and turning them inside out.

She turned back to the waistcoats, picking up a bright red one and examining it curiously. Jesper sighed again and Y/N had to fight the smile that was beginning to appear on her lips.

"Do you think if I keep sighing dramatically, I'll make my point?"

Y/N turned around to face him. "That you have no money? You made your point very clear, darling."

Jesper suddenly appeared at Y/N's side. He dropped his head and rested his chin on her shoulder, batting his eyelashes. "Y/N..."

"Yes?"

"I love you."

"I love you too, lovely," Y/N replied, pressing a kiss to his cheek. She glanced down at him. "I'll buy it for you if you take my door shift tonight."

"Fine."

Jesper stood up and held his hand out to Y/N. The two of them shook hands and Y/N rolled her eyes as she reached into her pocket and rummaged around for the kruge she needed.

Jesper looked over at the entrance to Fifth Harbour with a curious frown as someone yelled loudly. It wasn't unusual to have people yelling and screaming - they were usually very, very drunk and yelling just for the sake of it.

But when a breathless Matthias ran around the corner, Jesper knew that the yelling wasn't just a drunkard.

"What's wrong?" Y/N asked, turning to face Matthias as he skidded to a halt, his feet slipping on the wet cobbles.

"Dime Lions," Matthias panted, bracing himself with one hand on the wall. "They're blowing up our ships."

Their reaction was instantaneous. Matthias turned and ran back the way he came, Y/N and Jesper following right behind him.

The stallholder, who was still holding the waistcoat Y/N had just bought Jesper, stared after them, perplexed. He sighed and set the waistcoat down. He carefully folded the waistcoat, making sure the front of it was on top and put it in a brown paper bag, setting it underneath the stall.

Meanwhile, Fifth Harbour was in chaos. There was one ship one fire, dark, black smoke billowing up into the sky as orange flames licked away at the wood. People were screaming and half the Dregs were out fighting off the Dime Lions who were still loitering, desperate for a fight.

"Where's Kaz?" Y/N yelled, flinching as something exploded in the harbour, water spraying up and over the walls, soaking the three of them instantly.

"No idea!" Matthias replied, wiping his hair out of his eyes. "Nina's over there and Wylan's somewhere else -"

A loud boom came from the Dime Lions territory and it became clear, very quickly, that someone had just bombed the house the Dime Lions used as a base.

Y/N laughed, clapping her hands together in delight. "Found him!"

She looked around the carnage, searching for Nina. She found her on the dock, near to the ships that had yet to be attacked. Nina was fending for herself but Y/N could tell she was beginning to struggle.

"I'm gonna go help Nina!" Y/N yelled, tapping Matthias' arm. "You and Jesper try and keep the Dime Lions away and get someone to get Kaz and Inej!"

"What about Wylan?!" Jesper asked, snatching Y/N's wrist as she turned to go.

"Let him blow shit up!" Y/N replied, shrugging. "It's what he does best!"

She pulled her wrist from Jesper's hand and turned to go again but he grabbed her hand.

"Jes -"

"Please, be careful," Jesper said, his eyes latching on to hers. "Don't be a hero, Y/N."

Y/N smiled. "I'll never be a hero, Jesper. It's a little too late for that."

She pressed a kiss to the back of his hand and released it, turning on her heel and running down the stairs to the dock.

The wood of the dock was incredibly slippery. Y/N skidded several times as she did a half run, half walk, to where Nina was. She could see her friend beginning to struggle, her energy fading, and quickly jumped into the fray.

Y/N pulled out her revolver and fired it once, hitting a Dime Lion in the back of the head and sending him into the water. Realising someone was coming up from behind them, a few other Dime Lions turned around and began approaching her.

Y/N dodged a bullet that was fired at her and tackled the man to the ground, taking his feet out from underneath him and body-slamming him into the wood. She knocked him out with the butt of her revolver and jumped over the man's unconscious body, approaching the next one.

The next man was bigger and larger. Y/N knew speed would be her friend here. She dodged one punch, sliding to the side and spinning on her heel to shoot the man in the thigh. He yelled out in pain but stayed up, aiming another punch at Y/N's head. Y/N leant back, the man's fist hitting empty air.

Using the man's momentum against him, Y/N kicked his injured leg, forcing the man to the wet dock. Y/N spun, dodging a feeble attempt at stabbing her, and fired her gun, killing the man instantly.

Y/N had evened out the playing field a bit and Nina had found a new surge of energy at the sight of her friend and was using both her powers and her bare hands to fight off the remaining gang members.

"Look at us women kicking ass!" Nina yelled as she took down the final gang member who'd made it to their dock.

Y/N laughed as she approached her. "Honestly, we do all the hard work whilst they run around exploding things left and right."

Nina pressed a chaste kiss to Y/N's cheek as she walked past her. "Thank you for your help, angel. Where did Matthias go?"

"He was fighting the Dime Lions," Y/N replied, walking backwards towards the ship's gangway. "Wylan was blowing things up -"

Y/N wasn't entirely sure what happened. One minute she was looking at Nina and then the next she felt the ground shake and then she was being thrown backwards, a ball of heat hitting her face. She felt the jetty disappear from under her feet and felt her stomach jolt as the ground vanished.

The water was freezing.

Y/N hit the water with a painful slap, the impact sending spikes of pain through her skin - almost as if she'd been stung by stinging nettles. Her eyes opened and Y/N could just make out a bright, orange glow above the water. Bits of burnt wood and broken pieces of rope were floating around her as she sank further down.

Her mind was lagging behind and Y/N still wasn't entirely sure what was happening. She wasn't even trying to swim, everything was heavy and she could barely move for exhaustion.

Her clothes were getting heavier by the second. The skirt she was wearing pulling her down and down into the hand of death. Y/N was vaguely aware of how cold she felt.

It was reminiscent of an old Ravkan tale Nina had told them about one slow afternoon.

Y/N had been curled up in their usual booth at the Crow Club, a cup of alcohol in front of her, one foot tucked underneath her body to keep it warm. Jesper was sitting next to her, one arm around her shoulders, absent-mindedly drawing circles on her arm.

There'd been just the four of them in the room. Kaz, Inej and Wylan were off out on some important job and Kaz had left Y/N and in charge of Nina and Jesper and Matthias in charge of Y/N and the club whilst he was out.

"I was reading a book earlier -"

"Oh, I didn't know you could read," Y/N said, picking up her cup, failing to hide her smirk.

Nina glared at her and aimed a well-placed kick to Y/N's shin, causing the women to yelp. Matthias quietly chuckled into his drink, a smile appearing on his face as Nina cleared her throat.

"As I was saying, I was reading a book earlier about Ravka," Nina resumed.

"Oh, not you too," Jesper moaned. "I've had enough from Wylan about the engineering history of Ravka."

"Just, listen, will you?" Nina said, whacking him not too gently on the arm. "Anyway, within this book they bought up a few tales of people who had been forgotten by history."

"Like the planet Pluto?"

"Pluto wasn't forgotten it was declassified by the Grisha," Jesper reminded Y/N.

"Same thing, Jes. Who do you think decided to forget this person?" Y/N asked. She leant forward and rested her chin on her hand. "Go on, Nina."

"So, this person is called Tamara," Nina continued, her voice turning into storytelling mode. She used that voice when she was telling stories to the kids in Ketterdam, or when she was over dramatising how she and Matthias met.

"Tamara was in love with a prince of Ravka and was engaged to be married. But, as time goes on, the prince begins to go insane until one day, the prince kills his lover's father in a fit of hysteria. The prince yells at Tamara, claiming that he doesn't love her and never has and that it was all in her head.

"Overwhelmed with grief and pain, Tamara flees to the forest near Os Alta and hides in the trees near the river. So exhausted from her grief, she falls asleep in the trees and falls out of them and into the river."

"Well, this is going to end well, isn't it," Y/N muttered.

"Shush," Nina said. "Anyway, she falls into the river. Tamara is content to float down the river and let nature take its course. Her dress becomes heavy due to the water and it pulls her under the water. Tamara's body is found a few hours later, surrounded by flowers. These flowers, apparently, began to appear on the water shortly after Tamara drowned. The water was covered in a blanket of flowers and has been ever since that day. Allegedly."

Silence followed Nina's story.

"Well, that was cheery," Jesper muttered, stretching his legs out under the table.

Y/N had a deeply thoughtful expression on her face. "It's a tragedy but it's one of those romantic tragedies. Like Roma and Juliette."

Jesper chuckled, smiling at her. "I always knew you were a romantic, Y/N/N," he said, pressing a quick kiss to her lips.

Y/N kicked Jesper's leg but she was smiling widely. "Oh, shut up."

The comparison between Tamara and Y/N was almost laughable. Except Y/N hadn't wanted to die. She had just been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Jesper had told her not to be a hero and she hadn't been. She had just been dealt the wrong hand.

And now she was cold and her limbs were heavy. Y/N felt like she should maybe try to fight off the cold, maybe try to swim up, but the thought faded as soon as it came as something heavy and hard hit the side of her head.

Y/N's arms limply floated out to the side as she lost consciousness and floated down and down, to the bottom. The water near the docks wasn't incredibly deep and Y/N soon reached the bottom, her unconscious body hitting the sand. A cloud of disturbed sand floated up into the water, being dispersed amongst the broken bits of the boat that had sunk down to the bottom too.

A few bubbles of air escaped her pale lips as her body settled on the sand, amongst the rocks and bits of broken ship.

A shadow loomed over Y/N's body, blocking out the dim light from the Ketterdam harbour. Y/N's body was abruptly pulled upwards, a hand grabbing onto her wrist and pulling her body close to theirs.

Matthias held Y/N tightly as he swam back up to the surface, desperately trying to go faster. He took a deep breath in as soon as he surfaced. Y/N was a dead weight in his arms and he tried to keep her head above water as he swam back to the dock.

On the single dock that was still intact, Jesper and Nina were both hanging off the edge, arms outstretched towards him.

He handed Y/N over to Jesper and he pulled her onto the jetty, Nina helping to bring her limp body onto the wood. Matthias pushed himself up out of the water, shivering in the damp night as the wind drifted across his skin.

Nina fell to her knees besides Y/N, placing a hand on her still chest. She could sense the water in her lungs and knew Y/N didn't have long before there was no chance of bringing her back. Nina brought her hands together and pushed them down onto Y/N's chest, forcing her power through Y/N's veins and to her heart.

It stayed stubbornly still.

Nina tried again, forcing all of her energy and power into Y/N's body, desperately trying to restart her heart.

Matthias had moved away to deal with whatever was left of the Dime Lion attack. Jesper was kneeling next to Y/N, clutching her limp, cold hand in hers, willing her to breathe. His eyes were red and tears were streaming down his face, dripping onto his shirt.

"Come on, Y/N, please," Jesper muttered, closing his eyes and praying to the Saints he so often doubted ever existed. "Please."

Nina paused. Her hands were still on Y/N's chest but there was nothing. No sign of life or any attempt to keep going. It was like she'd simply given up. Nina sat back on her heels, dropping her hands to her sides, tears falling down her cheeks just as the rain began to fall.

The likelihood of Y/N coming back was... well, there wasn't any chance of her coming back. The blow to her head, drowning... she'd been dead long before Matthias had dragged her back to the surface.

Jesper looked up at Nina. "No, no, Nina, why... why did you stop?"

"Jes..."

"No, she's not dead," Jesper insisted, shaking his head furiously as he gathered Y/N into his arms, cradling her limp body against his. "No, she can't be dead... she... she can't be. She can't be dead."

Nina reached out a hand and placed it on Jesper's shoulder, trying to comfort him as he cradled the limp body of his beloved. Jesper sobbed into Y/N's hair, his shoulders shaking with the force of his grief.

Every moment they'd shared. Every laugh, every smile... it was all gone. It existed no more.

There'd been a time - long before either one had confessed their feelings - that Jesper had thought Y/N had died. It was a long story involving numerous explosions and bad bits of timing, but the moment he'd seen her step through the smoke, Jesper had ran up to her and lifted her off her feet into a hug.

"Part of me wants to punch you for being reckless but the other part of me wants to hug you and never let you go," he said into her hair, holding her tightly.

Y/N laughed, clutching onto Jesper as he spun her around. "Wow, thanks. I vote for hug, by the way."

Jesper pressed a kiss to her hair, inhaling the smell of smoke and the hint of whatever shampoo she'd used last. "We can do hugs."

Now... now, Jesper would give anything to hug her one last time. To.. to get to say goodbye to his love.

Jesper hadn't moved since Matthias and Wylan had practically carried him back to the Slat. He'd been sat down at a table, handed a clean shirt and a cup of alcohol.

Three hours after Y/N had... had died, a man turned up at the door to the Slat. Matthias had gone to send him away but the man had barged past him and pressed a small, brown paper bag into Jesper's hands.

"I'm sorry for your loss," the man said quietly before shuffling out the room.

Jesper opened the bag and felt his chest constrict. Inside was the waistcoat he'd begged Y/N to buy for him. A fresh wave of tears and grief hit him and Jesper had fallen to his knees, taken out by the force of the pain.

He glanced at the brown paper bag which was sat on the chair next to him, along with the clean shirt. He couldn't bear to take the one he was wearing off. It was the last one Y/N had touched. It was the last thing she'd seen him in.

Jesper looked down at his ruined shirt, covered in water, tears and some of Y/N's blood. His eyes latched onto a strand of her hair on his blazer and his walls crumbled instantly. The tears came and they wouldn't stop. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't see, he couldn't speak.

Jesper hunched over the table, his shoulders shaking from his sobs as he gripped the cup of alcohol tightly.

The chair to his left scraped against the floor as someone sat down next to him. A leg brushed against his and a cane was set against the edge of the table.

A moment later, a hand was gently placed on his back.

Kaz Brekker clenched his jaw, the urge to run away and remove his hand almost winning. He inhaled through his nose and forced the thought away.

"I'm here, Jesper," Kaz said quietly - so quietly that Jesper almost missed it. "I'm here."

Kaz shifted slightly closer to Jesper, pressing his thigh against his and tried not to baulk at the contact. He'd done this before with Inej, he could do it with Jesper. Jesper needed him to do it.

His brother needed him.

And so, with exaggerated slowness in order to trick his brain into thinking this was fine, Kaz Brekker pulled Jesper Fahey into a hug.

"You don't have to, Kaz," Jesper said, moving against Kaz, his sobbing calming down enough to let him speak. "I don't -"

"I know, Jes." Kaz inhaled. "But when Jordie died... I wish someone had been there for me. So, I'm... I'm doing this for me and for you."

Jesper nodded and closed his eyes, dropping his head onto Kaz's shoulder, making sure not to put too much weight on it. The hug lasted just under a minute but to Jesper, it felt like so much more.

In the darkness, the two boys sat next to each other, a bottle of alcohol between them, and nothing but silence for their thoughts. Kaz knew how Jesper felt. And whilst he had to suffer through Jordie's death alone, Jesper wouldn't have to deal with Y/N's death alone.

[bukojuiice]

rose-colored boy

ೃ pairing: (eren jaeger x fem! reader)

ೃ  tags: college/modern au, fluff, humor, love at first sight cliché, mikasa is your cute little sister, armin, sasha, jean, and connie are your besties, and eren is a himbo who works hard and has terrible friends.

ೃ warnings: strong language and mild suggestive content

ೃ part 1/??? of my (eren x reader) college au!

ೃ word count: 3000 words

ೃ  my nav  →  my mha writing masterlist 

ೃ This is my very first snk x reader fic! so i hope you bear with some errors! qwq 

i’ve been following the anime ever since it was released in 2013, and this is the first time i’m  going to be writing for it.  this month’s manga chapter really took me out so why not channel my sadness thru writing an fluff! eren fic? 🤧 i hope you enjoy either way!

ೃ  please do reblog if you enjoyed!! (feel free to add tags too because i love reading them and my heart swells with happiness when people love my work!)

ೃ  in which (Y/N) (L/N), 20, still in school, and regretfully-unregretfully-her little girl scout sister's assistant, meets eren jaeger in an embarrassing too innocent door-to-door cookie sale whilst a humiliating party was going on.

cookies, suspicious maybe-maybe-not pot brownies, meddling little sisters and friends, “oh my god they were roommates” vine on replay 24/7, homework, tears, and fairy lights bring them together.

“I’m going to enter now.”

“Ahhh yes, please!”

“Shut up, please.” Eren muttered to himself as he tossed and turned around in his bed, but still couldn’t get to sleep. “When will they ever stop doing this?” Why did Eren’s next-door roommate and his girlfriend have to do this five times a day? They had a lot of stamina for 21-year-olds who didn’t have anything better to do.

Eren’s thoughts eventually brought him to his parents.

His parents- did they even exist?

For pretty much 14 years of Eren’s life, they had been out of town or out of the country. His older brother, Zeke, blonde, bespectacled, tall, and sometimes too far up his own ass older brother who Eren is able to confide in from time to time, recently got a girlfriend whom he’s hopelessly in love with (they’re even thinking about getting married which isn’t really a problem since the girl is genuinely nice to his older brother so Eren is good with her.), so… things in the family had been a bit rough and busy to say the least.

Communication with his parents wasn’t always the best.

Eren would study late at night back when he was seven, because no one bothered to help him with homework. Along with the fact that he wasn’t the brightest kid in class, and he knew that very well, but he had ambition and he was determined to make it big in the world. He focused more on sports, particularly Soccer in middle school and high school, and tried to balance that with his studies.  After being granted a Sports Scholarship from Shigashina University, Eren decided to rent and share a flat, living with his batchmates who he met at a mixer party (before Uni started as this whole meet and get to know each other kind of thing) and whom he was so quick to call his ‘friends’, just so that he could get out of the hellhole that was his own house.

But things turned out much worse than expected.

Eren thought that the ‘College Life’ was to focus more on pursuing your future career and make a name for yourself but… it was the other way around.

He thought that after Freshmen year, everyone would take things seriously. Sure, have some drinks, get wasted after finals, or have house parties from time to time. But he was unfortunately, dragged into the wrong crowd. After attending around 5 parties in the first few months of being generalized as one of the infamous and pompous freshman archetypes present in every university, he called it a year and spent the rest of his nights doing homework, projects, playing video games, staying at the school soccer field until 10PM while his roommates were probably smoking crack and not caring about the number of units they needed to take for each of their goddamn subjects.

 He was ~living the life~ and now that he regrets most of the decisions he made in freshman year, the only option that he has left was to wait until his third year and move to a different apartment.  

 Now, here he was, Sophomore year, nearing the end of the semester, and very much eager to get the hell out of here and also study for his upcoming finals on Constitutional Law II, as his professor, Mr. Erwin Smith, was going to throw hands if one of his students score below average on the exam.

 “EREN MICK JAEGER! BROOOO!” Eren winces when he hears the shrieky and annoying voice of his flatmate Thomas Wagner, calling out to him. “Wanna go and party with us?” Eren smiles halfheartedly, shaking his head, “Ah, no thanks. I have a game tomorrow and finals coming up on Thursday.” Thomas smirked and wrapped his arm around Eren, “Oh fuck that, live the college life ya spoon.”

“No, really I have to study.”

Thomas frowned and groaned, “Oh god, you’re such a killjoy. Fine, if that’s what you want. Don’t blame us if we tell you to buy some beer down the block.”

Eren cracked an obviously fake laugh and pushed Thomas away from him, “You’re an ass. That only happened once and that was when we first met. Don’t you even dare try to ask me to buy you shit again.”

“Woah. Woah. Woaaaaaah. That was a joke Eren. Loosen up will you?” Thomas raises an eyebrow, clearly taken aback by the brunette’s sudden aggressiveness. He hums Moves like Jaeger by Maroon 5 as a way to spite Eren whilst passing by him down the staircase.

The brunette shook his head, tying his hair into a bun carelessly and sprinting into his room without uttering another word.

Eren just wanted to study. He really did.

Instead, his roommates, all of them, mind you, were all partying in the lounge and the music was too loud and Eren was too annoyed.

They did manage to bring him out and make him stay in the kitchen where he mindlessly glared at anyone who came in. He sighed and tapped his pen restlessly amongst the insane amount of books on the table.

There was a knock.

His roommate, Floch, came in the kitchen with his girlfriend who Eren couldn’t even name with all the women he has brought into the apartment. She was hanging onto his arm and giggling. Floch’s eyes were red and his speech very slow and lazy. "Eren!" he said with a sly grin.

Eren raised an eyebrow, shooting him an irritated look. "What now Floch? Are you here to tell me to take a shot again?" The ginger-haired’s girlfriend giggled once again and kissed Floch’s cheek. Floch laughed and swatted her away, though he missed by a long shot. "Someone's at the door," a thumb pointing to the den. "wouldchumind ge'in it?" another giggle. The girl nodded sloshily. "Yesss! Erenieee get 'em door, please. Be a dearrrrr."

Eren frowned and stared at them menacingly, earning no reaction from the two as they were mad drunk. "You were just in the den," Floch’s eyes widened. "My lovey wovey-we was in the den?" His girlfriend’s mouth went into an O. "Di'nt notice tha'!"

Eren sighed and stood up. He miraculously got through the throng of bodies and to the front door. "Yes?" he called out exasperated, not knowing who was outside.

"Do you want cookies?"

Eren turned and looked to see a little raven-haired girl, a girl scout no less, a blonde-haired boy pulling on a trolley who looked significantly shorter than him, wearing rimmed glasses, and an overall appearance whom his “friends” would immediately label as a nerd they had to be a few feet away from if they saw him and lastly, a girl who looked very tired and very done with life.

Beautiful (h/c)-colored hair, her eyes looked like the starry night sky, twinkling as he catches her gaze and a smile that looked forced, but warm all the same.  

A girl who was just absolutely fucking gorgeous.

Eren was captivated. His heart was beating like crazy and he could feel his ears turn red. He would make a fool of himself if he looked red as a tomato right now.

"Um," The girl peeked inside and grimaced, squeezing the hand that was her little sister's shoulder and catching Eren’s gaze. "Mikasa, I don't think these kinds of guys would want cookies."

“Unless they're pot cookies,” Eren almost said. Mikasa pouted and widened her eyes at Eren.

The older girl crouched down and frantically covered her little sister’s eyes. "Nopenopenope, Mi, don't pull that on him."

"But (Y/N)!"

(Y/N).

Her name was (Y/N).

Eren smiled sincerely (for the first time today) and leaned back inside to the drawer by the door to grab the extra cash he and his roommates put there for emergency pizza and stuff. "You know what? You're absolutely brilliant at selling cookies. I'll take one."

Mikasa smiled back at him cheekily and tugged her older sister’s hand. "See, (Y/N)?! He wants some! Go get 'em!”

The raven-haired girl then turned to the blonde teen, practically jumping up and down. “Armin look! We sold another one!"

“We did!” The boy who was apparently named Armin, clapped his hands together, then gave the little girl a high five. “You’re a natural at this Mikasa!”

(Y/N) looked at Eren, then Mikasa, and sighed. She grabbed a bag from the trolley Armin was dragging around and pulled out a box of cookies. Eren grabbed them slowly from her, their hands almost touching as he gave (Y/N) a small smile. The (h/c) girl blushed lightly, though not visible enough for the brunette to notice.

"Hope to see you again!" Eren called out when the siblings said their thank you's and bid farewell.

And, this time, even for the slightest moment, Eren’s serotonin levels were going straight through the roof. His heart was still beating loudly, almost in sync with the trash music his roommates were blaring on the speakers. and for a moment, even just for a moment. 

He felt genuine happiness that he hasn’t felt in a very long time.

 The three of you continue to walk animatedly, now that the coast was clear and the guy from earlier wasn’t within earshot, your blonde friend just had to break the silence.

 Armin smiles, pushing his glasses up to the crook of his nose. “(Y/N), you did see how he looked at you right?” The blonde chuckles softly, catching his best friend off guard.

 You blinked. “Him?” You try to stop yourself from smiling, blushing profusely. “Geez Armin, I don’t even know his name yet.”

 “I’ll bet you 100 bucks that he goes to our Uni.”

 “Even if he does, it’s not like we’ll talk to him or anything. Judging from the place he lives in and the people he was hanging out with, we’re in two completely different worlds.” You shook your head in denial, holding Mikasa’s hand, your interlocked arms swinging playfully. Armin gives you a knowing look in response.

 Mikasa continued to wave back at the boy whom they had just sold cookies too. (Y/N) looked over her shoulder and smiled. “Wasn’t he nice (Y/N)?” Mikasa asks her older sister. (Y/N) returned her sister a small smile, “He was.”

 "I hope we see him again!"

"I'm sure we will."

 The day of Eren’s dreaded finals finally arrive.

He has prepared tirelessly for this. Hours upon hours of hard work. But, before he finally gets his well-deserved sleep, he has a few more hours to cram and absorb more knowledge for his exams.

So, what better way to do so than head straight to the library as soon as it opens at 6 AM?

This time, no one was going to bother him. No annoying roommates and no distractions.

Eren heads over to a table near the coffee and snack machines. He puts down his bag on a seat next to him, and begins to study once again. Looking through the course materials and the lessons that he still didn’t quite understand. Eren was so absorbed with studying and relying on his gut feeling that no other student in this university would think of going to the library at 6 AM on the day of finals… then he’s wrong. Very wrong. 

 “Sasha, should you even be eating mashed potato this early in the morning?” Armin asks the brunette worriedly, a huge tone of concern in his voice.

“Armin! Don’t chu worry! I ate heavy breakfast! Bacon, Eggs, and Toast! Did you not see me in the kitchen!?” She reassures her blonde friend, continuing to scoop up the mashed potato on a reusable cup.

“Liar.” Connie hissed, narrowing his eyes. “I was awake since 4 AM. Not once did I see you sneak into the kitchen until (Y/N) woke you up.”

“Atatata. Can we… stop with the negative vibes for a second?” Jean tries to become the mediator by holding his hands up against his two friends who were about to start an argument. “It’s finals week. We have to keep a clear mind, body and soul-“

“Jean, you know that’s BS.” You yawn widely, still practically half-asleep.

“Oh, come on! Can’t you just let me be positive just this once!? If we fail this exam I’m going to blame you!“

The five of you continue to talk mindlessly on the way to the library. Connie pushes the glass door open, very much excited to have this huge library all to yourselves.

Until…

There was someone already there.

Your eyes immediately come into contact with Eren’s. His radiant jade eyes staring into yours, mouth practically agape, his hands holding on to wooden chopsticks as the hot air of instant ramen breezes through his face.

“Oh?” Connie blinks. “Guess we aren’t the first ones here then.” He whistles.

“(Y/N)!” Armin nudges you in the arm in an attempt to tease you. “Guess your wish came true huh? We did see him again! By himself too!”

“W-what am I supposed to do exactly?” You turn to Armin, speaking in a hushed whisper.  

“Say thank you to him! Offer him to go on a boba date or something!”

“You got the Sasha seal of approval (Y/N)! He’s hot!” Sasha motions you a thumbs up and you can’t help but feel yourself already wanting to die of embarrassment.

The four of them slightly push you towards his table. With your friends cornering you like this, there was no way of escaping this.

All you had to do was talk to him and properly thank him for buying cookies from your little sister.

That was it.

No need for any extra ad-libs or poor and bad attempts of flirtation.

Just thank him (Y/N).

You can do this.

You breathe a hefty sigh then approach his table with confidence. The brunette continues to look up at you whilst turning the page of his reviewer that he wasn’t even looking at.

“Hi again! I just wanted to thank you properly for helping my sister and I, out the other day. Mikasa really appreciated the gesture you did for her, and she couldn’t stop talking about you to our parents since we saw you. You see, none of the other girl scouts want to be paired up with my sister because they think she’s an emotionless and monotonous freak. They’re really mean to her but she really wants to continue being a girl scout so my friend and I accompany her whenever she has to sell cookies!”

“It’s N-no problem!” Eren quickly replies, running a hand through his hair. “Why would they say such horrible things to your sister like that? Judging from the way she acted in front of me, she was quite the opposite. In a positive way of course! Those kids are just assholes who are intimidated because another girl their age is seemingly better than them.”

You giggle in response. “Thank you. I’ll tell Mikasa that you said that!” 

There was short silence for a few seconds until you realized that you forgot to say something. 

“Ah! I’m (Y/N) (L/N) by the way!”

“Eren.” He smiles, reaching his hand out to you for you to shake. You grip his strong and calloused hand firmly, and Eren could feel his ears turning red again while you were about to blush as red as a tomato.

You hear your friends snickering in the background and you took this as a sign to go back to your table. “I guess, I’ll see you around campus?” You ask, tilting your head. For, you actually really wanted to see him again after this.

“Yea! I’ll be seeing you!” He grins widely, watching you leave where he was seated. His smile then envelops into a frown as soon as you went away then he goes back to studying.

“(Y/N)! (Y/N)!” Connie whispers loudly, calling you over by waving his hand. Why was this dunce being so painfully obvious? “Ask him if he’s looking for an apartment or if he wants to live with us!”

“Already!?” You ask in disbelief, a bit shocked by what Connie had just said. He scoots to the left, as you take a seat between him and Sasha. “Guys, you’ve known him for like… 3 minutes. Only Armin and I actually interacted with him before this.”

“He has to pass the vibe check first.” Jean shrugs, sipping on an iced expresso. “But, yeah, he does seem alright from a few feet away.”

“Come on (Y/N)! Ask him!” Sasha nods approvingly. “It’s weird that he’s studying alone like this while we’re in another table trying to remain unaware that he looks lonely as hell.”

“UMmMM… maybe he wants to study alone because that’s the only way he can focus? That’s a thing that normal people do, Sasha.” You remark sarcastically, trying to think up of more reasons to not approach him again.

Armin clears his throat, “Look, (Y/N), it won’t hurt to try right? Besides, don’t you feel a tiny bit sorry for him? He does seem lonely and you do have a crush on him so… more ways to interact with him right?”

Your shoulders slump and you breathe a defeated sigh. “Okay okay fine.” You make your way to Eren’s table again but before you do, you turn to your friends. “By the way, I don’t really have a crush on him just yet. I just find him cute okay?”

“Yeah yeah.” They say in unison as you continue to walk back to the brunette’s table.

“Hi again Eren!” You wave and try your best not to fumble or look painfully obvious that you were infatuated by him. He looks up and you try your best not to smile like a weirdo.

“Hm?” He hums.

“Would you like to come over to our table and study with us?”

To be continued.

[mrs-tsunderemeitantei]

DISCLAIMER: HUGE, LONG RANT AHEAD!

ALSO SPOILERS IN CASE YOU'RE NOT UP TO DATE WITH THE MANGA OR WITH ZERO THE ENFORCER!

Soo in case you missed it, Gosho released the SDB Justice Plus some time last month:

The biggest shocker was the answer to Question number 4, shown below:

Basically this translates to:

Q4: On the Mystery Train, he (Amuro) said to Miyano Shiho that “My comrades who are tracking us have made arrangements in order to retrieve you”, but were those comrades from PSB? If that’s the case, I’m curious about how he planned to deceive Vermouth...!

A: Those were comrades from the Black Organization, so there was no need to deceive them.

Ummmm...what??

Idk about y'all but when I read this, I was livid. It didn’t make any sense to me. And quite frankly, I didn't want it to. Maybe because I am one of those (very rare) people who thought Rei and Shiho could eventually end up together (Don't laugh, it would have made sense, and I'll write about that in a separate post).

Anywho, safe to say Gosho's latest confession left me in absolute confusion. Like why? Just why? Then I realised I'm more butt-hurt about this because I was fixated on a certain idea of Rei's character and chose to ignore his other sides, as if they didn't exist. It didn't help that his past is so freaking depressing which got me sympathizing with his character and led me to either ignore or make excuses for any red flags.

But now that I think about it, it sadly makes sense. It also explains why he didn't show any sadness or regret when he saw Shiho supposedly ‘die’ in the luggage cart in the Bell Tree Train Arc.

Now to let me wrap my head around this, I needed to breakdown his three "faces":

1. Amuro Tooru is a cheerful, friendly, generous, carefree, outgoing man.

2. Furuya Rei is a serious, law-abiding, calculating, patriotic police officer who is willing to die for Japan's security.

3. And Bourbon is a devious, manipulative, cunning, deadly agent.

Yet, ever since we found out he was in fact an NPA agent, we (or at least I), seem to have forgotten about those dark sides he possesses. Also with Zero's tea time showing us a softer side of his character it was easy to get caught up in "he's 100% one of the god guys" when in fact, he's a complex, grey character. 

He has shown on multiple occasions, just how far he is willing to go, to achieve whatever goal he’s set his mind on. Let's not forget how in Zero the Enforcer, he completely flipped the switch. (I know this isn't Canon but...) The man went as far as to create a suspect and jail the innocent Mori Kogoro so he can legally investigate the case and emotionally manipulate Conan into unkowningly help with the investigation.

Also, in the Detective Nocturne’s case he deliberately didn’t tell Ran as soon as he noticed Conan might have been kidnapped by the criminal because he hadn’t finished investigating the apartment.

And in the Scarlet Arc, he was willing to harm Jodie's teacher friend, so he can lure out the FBI and advance his investigation on Akai’s death. Let’s not forget once he figured out the truth, he was willing to expose Akai’s fake death (which I get it he's out for revenge), but by doing so, he would have also gotten Kir killed (even though I'm pretty sure he knew at that point, she was in fact a NOC).

As we can see, be it Bourbon, Furuya Rei or  Amuro Toru, he will stop at nothing to reach his goals, even if it means throwing innocent people under the bus. So, now when Gosho says his "partners" were in fact BO members and not the PSB, I'm no longer surprised.

I mean, why wouldn’t he sell Shiho back to the organisation? Because he knew she was Sensei’s daughter, and that should have meant something to him? Alright, let’s talk about that.

Did he love Shiho’s mum? Yes, he did, there’s no doubt about that (one of the reasons he joined the joined the police in the first place was to find her, so you can't convince me otherwise).

But what if he loved Japan even more? (It's not canon, but he did say in Zero the Enforcer that the safety of this country matters most to him, even if it means he’d end up paying with his own life).

So, I'm going to take a wild guess as to how he could have felt when he found out the woman he loved as his own mother, willingly joined the deadly organisation that threatened the safety of his country. Based on his memories, he remembered her encouraging her husband to join the Carasuma group.

So, if through his investigations, he was able to realise she is the same woman from his childhood, I’m pretty sure he would have been very disappointed.  I’m not sure the extent of his knowledge about the drug, but if he also found out their research created the poisonous APTX-4869, I reckon it would be more reason for him to be upset.

Now let's talk about Haibara/Shiho. To any outsider who's unaware of the truth of her past, she is a woman born into the organisation, then was groomed and taught from a young age by the syndicate and promoted to take on their research. A research that produced a poisonous drug, just like her parents did. Also, she only ran away after the organisation killed her sister. Before that, she was a high-ranking member. With all these facts, why would he think of her as anything but a criminal just like the rest of the BO members? It’d be rather foolish for him to not hand her back to the organisation just because she is the daughter of the woman he once thought so highly of. If anything, he’d be killing two birds with one stone, by executing a criminal, while also gaining higher standing in the organisation.

As fans of Haibara, we are rightfully upset by his intentions of returning her to the organisation because we know her truth. He doesn't. It wasn't until we learnt more about her painful past and kind and caring nature that we grew to love her. We know she never wanted to create a poisonous drug. That she already hated the organisation for using the drug as a poison. That she had to develop the drug to protect Akemi’s life.

There is no way Rei would have known about any of the bullying she or her family faced from the BO. By nature, Shiho is very secretive and reserved and very little of her personality or history would have been known by any of the BO members (except maybe Gin). Therefore, apart from the files the BO would have kept on Shiho and her role in the organisation, that’s all Rei had to learn about her. So, I can’t really blame him for choosing to hand her back to the organisation.

Some people who are still in denial, argue that if he planned to kill Shiho, why was he willing to kill whom he thought was Vermouth instead of handing her over?

Shouldn’t that prove he was going to take Shiho to safety to the PSB, not the BO? Before Gosho's statement, I would have agreed but now...sigh. Now, I get why he did that. If Shiho were to die BEFORE she was returned to the organisation, he wouldn’t have gained the trust he was seeking. If she were to die AFTER he delivered her, I highly doubt it would have mattered to him. Although I'm still hoping he maybe he had a plan of not leaving her in the organisation's clutches after "handing her back" and he never truly intended on getting her killed. But since Gosho also said there was no need to deceive Vermouth, I highly doubt it. (Heart breaking).

After such an explanation, does everything make more sense now? Maybe. Am I ok with it? Hell no! I’m quite angry and annoyed that this is how things turned out to be, but it is what it is. We have to accept that Rei is not a good character, and he's not a bad character. He's a grey character and when you think of it that way, it's easier to understand his behaviour. Not that I agree with it. After Gosho's statement, I think pretty sure Rei is in dire need of some character development. He could stand to learn a thing or two from Conan who manages to reach his goals while preserving as many lives as possible (Akai's fake death being the burst example while managing to drive Kir back to the BO).

For now, I’m looking forward to the developments that will entail. I’m curious to see how Rei and Haibara will react once they eventually meet each other. It'll be interesting to see what will go through his mind once he figures out her true identity. One thing I'm sure of is once they're introduced to each other, emotions will be running high and things will get intense. Which honestly, I can't wait for and I'm counting down the days till I get a proper Amuro/Haibara interaction.

[shinazugawaswife]

If I Could Fly - Harry Styles

This was just a cute little thing I had in mind and I really didn’t use that much time on it so it’s not perfect, but I still think it’s sweet and I hope you like it<3

Summary: Harry has to do a show on your anniversary, but he still finds a way to express his love to you

This is just pure fluff

Gif’s not mine, creds to the owner

You and Harry had been together for a little less than a year when you wrote If I Could Fly together. You were sitting by the Piano Harry had placed in his living room around 2 am and the song almost wrote itself as you looked into each other's eyes, feeling like the world was yours to conquer. Maybe a little bit of alcohol had been consumed through the night, but when the song was finished after approximately thirty minutes and you stared into the green forest of Harry's eyes and he the blue ocean of yours (I'm really sorry if you don't have blue eyes I just thought it fitted), you were both sure that you wanted to spend a very long time together.

You wrote songs for a living. Writing them, selling them, and then often seeing them on the hit lists a couple of months later. You were talented and you had written many songs throughout the last couple of years, but never had you written a song with as much emotion as when you and Harry made If I Could Fly.

When Harry's fellow bandmates asked him one night about a week later if he had any new songs up his sleeve, Harry played them the beautiful song the two of you had written together. Both Louis, Niall, and Liam absolutely loved it and immediately started trying to convince him to put it on the album they were in the middle of making. Of course, they would've respected if Harry said no because they knew the song meant a lot to him. Actually, the song meant absolutely everything to Harry, and that was why he wanted it on the album. Because he was so in love with you that he wanted to scream it so loud that the whole world would've been able to hear. It had been physically impossible for him to do that though, so what better way to tell the world than through a song?

You were excited to see all One Direction's fans react to the song and once it was released many of them quickly figured out that it was about you and Harry's relationship because your names were the only ones on the credits given to the writers of the song.

Now, five years later, you and Harry still loved each other more than anything and you knew that you wanted to spend the rest of your lives together. You'd had If I Could Fly on repeat for many occasions during the last five years and the song had never failed to make you smile. That's why whenever you were sad you put on the song, whenever you and Harry were in a fight you put on the song, whenever he was on the other side of the world and you missed him like crazy you put on the song, whenever he was only ten minutes away but you still missed him you put the song on, but during the last scenario you would usually play the song on the way to his house.

Harry would do the same, but he would be listening to an old recording on his phone of the day you'd written the song together where your voice would echo beautifully through the speakers instead of the album version with his old bandmates.

The song meant everything to both of you and it had been written with so much love and emotion that it was almost impossible for you to listen to it without your eyes glassing over slightly, and that is exactly why Harry had planned to play it at his concert tonight. It was your six-year anniversary and even though Harry would much rather be cuddled up with you on the couch and watching old movies while drinking expensive wine as you usually did, he had been forced to have a show tonight.

When he had planned his tour many months prior, he had made sure to keep the date of your anniversary off his schedule so that he could grant all his attention to you solely, but his plan had been changed when it had been necessary to cancel one of his shows in London. He'd then been offered to change the date so that thousands of fans wouldn't get disappointed and of course, Harry had immediately said yes, disappointing his fans was the last thing he wanted. When Harry found out that they'd moved the date to today, your anniversary, he regretted the decision though.

Even though you'd told him several times that you really didn't mind he's still been unsure whether to do the show or not. "But I want to be with you" he had pouted like a puppy and your heart had completely melted. "You will be, I'll come to the show and we'll go home and be together afterward" you'd kept reassuring him. You'd always loved to watch Harry perform, so you were always happy when you got the chance to.

You did end up convincing Harry to do the show, but he still felt like he needed to make it up to you and he knew the perfect way how to.

All that led up to this moment, Harry on stage just having finished Sweet Creature, you backstage and the crowd screaming at the top of their lungs. "So," Harry started, the screams of the crowd dying down a bit, "today is a very special day."

"The day you realized you're shit at making jokes" a fan standing in the front line yelled from the crowd which had gone almost quiet. Laughter broke out through the room and Harry tried to look offended but couldn't quite keep his own laughter back. He walked closer to the edge of the stage to look down at the girl who'd yelled and pointed a finger at her once he found her. "I tell very very good jokes" he stated, trying to sound as serious as possible. The whole crowd broke into laughter again and Harry looked up with his mouth agape, "what? Why are you laughing? You shouldn't be laughing, I tell extremely good jokes" he said, playing offended.

He turned to you, standing on the left side of the stage, "y/n, my jokes are good, right?" he almost pleaded. The crowd went absolutely crazy at the mention of your name and you could only laugh in response which made him raise his eyebrows and his eyes widen, "why are you laughing?"

You blew him a kiss which he huffed at and turned to the crowd, "she blew me a kiss as if that makes it better" he rolled his eyes playfully, but the room went loud again as screams filled the air. "Let's get back to the point before my ego starts hurting too much," Harry said, making his fans laugh.

"I'm not good at telling jokes, but I still make you laugh don't I?" He just had to get his point through before continuing, which made the crowd erupt in laughter again. As he was proved right, he was able to continue. You shook your head at his narcissistic ass, but couldn't possibly wipe the huge smile you had on your face off.

"Today is a special day because," he squinted his eyes at the girl who'd offended his jokes before continuing, "six years ago I grew balls big enough to ask this girl out," he said and your heart automatically sped up as the crowd screamed uncontrollably, what was he doing?

"I love her a lot and I want today to be very special for her," he said as another microphone was carried onto the stage and placed beside his. Harry turned to you and motioned for you to come onto the stage as the screams from the thousands of people in the room went crazy. Your eyes widened and you quickly shook your head, whatever he had planned you weren't doing it. You knew Harry and all his "good ideas" and you were not doing something which required you and a microphone and a whole lot of people. Harry put up his finger and spoke to his fans, "one second" before running across the stage and towards you.

When he approached you he didn't say anything, just gave you a quick kiss on the cheek and pulled you onto the stage with him. He placed you in front of the microphone next to his own before holding your hand up in the air, "y/n everyone!"

Being in front of so many people had always made you uncomfortable, but Harry's naturally relaxed personality always shined through in situations like these and you immediately felt more comfortable being next to him. You locked eyes with him as he let your hand back down and he quickly leaned over to give you a peck on the cheek, before turning around and sending a thumps up to his band.

The melody to If I Could Fly started and a smile broke onto your face at the sound of your favorite song. You looked at Harry who was already looking at you with the goofiest smile you had ever seen on his face, and your smile only grew as he started singing the first line of the song.

"If I could fly, I'd be coming right back home to you" he sang and the crowd went crazy at the sound of the familiar song. His eyes remained on yours though as he continued, "I think I might give up everything, just ask me to."

"Pay attention, I hope that you listen 'cause I let my guard down" he gave your hand, which he was still holding, a squeeze, "right now I'm completely defenseless."

"For your eyes only, I'll show you my heart For when you're lonely and forget who you are I'm missing half of me when we're apart Now you know me, for your eyes only For your eyes only"

He finished the chorus and gave you a reassuring nod, encouraging you to sing. You eyes didn't leave his once as you sang,

"I've got scars even though they can't always be seen And pain gets hard, but now you're here and I don't feel a thing Pay attention, I hope that you listen 'cause I let my guard down Right now I'm completely defenseless" He joined you as the song came to the chorus again and your voices melded together beautifully and you knew you were never gonna forget this moment, with the screaming fans in the background. Harry was a very private person towards the public, so you knew that him presenting you to the crowd like this meant a lot and even though you'd been taken aback by his request to sing with you, you realized at that moment that there was nothing you loved more than singing with him.

When Harry was just about to start the third verse of the song, he turned his microphone so it was facing you, and let go of your hand to grab your microphone and turning it as well. You were standing face to face as Harry started singing, making your heart almost burst with all the different emotions currently occupying it.

"I can feel your heart inside of mine" he sang and you smiled, his voice had always been the most beautiful sound to you.

"I've been going out of my mind, know that I'm just wasting time" you continued before he finished the verse, "and I hope that you don't run from me."

As you sang the chorus together again, you looked directly into each other's eyes, your faces close as you sang your hearts out. You got lost into the deep depths of his eyes and it was like the rest of the room disappeared, only you and the man who carried your heart present. Harry looked at you and you were the most beautiful thing he had ever laid eyes on. As his eyes pierced into yours, they carried all the love he had for you and as the song ended he embraced you in a tight hug and you couldn't stop the tears welling up in your eyes.

"I love you so much, baby" he whispered into your ear and kissed you on the forehead before letting you go and made sure you returned to the side of the stage safely to watch the rest of the show.

[yemilnisu]

CONVENIENCE STORE

Synopsis: as kageyama was looking for the milk he was craving for, he came across a lovely convenience store owned who other than you.

Pairing: kageyama x fem!reader

Genre: fluff

Word Count: 1.3K

nisu entries:

a short and kinda rushed fanfic for the birthday boy! happy birthday, kageyama tobio!🥛♥️ i apologize if it’s too short🥴

Kageyama groaned in frustration as he noticed that the milk he was looking for was not in the fridge. With a glum look on his face, he walked out of the store and looked for a different store that may sell the milk he was craving.

He noticed an average-sized store and made his way there. He walked past this store a couple of times but never really visited it, being that the store he would regularly buy his necessities have everything he needs.

The setter had to admit that the interior was quite lovely, no wonder this was well-known between his schoolmates and a few people were inside.

Kageyama noticed a guy in front of the cashier and concluded that the fellow must be a regular customer since he was chatting with the female behind the counter. He didn't bother knowing who was who because that was not the reason he was there.

His dark blue eyes met a stock of milk carton he was looking for. He eagerly grabbed four of them and made a mental note that this store has plenty of them.

As he placed the items on the counter to pay for them. He met the sparkling eyes of the young lady in front of him. "You're Kageyama, right? Kageyama Tobio," she exclaimed. Flashing the sweetest smile the boy has ever seen.

He merely nodded before the girl starts rambling, "Oh, my gosh! Kageyama Tobio is in our shop! You're a member of Karasuno's boys' volleyball club, right? I've watched your matches! You guys were amazing! Oh, no. I'm so sorry for babbling!"

"No, no. It's fine," he chuckled. Normally, he would either try to stop the person from babbling or cut them off saying he needs to do other stuff but this time he wanted to hear it, he wanted to hear your rambles.

"I got a little excited," you giggled. "By the way, I'm Y/n. I don't know if you have heard of me but I'm from class 5," you stated as you gave him the plastic bag which contains the cartons of milk he purchased.

"Class 5? Then you must be smart," he mused, giving you the payment.

"Oh, no. I'm not," you wheezed. "Believe me, I don't even know how I got there," you confessed.

"I should probably get going," Kageyama stated as he glanced behind him. The next person in line was profusely glaring at him. He took a sip from the carton box and peered in your direction before leaving the store.

"Excuse me, do you know where Yachi is?" Hinata asked as a student from class 5 walked out of the room. "They don't know where's Yachi. I told you we'll start studying after practice or tomorrow," he complained. The guy in front of him didn't make any remark because his eyes were wandering everywhere like its looking for someone. "I told you she's not inside the classroom."

"Hmm," Kageyama hummed not paying attention to what the tangerine was saying.

"Oi!" Hinata smacked him in the head.

The setter tried to remain calm by shutting his eyes close and slowly turning his way to the middle blocker. "Do that again. I dare you," he smiled but his eyes say otherwise. The oblivious middle blocker did hit him again. "Why you, little!"

Hinata was quick on his feet and was able to dodge when Kageyama tried to hit him. He ran away as fast as he could from his scary teammate, running past the students that were in the hallway.

As Hinata swerved to the corner, Kageyama did too, he swerved to the side when a student walked out of the corner, but little did he know that there was another person that also walk out the corner. When he finally saw the girl, it was too late. They already collided with each other and fell on the floor.

Kageyama was on top of the girl and before making it awkward he quickly gets up. "I'm so sorry!" he apologized. He reached his hand out to help her stand up. "Y/n! I'm so sorry," and even a large amount of regret swallowing him when he found out who the person he bumped to.

"Ouch," you softly whimper.

"Bring her to the clinic, Kageyama!" Hinata shouted.

Kageyama being in a panic estate dragged you along the corridor and brought you to the clinic. The school's doctor checked you up and after knowing that you were alright, he scolds the first years, saying that it was dangerous to suddenly make you stand up after you just hit your head. Lucky for them the impact was not that strong so you were fine.

"No. You don't have to walk me home. Didn't the doctor said that I was fine, besides don't you have practice?" you said stopping the fellow in front of you from carrying your backpack.

"Yes, he did, but he also said to take primarily precaution," he acknowledged, successfully stealing the bag from your grasp. "I do, but it's not like Daichi-san will let me practice if I didn't walk you home," he sighed.

He remembered how Daichi wouldn't even let him take one step into the gym. He didn't know how the captain knew the incident, but he probably heard it from the other students since rumors can easily spread inside Karasuno, likewise the vice principal's wig incident.

Kageyama thought that maybe Hinata told Daichi but he quickly scratched the thought off since if the latter did he will also be walking you home because he was the one Kageyma was chasing.

"Oh, no. Did I get you in trouble? I'll go talk to Daichi-san, right now!" you affirmed. You were already making your way to the volleyball gym but you soon come to a halt, when Kageyama held your wrist and dragged you out of the school premises.

"Let's just get you home," he sternly said. You gave in and led the way to your house.

"So this is my house. If you hurry, I think you can still catch up to your practice," you advised.

"Y/n-chan~" a female voice called out then the door opened. "Oh, who's this friend of yours. Wait, you're the cute customer that would always go to the store to either buy milk or yogurt and would stay for a while," she divulged.

You took notice of Kageyama's cheeks, it had a hue of pink and you took this as he was embarrassed. "He's a friend of mine. Can you wait inside, thanks!" you shoved your sister back inside and slamming the door shut before she can complain.

"Sorry, that was my older sister. She can be quite talkative sometimes," you admitted. "Uh, I didn't know you would regularly come to the shop."

You thought that the time he went there was a one-time thing since his house and the store was a few blocks away. Also, the fact that there's a closer convenience store around their block.

"Uh, yeah. The, uh, the convenience store I would normally go to doesn't sell the milk I want," he stuttered. He didn't know why he felt a bit embarrassed telling you that he's practically obsessed with dairy products.

"Are you talking about the milk you bought that day?" you asked. You were talking about the day you met him at the store.

"Yeah," he shyly replied.

"I could just deliver one when were at school, so you don't have to walk all the way here. Just tell me when you want one," you offered.

"It's fine. You don't have to. Besides, this is my route every time I jog so it's not a bother plus I like visiting your store," he complimented. He found it weird how he could casually compliment you since he wasn't the type to give compliments daily.

"Aww! Thanks, I'm glad you liked the store. My mom let me and my sister design it. But seriously, I don't mind delivering some milk to you at school," you thought that maybe he was shy to make you deliver milk to him so you insisted once more because it was obvious how he likes those dairy products.

"If you insist, deliver one every day."

[bumbershots]

A CERTAIN ROMANCE

CHAPTER ONE: JUEVES

Author’s note: Hello! I’ve decided to give it a go, this is my first chaptered fic in this website. This story just occurred to me a while ago and I’ve tried my best to make some sense out of the concept which honestly is forever changing on my mind. I hope you don’t find many grammar mistakes, if you do please let me know. Enjoy! (:

Story masterlist ** Word count: 2.3K ** 

It's been years since Harry last had to use the tube, but it's not as hard as he thinks, buying the ticket was fairly simple and soon enough he was sitting on the train comfortably. The northern line wasn't too busy, no delays were announced through the speakers, his journey to Ladbroke Grove station was going to last around thirty six minutes. He suddenly can't remember how long the ride would be on a car. Maybe it's time to start using the London Underground a bit more, contributing to saving the planet, lessen his carbon footprint. With all the aeroplanes he takes a year, he should use it from now onto the rest of his life, he thinks with a bit of guilt.

He changes to the Hammersmith and city line with ease, passing by lots of people, no one truly pays attention to him. The school girls that would usually come up to him and ask for a picture are too busy gossiping among themselves, the grown up adults that are more fond of his solo work are too immersed into their own thoughts about annoying bosses. Harry likes to blend into the crowd that's gathered now at the station and awaits for the train. In the eyes of the others, he's just another guy patiently waiting for the train to hop on and get to his destination. Even though he was on his way to meet with the team that will take care of his house renovation, a property valued approximately on £4.175 million.

The train arrives and he follows the multitude that pile into the wagon, he isn't lucky to find a seat this time but doesn't mind as he finds a good spot to lean against, the doors close just as he skips the ABBA song he doesn't feel like listening at the moment and settles for Hanson instead. He bops his head along the tune before slipping back the mobile in his pocket, eyes traveling along the passengers' faces, trying to guess what they're up to.

A group of lads wearing the Tottenham jersey discuss the latest game, one of them praising Kane's goal and regretting him missing the next match. Harry knows a thing or two about football, he even plays it regularly with his friends not so far away from his home, but he doesn't keep up with Manchester United, perhaps he can do that from now on he thinks before letting his gaze fall upon the pack getting down on Baker Street and the few ones hopping on. Most of them are tourists chatting about the Sherlock Holmes museum, the singer smiles, remembering the first time he visited it with his family, many years ago. Sometimes he longs for those days to be back, so he can do the typical touristy things with the people he loves the most once in a while or have a date without a good amount of lenses focused on his every move.

Not that he regrets being a well known musician, actor, model. It comes with a lot of perks. But he's just moving on from a breakup that might have been his fault. He's a workaholic for sure, even though he's supposed to be taking it easy, his mind can't help but keep throwing song ideas for the next album. That is why Jeff suggested the home renovation, knowing that the project will keep him busy for about three months, maybe more if the contractors up sell their ideas.

Harry makes his way out of the station in one piece and without being spotted, he checks the address again on his phone, confirming the place where the meeting will be held is within walking distance and makes his way before choosing a Pink Floyd song for the six minute walk. He pulls his coat tighter around him, relishing in the forever changing weather of the city, this time he will stay and enjoy it in full, maybe even delight in the autumn too, have his mum over for a couple of weeks, maybe he'll even stay longer and take her to the ice rink.

Just as Harry plots on where to go when his favourite person pays him a visit, he reaches the private front garden off a beautiful car-free garden square. He remembers to text Jack, who doesn't take long to appear in the distance and unlock the gate for his friend.

"You're impossibly early mate," the man greets with an amused chuckle.

"Sorry, had to take the tube because of what you said about car-free development, probably miscalculated the time." Harry admits sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck as Jack leads the way through the garden. "Is this where they filmed Notting Hill?" He wonders with another look around.

"Couple of scenes that didn't make the cut, our neighbour Mrs. Black will tell you all about it, if you happen to run into her around Hugh Grant's birthday." Harry laughs as they reach a private entrance with a well-maintained front garden adorning the forepart of the property, he follows Jack inside the home where a strong coffee scent greets them both.

The musician quickly scans the large open plan kitchen/reception room with large glass sliding patio doors to a delightful independent garden where a round table is surrounded by four mismatching chairs. He doesn't remember Jack's old place, but it certainly didn't look as the dream home they're standing in right now.

"Thanks for agreeing to do the meeting here mate," Harry's words are sincere his companion can tell, he tries to shove it off as if it's nothing, handing him the mug with coffee while he pours another one for himself, "I know it can be a handful, the NDAs too." Now he's almost blushing.

"We should be thanking you H, work from home for the next couple of months, my dream come true." Jack manages to make him laugh and feel at ease again, just before the steps of a third party come from the stairs and grow closer towards them. "Just in time, Harry this is Fernando Gonzalez, my housemate and architect of the team." He introduces the tall man to his friend and watches them shake each other's hand, "Fernando this is our client, Harry Styles."

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you Mr. Styles," his voice is soft and melodic, like an aerophone instrument.

"Please call me H, all my friends do," the musician knows this is business, but he wants to have fun too, like Jeff suggested. And the guy looks way too young to be calling him Mister Styles.

"I warned you Fer, he likes to keep it easy, breezy." Jack says motioning both of them to follow his lead and sit down in their dining table that is covered with house design magazines, floor plans of Harry's home and a couple of what the pop star assumes are sketch notebooks. "Alright, tell us about your vision for this project." In all honesty, Harry doesn't know how to answer that.

He fights the urge to say that he had purchased the property knowing that not much is needed to be done to the décor. The style and the flow of the house is already lovely. After a quick glance at the plan he thinks that maybe, more room is needed and, most importantly, a new kitchen-dining-living space that would be grand enough to entertain in, but cosy enough to be the central 'hub' of his home.

"The windows, for starters, have to be replaced." He begins with a tone so confident that the pair before him don't suspect he's improvising the whole thing. "New bathrooms, perhaps from Lusso Stone, demolish an existing rear extension from the top and design and build an entirely new expansive ultra-modern one, like the one at Lou's home." Jack nods understanding what he means, "I also want a kitchen diner extension, pink granite worktops, if possible." Harry finishes before grabbing one of the magazines and starts flipping pages just to look busy.

The whole project can take six months, they let him know, through the summer and autumn. He's elated at achieving double the time he hoped for in the beginning.

"We'll send the paperwork to your team and see you next week to sign it once they approve it," Jack concludes the meeting as they all finish their coffee. "Are you busy on the nineteenth?" His friend's voice is warmer now that he's not on business mode, it makes Harry smile.

"I don't think I am, why?"

"It's Freddie's birthday, you should come, catch up with the lads," Harry nods while thinking about it, a bit unsure because it has been a while since he's seen the rest of the pack, he's not sure they'll welcome him just like that. "They're always asking about you, could be like old times, lads doing laddy stuff," the green eyed musician chuckles at that, not sure if he wants to go back to those activities of their youth.

"Sure I'll go, text me the address a few days before," his friend nods in approval to his request, "I better get going, I have to pick up my sister for dinner, see you both next week." The youngest nods and shakes Harry's hand before Jack leads the way out the house and square. The sun is setting now and the sky is a mix of pink and purple hues just as the two men bid their goodbyes until they meet again in a week's time.

Harry scolds himself for buying a one way ticket earlier instead of sorting out an Oyster card, he'll do that next time, he thinks before stepping into the train and finding a seat in the middle section of it. Led Zeppelin is a good soundtrack for his journey back home, for some reason he is craving the powerful, noisy, speedy rebellion that came with the band's songs, he loved to get so lost in the music that whatever activity he did came in second, every single time. Which is why he almost didn't get off at the King's cross stop, he hurried out of the vehicle, laughing to himself for being so immersed into the music.

The way back to the northern line was now familiar, but not as busy, he decided not to walk too fast after confirming that he had enough time to go home and take a shower before going over to Gemma's. Waiting at the platform he decides to change his playlist, again. Just as he's about to settle for Wings, out of the corner of his eye he spies what the person next to him is listening to and he stops from hitting play on his own device.

The who.

It's been ages since he heard them, three years if he is being honest. The train arrives and the girl next to him puts her phone in her coat pocket as she prepares to board the wagon, Harry does the same, but instead of training his eyes on the descending passengers, he lets them focus on her. She's wearing a nice burgundy coat, a black newsboy cap, high-waisted jeans with a blue polka dot blouse tucked underneath them. She's much shorter than he is, probably about Helene's height, he thinks as they make their way inside.

Without meaning to, he follows her and leans on the wall, across from her. She doesn't seem to notice how his stare is burning holes into her face, he's itching to ask her where did she buy the red boots she's wearing. Harry knows the moment he speaks to her, it will all go to shit. Some of the school girls sitting nearby might recognise his voice, his dimple could pop out to play and give him away too. She might also think he's a creep and kick him in the shin, leaving a nasty bruise that would heal in about a week, unlike the invisible one in his ego.

"Are you telling me, you developed a ten feet tall crush on someone you saw on the tube?" Gemma asks later that night, her fork full of linguine was stopped mid-air, making her brother roll his eyes but nod bashfully. "I'm speechless." The fork resumes its trajectory and she chews her pasta slowly.

"It happens to everyone, only because you both know that there's almost no chance to see each other again." Harry shrugs and bites a piece of bread, still feeling weird about the situation.

"Did she make eyes at you?"

"What?" He's completely taken off guard by his sister's question, his northern accent coming out and making him drop the 't' at the end.

"Yes, did you flirt with each other making eyes," Gemma's eyelashes flutter as if she was a Disney princess meeting her love interest for the first time, Harry shakes his head in denial, "what was it then?"

"I don't know! It was weird, couldn't take my eyes off of her but... she didn't even notice, I sound like a dirty man," he does, his sister agrees but the pink spots on his cheekbones tell a different story.

"I once had a crush like that, with a cashier at Waitrose," she remembers before sipping her wine, "he was nice to look at, one day he wasn't there anymore, just like that." Gemma sighed and took her younger sibling's hand on hers before adding. "If our lives were a Nicholas Sparks novel, perhaps we would be getting ready to have a date with those lovely people but..." Harry laughed and gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

"How's the sunnies collaboration going?" He asked before taking the last of his gnocchi. Listening to his sister talk about things that she enjoyed was the highlight of his days, he managed to push his silly underground crush to the back of his mind.

But there was the truth of what Harry couldn't see, or say. He'd probably like to have a shot with a girl like that and if Gemma could only see her, she would agree. Agree that there might be a story around there.

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Next chapter

[shyrose57]

Part 2 with da angst

2: Young Ranbob did not understand at all what was going on, infact he refused to believe he ever had anything to do with the sabotages, it was only when Dream took over completely and gave Ranbob enough of his mind to know what he was doing, did he finally accept it. He tried and tried to break Dreams control and get control of his body back, but nothing he did ever really worked, and the more he tried Dream eventually began to punish him, forcing him to stop. He felt aboustely awful, like a failure, a murder, and just a shitty person during all of this. His journal shows basically all of his mental decline, it went from normal, him recording special things during the day, to semi-normal, him expression concern and fear over the sabotages and killings (with some out of place words or sentences here and there appearing half way through, showing Dreams presence), to recordings from someone with obvious mental distress (misspelled words, extreme fear, showing fear of himself, hasty writings and drawings, very obviously out of place sentences (their neater than the rest and written differently, written by Dream), and meaningless words and sentences, obviously trying to say something but not knowing how too), all they way to flipping entries of when Ranbob is in control (sadness, despair, hasitly done, regret, and just heavy sentences) to when Dream is in control (Neat writing, stating "facts", showing a level of glee). Ranbob does still have it, he actually still uses it to record what happens in the groups and how far he's come. To the Gladiators its more of a "Hey I found this thing, lets read this thing." "No let's not read the thing." "Im going to ignore you and read it anyway.". The pictures are from the current ruined state of the City of Mizu, and pictures showing Ranbob at the fishermens house, struggling to walk and even eat on his own, though a few are from before Dream ever got a hold of Ranbob. 

3: The way you just said "Causally drops some trauma on them, huh?" And "Traumatized gremlins" made me laugh so much. Its so accurate and made me just think of the brothers vibing toghere before I just pop in and drop tons of trauma on them before dipping. "Ah, damn, the opponent stared me in my chest." "WHY ARE YOU SO CALM ABOUT THIS!? YOUR BLEEDING OUT!" "Oh im used to this. Trust me I'll survive...probably." "RAN I SWEAR!". And "Ranbob when did you last eat?" "Uhhh, 2 days ago I think." "..." "D-did I eat too soon? I dont have to eat for another day or two max-" "Ranbob shut up and eat." "B-but-" "If you dont eat I'll tell Benjamin." "OK ok I'll eat."  Ran thinks its normal to get stabbed often, while Ranbob thinks its normal to only eat every 2 or 3 days, and to not sleep for a long time. There is one particular hunter that's been hunting him the longest, they go by Raq and are the most determined to get Ran, though they don't plan on killing him, but rather kidnapping him and exploting him for pearls. It was a bit hard at first, Ran kept having to leave to wander around the City for a bit, though he eventually successfully got accustomed to staying in one place, though he does sometimes wish he could travel again. 

4: A bit of everything, him getting violent and trying to run at first. But after that it fades more into what resembles a depressive state, with him refusing to move and crying while being lost in his head. He requires space to move around but be monitored in the first state, while for the second he needs constant comfort and physical contact. The aftermath was the fishermen and Jackie staying close to Ranbob for the next 2 days, while Grievous and Watson try to find Ran after he stormed off in anger and disbelief. Ran does know what a relapse means, but during the time he believes Ranbobs relapse might be something else (like his facade faulting maybe).

5: Not long at all, while Ran is carrying Jackie and Cletus makes fun of them as Ranbob is following him, Jackie quickly points out how Ranbob is like a lost puppy, and the same thing is basically happening to the two of them, but showed different ways. (The brothers making sure their family is safe by sticking close to them).

6: By the time they travel to Subbin, Ranbob has gained like 80 pounds and is a way more healthy weight and looks much more healthier than when the fishermen first found him. 

7: Their usually either getting materials, looking around the area/exploring, being taught things by someone, or sleeping. Charles was the one who revived the nickname! He called him that when trying different tactics to calm him down from a nightmare, Ranbob immediately froze and after a while started to cry, Charles panicked but Ranbob quickly comforted him, saying he just hasn't heard Bobby used in such a long time and brings back both incredibly happy and incredibly sad memories. And with permission, Charles starts using it more. Ran also freezes when hearing it, immediately going ridged and almost ripping a map he has in his hands, when asked by Grievous what was wrong, he just growled out nothing and moved on. Though he does mull over it later, conflicting emotions running all over him. 

8: Helping separate Ran and Ranbob was already big for the gladiators. As most people would just watch with glee. Then when they get time to talk and make the connection between Ran and Ranbob, they decide to make a exception and willingly put in effort to bond with the other group. Also them just naturally connecting made the bonding and trust easy between the groups. 

9: They do both! They keep some books, pictures, and other stuff, but sell others as relics. Ranbob mostly disapproves of them selling the items, but also knows it'll probably be best to sell them, and have them either spread the story of Mizu as a warning, or have the story of Mizu destroyed by assumptions and twisting of the story. 

10: I'm thinking maybe a Wilbur decendent is inhabiting a certain town, and when the groups stop in for a break, Wilbur decendant  houses them and listens to their story, and tries to help?

11: They mostly just find them, they either find them in book stores or ruined towns and cities (maybe I can put The Masquerade tale in here somewhere), a wide range of people, from scholars to plain history nerds, to books from during the time of the SMP itself to books written by seemingly no one. Ranbob finds some himself, mostly when exploring with the group. I think I misworded this! Dream is the one who compared Ranbobs journal to Ranboos memory book! Ranbob knows of Ranboos memory book but he himself doesn't see the connection. Ran feels all of the above. He is extremely ashamed and disappointed in himself for hurting his brother, he hugs him tightly and apologizes non-stop, promising to make it all up to him, and while he asks for forgiveness he also says he doesnt expect for his brother to forgive him. Once he finally sees Dream for real though he's the first one to blindly attack and try to kill em. Though he doesnt succeed. 

12: No one expect the brothers where outside in the rain when they fought. So no one knew of what was happening. Its only when Ran finally joined them, but alone, did they get scared and alarmed. And when Ran admits they got into a fight and Ranbob ran off, the fishermen immediately start yelling at Ran and run off to find Ranbob, screaming his name into the deafening thunder. Grievous follows them but Watson and Jackie hang back a bit, Jackie just looks at Ran with a heartbroken expression, tears in his eyes, and asks, with his voice shaking and laced with sadness, "Why can't you at least try to accept him, you dont have to like or forgive him, but why can't you just let him heal?" "Jackie..you dont know what's he done-" "I do know! And I'm willing to help him change and recover! You can't and your his brother! What kind of family member are you?" Ran tries to respond but Jackie just chokes and shakes his head at him, running off to follow the others. Watson then speaks up, simply saying "Mate, your doing more than hurting Ranbob at this point." Before running off to follow and join the others. Ran feels horrible, even before being confronted he so badly wanted to chase after Ranbob, but was to scared too and he constantly was trying to reassure himself that he did the right thing, but no matter what, he couldn't convince himself that was the truth. And after the confrontation, Ran is taking what was said to heart and also considering running away, leaving the group behind and sparing them of all the pain he believes he causes, believing that he's just as bad a family member as Ranbob was. But he doesnt, because he feels like he absolutely needs to talk to his brother and everyone else. 

2: Oh god. Poor Ranbob. He really went through it. It does make me wonder, did anyone notice something was up? His mentor? Parents? Friends? Speaking off, what was his relationship with them all? From what I know, he seemed to be under a lot of pressure, so how did that effect things, and how did Dream’s presence change that? And uh, gladiators reactions to reading the diary? Also, did they get caught reading it, or? And how did everyone in general react to the pictures? The fishermen may have taken the latter, but how did they feel about seeing Ranbob before Dream came into the picture?

3: I tell it like it is, glad to hear it’s made you laugh though. And uh, oh boy. On one hand, I definitely shouldn’t laugh at stabbing and possible starvation. One the other. Ran’s reaction. Ranbob being threatened with Benjamin. Is he often threatened with Benjamin? What exactly happens if Benjamin is told? Will Raq be causing future problems? Is Ran happy to be on the road again?

4: That sucks. Did the gladiators witness it first hand, or did the fishermen kind of realize what was happening and split off for a bit? Reactions to either seeing or hearing this happen?

5: Ranbob’s reaction to this? Heck, all of the fishermen’s reactions?

6: As he should. If he ever starts looking even slightly thin again, Benjamin needs to jump into immediate action! Also, give him a blanket and warm drink, please? Please, he needs it, they all do. 

7: So not too bad, that’s good. Charles was the one, huh? Interesting. Does Ranbob like having it back? And conflicting emotions, hmm? What would those emotions be? Does anyone ever notice the nickname makes him mad? 

8: So the gladiators consider that their big approval? Why’s that? Like obviously, they helped break it up, but was it something particular? Did they get between the two? Jump into the arena? What?

9: A warning of Mizu...there’s something awfully tragic about that. 

10: Sounds interesting! In what way would they be able to help? 

11: Scattered about, hm? So Ranbob knows about Ranboo’s memory book? Did Dream tell him, or did Mizu have a copy, or? And yay, Ranbob finally gets a hug! Most wonderful! Sad Ran doesn’t succeed in murder, but meh. Always next time, I suppose.

12: You...you were really going for my heart when you wrote this, weren’t you? Um, first of all, ouch. Second of all, also ouch. That’s all I’ve got for you right now. Just, ouch, Anon. Ouch.