#me too mr ito

[liillyliilly]

Detective Business

kenji sato x reader words; 7009 synopsis; enemies to friends to lovers- she's a private investigator and he's just ultraman (but she doesn't know that). she also has to deal with that annoying pro baseball player who just won't leave her alone.

Trying to find the identity of Ultraman is no easy job for the Tokyo Investigative Department, but for her? It’s more than finding Ultraman, it's about also finally arresting Kenji Sato for his reckless driving on the highway.

Unfortunately, she’s also a reckless driver. Which is why Kenji Sato was folding his arms and frowning while she pulled out a pad of ticket paper from under her motorcycle’s seat. The rain was dripping on her helmet and Mr. Sato’s white shirt was getting soaked through.

“I just think I shouldn’t be getting a ticket, Officer.”

“I’m not an officer, I’m a private investigator under contract with the department. Don’t lump me with them.” She bites the pen cap off and starts writing a ticket for him clocking in at around 170 kilometers per hour.

“You don’t even have a radar detector, so the only way you know I was speeding is because you were too.” Kenji kicks off from the wall of the divider on the highway. He inspects her motorbike slowly, dragging fingers over the dashboard and the mirrors. The key in her ignition is black, with a small baseball keychain, he notes this and keeps it in mind.

She grins, “As I said, I’m not a policeman.” She lowers her voice a little, “My bike isn’t factory tuned like theirs are.”

He groans, upset at her for giving him the ticket. But also because she intrigued him more than most people did. MINA spoke into his helmet, reminding him about the Kaiju raging in Sendai. He shushes MINA’s comments.

She scoffs, assuming that the shush was for her. She shoves the ticket into his chest, accidentally soaking up some water that was drenching his t-shirt.

“If you want to fight the ticket, go to Courthouse 5 in Tokyo at 9 am on Wednesday. A representative from the department will have all my notes from this. And Mr. Sato, please drive safely, it’s raining. Hydroplaning is no joke.”

“I’ll drive safely if you drive safely, Officer.” He laced the title with some grittiness, the kind of tone that grinds her gears.

“I’m not an officer. I’m-”

“A private investigator, yes I know, you’ve told me three times before. Since you’re the only one who can actually clock me going above the speed limit.” He rolls his eyes, “Same time next week Officer?”

She sighs, putting the visor of her helmet down. When she gets onto her bike, kicking up the stand and revving her engine, Kenji teases her and blows an overdramatic kiss in her direction where she can clearly see it in her mirrors. She brings her hand up to throw him a middle finger, he earnestly returns the gesture.

The road is empty now, and she’s far enough away to not recognize Kenji using his willpower to morph into Ultraman, needing to get to Sendai soon according to MINA’s instructions.

MINA speaks into his audio system, “You really should listen to her. She’s smart. Safe driving is critical in the rain Ken.”

“MINA, I love you, but please shut up.”

She never liked arrogant people. Maybe because she was arrogant herself? But the real reason for arrogance is that it masks the reality behind the person, it’s a cover for something more futile and undeniably human. Arrogance acts like a shield holding back a person from revealing too much. For her, arrogance defended against her ideals. The world could be changed to be better. Peace is well within a grasp. That ideal, that dream of what the world could be is hidden and buried deep within her. To cover for it, arrogance does a great job biting into people she meets.

It’s a good thing her best friend was always there for her. Ito Yuuta, rookie of the year and a new addition to the Yomiuri Giants baseball team. He was one of the first round draft picks, immediately getting sweeped into the team. So there she sat with Yuuta, while he threw pitches in the baseball cage, her talking about his teammate with disdain.

Yuuta clocked in some high speeds, and was extremely sweaty. His shoulder was killing him, but practicing as often as possible was a new priority if he wanted to be utilized and get off the bench for this season.

“I don’t understand how you can play on a team with a guy like that.” She chews a piece of licorice, a guilty pleasure snack that she was addicted to. Yuuta steals a piece and sits next to her.

She’d met Kenji before, in circumstances where she wasn’t giving him a fine for speeding down highways. When her friend got scouted, she met the members of his team at a mixer. Kenji Sato just didn’t seem to play nicely with his teammates. When Yuuta had initially introduced himself, Kenji had given him a signed baseball card, saying something about how selling it would be worth something.

After hearing that story, which Yuuta laughed at and gladly embraced as a characteristic of Kenji’s behavioral traits, she just furrowed her eyebrows and puckered her face. It rubbed her the wrong way for someone to act like that. But she couldn’t control the roster of the Giants’ team.

“He’s a great player. You’re just too tied up in your whole ‘I’m a harbinger of justice and righteousness’ to see that there are people out there with the exact same personality as you.” Yuuta drinks some water and throws a sweaty towel on her, which she tosses back to him in disgust, “Come to a game, watch him play, maybe then you’ll join a fanclub other than mine.”

She clicks her tongue to her teeth, bouncing her knee in consideration. Yuuta let the whole Kenji Sato thing go, and instead just invited her to come watch him play in the most upcoming game.

He had her try to throw a ball, how to raise her leg just enough, bringing her arm and hand back just enough. While he was adjusting the length of her arm and the angling just so, none other than Kenji Sato walked into the baseball gym. He slinks over to the pitching cage and watches for a moment, the rookie member of his team sliding his hands over Kenji’s pretty private investigator. He just had to make a comment, right?

“You should move her hips a little to the left while you’re at it, Ito.” She jumps a little at his voice, dropping the ball. It rolled over to Kenji’s foot through the wire fencing around the cage, he reached down and picked it up from under the cage. Throwing the ball up a little, analyzing it. Ito accepts the help, and uses his hands to twist her hips just a smidge.

She couldn’t help it that she was ticklish. A brief laugh escapes her, and she chokes when she sees Kenji stare right at her. Except it wasn’t at her face, rather where Ito’s hands began to slide up to her waist to tickle her a little more. Kenji presses his lips into a line, tossing the ball over the cage.

Ito yells out a quick thanks and Kenji waves his hand while walking to the locker room.

She throws the ball that Kenji had returned to her. It clocked in at around 128 KPH. Yuuta lets out an approving hum in reaction to the speed of her fastball. She does a little spin and flexes her arms to show off her natural talent. It’s a good thing the locker room had TVs that showed camera footage from all the baseball cages. Kenji laughed at her silliness while he was watching on the screen, tightening his shoes.

A few days later, at the Tokyo Police Station, she’s getting briefed on the newest details of the Ultraman case. It’s all things she’s heard before, and they were no where closer to uncovering the true identity of Japan’s biggest hero. Biggest hero, her ass, more like the biggest vigilante who runs around fighting Kaiju and also destroying the structural integrity of Japan’s cities.

All the secretaries and computer techs loved Ultraman, all the mugs in the kitchen area were Ultraman themed to prove it.

She spins around in her chair, listening to the Head of the Detective Department drone on in his monotone voice.

“Which is why I’ve decided to reach out to the KDF in helping us.”

Now, that was something she did not like. The KDF were brutalistic, inhumane, and quasi-militaristic. It was like their organization ran on the idea of killing out the entire Kaiju race with no concern for the theories and realities that Kaiju could actually help the world. If only people actually did their research and showed patience with the dedicated scientists who worked tirelessly to find out more about Kaiju.

She would prefer Ultraman to the KDF anyday. Ultraman at least gave the Kaiju respect, and he always seemed to guide them in certain directions once he got them to the ocean. Almost as if he was releasing the beasts to their homeland.

“No way. The KDF are horrendous. They treat Kaiju like pests that need to be destroyed. Any sort of information they have on Ultraman’s identity is sure to be unethically obtained.” She raised her concerns, looking to her fellow coworkers for support in backing her statement. They just lowered their heads when faced with her stare.

“Miss. You’re just a private investigator, all you need to do for us is follow instructions and see where our leads take us. And, you’re one to talk about ethically obtaining evidence, we all know your little tricks.”

She bites her tongue, leaning back into her chair. She had three more months of working for the police and then she could go back to discovering cheating husbands and trailing drug cartels for the other government departments. At least when she was doing that she wasn’t at risk for getting crushed underfoot by a superhero or getting lasered by KDF robots and fighter pilots.

Her boss puts a hand on her shoulder, picking away a piece of lint before going back to the head of the table.

“You’ll meet with a KDF representative, take detailed notes, follow the trails you find, and then report back to me. Do you understand?”

She mumbles.

“What was that?”

“Yes, sir. I understand.”

That night, she had to put on dressy clothes for the dinner with her KDF intelligence personnel. On the phone with Yuuta, she’d gotten appraised when she slid on a tight black number, “Damn! I thought you only had jeans and black shirts in your closet. Maybe I’ll have to ask you on a real date and not just the baseball banquet in two months.”

She held her head in her hands, while her elbows rested on her desk, phone sat up against her water bottle. Yuuta put the back of his hand against his forehead, giving a playfully deep sigh as he got a view of her cleavage. She rolled her eyes at Yuuta’s behavior, but still felt slightly proud at her ability to clean up nicely.

“Bye Yuuta, I’ll text you later.”

He waves to the camera, holding up a peace sign before finally ending the call.

The restaurant is dimly lit, live jazz music ebbs and flows throughout the building. Tables have white and black cloth laid out, and there’s an overabundance of marble decor. The KDF employee couldn’t have been younger than forty, but the salt and pepper hair did add an appeal she didn’t expect.

He pulled out her chair for her, and had the waiter take her order first. She sipped some water, not wanting to feel buzzed at all from alcohol. He was nice enough, just making some small talk before they got into the real meat of why they were there.

“We have intel that the ‘Hero’ is likely a sporting figure. We’re leaning towards baseball, due to the popularity of the sport. Also, based on audio recordings, he spent time abroad, using a mixture of slang and an American accent to color his lived experiences.” He downs his beer when he finishes the bulk of his information.

She jots the main points down on her notepad. In between sips of water, and bites of her pasta dish, she finds herself quickly making trails and thinking of all the roads she could go down to find Ultraman. When all the information is expressed, she leans back in her chair, waiting for the waiter to come back so she could pay for her meal.

When twenty minutes elapse, she says she’ll go looking for their server so they can leave. He nods, finishing off his fish and chips.

Turning the corner, she bumps into a solid wall. Except, the solid wall lets out a short ouch. It’s Kenji. Despite trying to clearly cover something up, his suit only goes so high on his neck. There’s black and blue bruises canvassing his face and neck, she glances and sees that there’s marks on his hands as well.

“What happened to you?” She reaches out instinctively to touch his cheek where there’s a dark purple bloom from the peak of his cheekbone to right above his jawline. He whines when she makes contact, but eases up when her warm hands soothe the flow of blood beneath his skin.

“You should see the other guy.” He remarks. In response she just scoffs a little, dropping her hand even though he wishes she would’ve just kept it there.

Soon, the salt and pepper KDF member finds her, “Hey, you need to come back.” He waves his card in the air for a moment, letting her know she needed to pay. He motions for her to hurry and come, and Kenji feels appalled. She nods, but Kenji furrows his eyebrows.

“What kind of man makes his date pay?” His voice is scratchy, and only she can hear him.

She puts a hand on his chest, “It's not a date, it’s business.”

Kenji nods, letting his hand graze hers as it slides down his chest. What once was, no longer is.

When the much older man puts a hand on the small of her back, his jaw clenches reflexively. He twitches in pain when he realizes he pulls the muscles where he’d taken a massive hit from the most recent Kaiju attack. At least he’d managed to make the fight only last around thirty minutes. The quickest fight of the year.

His legs were crossed, bouncing his foot that rested on his knee. He used his chopsticks and prodded at his noodles. His private table was hidden in a nook, with a bamboo room divider separating him and the world. Appetite crushed and meal soggy, Kenji pursed his lips slightly. Contemplation could only last for so long.

Pushing his plate away from him, he leaves a stack of bills on the counter. Stalking away to steal one last glance of her. He saw her hair, the curve of her spine, and heard the click of her shoes as the entrance to the restaurant came to a close.

What kind of business did she have, and more importantly who was he to think about what she was doing? The whole internal monologue was getting tired quick, especially when his thoughts had become plagued with her. Everytime he dished his attitude out for her, she served it right back and with her own additions and special spices.

He’d need some sort of counseling. And soon. But did he really?

She was committed to following the outline of details that the KDF personnel had given her. But she just kept running into Kenji Sato and didn’t get anywhere far with her approach.

At first she had tried to study all the baseball teams that had the quickest reaction times to a Kaiju attack. Each time she attended another game, with her hoodie pulled over her head and hands in her pockets, she just saw people running all around trying to escape the stadiums. Not optimal when a person is trying to go towards the danger instead.

A man had narrowly clipped her shoulder, she kept pressing forwards to get to the field. The Kaiju was on the outskirts of the stadium. If Ultraman really was a baseball player he would’ve appeared in the field from where the players had been. Her line of reasoning was that going down to the field and having her camera ready was the optimal discovery technique.

“What are you doing? You need to get away from the Kaiju, not run toward it?” Kenji, still in his Giants uniform, grabbed her by the arm pulling her further away from the baseball diamond. The Kaiju began to stomp away from the stadium. She groaned, ripping her arm away from Kenji.

“Leave me be.” She tried to go toward the center of the field again.

“You have a death wish and I will not be granting it.” He thwarts her plans and gives her the keys to his motorbike when they get to the parking lot, the Kaiju’s roar rumbles lowly from a distance in the eastward direction. “Get on the bike. I swear to the gods, get on the bike.”

She turns the key, and starts the engine. Kenji goes back to the stadium, leaving her to try and track down all the players from the game today who had already left the stadium, maybe following one of them would lead to the Ultraman reveal. An hour later, the Kaiju was back in the water leaving Japan behind. Ultraman’s face and video footage rang through the screens in the streets. She tossed her camera in the air, annoyance clear on her face.

That was the third time that month that Kenji had done something like that, found her trying to go towards the danger instead of avoiding it, and each time he pushed her away and told her to leave.

It was starting to annoy her more and more intensely that she still couldn’t catch a baseball player turning into Ultraman. Why did there have to be so many baseball games, and why were there so many players on every team?

Yuuta had invited her to a practice match between the Giants and a team from Singapore that had flown in for the friendly. She obliged him, thinking that she could narrow down her list of baseball players better if a foreign team was playing as well. It was around mid-game, and she didn’t expect another Kaiju attack so soon after the last one. Alarms blared and the ground rumbled.

This Kaiju was dark green, scaly, and looked a lot like a water monitor, with fangs like a rattlesnake. The size of it was smaller than most, and it slithered around instead of standing. It lunged at one of the lights in the stadium, and she was shaking against her intentions to remain resolved.

She supposed now was as good a time as ever to see an Ultraman transformation. Except maybe, getting too close to the creature was a bad idea. Yuuta had screamed at her for getting to the field, but he couldn’t stand in and do anything when the tail of the Kaiju knocked her off her feet and she landed on her arm roughly.

Kicking off with her feet, she kept trying to backtrack, elbows bloody and pain shooting through her shoulder. Now she was worried for her life, especially when the Kaiju slinked around the dirt and grass, getting a little too close to the catcher’s area, where she sat. Dirt coated her clothes, and she felt iced into her position.

She closed her eyes for a second, preparing for the worst.

Ultraman always saves the day in the end. The snake-like monster was curling itself around the arm of Ultraman, he shook his arm but the lizard stayed firmly in place. He flung his arm, and to her shock, the snake flew away, Kaiju genetics and formation letting it slither in the air. The Kaiju made its way to the coastline, and the harm was successfully resolved.

The audio muffling voice was just human enough to remind her to come back to her senses. The voice and of course, a huge presence kneeling in front of her would bring anyone back.

His hand was the size of her whole body, maybe even bigger.

“Do you need medical attention?” Ultraman stuck out a finger and she pulled herself off the ground by leveraging her weight and the arm that she hadn’t landed on.

“No, probably just some regular first aid.” She lifts her head up to try and make eye contact, that could be another clue.

When there’s no movement from either of them for a moment, he stutters something out yet none of the words make any sense. Fainting when she sees the Kaiju come back might have been her stupidest biological instinct.

Yuuta sits by her bedside table, snoring. Rubbing her head, she turns on the TV to see what happened after she lost total consciousness.

Ultraman had picked her up and set her somewhere safe while fighting the beast, headlines declaring another day safe because of his intervention. As much as she wants, she can’t roll her eyes.

Maybe there’s more to a superhero than meets the eye.

“Well folks we have it here, the championship game. We have the Giants pitching first and the Pumas at bat. Pitching for the Giants is an upstarter by the name of Ito Yuuta, or as the new fans like to say, the Michelangelo of pitching. And I can’t say I disagree with them, I mean his form is so natural and smooth.” The other announcer elbows his companion in the stomach, “And for the Pumas we have American Clint Wilks ready to bat.”

She sits in her seat, the same one Yuuta had reserved for her so many times before. She has her camera filming her friend, his first pitch he wanted filmed in slow motion, and then the rest he wanted normal speed. Something about wanting tons of content for the promotional manager to work with at various angles. Her phone camera wasn’t the best, but she made it work. And Yuuta had always been satisfied with the videos she sent to him.

When the batter manages to skim the edge of Yuuta’s first pitch she groans a little. The ball was recovered quickly, but Yuuta wasn’t shaken up at all. His next two pitches were seamless, going straight to the catcher in the blink of an eye. She cheers.

Disconnecting from the game for a moment, she scrolls on her phone, she may have enjoyed baseball, but it was Yuuta she only really came for. Yuuta and Kenji that is. Her other camera, her private investigation camera laid safely in her backpack. Should another Kaiju attack happen today she might need an early retirement, especially considering how the last run in had altered her.

It had been a while since she had caught Kenji Sato late at night, ignoring the speed limits with an overwhelming sense of confidence and ability. Maybe the lesson had finally set in, the fifth ticket may have been overkill.

When she hears the announcers say that Ken Sato is out of commission for this championship game due to injury, her ears burn. Now this was a quick mystery that needed to be solved. She had seen him in the pit, yelling with his teammates and jeering at the opposing team. But he hadn’t been quite all there, like his brain was in another body and a robot had filled in for him. When the announcement had been made that Kenji wasn’t going to play, he excused himself and left his team. She noticed that he had been rubbing his arm with a grimace.

The locker room would hold all the answers to her questions she supposes. Yuuta wasn’t going to pitch again for the rest of the game, already knocking out so many strikes in one game. She remembered how Yuuta had told her to get to the additional secret door to the locker room.

Getting into the locker room was easy, seeing Kenji Sato in his current state of undress was the hard part.

She couldn’t say much but let out a small squeak to disclose her presence in the room. Kenji finished pulling up his grey sweatpants, and coughed into his elbow to diffuse any sort of discomfort.

“Uh, sorry. My bad.” She tapped her forearm, keeping her arms locked into a folded position.

“It’s, um, it’s all good. Ito’s still at the diamond, I’m the only one here right now…” He trailed off.

Seeing the full expanse of his injuries across his torso and chest, she feels her heart sink. He’d come up closer to her, shutting his locker and almost circling her to study her. Initially, upon her walking in, she had seen him scrutinize the various marks across his body. His entire length of his arm was purple, almost like it had been wrapped in a rope that had been tightened too many times.

“Is your current partner an abuser?” She bluntly asks.

Kenji’s eyes open wide, “No, I’m not dating anyone right now.”

It was her turn for her eyes to go wide, in addition to extreme heat tingeing her skin and sweat starting to build up. Her assumption was that of a hired sort of company making those marks then. Surveying her reaction, Kenji knows what her best guess may have come down to.

“I also don’t make a habit of hiring escorts. Or any sort of paid companionship.” He swallows thickly. All his attempts to mitigate the tension in the room had absolutely failed. He tries another angle, “I’m glad that you care enough to ask though.”

She laughs at that.

“I guess I do care at least a little. It’d be a shame if you died by hooker, especially since I’ve spent so many hours giving you tickets in an attempt to save your life.”

They settled into their dynamic. Friends, but not quite friendly. Kenji wouldn’t call them enemies either, not when he held her too close to his heart. But her barely concealed occasional animosity did harbor some sort of anger or hate toward him that he’d just have to brush that aside while he categorized their relationship.

Their dynamic was hued by an innate sense of connection, but layers of social conditioning and abrasiveness between the two had deemed their magnetism a fluke.

Maybe that’s why he asks her to come to the baseball banquet with him despite being half naked in the middle of the locker room.

“I’ve already told Yuuta I’d go with him.” She shifts her weight between her feet, trying to remain balanced in spite of the extreme uneasiness that ran through her.

“I got him a replacement date.”

Her eyebrow raised at his slight supplication, he continued, “Ito told me he’d tell you soon. Guess I beat him to the remark.”

The awkward chuckle he lets escape makes him wish that he was anywhere but here. He’d take a monstrous Kaiju wanting to bite his head off then be faced with a rejection like this. Would it even be considered a rejection? He just asked if she wanted to be his date to the championship banquet. He chews the inside of his mouth, it would definitely be a direct rejection if she said no.

The crowd roars and tells the both of them that the banquet will in fact be for the Giants winning and not a solemn affair telling everyone to prepare for the next season.

“Okay. I had already cleared my weekend for the banquet anyway.” She wrings her hands out, twisting and playing with each of her fingers.

“Sounds great. It should be fun, you know, since we just won.”

She turns to leave the locker room, before turning on her heel.

He finishes putting his relaxed Giants jersey on, slightly stunned to see her still in the locker room.

“I’ll need your number, so you can tell me what to wear.” She pauses, unsure of what else he’d need to inform her of.

“And so I can let you know when I’ll pick you up, and where to pick you up.” He starts listing off items, using his fingers to keep track.

“Yeah, all that stuff.”

He gets her number, sending a short ‘hi it’s ken’ text. She feels the pull to exit again. But has to let one last thing off her chest.

“I’m not calling you Ken. You’ll always be Kenji to me.” He pushes down a smile, but she continues her word salad that climbs out of her mouth without much censorship. “Too many tickets written out in your full first name for me to call you anything else.”

“We’ll go with that then, Officer.”

She sticks her tongue out at him before finally trekking out of the baseball changing room.

To- Officer Cutie 💎🌟 : i’m sending you a dress, this is your size right?

ATTACHMENT: 1 Image

To- KENJI SATO 🚨🏍️: How did you know my size? Also you know I can buy my own clothes for a banquet right?

To- Officer Cutie 💎🌟: lemme do my own thing

To- KENJI SATO 🚨🏍️: fine then mr. bossy pants

To be fair, the dress really was gorgeous. Silver with red detailing, although the slit wasn’t quite an expected feature of the dress, coming up to above her mid thigh. The straps of the dress had an almost pearl beading which contrasted nicely with the deep blood shade of the red throughout the dress.

“You know, if my date saw you she’d wonder why I was going with her and not you.” Yuuta teases, because he does genuinely feel excitement for who he was going with, a reporter by the name of Ami Wakita. She does a spin for Yuuta in her phone camera.

“I don’t know all the way though, the colors remind me of something I can’t quite put a finger on.”

She can see Yuuta grabbing his phone and searching on Google due to the angle of his forehead that she was now enduring. When Yuuta laughs, she knows she might be in for some sort of practical joke from Kenji.

Yuuta sends her a photo of Ultraman.

“Damn him to hell. We’re going with an Ultraman theme.” She drags her hand down her face in irritation.

The black Mercedes-Benz he drove to pick her up in was definitely an appreciated touch. He was wearing a silver suit with a red button up underneath. At least they matched really well.

The banquet looked expensive. It smelt expensive. It sounded expensive. With draping fabrics hanging off of tall columns in the cream and gold shades of the Giants logo and uniforms. The bouquets of dense floral scents carried throughout the event center, and the fresh scent of pastries and cooked steaks also added to the aromas floating around the air. Clinking glasses, clicks of heels, laughs that sounded like they were dripping in a blend of nepotism and celebrity status.

Kenji and her are at a table with some of the older members of the Giants team. Kenji isn’t amused with the questions they pester the pair of them with. She wittily responds to each glaring comment that had intended to poke deeper and deeper.

The speeches awarding the team and celebrating the momentous win aren’t bad, just bland. Each time a server comes around with glasses of wine, or champagne, or shots, she grabs one and starts sipping. Kenji sticks to just water and some glasses of juice. He mentions that he’s the one driving so he’d rather not get black out drunk. She chuckles sarcastically.

While they don’t talk to each other too much, he does keep a hand on her thigh or knee for most of the night. Which in turn may have been the cause for her to keep getting drinks.

Eventually, as to be expected, the banquet shifts from an event of elegance into a slight rager. Music transitions from classical to club style hip hop and R&B. She keeps nodding off, much to Kenji’s amusement. He couldn’t imagine accidentally falling asleep when the noises around the building were booming and thunderous.

They sit at the table, the only ones left not on the dance floor. Kenji doesn’t mind, especially with how she keeps nodding off and blinking her eyes to try and stay awake regardless of how the alcohol weighs her cognizance down.

“Hey, pretty girl, you keep falling asleep.” Kenji rubs her back, his fingers touching the bare skin exposed from the back of her dress. His hands aren’t cold, they’re far from it, a warmth blossoms from them, springing forth a desire to feel the heat wherever she has exposed skin.

Mumbling, she says something about his observational skills, a ‘Captain Obvious’ is thrown in there somewhere along a line of insults. She keeps trying to rub the sleep away with the back of her hand.

“Ready to go?” She shakes her head yes and lets him guide her out to his car.

It really was the only solution. She was already asleep in his car, and he didn’t know which key was the one that opened her apartment door.

“MINA, can you please change the temperature of my room to 68 degrees? Keep the pillows cold, but make the blankets warmer.”

MINA adjusts the requested temperatures. Kenji lets her take his bed, opting to sleep in one of the guest rooms in the Ultrabase. He sets out a pair of sweatpants and a sleeveless sleep shirt. He puts a hand on her leg, moving it so she’d wake up a little.

“Pajamas are here, I’ll be down the hall if you need anything. I got water and some pain relievers on your side table.” She murmurs in response, her face in the pillows. He puts a lid on the water cup, and turns off the light as he shuts his bedroom door.

She hardly recalls that she changed into the comfiest pajamas she’s ever worn, but she did remember drinking the whole glass of water and swallowing the pain pills. Waking up was surprisingly pleasant though, a perfect mixture of cold and warm coated her senses. She freezes for a moment, remembering how last night had unfurled. With her embarrassing herself by drinking way too much and getting sleepy probably much earlier than Kenji had expected.

A good private investigator would study and analyze each item in a person’s bedroom. An even better private investigator would do all that and make fun of what she could. That’s why she’s considered the best in the business.

The room is relatively bland, but pictures of a pink Kaiju stand out to her. It looks like a dragon, but it’s so adorable she had to stop herself from using her phone to take a picture of the Kaiju. There’s a family photo, and oh, his dad is Professor Sato? The Kaiju whisperer? That’s intriguing to her but she keeps lurking around.

Once she examines his room enough, she leaves the room and goes out to discover further.

The smell of fresh fruit and possibly waffles draws her out further and further from the hallway of bedrooms and bathrooms.

Kenji talks to MINA, asking for help in making the waffles actually edible and not burnt. MINA offers to cook them for him, but he says he can do it and wants to make them himself. MINA rereads the instructions for the waffle maker. He’s wearing plaid bottoms and a black tank top. She admires his arms for a moment before shaking herself out of the slight daze.

She keeps looking around. Until she finds something particularly interesting, she checks that she’s still out of his line of sight and she touches a few of the buttons on what looks like a computer keyboard. Except the buttons vary in shape and size instead of being uniform and sequential.

Falling back a little from the bright holograms she gasps. Kenji whips his head around and drops a spoon that had batter all over it onto the floor.

The holograms display various scenes of Ultraman, and Kenji. Of Kenji turning into Ultraman, of Ultraman transitioning back into Kenji. Of Kenji with the pink Kaiju, of Ultraman with the pink Kaiju. Of Kenji and his dad studying the Kaiju. Of Ultraman playing baseball with a huge bat. Of Kenji messing around with various Ultraman maneuvers and martial arts styles.

She turns her head to Kenji, now exposed from her perching site away from his view. He glances his eyes in all directions. He hiccups and laughs forcefully. He can’t even say a simple, let me explain. It’s just all too clear.

“Whoops?” She offers.

He pushed a bowl of fruit in her direction, she was sitting across from him at the dining table.

“No one can know.”

She keeps blinking and eating another piece of fruit as she processes the whole thing. Almost like a fish, she keeps opening her mouth but then closing it without ever saying a word. She downs a glass of orange juice that he gives her.

“So, you’re Ultraman.”

He shrugs.

“All those times I saw you bruised and injured? Ultraman?” She rubs her temple, trying to make sense of it all.

“For most of the time, yes. I did fall off my bike once.”

“I’m going to have to quit my job.” She deadpans. “If they knew that I knew, but didn’t tell them, I’d be hunted and killed.”

Kenji drops his fork that has a slice of mango on it.

“Not literally, but I’d definitely be tortured for what I know.” Finishing off her fruit, she lets out a deep exhale, and makes eye contact with Kenji. He taps on the table for a moment before exchanging her thoughts for his own.

“I hate to admit this, but that would literally be my worst nightmare because I unfortunately like you a lot.”

She suspends all sense of reality for a moment, also ignoring his confession to her, “Kaiju Island is real?” He nods. “I want to go and see it. I want to see the Kaiju.”

So they go and see the Kaiju.

When Kenji introduces her to Emi, a toddler Kaiju, she stands stunned but amazed at the mystical energy of it all. She considers dropping her career as a private investigator and instead studying a course in Kaiju Sciences. She sees a wide variety of other Kaiju, Kenji making sure she stays a safe distance away from anything that could potentially be too dangerous.

The whole day is spent asking and answering questions. From Ultraman to Kaiju, from KDF to Tokyo Metropolitan Police. He’s aware of what the KDF knows about him now, and he’s grateful to know where to start burying tracks for them.

The beach is pretty in the evening. The way pink and orange dance along the glimmering ocean waves. The way the sun hits Kenji’s eyes just right and makes them look like a vibrant purple. His black earrings almost turn into inky ebony gems.

“This is actually amazing.” She exhales the words she’s been holding in during the entire exposure to this alternate universe that coexists with hers.

He speaks without thinking, something he believes he really should start working on, “You’re amazing.”

“Even with all my sharpness?”

“That’s your whole appeal.” He leans in, giving just enough space for her to back out.

She doesn’t lean away. He dives in.

He doesn’t bother with any brushes of their lips, going straight for an open mouth exchange. She’s the one who grazes her tongue in his mouth first though, leaving him wanting more, needing more, an appetite needing to be satiated with her touch.

He’s leaving a path of heavy kisses over her face to her neck, sucking on the skin as he licks under her jaw. The way her skin tastes should be studied he muses, using his hands to pin her to the sandy bank by her waist. Her hands were too busy fiddling with his earrings and hair to let him pin her by the hands.

The hums he has in his throat make her want to hear what other sounds he can make. Maybe biting his bottom lip was her best option after all because as soon as her teeth came into contact with the puffy skin he shudders and it’s like music to her ears.

He has to lift himself up and off her, out of breath and panting heavily. He pulls her up with him once he’s sitting back down.

“I’ve wanted to kiss you since the first time you cussed me out for almost swerving into you when I was speeding.”

She pauses, letting him intertwine his fingers with hers, he sets the joined hands on his thigh, rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand in order to brush some sand off of her.

“That was a while ago.”

“Yeah, so now you know how long I’ve been waiting for this.”

She pushes his shoulder that was right up against hers. He recoils, and she thinks that he might be sore from fighting a Kaiju. So she goes to apologize when he stops her before she can get any words out.

“I think I deserve an apology kiss.”

“What a faker.”

She rolls her eyes but gives him another kiss.

The headlines the following weeks put the world into a tizzy.

PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR QUITS TOKYO POLICE IN A FURY

EX-TOKYO POLICE INVESTIGATOR EXPOSES KDF BRIBING GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS

KAIJU AREN’T ALL BAD: THE KDF GENOCIDE SCANDAL

KENJI SATO, WHO’S YOUR GIRL?

ITO YUUTA NAMED GIANTS VICE CAPTAIN UNDER KENJI SATO’S CAPTAINSHIP

NEW KAIJU RESEARCH AND SCIENCE RELEASED BY PROFESSOR SATO

EXCLUSIVE ULTRAMAN INTERVIEW: HE’S OBSESSED WITH KENJI SATO’S GIRLFRIEND

[bansheeoftheforest]

I see you are asking for oneshot requests! Might I offer; truth serum but Jekyll isn't drunk this time, and the Lodgers have to deal with the guilt of their founder actively panicking as he spills his secrets. (Bonus: Jekyll trans reveal + Ito loudly stating her support of him/him reconciling with the Lodgers)

!!!!! I am DEFINTIELY Rusty and realized now that I am finished that I could have probably moved this in a different direction, but I hope the wait was worth it and that you'll enjoy this oneshot!! :D

also pls tell me if there are any mistakes because I've been trying to read through this a million times and I've forgotten how to post fics- help-

———————————————————

Title name: Secrets To Be Found

Wordcount: 4989

Summary: As Virginia Ito tries to keep her mentor calm during a day of anxiety, Dr. Ranjit Helsby and Mr. Seward Griffin decide that it is time to get some truths out of their founder.

Relationships: Robert x Jekyll (mentioned), Morcant x Jekyll (mentioned)

CW: Unconsenting drug use, internalized transphobia, transphobia

———————————————————

Helsby was up to something. 

  The man was a gossip, and by extension, he was always in someone else’s business, trying to find out more and more in an almost deliberate attempt to get his curiosity killed. Dr. Jekyll had never liked it, never liked it when the older man would smirk and grin, like he knew something you didn’t, which he often did. It was uncanny already, but this time... He did not like what his gut feeling was telling him. 

  He had tried to wave it all off, when it first started happening earlier this week. When Helsby would throw smug glances towards Griffin, as if silently communicating. He did not have any capacity to care much about either of them, he would not have cared if Griffin was the target of Helsby’s plot, yet he knew that that wasn’t the case. Griffin was a recluse even among the Lodgers, his temper and chronic migraines often kept him from forming any sort of positive connection with any of them, and so his sudden friendship with Helsby was... Concerning. His own suspicion was not quelled when a handful of days passed and their dubious behaviour only seemed to get worse.

  Safe to say, Dr. Henry Jekyll was nervous. 

  He forced himself to ignore this -probably imaginary- plot, and yet he had woken up with a horrible feeling within his very bones. He wasn’t really sure what it was, something within him was just... Jittery. Something was crawling inside of him but it was nothing he could put a finger on. He was almost certain that it wasn’t Hyde, as he had, in his own way, been quite calm and genuine the last few days, at least not seeming like he knew what was up with Jekyll or their body. He was not a stranger to anxiety, of course; but his anxiety normally came from something, it hadn’t come up without a reason in years, and that thought alone almost made him more nervous. Perhaps there was a reason, but really, why would he be nervous if Helsby and Griffin simply had a little prank planned? He could almost be certain he would not be at the receiving end, and yet...

  The anxiety had only worsened during the day, perhaps solidified by a familiar, nauseating feeling within his body; a dysphoria in which everything within and regarding his body felt wrong, no matter what he changed or how much he had convinced those around him that he was a perfectly normal man. Deep down, he felt- or perhaps knew- that he wasn’t. His jaw was not angled enough, his waist was too thin, his hips were too wide and his hair was too long- otherwise obscure details to his appearance which now felt like tell-tale signs of his biological sex. Perhaps that was what had caused the anxiety; the very fear that someone, at some point, would find out, and especially so when he knew- or assumed- that Helsby and Griffin were sniffing for vulnerable secrets. It wasn’t like he only had one skeleton in his closet, either. There were a myriad of things which someone could find out about him, which would inevitably ruin his life, and his imperfect body was merely one of those. 

  Regardless, the physical signs of his illness had manifested quite early and throughout the entire day. By breakfast, his hands had been shaking, and his cup of tea had slipped right out of his grasp and shattered onto the floor, making him jump as his heart practically galloped out of his chest. Before noon, another one of Luckett’s fires had gotten a bit too close to the chemistry lab, and while it had been nothing but a minor explosion, with minimal harm to equipment and no harm done to any of the Lodgers, it had still been enough to scare the doctor out of his boots and leave the anxiety in a thick lump in his throat. After noon, yet another bill came, another one that would be put in the “overdue” pile before the end of the week. Safe to say, Jekyll couldn’t wait for this day to be over. 

  It was evening now. The Lodgers had clearly noticed their founder’s jumpiness. They had asked, of course, but Jekyll didn’t have answers. He didn’t know why he was like this today, all he knew was that he had slept and he had not consumed anything out of the ordinary, he did not drink anything remotely caffeinated and so he could not have made himself into a pile shaking bones through overconsumption. Whether or not the Lodgers believed that was an entirely different question. He was just happy that Robert was not here to see him like this. He was not necessarily ashamed of his irrational nervosity, but he knew that Robert would worry and, quite frankly, not leave his side until he had gotten him to calm down. 

  ... 

  Perhaps that would have been a good thing, actually. 

  But it was too late now. Ito seemed to have sensed his nervosity, regardless. She was often a quite strict and stoic lady, but she could never help but to worry for her mentor, she seemed to sense his distrust and paranoia and had stayed close for most of the day, after the little explosion in the chemistry lab. Jekyll could get no work done today, and Virginia could not focus on her own work when her worry clouded her brain, and so they had spent the majority of the afternoon in Jekyll’s office. He laid down on his couch, one arm covering his eyes to block out the light in an attempt to rest, while Virginia stayed by his desk and looked through some of his old notes. Notes which he knew were safe, notes that she would be studying, as his junior. But it was getting late now, and Ito knew that Jekyll’s anxiety would not be made any better on an empty stomach. He had been reluctant, of course; he felt safer in his office, but Virginia did not want him to eat alone and there wasn’t enough space for the two of them to dine in here, so Virginia helped him up and linked their arms together as they left the office in search of the dining hall, where Rachel would have prepared today’s dinner. Jekyll could not help but look around in every corridor, as if afraid that someone was watching, or that something more would go wrong when he least expected it. He, of course, told Ito that it was just his nerves, and it was. It was not a lie, she knew it wasn’t a lie, but it sure as hell did not make her any less nervous. 

  They came right by rush hour. The dining hall was filled with chattering Lodgers, all behaving perfectly normal and no one seeming out of the ordinary. Mrs. Cantilupe and Miss Lavender met them with sympathetic ‘how are you feeling’s, and Luckett once more apologised for the day's mishap. The alchemists sat down by their own table, a bit further away from the rest. 

  Jekyll didn’t have an appetite. How could he, when his stomach was riddled with knots? The mere sight and smell of the food got him to feel full, but Ito had none of it, and left the table to get them both something to eat. She knew what her mentor liked and what would be good for him, after all, and she would make sure that he ate what he could.

  But then again, this also meant that she left Jekyll alone. 

  His hands rested on the table. One grabbed the wrist of the other, thumb against his veins where he managed to feel his own rapid heartbeat, and he continued to look around. As he was turned away, he soon felt the chair next to him move, and as he looked back, he was met with the grinning face of none other than Dr. Ranjit Helsby- possibly the last person Jekyll wanted to see today.

  “My good fellow!” he greeted, “how’s it going?” 

  Jekyll blinked, confusion already evident.

  “I... I’m sorry, did you need something?” 

  Helsby waved him off. He grabbed the teacup that was neatly placed by Jekyll, pulled a teapot into view from vaguely under the table and poured tea for the other doctor, before giving him back the cup.

  “Nothing at all! I just wanted to see how you were feeling, good sir.” 

  Jekyll squinted. Helsby -sarcastic, dramatic or not- never called Jekyll “Good” or “Sir”, and certainly not both in succession. Helsby was not quiet about his general dislike for Jekyll, or perhaps dislike was a strong word. He often thought that he was a toff, and he very clearly did not like the direction to which Jekyll was moving the Society, but that didn’t have to mean that he actively disliked him. Still, Henry did not trust his newfound politeness, and yet he also knew that it would only be terribly rude of him to dismiss the diplomacy which was now offered. He noticed that Helsby already had a cup of tea for himself, and as the other doctor raised his in a silent ‘cheers’, Jekyll had no choice but to smile politely and do the same, before taking a sip. As the liquid went over his tongue, he winced, doing his best to not cough up the metallic fluid right afterwards- what on earth was this abomination of a tea? He tried not to gag, really- it was absolutely foul-... He recognised it, he recognised the metallic taste and the sour smell- but from where? 

  He felt someone moving towards his right, soon Griffin slammed the palms of his hands against the table quite aggressively, making Jekyll jump and successfully gaining the attention of the Lodgers by the nearby tables.

  “Well well, Jekyll,” He said, smugness evident, “You would not mind telling us a few things, right?” 

  His grin left little to the imagination, less like a human smile and more like baring teeth, more like a threat. Jekyll almost sank back into his chair, his heart beating and beating like it was about to crack through his ribs. Still, he tried to act calm, and pressed out a forced smile. 

  “Whatever do you mean?” 

  By this rate, or perhaps by Griffin’s loud movements, the rest of the hall had fallen silent and the Lodgers’ attention was now on the three men. Virginia, who was just on her way back, quickly placed the plates with food down at the nearest table and rushed towards her mentor. It was in this moment that Jekyll recognised the liquid which had practically been forced upon him, and he felt the panic take hold of his body.

  Truth serum.

  But it was too late.

  “Jekyll, what are your biggest secrets?” 

  Something within Jekyll stirred, an involuntary feeling which was not unlike the one which rose when Hyde took over control- his tongue began to move, and the words began to spill from his lips faster than he could process what he was doing. 

  “I was born a woman.” 

  The men’s expressions were unreadable, yet Jekyll continued, spellbound.

  “I’m bisexual and I’ve been in love with Robert Lanyon for over 15 years.” the words practically tumbled out of his mouth, he barely processed what he had said as the next confession slipped out, “I was in an unhealthy relationship with an ancient werewolf named Morcant.” His heart continued to thrum, he could feel how his breathing quickened, “I don’t think I’m good enough for anything and I fantasise about throwing myself off of the cliffs of Dover but I’m way too busy to even entertain such a thought” He attempted to struggle, to shut up, but he was as paralyzed in his chair, until his last confession finally came out, “I’ve been hallucinating my minds most horrifying creatures for weeks and I am Edward Hyde.” 

  …

  Silence. 

  He was hyperventilating, now. Jekyll’s mind was an absolute mess, trying to process what had just happened- and yet the Lodgers around him just stared, mouths agape. He tried desperately to speak once more- any explanation, hell- any anger which he could throw towards the perpetrators- and yet he couldn’t. His vision- he hoped it was just panic- started to blur, and before he knew it, he had already pushed the chair away from the table, as he quickly got up and just ran, out of the room, into the corridors. 

  He heard yelling behind him. He heard rapid footsteps of Lodgers who tried to follow him. He was not sure where he was going, but he would rather be anywhere but near the Lodgers- his dear Lodgers to which he had split all his secrets, and Griffin and Helsby, who had drugged him and forced him into this. He had been drugged- just like that- His heart pounded within his chest, like a hare with a heart attack. Before he knew it, he was back in his office, slamming the door closed behind him and locking it from the inside, before the exhaustion took hold. His legs gave in, and he sank back against the door. He could barely process the footsteps that ran after him now stopping in front of the very office he hid in.

  “Jekyll? Henry! Henry- Please, open the door!”

  It was Virginia, banging on the door in hopes that he would, in fact, open up for her. He heard more footsteps as more Lodgers arrived, he could hear their various voices through the door. He pulled his knees up to his chest, attempting to hide his face despite there being no one to see him.

  “You BASTARDS!” 

  Virginia seemed to turn her attention away from the door. He could hear shuffling and high-pitched yelps.

  “How DARE you do this to him?! WHAT IN THE BLOODY HELLS WERE YOU THINKING?!”

  “We didn’t think he- or she- or- whatever- was going to have THAT many secrets!” 

  “HE. Don’t you DARE call him by any different-” 

  “Hello? Did NO ONE hear that he confessed to BEING Hyde!?”

  As the third voice spoke, the commotion stopped, briefly, like they all started to properly think about the things he had said. Soon more Lodgers began to speak. 

  “...Well- he also said that he is a bisexual!” 

  “Yeah, but is anyone even surprised by that?” 

  “Should we not focus on the fact that he said he wanted himself DEAD?-”

  “Fantasising about jumping off cliffs is not the same!”

“Then what the HELL is it?” 

  Oh, God...

  He could try to escape. He could take the HJ7 and jump out of the window like he usually did, escape into the night and not come back- well... Not come back until he thought the Lodgers had calmed down, that is. At the same time, he felt paralyzed. To think that he had freely and openly admitted his deepest regrets to the Lodgers- Lodgers, who were now arguing about the severity of what he had said. At the same time, his mind was only filled with the shame of his very first and last confessions; he had not been a woman in multiple decades- if he ever was- but his body was itching by a need to practically pull off his own skin in an attempt to rid himself of what made him unmanly and a monster, of what made him the abomination he is, the horrid thing which the Lodgers now knew about. That was to not even mention that he had just told them everything- from his shameful love for Robert and his horrid affair with Morcant- he had told them that he created Edward Hyde. Why could he not have simply been allowed to forget it all? Why did they have to dredge up the past- could they not have let him keep his secrets? They had no right, yet they had taken that liberty, unaware or uncaring about the damage they had done. 

  His mind was a mess, still trying to grasp what had happened. He couldn’t help it when a sob broke free. He could barely hear the Lodgers outside quieting down, destroying any hope that they weren’t hearing his anguish.

  “Henry... Please, open the door. Griffin and Helsby are gone, we just want to help you.” 

  He didn’t believe it. He knew Virginia just wanted to help, but he did not believe for a second that the rest of the Lodgers wanted to. The others... He could barely imagine what they thought. Were they going to mock him? Or were they upset over the lies he had led them to believe? Would they blame this on him? Or perhaps some were already on their way to tell Frankenstein about what they had heard?

  He felt something push against the door, and then the sound of something sliding down. On the other side, Virginia mirrored his position.

  “Henry, I’m not leaving until you open the door. I can stay here all night if I need to.” 

  Through his tears, he couldn’t help but snort. As a Lodger, he only believed that she was staying to force more truth out of him, to shake out every last secret until he was nothing more than a sack of skin, but as his junior… Deep down, he could perhaps believe that she did care. It was confusing, yet a pleasant thought. He had no doubt that she would stay, she had always been stubborn, he couldn’t deny that. Whatever her true intentions were would, seemingly, not be revealed until he opened the door, but he was sure she wouldn’t stay that long...

...

He wasn’t sure how long they had stayed like this, now.

  It was darker outside. He was certain it had been at least a few hours since the mishap in the dining hall, the serum should have worn off by now. He had not dared to show himself since, he had not moved from his paralyzed place against the door, but he was quite sure Virginia hadn’t either.

  It was stupid, all of this. 

  He began to wonder if he had overreacted. Or perhaps underreacted. Griffin and Helsby had violated him in a way few could have managed… But he had no real choice, now. It was getting late, he had to open the door eventually and until then, he would be barricaded in his office, alone with nothing but his thoughts. He just wanted all of this to be over, even if it hurt. 

  He took a deep breath, and with shaky legs, he stood up and unlocked the door. 

  The sound of the lock and the push against the mahogany seemed to be enough to get Virginia to jump up and get away from the door, making Jekyll able to actually open it. She was ruffled, but she had indeed not left. He barely managed to fully open the door before she threw her arms around him.

  “Oh, Henry.” She murmured, her arms going tightly around his neck. She was not much shorter than him, but she still had to stand on her toes to be fully able to reach him. He could not help but melt against her, his own arms going around her waist as he buried his face in her shoulder. They did not often hug- he was her mentor, after all, and she did not like people touching her, but this felt... Nice. 

  After what felt simultaneously like too little and too much time, they parted, and Virginia placed her hands on Henry’s cheeks. Behind her, he could see the faces of various other Lodgers, who also had stayed, although he wasn’t necessarily sure why.

  “You don’t have to talk about anything, if you do not want to, but please, do not run away from us again.” 

  She didn’t necessarily sound heartbroken, but he knew her well enough to know that she most likely was. He couldn’t help but feel incredibly guilty.

  “I’m... I’m sorry. Please, forgive me- for everything.” 

  She scoffed, shaking her own head in a gesture that seemed to only be aimed at herself. “I don’t think you have anything to apologise for”, she said. Her hands moved to straighten Jekyll’s cravat and waistcoat, equally ruffled from his stay on the floor. “What is important is that you are fine. Yes, there might be things that need some explaining, but that can wait. I have no doubt that you have good explanations for everything. ” 

  Jekyll took a deep breath, and looked around at the group of Lodgers- his Lodgers, who had waited for him. He wasn’t really sure how to feel about it, truly. He was not sure of their intentions, but today’s constant panic had left him... Indifferent, stoic. Like every emotion had been squeezed out of him. Yet, as he looked over the gentle faces of his Lodgers, he couldn’t help but furrow his eyebrows.

  “...What happened to Griffin and Helsby?” 

  He glanced back at his apprentice, and watched as her expression hardened. Her eyebrows furrowed, but she forced herself to not get aggravated once more. 

  “I made sure they are now at the mercy of Rachel, after what they did to you.”

  Jekyll winced.

  “Good god.” 

  “Mmhm. Serves them right.” 

  The other Lodgers seemed to nod in agreement. They seemed unanimous that what the two men had done in the dining hall was violating and horrid, no matter if it just so happened to be Jekyll and not one of them. It was… Surprising, and yet comforting, almost. But he sighed, moved forward a little, before closing the door to his office behind him. Mirroring his previous actions, he sank back down to the floor, expecting this conversation to take a while. 

  “I... Guess you’d like some explanations.” He said, exhaustion and hesitance clear.

  “You don’t have to.”

  “I do. You all already know and I... I want to be able to explain.” 

  Virginia didn’t seem convinced, but accepted his stance. She sat down next to him, and the other Lodgers resumed their positions on the floor. 

  He began to explain Hyde; presumably his darkest secret. He did not want to dwell on it, he did not want to confess to the deprecation he had found himself in which had led him to Hyde’s creation, but he had to. And so, he explained, to the best of his ability; He is Hyde, but they are not the same. Hyde was everything that Jekyll thought wrong or imperfect with himself personified, yet he was his own person, with his own desires. He reiterated that they were separate multiple times, so none of them would think that they had been secretly talking with Jekyll, when they thought they were talking with Hyde. He stuttered and paused and had to regain himself multiple times, and through it all, the Lodgers just... Listened. Patiently. They simply let him finish his explanation on his own terms, without being forced. 

  Finally, as he quieted down, the silence remained for a few seconds. They understood, of course; what Jekyll had been feeling back then couldn’t have been easy, and while they were not entirely convinced of his reasonings for not telling them, they accepted it, and told him as such. They could especially comprehend his hesitance now, as they had not been particularly understanding of him and his situation lately, having been too busy admiring Frankenstein’s every word... At least Jekyll could feel happy that he did not have to dwell more on the fact that he didn’t feel like he was good enough, or the fact that he wanted to throw himself off of cliffs, as they seemed to have grasped that from his monologue about Hyde. 

  After a few seconds, Miss Lavender spoke.

  “Wait- did you not also say that you have been hallucinating? Was that also Hyde?” she asked, confusion evident. Jekyll grimaced. 

  “Ah- well... Yes and no.” he started, scratching his neck a bit awkwardly, “after Moreau, Hyde and I fought, and, well... I wouldn’t necessarily say that he created the hallucinations, but he certainly kicked them out the door. It was mainly because I hadn’t slept in almost a week, though. They disappeared soon after I actually did so.”

  “Was that why you looked constantly terrified a little while ago?” 

  “... Was it that obvious?”

  “Well, yes, we thought you were suddenly terrified of everything and everyone- even Ito and Lanyon!” 

  Jekyll winced, although he tried to get out an apologetic smile. He desperately hoped that this was all of it, that he was done with explanations and could be satisfied with a neutral reaction from the Lodgers. He took yet another deep breath.

  “Any-” he coughed, “any other questions?” 

  The Lodgers looked between themselves, then shook their heads.

  “Nah, we already know that you like men, and we don’t mind if you happened to have been born a woman” one of them said, making Jekyll’s cheeks burn red as he realised what he had missed. “Although, like- are you and Lanyon dating or..?” 

  Jekyll attempted to cough out the ball in his throat, to no avail. He felt himself sinking down further against the door as he attempted to hide his face, clearly wishing to escape the conversation.

  “I... We never... Dated, so to speak. We had a... A fling when we went to university, but he broke it off. And... I guess I haven’t moved on as well as I thought.” 

  He removed his hand and watched as the Lodger grimaced, Jekyll wasn’t sure if it was out of sympathy or because they thought he was pathetic, at this point it very well could be both. 

  “And the werewolf?” Sinnett spoke up, and promptly got nudged by Luckett.

  “... Once, back in university still, I went on a vacation with Lanyon, to his family’s cottage. We came upon an injured werewolf and I insisted on nursing her back to health... I- I was young, and easily manipulated. I don’t... Like to talk about it.” 

  Sinnett looked apologetic, and Ito began to rub her hand against Jekyll’s arm in an attempt to comfort him. God, he was exhausted. Considering it must be past midnight by now, it certainly wasn’t hard to understand why.

  “Well...” Ito began, “I think I can speak for all of us when I say that we are... Sorry. We did not know about Griffin’s and Helsby’s plan, we were definitely not in on it- and at the very least I am sorry for what you have been through, then and now.” 

  Jekyll closed his eyes, leaning his head back against the door. Still, he smiled gently.

  “I know. I’m sorry you all had to bear witness to this.” 

  “I... I’m also sorry for... The Frankenstein situation,” Miss Lavender continued, “I didn’t know you were hurting so much.”

  Jekyll opened his eyes, and watched as the group of Lodgers nodded in agreement. He normally would have simply snorted, it was awfully convenient that they were so sorry after he had a break about it, it really was. Water under the bridge, sweep it under the rug, whatever they wished to call it- but he was too tired to think about how genuine they were, or how convenient it was for them now. He just wanted all of this to be over.

  “I accept your apologies.” he said simply. God, he just wanted to go to bed...

  He wondered, for a moment, if the perpetrators would apologise, later. Or if they would double down and state that they didn’t see what was so wrong with what they did. It was wrong, so incredibly wrong and violating, they had to know that, too. But whatever would become of them would be the topic of another day, for now, Dr. Henry Jekyll was absolutely drained. If he was lucky, he could end the day and tomorrow would be perfectly normal, no one would mention or talk about the fact that he had spilt the contents of his heart and soul for them, unwillingly at that. He doubted that that would be the case, but he could always hope. 

  A soft sigh escaped his lips. He was just about to stand up and state that he would be turning in for whatever remained of the night, when he heard his own stomach grumble. He felt how his cheeks once more flared up in embarrassment.

  “How about we see if Rachel has any food left in the kitchen, eh, Henry?” Ito suggested, “then you can sleep- and I will make sure you get no disturbances tomorrow.”

  He thought about it for a second, but was interrupted by yet another grumble. He couldn’t help but crack a sheepish smile at his dear apprentice. “You’ve convinced me.” 

And so Ito grinned, as she helped Henry stand up. The various Lodgers parted, some deciding to tuck in and others deciding to come with them for a late-night snack. It felt oddly anti-climatic for all of them, Henry especially, yet he was almost relieved. At least he could only be happy that his secrets had been... Accepted. Perhaps it all had just been his paranoia. Or perhaps it was fate, divine intervention- no, of course not. But his truths were told and his soul was bared, perhaps this was the beginning of a stronger foundation within his relationships with his Lodgers. At the same time, he couldn’t help but be curious. Of course he knew that he had been the target of Helsby’s and Griffin’s little plan, in some way he was glad that he was, so no other Lodger would have been at the receiving end of this treatment... 

  And yet.. he couldn’t help but wonder; if it had been someone else, what would they have said?

  After all, who knew what secrets you might find, if you only knew where to look?

[countrymusiclover]

9 - A Man Named Jefferson

Princess Red Thief

Part 10

Tag list - just ask to be added @mystrey101 @melvia-ito @kmc1989 @tallrock35

Blinking my eyes a couple of times I groaned trying to wake up. Slowly glancing around the room I saw I was in the back room of the pawnshop. Shifting my body up further on the old cot I heard the wooden floor creak under someone's feet. "Eve! You're awake."

"Henry. What are you doing here?" Rubbing my eyes to wake myself up more I saw the ten year old boy enter the room.

He answered me. "I heard you being locked up in the hospital until Mr. Gold bailed you out."

"Yeah. Where is Mr. Gold exactly?" I questioned the kid.

Henry came over to my bedside reaching inside his backpack. "He's out with Regina for some reason. So we don't have much time to talk with somebody you need to meet."

"Henrh, I just woke up. I am not really in the mood to meet someone right now." I sat upright holding a hand to my forehead struggling to push away some pain that must have been caused from all the drugs they pushed into my system.

He held open his storybook to a certain page. "But what if I told you there's someone else in this town that has been seeing things just like you."

"And that person in your book would be?" I trailed off scanning my eyes over the book pages seeing a man surrounded with over a dozen hats.

Henry taped a finger on the image. "The Mad Hatter. He goes by Jefferson here."

"Henry...I. You need to leave before he gets back. He doesn't care for unwanted visitors inside his shop." I warned the ten year old.

He didn't back down, shoving his book back inside the bag. He holds out his hands waiting for me to put my hand in his and follow him willingly like I normally did before I was locked away. "Please Eve. You'll start to believe me once you talk with him. I swear."

"Fine, kid. But this doesn't mean I believe you." I put my hands in his getting to my feet and together we slipped outside of the pawnshop in search of where this Jefferson man lived. "Henry, why do you think I will believe before Emma?"

He kept walking, sending me a half smile. "Because you follow your heart more than what your mind tells you." I parted my lips considering what he was saying to me in the moment.

The double doors shut behind me with two guards shutting them. I had decided to keep living in my parents castle which wasn't too far from the Charming castle. My short brown boots clicked against the stone floor until I stood at the edge of the round table to meet Snow. "Everly. I was hoping I'd see you."

"My parents aren't worried about me. Honestly they trust me when it comes to helping y'all with your kingdom. You're glowing by the way." I sent her a smile pulling out one of the chairs near hers.

She was sitting down in one of the head chairs, leaning her elbows on the table. "Thank you, Eve. Your letter said that you wanted to talk with me about something."

"Indeed I do wish to. I've been having certain feelings lately and since we are friends I was hoping we could talk about them." I twiddled my thumbs together on the table.

Snow asked sweetly. "Of course. Is this about a guy?"

"Is it that obvious?"

She nods, chuckling. "I'm sorry to say yes. Besides it's not like I don't remember you saying you always had teaching lessons to return to."

"Oh geeesss." Covering my face with my hands I was blushing like a red tomato.

Snow clasped her hands together. "So who is the stranger you are getting lessons from?"

"It's magic lessons. The man I'm getting taught by is named Rumplestilskin." Heavy silence fell across the large room with an intense feeling falling between the two of us. Everyone in the land generally knew his name and what kind of magic he dabbled in.

"Everly, he...he uses dark magic."

"I know that." I said back. "But I am needing his help to teach me how to control the power that I was born with. Neither of my parents have magic, yet I somehow got it."

"You have feelings for him, don't you. Why else would you be defending the teachings he is showing you." Snow put the pieces together with a smirk on her lips.

"Maybe I do. What do I do about it?" I asked the other princess in the room.

The former bandit princess got up from her chair and I rose to my feet standing up in front of her. "In my experience you just have to follow whatever your heart tells you."

"Even when the person you care about might not feel the same." I knitted my brows at her, wrapping my father’s red cloak tightly around my body.

Snow takes my hands in hers showing me the wedding ring from her Prince Charming. "That's a risk that we each have to take when we love someone. Never stop following your heart, Everly."

"Henry, are you sure we're not breaking and entering? It doesn't even look like he's here. Emma is the sheriff now and I wish to not be placed inside a prison cell anytime soon." Looking around at the area outside the mansion front door. He had pulled out some set of keys he had taken from his mother's office that could open any door.

He pushed one of the keys in the hole and it unlocked with the door swinging open. "We'll be fine. He believes everything about my book. Now come on. Jefferson!" Henrik walks into the house and I follow after him seeing that it was almost pitch black inside giving the creepy loner type guy vibes to me.

"Henry. Henry, wait we can't just - mmm!" I grunted my fighting instincts kicking in when one hand wrapped around my waist and the other hand clasped over my mouth before the front door slammed shut behind me.

A man's voice growled in my ear. "Did anyone follow you?"

"No." I mumbled the best reply I could trying to remove the stranger's hand.

The man removed his hands from my body, spinning me around to face him. "So you're the famous Red Thief who falls in love with the Dark One."

"You've read the story too." I made a confused expression.

The guy named Jefferson responded. "It's more than just a story and his storybook is more than just a book."

"It can't be more than a book. None of those stores are real. I know they are simply just stories." I shake my head thinking back on why I got put in the mental hospital in the first place.

Henry spoke up behind me heading down the hallway. "She's a little slow, Jefferson. That's why I brought her to you. So she'll wake up like you have." Jefferson grabs a hold of my arm dragging me after the young boy until we entered a room filled with hats that all matched the familiar hat the Mad Hatter would have worn.

"You've obviously got an obsession with Alice in Wonderland."

"He's the Mad Hatter, Eve." Henry declares sitting the book on the table, opening it to the page he had shown me back in the shop.

Jefferson pushed me down in the chair with the book laying in front of my face. He flipped through some pages stopping at one photo that showed Rumplestilskin holding up a ring. The woman who wore a red cloak that looked like the one I owned stood in front of him. "Look at the picture and tell me if you recognize anything."

"Jefferson, Henry has already tried this with me once before. It didn't work then, it won't work now." Shifting around in the chair I eyed the man.

Jefferson rounded the table to be on the other side grabbing my chin in between his thumb and index finger so I'd look him in the eye. "Use your power and look into my mind. Then you'll see what I'm saying is the only truth you need to believe."

"Look into your mind. That's not possible."

Jefferson declared not backing down. "You have to open your mind, Red Thief."

"You're losing your mind, Jefferson." Pushing myself away from him he let go of my chin. Stomping towards the doorway about to leave I halted in my tracks grabbing a hold of the doorway when he spoke up about my past.

"You couldn't pay your rent when you first came here. So you made a deal with Mr. Gold. Take my ring and I'll work for you, you said."

Glancing out the corner of my eye I asked. "How do you know about that? He swore he'd never say anything."

"Because it's almost the exact same deal you made with Rumplestilskin after he agreed to teach you magic. You are Princess Everly, daughter of Abigail and Fredrick." Henry stands by the edge of the table.

Shutting my eyes I pushed back the desire to believe them. I couldn't be a princess. I couldn't have magic and the town couldn't all be cursed. Otherwise I belonged back in the mental hospital. "Henry, I'm sorry but all your saying is nonsense."

"It won't all be nonsense once you look for the necklace inside his suit jacket and...." Jefferson trailed off in thought.

Turning around in my boots I dared to ask the question. "And what Jefferson?"

"And you'll believe us when you find the ring in his possession." The man who truly thought he was the Mad Hatter answered my question, sitting one of his hats on top of his head smiling wickedly at me. Henry remained silent and simply nodded in agreement. "As close to his heart as it could possibly be."

Comments really appreciated ❤️

[aichi-division]

Issey's thoughts on Itabashi Division

Bernard Miyamoto

"Oh, Mr. Miyamoto-san!!! I have heard about him. He's the older brother of a girl… what was her name? Genieve? Well, that girl was very sweet and well, I helped her when she was feeling very bad on the street, a while ago. She mentioned her brother to call him for help. I had never really imagined that I would see him again!!! Nor had I imagined that he is the leader of an entire division. Miyamoto-san is quite a talented, glamorous and flamboyant guy haha, I like that kind of person.

I heard that it is related to the theater. That's very cool. In my life I've been able to go to the theater a couple of times with my family, many years ago. We saw Les Miserables and also an adaptation of The Little Prince. I am always inspired by the love that actors put into their roles. They imbue their soul into these characters and make them their own. It gives me goose bumps. I wonder if Miyamoto-san is like that too".

Raiden Koyama

"Oooh yes I have heard of him. Come to think of it, he must be the acquaintance Shouta-san visits in Itabashi. I think the two of them are friends or something. I'm actually quite surprised, Raiden seems to be a pretty cool guy, kind of, VERY cool. THE COOLEST.

HIS tattoos are really amazing, I wish I could get tattooed like that hahaha someday I will. Plus he seems to have amazing charisma. I don't know how Shouta knows him but I actually find it really cool that they're SO close!!!!!

Issey Ito

"NO WAY!!!! NO FUCKING WAY!!!! YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!!!! ANOTHER ISSEY, IS ANOTHER ISSEY!!!!!!

HHAHAHAHAA THIS IS SO FUNNY!!! I had never met another boy with the same name as me. I NEED TO BE ABLE TO TALK TO HIM! I love his style, it's kind of dark and gloomy, and that he doesn't have an eye if it's a little scary…. BUT HE LOOKS INCREDIBLY BADASS!!!!!!! Naaaa I wish I had that aura.

I hear he's not the sociable type. The truth is that if I look at him a little better, I think he is intimidating, but COME ON, I was able to get to Eiji in just one afternoon, so I think I can get to BADDIE ISSEY in NO time.

I look forward to learning ALL about him. His likes, dislikes, things he hates, hobbies…. we will be estranged siblings by fate???"

Itabashi Division

Itabashi is a division that attracts a lot of attention. I have a feeling that I will be able to be friends with all of them, especially Badass Issey. I really always wanted to have a twin or something.

I would like to have the opportunity to spend more time with them and share with Genieve as well. You can tell she is quite a gentle girl and a good person.

@itabashi-division

[ruthplaysthesims]

Part 7- Meeting with Naoki Ito

Kaori, Amani, and Siddhartha were escorted into Naoki's office. Once they arrived, Kaori was already frozen stiff from seeing him.

Naoki: Ah, ladies. Please, have a seat.

They greeted him politely before taking a seat.

Naoki: I hope your flight wasn't too much of a hassle

Amani: Not at all, sir.

Naoki: As you three know, my children will be coming home tomorrow. I have been receiving threats regarding their safety and I do not want anything happening to them, especially my daughter.. I assume Gatsby gave you the rundown of why you're here, yes?

Siddhartha: He did, sir. If you don't mind me asking... Do you have any idea of who would be after your children?

Naoki: I have my suspicions... which is why I have been documenting everything.

He slides over a file. Kaori picks it up..

Naoki: My men have been attempting to track the root of where they are coming from. They'll be more than happy to work with you to find the one responsible for this mess.

Amani: We'll do our best Mr. Ito.

Naoki: Gatsby mentioned three more agents were joining in. Are they not here yet?

Siddhartha: They should be landing shortly later today.

Naoki: I see.. Regarding their arrivals, My daughter's plane will be landing at 12 pm tomorrow. My son's plane should be landing a short thirty minutes later.

Kaori: Agent Morales will be in charge of your son, sir.

Naoki glanced over at Kaori and slyly smiled at her.

Naoki: Could I have a word with you privately, Agent Nishidake?

Prev | Next

[bunbeeplays]

The Lemon Legacy: Generation 1, Chapter 115 - Every Rose Has Its Thorne

Ophelia's in Del Sol Valley to represent The Main Squeeze at the Starlight Accolades tonight, because their latest single was nominated for Best Song!

I don't think Xander is technically allowed to attend because he's not famous, but the Watcher is gonna teleport him in anyway.

Xander: Good luck, Lemon Cake.

Ophelia: I'm just happy we got nominated. Thank you for being here though.

Host: Let's get a move on, folks, I can't cash that big ol' check if there's no show!

The first Accolade goes to Thorne Bailey for being an all around great Sim! Don't know why that's a category, but okay.

Don't get used to this sitting arrangement. The crowd was apparently playing musical chairs during the entire ceremony.

Thorne: I'd like to thank my beautiful wife Octavia, our son Orange, and our two Neighborhood Stories kids the Watcher doesn't know the names of.

Ophelia can't believe she's in the same room as Thorne Bailey. She wonders if Hector ever did talk trash to him about her…

Host: And the winner of our next Starlight Accolade is… Some random teenager!

The random teen is named Sasha and she wore her finest randomized outfit!

Sasha: This one's for my stans who threatened every member of the Accolade Committee. Literally couldn't have done it without you. Rando Army represent!

Okay, enough "Watcher" commentary, this is me, Kelsey, talking. I have never had a Sim go to the Starlight Accolades but is it ALWAYS this chaotic? Everybody keeps getting up and talking over the host, nobody stays in their seat, or sits in a seat at all! It's a NIGHTMARE

Host: Our last winner is-

Megumi Ito interrupts with her horrendous violin skills.

Host: Thank you for that, Megumi! You're famous for being a skier and have no musical interests so I don't know why you're doing this but why not.

Even this guy's getting annoyed at the chaos.

Host: I'm gonna be honest, gang, the Watcher doesn't remember this girl's name and neither do I. She's also some random famous teenager.

Tea Neighjur: Thank you to my FlipFlop followers, and my manager for bribing the judges to give me this award! …I mean the Watcher. Mwah!

Ophelia: That was… something.

Xander: Sure was. Sorry you guys didn't win.

Ophelia: Eh, brushing elbows with celebrities was kind of fun.

Speaking of… Thorne's getting ready to leave. Ophelia would love to share her side of the story regarding her encounter with Hector.

Ophelia: I'm gonna try to catch Thorne. You want to come with?

Xander: Nah, I don't want to pass out and flop on the ground, this suit is dry clean only. I'll just get a drink for double the usual price at the bar. Good luck!

Ophelia: Mr. Bailey, wait! Can we talk before you leave?

Thorne: Apparently we can, because you're doing something besides asking for a selfie. You're a celebrity too, yeah? Pardon, don't think we've met.

Ophelia: Ophelia Lemon. I'm the lead singer of The Main Squeeze.

Ophelia assumes that's not going to ring any bells for him but-

Thorne: Ah, Orange listens to your music all the time. You've got a good set of pipes. Sorry I didn't recognize you, just haven't had the chance to look you up myself, I suppose.

She's speechless.

Ophelia: Thank you. That's a big honor Mr. Bailey.

Thorne: Thorne's fine.

Ophelia: Right. Listen, Thorne, if Hector Laurent told you anything about me, none of it is true.

Thorne dwells on this much too long for her liking.

Thorne: Who the bloody hell is Hector Laurent?

Ophelia: Uh… he's the owner of the wedding venue you got married at. He said you stayed in touch.

Thorne: The bloke with the fedora?

Ophelia: Yeah.

Thorne: I mean, he kept texting me saying if I ever remarried he'd give me a discount, but I wouldn't say we're close.

Ophelia: Of course that little… Well, thanks for hearing me out, anyway.

Thorne: No problem, dear. Mind if I get an autograph for Orange?

Ophelia: Of course!

She tries to steady her shaking hands as she signs an autograph for the son of the biggest musician out there.

Thorne: Thanks, love. That'll earn me some cool dad points.

Ophelia: Being Thorne Bailey isn't enough?

Thorne: Apparently not. Kids.

Thorne: Pleasure to meet you, Ophelia. Keep your chin up. You'll have your own Accolade someday.

Ophelia: Thanks, Thorne. That means a lot.

Fan: OMW your faves could never!!!

Ophelia: Do you ever get used to the fans?

Thorne: Yeah. Honestly the ego boost is nice. Take care.

Thorne disappears into the night. Ophelia might not be going home with a trophy, but some kind words from a 4-star celebrity are good too.

This fan is definitely going to go home and write Ophelia Lemon/Thorne Bailey fanfic but she's too happy to care.

Ophelia tries to go back in to check in on Xander but someone approaches her.

Fan: Wow, Ophelia Lemon, in the flesh! I gotta say, the Accolades were totally rigged this year. We stan our citrus queen!

Ophelia: Oh! Thank you!

Fan: Can I have your autograph?

Ophelia: Sure!

Ophelia tries to get back in the building several times but fans keep coming up and asking for hugs and selfies. How can she deny the people that have given her the opportunity to keep doing what she loves?

When she finally pulls away from the crowd, she runs into Brytani.

Ophelia: Hey, Brytani, remember me?

Brytani: You're making yourself awfully hard to forget, kid, and I mean that in a good way. You're popular tonight.

Ophelia: I guess so. I've never had this many fan encounters in one night before. Guess it's a coincidence.

Brytani: Honey, come on. Thorne Bailey knows who you are. He barely remembers who I am and we dated for like a year.

Ophelia: I think he just knows me because Orange listens to me.

Brytani: Thorne doesn't strike me as dad of the year. He must be hearing your name elsewhere too.

Brytani: And not just that, he had a CONVERSATION with you. Thorne doesn't speak to anyone that's not a 4-star celebrity besides his own wife and kids.

Ophelia: Well, I'm not a 4-star celebrity and he spoke to me.

Brytani: I'm really gonna have to spell it out for you, huh.

Brytani: Ophelia, you made it. You're a 4-star celeb.

Ophelia: Wh-What? We didn't even win an award tonight!

Brytani: Only like one of those are given fairly. You think anybody's reading Tea Neighjur's legacy thread? Nope! It'll be your turn soon, my fellow Proper Celebrity!

Brytani: Trust me, I can tell. You'd be sparkling if the Watcher hadn't turned that feature off.

Things did feel… different. Maybe Brytani has a point.

Ophelia: Oh my Watcher! I think you're right!

Brytani: Go out there and pose for that crowd. You've earned it.

Ophelia basks in the flashing lights as some of her fans whisper excitedly amongst themselves and others take pictures of her and shower her in praise.

"She's slaying tonight!" "YASSS QUEEN!" "Mommy! Sorry. Mommy! Sorry. Mommy! SORRY! MO-"

Ophelia tries her hardest to stay humble, but just for tonight, she allows herself to be a little self-absorbed. After all, becoming a Proper Celebrity is something to feel good about!

While all of this has been happening, Xander's just been enjoying his drink, unable to talk to anybody else at the bar because they're all celebrities.

Octavia's waiting for her husband, because she's too juiced to realize he already left without her lmao

[creppersfunpalooza]

JUST READ YOUR FUNKY (/POS) BIO AND YOU LIKE GOTHIC LIT TOO?????? YAAYSYAYDUAUAYAYAYSYYAYAYAYY

YESSS!!! i haven’t read any gothic lit in a WHILE (last one was the strange case of dr jekyll and mr hyde which i loved and still have brainrot for), but i DID recently read a really good book that was somewhat based on the style of gothic literature!!! it’s called Our Wives Under the Sea and god it is so good. sorry this is gonna be a rant so i’m gonna try to tell you about it without spoilers

reasons you should read it:

1. it starts in the middle and there’s a lot of mystery regarding everything, so if you like a story where you sort of have to figure things out or theorize it’s great.

2. time jumps a lot, mainly reminiscing. It makes for a really interesting development because you see what the two main characters were like before the incident.

3. dark theming with a pinch of what may or may not be considered surrealist or eldritch horror.

4. if you like junji ito, you’ll really love it. it’s like something straight out of one of his books.

5. BODY HORROR. SO MUCH BODY HORROR

6. religious theming and imagery (not the main focus but still very cool)

7. it’s queer! it centers around the relationship of two lesbian women trying to work through each other’s trauma.

8. amazing characters

9. some parts are really unintentionally funny. like really funny. not any of the horror aspects obviously but some other stuff

10. it follows a dual perspective setup.

11. it has a sketchy corporation so i mean that’s always fun.

reasons you may not like it:

1. slow pacing. mainly focuses on the memories of the two characters.

2. bittersweet ending leaning more towards sad.

3. not every question is answered.

4. has very mild mentions of nsfw, they typically don’t last longer than half a page and aren’t detailed.

5. goes heavy on the gore when you hit a certain point

6. has upsetting topics such as suicide, religious hallucinations and guilt, death, animal death, terminal illness, schizophrenia, drowning, extreme isolation, body horror, loss of flesh(?), and i think that’s all.

I would totally recommend it, it’s incredible even if at some points i wasn’t fully engaged. the body horror is delicious if you like that stuff. i actually picked it out because it reminded me of my friend’s (ray) ocs (grenadier and amitie)

[operaticsigh]

hiii! here is a little "looking for tumblr moots" post 💗

my name is anshi ☆ (star is optional ofc LOL i luv stars) and i'm looking for some friends on here! some of my interests:

i love to read but i am looking to broaden my taste — my favourite authors are albert camus, franz kafka, virginia woolf (mrs dalloway changed me), and clarice lispector!

i am a die-hard fan of junji ito and hirohiko araki - though i'm kind of out of my jojo's phase, i will forever appreciate the art :) looking for more horror manga to read, recs are SO welcome

i want to write more (wips and poetry) and i like to appreciate the beauty of the everyday ! that sounded like a tinder profile HELP do i pose with a fish now. swipe right on me fr though...

speaking of fish(ermen), i am currently rewatching nbc hannibal and loving every second. HANNIBAL PEOPLE PLEASE HMU i'm meaning to read the script soon

some tv shows i've loved: strangers from hell, breaking bad, better call saul, hannibal, saiki k + more i can't remember

i'm into fashion too and generally cool art. cool art people are my shit

finally, i occasionally like to watch films. really am just defined by the media i consume oh god

to summarise, i just want to make friends with people who are nice and will listen to me rant about whatever happens to strike me at that moment. because i know my irls are SICK😭

reblogs are very appreciated ♡

hope 2 meet u soon ! :)

[thehomebodydiaries]

homebody diaries .002.

the amount of reading that i’ve been doing lately makes me think of when i first discovered booktube: i learned about all these popular books and i was broke for like a consistent year because i wouldn’t stop buying books, but i only made like $9/hr. even now, with a full-time job that pays me almost twice that much, i still don’t know why that worked out for me. it definitely should not have.

anyway, yesterday was “free comic book day” and a local comic store gave me a bag of like sixteen free comics, and then i turned around and spent $80 on more comics. it also reminded me that i had two comics in my favorite series that i haven’t read yet. so i’ve got volumes 10 and 11 of “saga,” and yesterday i purchased the first volumes of “deadly class” and “something is killing the children,” as well as junji ito’s manga interpretation of mary shelley’s “frankenstein,” and then “old man logan,” which is about an elderly wolverine (whose healing capabilities are faltering) who gets picked up by an old hawkeye. it’s what inspired the movie logan, which is objectively speaking the only good x-men movie (do not come for me, i watched those movies for the first time in release date order like last month ago, and i am lowkey way more into the x-men than i am the rest of the marvel heroes, save for like agents of s.h.i.e.l.d.). i also received a package in the mail containing the fifth book in one of my favorite series: the witchlands series by susan dennard. oh my god, and i started the wayward children series by seanan mcguire and it’s so good. and i’m waiting on two more books in the mail, both for my bookclub.

i am so content with it too. i am doing it because i love reading and it brings me joy. plus, who doesn’t love some easy escapism? same reason i love video games.

speaking of which, i gotta start a farm with some friends. there have been so many updates and i haven’t played the pc version of it in so long. maybe i’ll convince a few of them to let me stream it. that, and palworld. i’m just not sure when i should start streaming; it feels like i have so much left to do, but it also feels like i’m not doing anything at all. so i might have to try streaming for 3-4 hours on my days off, with or without friends. my problem when it comes to streaming is that i’m my own boss, so not following through with a schedule doesn’t really have any consequences. but i really gotta get that started, otherwise i feel like i’ll never get around to it. it certainly would be nice to eventually make some extra money off of it. thought i wanted to be a val streamer, but i shockingly haven’t even really touched the game since i moved into my new place.

izzy and i watched four movies in a day on friday: mr. and mrs. smith, bullet train, baby driver, and everything everywhere all at once. all of them were so good, although everything everywhere all at once was… interesting. like the whole overall message of it is great and everything, like we love old traditional parents learning how to accept the things they can’t control about their child, but like… the buttplugs. wow. what a scene. (and that is all i’ll say on that; if you know, you know.)

i’m working on a linktr.ee with all my currently active and soon-to-be active accounts, which includes tumblr, discord, snapchat, and twitch. i was thinking about making a patreon, but i feel like i should gather an audience before i attempt managing another account. i already hate social media as it is which is why i only have what i have… we’ll see where it goes.

anyway, it was a solid weekend. i’m still tired, but i did drink quite a bit at a party last night and now i’ve got five days of work ahead of me, and my coworkers alone make that exhausting. but i’ve got lots of reading and writing to do to keep myself relaxed in between moments of masking (totally gonna be the name of my autobiography), especially once the new bookclub pick arrives. i’ll try not to be too miserable by tuesday.

[g0rechan]

What if souichi somehow got yeeted into the circus? How would he deal with the freaks torturing him compared to middy?

And soichi isn't actually a villain, right? He's mischievous and creepy, but he's not exactly evil compared to tomie and the other junji ito peeps, right?

OMG YES I’ve been wanting an ask like this for the longest!

Let’s say Souichi visited the circus with his family and he loved the freakiness and creepy aura that it had, and Souichi was acting up like usual and his siblings decided to teach him a lesson by telling Mr. Arashi that Souichi should work at his circus to teach him some discipline and control -ik it’s kinda ooc cuz I feel like Souichi’s brother would be smart enough to know about how common child exploitation is in that sort of thing but bare with me, ok?

So, Souichi is working as a chore boy alongside Midori and starts off as getting tossed to the side by the members since he’s not a girl and they have no interests in young boys- wait, I just remembered that Arashi is…

Beni yells at him too much and beats him a lot since he messes up on chores all the time. I’m telling you this woman HATES Souichi with a burning passion due to his insolent behavior. She already didn’t like kids, and this kid just amplified her hatred lmaoooo

Muchisute and Akaza don’t care for him and think he’s annoying. Souichi loves tormenting Muchisute for having no arms and bc he gives off the creepiest vibe out of all the members.

Arashi doesn’t want to groom him bc he’s too “ugly” and creepy for his liking.

The only one he gets along with is Kanabun and Midori, on some occasions. Him and Kanabun love playing pranks and tricks on the other members. Bun also loves Souichi’s black magic skills. Souichi will tease and scare Midori sometimes but it’s all just good fun.

Souichi isn’t evil persay, he’s mischievous and loves making trouble, but he done some stuff that may or may not qualify him as a little bad… he has hurt his pet cat, tormented students and his family members, and kept unconscious teachers in his basement… but that was all for his amusement and not out of malice, for the most part.

[ataraxiaspainting]

F A Q.

masterlist: it's in the works but not at the moment!

posting days: i'm trying to work on a more stable posting schedule for stories but i will most likely be answering inbox messages on tuesdays, fridays, saturdays, and sundays! mostly saturdays though.

tagging: feel free to tag me in anything! as long as the post in question does not do harm to me or others, of course.

writing history: ever since i was little, i've pretty much always had a love for making up stories and saving them on my laptop. i got into x reader works when i was in middle school i think... still am just as much into them now as i was back then.

art history: i've always loved to draw/sculpt too! i may not be the best at making art myself, but i have always loved looking at other people's works, especially paintings. my current pfp is actually a painting of ophelia from shakespeare's hamlet, done by alexandre cabanel.

music taste: i really only listen to classical and k-pop/j-pop, along with game osts. though my queen mitski breaks her way into my on repeat playlist multiple times a day. my favorite songs from her are buffalo replaced, i bet on losing dogs, i will, francis forever, my love mine all mine, i want you, stay soft, class of 2013, townie and last words of a shooting star. non-mitski songs are often either by red velvet, twice, king gnu, or kenshi yonezu.

book recommendations: i read a lot on days i'm not so busy, mostly reading thriller/horror stories. my main recommendations are notes from the underground by fyodor dostoevsky, i have no mouth, and i must scream by harlan elison, the cask of amontillado by edgar allan poe, the stranger by albert camus, the metamorphosis by franz kafka, uzumaki by junji ito, the talented mr. ripley by patricia highsmith, the collector by john fowles, misery by stephen king, coraline by neil gaiman.

favorite tropes: lovers to enemies, enemies to lovers, the reluctant hero, paying the price for victory, the mysterious neighbor next door, a deal with the devil, the unhappy ending, cults and religious extremists, mysterious things are happening, seducing an archenemy for an opportunity.

other fun facts:

-> i'm a criminology major.

-> i played a lot of instruments and sang a lot when i was younger. i'm trying to get back into it now. my favorite instrument to play was the electric violin and my favorite type of music to sing was choir-like osts like mourning from nier automata, lacrimosa from the one and only mozart, and song of the ancients from nier replicant.

-> i'm a huge animal lover. i often watch streams of horror movies, listen to video essays, or write while snuggling up with one of my dogs. i also often volunteer in community service, with most of it being either being at a shelter/adoption event or some sort of event involving a fundraiser in schools. i once happened to do an adoption event that happened to be fundraising more resources for schoolchildren, and it was one of the best moments of my life. got to pet a lot of animals too, and that made the time like ten times better.

CURRENT ANONS -> childe anon

this post will be edited/added to as life goes on.

[0ne4them0ney-2f0rtheshow]

my other baby got hurt!

*boogsh*

DK to Seungcheol: Cho hehe saan ka?

Seungcheol: Hosp. Bakit? Nyare?

DK: Wala naman! Napatanong lang sige, bye!

"Huy, lagot ka. Nandito daw si Cho!" DK said to Natasha.

"Gagi, wala 'yun dito. 'Di naman ako bata, peds surg 'yun."

"Kasi naman eh, binuhat mo pa 'yun, alam mo naman na mabigat! Ayan tuloy!"

A doctor was approaching them and they sat in silent. "Good afternoon, Mrs... Natasha Choi. I'm Dr. Ramos, let's see. Ano po nangyari, Ma'am?"

"I was trying to help lang naman kaso nalaglag, napaupo ako at naitukod ko 'yung kamay ko then I heard a popping sound..." DK made a tsk sound.

"Let's check po, Ma'am." He tried moving Natasha's hand pero umaaray na ito. "Ah!"

"Okay po. I'll just call po our attending to check po. I'll be right back."

They waited in silence kasi alam ni Nat na papagalitan lang siya ulit ni DK. "Uy ah, 'wag mo muna sabihin kay Cho!"

"Oo na! Magugulat na lang siya pag-uwi!"

"Ako na mag-eexplain!"

"Ikaw talaga, teh!"

On the other hand, yung intern na nagcheck kay Natasha, found Dr. Wen. "Hi, Doc. May patient po, ortho. I suspect a mild fracture on the wrist po."

"Let's see... Choi?" Binasa ni Jun habang tinitignan ang findings. Pero, tumalikod naman si Seungcheol who was behind him, "Bakit?"

"Ay, hindi ikaw. Patient ko. Choi din surname."

"Baka kamag-anak ko pala 'yan ah."

"Sus. Tara, Doc Ramos."

Sinundan lang ng tingin ni Seungcheol si Jun, at naaninag niya si DK. "What—"

Naglakad ng mabilis si Seungcheol at inopen ang curtain, he saw his wife and his friend. "Nat?! Anong nangyari?!"

"You tell him. Sabi mo diba, tsk!" DK said.

"Okay, Daddy Cho. Kalmahan po muna natin. I've seen your xrays naman na. Doc Ramos, findings please."

"I suspect po a mild fracture on the wrist."

"And what do we do with it?"

"Plaster cast po for three weeks."

"Good." Jun informed them of what to do and what not to do and some other medicine that she needs to take.

"Andiyan naman si Seungcheol to take care of you. Iwas muna sa buhat ng mabigat, okay?"

"Thanks, Jun."

When Jun left, yumuko si Natasha. DK left the two of them alone.

"So?"

"Sorry po."

"Hay nako, ang isa ko pang baby. Uwi na kita. Papaalam lang ako." Seungcheol kissed Natasha's forehead and went to find DK and to sort out the discharge papers.

Nagpaalam na si DK and told Natasha that everything's gonna be handled by him muna.

On the way home, naalala ni Natasha si Nymeria. "Oh my gosh, makikita ako ni Nym!"

"And...?"

"Wala naman. We'll see. First time niya ata makakita ng may ganito sa kamay."

"Mhmm, explain na lang natin, okay? Nat, please please call me agad kapag may ganiyan. I'm glad nothing serious pero... atakihin ata ako sa kaba."

"Sorry, love. I don't want you to worry. I'm okay, promise!" She tried lifting her forearm pero masakit pa din, so Seungcheol made a tsk sound. "Kulit talaga ng panganay ko."

"Panganay?!"

"Ikaw, panganay ko!"

"Why! I'm your wife! Anong panganay!"

"Para kang anak ko eh. Tignan mo, may cast pa." Seungcheol laughed at the confused Natasha. "For short po, you're my other baby."

"Hala, may iba pa ba!"

"Si Nymeria!"

"Ah, gets! Hayup 'to. Pag ako nagpa-baby sa'yo, baka di ka na makapasok sa work."

"Try me then."

"Mamaya. Sa bahay!"

Pag-uwi, Natasha was welcomed by Nymeria. But Nymeria was shocked at the sight of her mom with a plaster cast. "Mama..."

Niyakap ni Nymeria ang legs ni Seungcheol at tinuro 'yung kamay ni Natasha. She even made this expression: 🫢

"Dada, is Mama hurt?"

Seungcheol knelt and kissed Nymeria, "Yes, my love. Mama's hurt. So, be careful with holding her hand ha? Masakit pa kasi eh."

Natasha knelt too and told her daughter that she's fine. Pero Nymeria cupped her Mama's face and kissed her. She then hugged her and said, "Mama..."

(Reference ng reaction ni Nymeria)

Bubuhatin na sana ni Natasha si Nym pero she looked at Seungcheol as if asking her to help her carry their daughter. Seungcheol smiled at the sight of his daughter tearing up dahil nasaktan ang mama niya.

"Alright, come here, Nym."

Binuhat ni Cho si Nymeria at they all stood up. His other hand made its way on Natasha's waist and pulled her closer. He kissed her on the forehead and whispered, "Naiyak pa si Nym. Tsk!"

"Mama, I'll be your doctor! I will take care of you!"

Natasha kissed her daughter and said, "Okay, my little doctor."

Natasha whispered back to Cho, "Sorry, next time na ko magpapa-baby. My little doctor will take care of me na daw."

Seungcheol smiled at his wife and his daughter. Never a dull moment in this household and he's loving it.

[sugar-plum-writer]

:-> Intro of myself + links! <-:

Masterlist * Rules for asks

Thank you so much for more than a 100 followers~ I am so happy you all liked my works!! <3 hence I have decided to do a short intro of myself and even opened my asks!

Who am I?: Nice to meet you all~ you can call me Alys, I am 19, and currently in college. I don't really know the rules here for intros! soooo I am just writing whatever~

My interests: I like anime, manga, webtoon, manhwa, webnovels, k-drama, movies, plays, digital art I can draw a bit~ + I also like to read classic literature and I like to study philosophy as a pass time! I like to do embroidery, write poetry, I don't have much restrictions on what I read but my favorite is Literature that messes up my brain like "No Longer human" etc

Things I am into right now: I really like jjk [it's my favorite series of alllll time my no 1 series <3], Belladona of sadness, Lain, Monokone, Dororo, Kongming [Another of my fav!], Todomachi game, Nobless [Regis father is so hot~], BNHA, Perfect Blue, Parasyte, Juni Ito collections, Doctor stone, One punch Man, Millionaire detective, Black butler, Food wars, Demon Slayer, Blue Lock and much more the list is tooo long haha! whatever series you have read I have probably read it also~

Music I like: Honestly I don't really have a particular artist I listen to, whatever I like I just listen to it on repeat sometimes for days on end! I listen to NF, Lana Del Rey, "Mr. Sunshine" - by Arden Jones, Mili, Seori, and many more it's too long haha

Other things: I am quite an open and easy-going person, I like to talk a lot, I procrastinate A LOT [I still have 3 assigments pending and it's end of sem] , my sleep schedule is horrible I sometimes don't sleep for days on end, I will block the spam bots, I might not always be able to reply if anyone DM's me so yeah sorry about that! TvT. But I look forward to having fun~ and writing more!!!

Here is a link to my masterlist ya'll!!! feel free to check out my works~ I've only written jjk Sukuna and Gojo for now LOL~

[daintyduck99]

Aaaaah too many good prompts!!

"none of what you said made any sense, i can't believe they have you this flustered." for rulie? because honestly I could see that being either of them.

Reggie is so screwed.

Hell, he only knows about the quiz because Kayla tipped him off, and he doesn't need to flip through his notes to know that they're basically useless, obscured by doodles of a curly-haired angel with a gap-toothed grin. He racks his brain, but he can't remember what they've been covering. Some new kind of verb?

He only remembers the way Julie's fingers had brushed against his when she handed him his pencil, the soft glow of her eyes in the afternoon sun and the violent case of butterflies she'd set off in his stomach.

Reggie groans at his lunch.

"I'm gonna fail Spanish."

Luke pats his cheek. "That's ironic, buddy."

"What—why are you misquoting Avatar The Last Airbender at me?"

Bobby snorts as he peels his orange, glancing at Reggie with a quirked eyebrow.

"Maybe because the girl you're half in love with is effortlessly fluent. Just a thought."

He blushes, letting out an undignified little noise that some might call a squeak.

"I'm not in love with her!"

"Not yet," Alex says with a shrug, "but she's also the reason you can't focus. You have to admit that it's pretty ironic, Reg."

Luke claps his shoulder before Reggie can protest any further, smirking heavily.

"Don't look now, bro. She's coming."

"What?!"

He whips his head around, cursing himself when they make eye contact. Of course he chose to look the one time Luke wasn't bluffing. She simply smiles and waves, increasing her pace ever so slightly.

He's still trying to decide if it would be weird to turn back around or not when she's standing right in front of him, hugging some notebooks to her chest and looking downright radiant in her yellow dress. There's a matching ribbon that's been braided into her hair, and her smile only serves to soften her impossibly warm eyes. She literally seems heaven sent.

He gapes at her like an idiot as she shines on him expectantly, and Luke thumps him on the back. He clears his throat.

"Sorry, um. What was that?"

Julie giggles. "I asked you if you were ready for Spanish. I heard that Mrs. Cutright is springing a quiz on us."

"Yeah—I mean, no—um—necessitas—shit—necess—ito—usar—uh—"

She rescues him with a shake of her head and a sweet smile as she gently says, "Necessitas mis notas?"

"Yes!" He angles his body to look at her better, nodding rapidly. "Si, no se—shit—se no hago—fuck it—you're an actual angel, I owe you—my firstborn, whatever you want."

She smiles at the ground and slowly looks at him again, peeking through her lashes.

His heart is bound to burst.

"Gracias, Reggie. Pero empecemos con una cita. Noes niños. Bueno?"

He nods dumbly again even though he has no idea what she just said beyond his name. His stomach flutters at the way her tongue had curled around the letters. He wishes he could say her name half as prettily, but if he could he probably wouldn't be worried about failing.

She laughs again, bright as bells, and offers him one of her notebooks. Their fingers meet, effectively gluing his tongue to the roof of his mouth, but she's unbothered, tossing out what he's mostly certain is a cheerful goodbye before she starts to walk away.

"Me llames!" she calls over her shoulder, then she disappears into the throng of students, leaving him clutching her notebook and what little sanity he still has.

Bobby's the first to break the silence.

"Wow. None of what you said made any sense. I can't believe they have you this flustered. You've known her since we were what, seven? Eight?"

"I always get this flustered!" Reggie defends. "Resident disaster bi, remember?"

Luke hums, swiping a fry from Reggie’s tray. "He has a point, B. I'm sure the whole half in love with her thing only makes it worse, though. Or the boner for romantic languages. Actually, now that I think about it, he was doomed from the start."

Reggie squawks. "I do not have—"

Luke cups his face and locks eyes with him, crooning quietly in French.

Fuck.

Thankfully, Luke has mercy on him and releases him without any more teasing, letting him shove his tray away and press his face into the cool metal of the table.

"Yeah, speaking of which, do you have any idea what Julie said to you, Reg?" Alex asks. "Because if she always talks to you like that, no wonder you're such a wreck."

Luke agrees. "She was definitely flirting with him. I only told him my omelet order."

Fuck!

Reggie lifts his head to look at Alex.

"What did she say to me?"

"Okay, well, you definitely said something about how you were going to give her a child in one way or another—after butchering some basic Spanish—and she was teasing you, saying you should start with a date."

Reggie groans, but Alex keeps talking.

"I mean, she also told you to call her. So I think you're fine. She's obviously into your whole disaster bi thing."

Oh. Oh!

"Maybe just look at her notes before it fails you," Bobby adds, effectively bringing him crashing back down from cloud nine.

That's okay, though. He scrapes by.

He's much more fluent by the time that first baby arrives.

[spilledcoffeefrommy]

Maria Clara at Ibarra: Isang Obra

You’ve done it again, GMA. KUDOS. Lemme just say this. I am one full-blooded Kapamilya. But when I was younger, I remember watching and being obsessed with Mulawin, Majika, and especially the original 2006 Encantadia. Feeling ko forte talaga ng GMA ang “Telefantasya” genre. And now, another timely gem has been created. Isang napakagandang proyekto, GMA. Ngayon na lamang muli napakapanood ng serye na likha ninyo, and I’m really glad I did. 🫶🏻

Why I LOVE this teleserye??! Ang paksa ng drama ay napapanahon at edukasyonal para sa ating lahat. Liban sa kilig at mga nakakatuwang hirit, parang isang pagbabalik-tanaw at pagpapaalala sa mga nakalipas na panahon. Also, casting was SPOT ON!!! Barbie was perfect for the role, Klay (sobrang kaaliw! #feminism #notooppression besh). The perfect representation of what a Pinoy youth should be now. Crisostomo Ibarra giving me extra oppa vibez. Sa pagkakatanda ko super crush ko na before si Dennis Trillo sa Majika pero omg, tinatangi ko po kayo ginoo (ipagpatawad mo, Ate Jen hihi). The super talented Julie Ann as Maria Clara was surprising for me. ‘Twas actually unbeknownst to me that she can act like this. I’m amazed! I know she sings, she dances, and she can act too? (sige ipinapaubaya ko na talaga si Rayver ahahaha). Sa totoo lang, nahihirapan na ko pag nakikita ko silang umiiyak ni Barbie. I’m like, unli luha lang mga amiga? 🙌🏼 Also, I am now understanding why David Licauco has everyone in his clutches. (yung kaibigan ko, pipilahan ka talaga eh. see you soon kapag makakapaglamierda kami jan sa maynila hahaha). Fidel, isa kang tunay at tapat na amigo. Talk about character development, right? 🥲

Padre Salvi, Padre Damaso, pinakulo niyo po ang aking dugo, pinabilis ninyo ang tibok ng aking puso sa inis at galit. It’s my first time seeing Juancho Triviño as an actor. I know I knew him from somewhere, so ayun hubby nga pala siya ni Joyce Pring. He fits the role of PS to a tee! The amount of hate and disgust for the character just showed his effective acting. Of course, you would expect greatness with the likes of Mr. Tirso Cruz III, but I must say these younger actors leveled up too.

Andrea Torres as Sisa?! Speechless. 👏🏻 Dasurv ng award at recognition sa binigay niya dito. And, it is always a delight to see Rocco Nacino. The perfect Elias. Mahilig talaga ako sa chinito maputi ganyan pero for some reason, I crush you po.🫶🏻 (pasintabi rin kay mareng Mel wew?).

All in all, sobrang naaliw at napasaya ako ng kwentong ito. Sana ay makalikha pa po kayo ng mga proyektong katulad nito. Dinggin niyo kami! ✊🏼😉 Viva Las Filipinas!! 🇵🇭 Sana nga ay tuluyan na tayong makalaya. 🙏🏼

[yumeko2sevilla]

Asterine Marlais- galatic conductor

╭── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╮

ᴀᴘᴘᴇᴀʀᴀɴᴄᴇ

Full Name: Asterine Marlais

╰┈➤ Asterine: A name comes from the name "Aster", means "The night sky full of stars."

╰┈➤ Marlais: A Welsh name, means "Blue"

Other Names:

╰┈➤ Asterine

╰┈➤ Human

╰┈➤ Mr. Marlais

╰┈➤ Marlais's Fractured Starfrost.

Voice Actor: Ito Kento + Chogakusei (Japanese)

╭── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╮

Gender: Transmasc Non-Binary (They/He)

Species: Human (?)

Birthday: Around October 10- October 14

Zodiac: Libra

Status: Alive(?)

Height: 194 cm

Hair Color: Slivery White, Dusty Gray (Lesson 16)

Eye Colors: Hot Pink (Left), Neon Cyan (Right)

╰── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╯

┌──═━┈━═──┐

ᴘᴇʀsᴏɴᴀʟɪᴛʏ

"Please, don't identify me."

╰┈➤ A Blurry Mist: From afar, Asterine is timid and cold toward everyone. They're not afraid to speak anything in their mind, therefore hurt someone in the progess. Strange that he doesn't show much emotions, just a blank face is what he need.

╰┈➤ Gentle Prayers, at 12:30: Asterine may be cold, but that doesn't mean he's apethetic. They have their own way of caring, which he prefer to do it secretly. They don't admit it, tho.

╰┈➤ From Bottom Of Emptiness: He isn't capable of understanding emotions. Sure, he's expressing it from the outside but they can't feel it clearly. To Asterine, emotions are something weird.

╰┈➤ Imagination World: Some demons have claimed that they saw Asterine talking to the air as if someone was there. They have reported it to Lucifer, but he just brushed it off. After all, his brothers and even himself saw them too. What was concerning, was that they didn't feel lonely nor wrong. At. All.

└──═━┈━═──┘

┏━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━┓

Likes: The Devildom, sleeping, drawing, sightseeing, iced coffee, iced mint flavor tea, instant noodles, manga and Light Novel (espically Kagerou Project and Evillious Chronicles), their "friends", the feeling of nostalagia.

Dislikes: Asterine Marlais, gossiping, human emotions.

┗━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━┛

╰┈➤ Backstory: •[ Eyes Of Rememberance ]•

╰┈➤ Asterine sees Rosé (@starry-night-rose) as a friend. He suppose.

╰┈➤ Asterine sometimes explain most of Kagerou Project and Evillious Chronicles to Levi, who later got too invested.

╰┈➤ Suprisingly, among the demon brothers Asterine is closer with Lucifer and Beel.

╰┈➤ You can often hear whispers behind Asterine or Lucifer, or even some of the brothers. Just leave it, they are the only one who saw them. They are here, they are here.

@starry-night-rose

(P/S: My first attempt of making an Obey Me persona:)) )