#not a listener but ​i saw an episode synopsis with his name in it

[rabbits-of-negative-euphoria]

wait Haunted Cosmos has been Brian Sauvé this whole time??

[stinkysam]

Buggy the Clown - Meet my ex.

Warning : One spoiler but blink and you’ll miss it.

Genre : angst-ish

Synopsis : "You, Luffy, Zoro and Nami get captured by your ex after stealing the Grand Line map from the marines" - @inhumanshadows

Reader : male (he/you)

A/N : Part TWO // basically rewrote the whole second episode so it's kinda long.

"Can't wait to see the look on your face when we find it." Said Luffy to Nami.

And then, you heard an explosion followed by a red light lighting the sky.

"Is that the marines ?" Zoro asked.

"How did they find us ?" Asked Nami, already panicking.

You all quickly stormed outside the cabin as another explosion was heard above your heads, a red smoke covering the small boat.

"The smoke smells weird." Luffy said and you instinctively blocked your airways. Not wanting to breathe any of it.

You knew you were right to do so when you saw Nami and Zoro fall to the ground, seemingly unconscious.

You watched Luffy go back in the cabin to swallow the map before turning to the back window. You quickly joined him, wanting to see who was attacking you.

Oh no.

You looked at him after seeing the Jolly Roger, watching him fall unconscious as well. You couldn't hold your breath any longer so you laid down on the floor, breathing in the smoke.

Luffy woke up first, then Nami, you and Zoro.

"Zoro." Luffy whispered in his ear, only for him to jolt awake.

You stared at each other for a moment before looking around yourselves. You were in a big wooden box.

You sighed as you sat up, groaning.

"For fuck's sake."

"They took my swords." Zoro said, looking for them.

"And my rucksack, ugh, with all my navigation gear." Noted Nami, still slowly emerging.

Luffy quickly brought his hands to his head and sighed, content.

"They didn't take my hat."

"Yeah, small blessings." Said Nami "Damn it, we've lost the map !" She whispers-yelled.

"No !" Luffy suddenly stood up, head hitting the top of the box. "No, we didn't. It's in a safe place." He said, touching his stomach.

"Ew." She said, as Zoro began to try to punch his way out. "Hey, stop. Stop that. Stop that." She whispered.

"What ? I'm trying to find a way out."

"You won't." You said apathetically.

"We've been captured, we need a plan." Continued Nami.

"I don't need a plan, I just need to beat the hell out of every marine I see."

"Not marines." You said quietly.

"Hey, everyone relax. We're fine." Luffy said, trying to calm everyone down.

"We're not fine. The marines will throw us in jail if we're lucky. Execute us if they don't." Said Nami, patting the ceiling as if to find a weak spot.

"They… they are not marines. Before I got knocked out, I saw a Jolly Roger, right [Name] ?" Luffy said. "We've been captured by pirates."

"That's much better news." Said Nami sarcastically.

"It's not." You said.

"No, he's right. Marines have training. Pirates are easier to kill." intervened Zoro.

"Shanks used to say not every situation can be solved with violence." Replied Luffy.

"Who the hell is Shanks ?"

"We don't need to fight… I can talk to them. Pirate to pirate."

"That won't work." You and Nami said.

"Why not ?"

"To start you're not a pirate." Nami replied.

"Yes, I am."

"No, you are just some stretchy guy in a tattered hat."

"I'm a different kind of pirate."

"And he won't listen to you." You finally said a bit louder to be heard this time.

The three of them looked at you.

"He ?"

"Buggy."

Just as you said his name, the ceiling of the box opened, a circus music blaring as one of the walls fell down allowing you to walk out. You hummed to the music in a bored manner.

A man passed before you, juggling on his unicycle as one by one the remaining walls were removed, leaving you nothing to sit against. So you stood up as well.

Then you heard loud clapping and cheering all around you. Even Luffy clapped at the spectacle happening.

"No. No, no, no, no. Stop clapping. No, stop ! It's all wrong !" A man yelled as he entered the circus tent.

You rolled your eyes and sighed loudly, your head falling back. Yep. It's him. Great.

Quickly the clapping stopped.

"Spotlight was late. You completely missed my entrance." He said pointing to another man to the side then to himself. The light creaked as it turned to him.

"And where, oh, where was the dancing… lion." He asked as he walked to the man threateningly.

"Heey, I know you ! I saw your wanted poster in Shells Town. You're the clown guy." Luffy said, growing excited. "Um, uh… Binky, right ?"

"Buggy." You and Buggy said at the same time. "Buggy the Clown." Zoro and Nami turned to you as you continued to mouth what the man was saying. "Buggy, the flashy fool." He walked closer to Luffy, still unaware of you. "Buggy, the Genius Jester." You knew it by heart.

"Wow…" Luffy said, actually impressed. "You have a lot of names. I bet everyone in the East Blue knows who you are."

The people around you gasped and you smiled. Ah, yeah. Here we go.

"What did you just say ?" Buggy's smile fell.

"Just that everyone knows who you are."

"Nose ?!" He yelled, grabbing Luffy's face. His minions slowly approached menacingly as the crowd gasped. "Are you making fun of my nose ?"

"Well, I wasn't. But now that you mention it, is that thing for real ?" Luffy asked, unbothered as he raised his hand to touch Buggy's nose, only for it to be slapped away.

"Calm down, he wasn't talking about your nose, Bugs." You crossed your arms and stepped closer.

Buggy perked at the nickname. Who the fuck dared to call him that ? And that's when he noticed you, his eyes widening as he froze for a second, his heart skipping a beat. What the fuck were you doing here ?

"[Name] ?"

You smiled awkwardly as you posed.

"Ta-daaa…" You quietly said, waving your hands a little.

Your three friends stared at you, confused.

"[Name] ?" Nami repeated, eyeing you as if to say 'Care to explain ?'

"Meet… my ex." You said, pointing to Buggy, kicking the ground with your right foot. Luffy tilted his head as the two others looked at you with big eyes. You smiled at them. A big awkward toothy smile.

"What are you doing here ?" Buggy finally asked, stepping closer. His heart was beating so fast the closer he got. Memories of the two of you resurfacing as he tried to ignore them.

"I just missed you." You said sarcastically. You almost didn't see the way his eyes twitched at your words, clearly touched by them. Believing your pretty words for a second. "No, you captured our crew, so…" You continued, putting your hands on your hips.

He stared at you, unsure of what to do or what to say. He hadn't expected to see you again. You still looked so handsome, even after all those years. Fuck. He remembers the way your pretty eyes looked at him, so fond and loving. So sweet. Now they looked at him as if he was just… someone and not the light of your life.

"But, don't pay attention to me, go back to your monologue." You said, waving him away as you took a step back. "I'm sure you had things to say."

He frowned at you, stepping away reluctantly before clearing his throat. You're right, he wasn't done talking.

"You asked if my nose was real, you know what's real ? I've been scheming for months to steal that map from old Axe-Hand Moron !" Ah ! Mh ? No reaction. Heh… "No I can't, you see, you've cut my momentum."

"No, no, it was good, continue, continue." You said, acting interested. "And ?" His eyes squinted. He remembers you used to love his introductions, clapping and smiling at him as he presented himself to his enemies. Now it looked like it was too much, and not just because you were on the receiving end.

"...Only to find out that I was upstaged by three little nobodies and my ex, who stole it from right under my no- No ! It's in my head now ! Gah ! Ugh !"

"Hey ! I'm not a nobody. I'm Monkey D. Luffy. And I will be King of the Pirates." Luffy announced, proudly and confidently, making you smile as Nami couldn't believe her ears.

Buggy laughed.

"Oh ! Now that's funny !" He said and the audience laughed in an unenthusiastic way before he made a sign of the hands to stop them.

"My bounty poster graces the marquee of every marine outpost for miles. And my menagerie of outcasts and freaks is the most dreaded pirate crew of the East Blue has ever known. I am destined to find the One Piece. And when I do… I will be King."

"No, you won't. 'Cuz I'm gonna find it first." Luffy said, still as confidently as before.

"You ? Don't make me laugh." And with that the audience started to laugh again, seemingly upsetting the clown even more. "I said don't make me laugh !"

"All right, listen up !" Zoro intervened, bored of it all and annoyed. Everyone turned to him. "I'm Roronoa Zoro. Drop your weapons now and I may… let you live." He said, approaching Buggy only for him to laugh in response.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have a celebrity in our midst. Too bad I hate sharing the spotlight." And with two kicks of the feet against the floor, the light that was on Zoro was back on Buggy.

To be honest, you had missed the theatrics. It was fun. But did you really miss Buggy ? At the moment, watching all the prisoners he had for audience, you weren't so sure.

"Now, maybe we should skip right to the finale." Buggy said, his daggers between his fingers. "My freaks put quite a bit of rehearsal time into this little abduction. And if I can't reward them with that map… I suppose I'll have to offer them a pound of flesh instead." He added as one of his men growled, sharp teeth in full display.

"Wait. Wait. What if I have something else to offer you ?" Nami quickly said, walking forward. You, Zoro and Luffy looked at her confused and interested as well. "Something more valuable than a map ?" Buggy lowered his daggers. "What if, I give you a new freak for your crew ? A rare talent. The most spectacular act in all of the East Blue. Besides you, of course." She took a step back, next to Luffy who was innocently smiling.

"Go on." Buggy said and with that Nami grabbed Luffy's hat and threw it high in the air, forcing him to stretch his arm to catch it and while everyone looked up in surprise she darted, running away out of the circus tent.

She was brought back inside by two other men, struggling to get away from them.

"What did you do ?!" She yelled. "What did you do to their town ? You destroyed everything !"

"Not everything. I let them keep their hands." He said unbothered and the audience clapped. "Okay. Here end the theatrics." As he said this, all the lights went to him, making you smirk. "I know one of you has my map and I'm gonna get it back. What was it you said rubber boy ? That it's in a safe place ? Don't look so surprised, I've got eyes and ears everywhere." He smiled as he clasped his hands together. "So please make our guests uncomfortable in the green room. Except [Name], he stays here."

His men grabbed Nami and Zoro and they tried to free themselves from their grasp. Luffy attempted to follow them but his men stopped him, pushing him toward Buggy.

"I'm gonna have a chat with my stretchy new pal." He grinned, booping Luffy's nose quickly before laughing.

You waited as he installed some sort of something in the four corners of the scene. Probably to torture Luffy if you guessed right. And that you did !

Luffy had his arms and legs tied as the machine began to stretch him.

"What am I doing here Buggy ?" You finally asked, not knowing why he didn't put you with Zoro and Nami.

"You're too smart to be imprisoned, you always find a way out even back on Roger's ship. So I prefer to keep my eyes on you."

"Aw. I missed looking at you too." You said with a wink, a bit too honestly, watching his eyes widen and squint. You will not get him this time. But it was true, you had missed his pretty eyes. You loved looking at them.

He preferred to not answer and focus back on Luffy who was screaming, laughing a bit as his limbs were stretching more and more.

"I want you to think of this like an artistic exercise, because pain leads to art. And art reveals truth. But there's only one truth I need from this exercise. Where… is… my… map ?"

"Truthfully ?" Luffy said and Buggy nodded. "I'm kinda hungry. Don't circuses have cotton candy ?"

Buggy chuckled, placing his hand on Luffy's chest. If only he knew the map was right under his hand…

"What could you possibly need that map for anyway ? You wouldn't last five minutes in the Grand Line."

"I already told you. I'm gonna be King of the Pir-"

"Boring !" Buggy yelled in his face and gestured to continue stretching him. "Let's go another 10 feet."

The audience gasped in horror as they watched Luffy be stretched.

"You can stretch me all you want. I can do this all day."

"I'm not asking the right questions, right, [Name] ?" He looked at you and you shrugged. You trusted Luffy, you knew it wasn't hurting him and he'd find a way out. "We need to go deeper, get you out of your comfort zone."

He turned back toward Luffy.

"What makes a boy want to grow up to be King of the Pirates ? Who are you trying to impress ? A lost love ? An absent parent ? Or was it someone that you worshiped ? A false idol." But all Luffy did was look away, uninterested by what he was saying.

"That's it…" Buggy realized, taking Luffy's hat in his hands.

"Hey, give me back my hat !"

"I used to know a pirate that wore a hat just like this… Red-Haired Shanks."

"You knew Shanks ?"

"Ginger ? Three scars, left eye ? We served together with [Name] on a pirate crew when we were about your age. For a time, I even thought we were friends." Buggy said. "Until he betrayed me. Just like aaaall the others." He added, looking at you. You didn't betray him, but of course, that's how he'd see it. You rolled your eyes and crossed your arms, looking away.

"He wanted to keep me out of the spotlight ! He wanted to keep my star from shining too brightly !" Then a thought came to him. "Is that what he did to you rubber boy ? Did Shanks betray you too ?"

"Don't talk about him that way." Is all Luffy said.

"Ahhh. Now we are finally getting to the truth. Stretch him until he breaks."

"Please, don't make me do this." An old man with white hair said.

"I… invite you ! To take part in the splendor that is my show and this is how you repay me ? With a no ?"

"You've destroyed our town. Made us your prisoners. Isn't that enough ?"

"Well. Maybe you'd prefer it if I threw one of your constituents on the rack instead." Buggy threw Luffy's hat to the side, opening his arms wide. "Hey, kid ! You want to get tall fast ?" He said as he grabbed a young boy from the audience.

"Boogie, I'm warning you."

You stepped closer, ready to fight to defend the kid.

"It's Buggy ! And you're warning me ? Now that's a laugh." But no one laughed. He rolled his eyes, annoyed. "I said that's a laugh." He repeated as an unenthusiastic laughing could be heard.

"Buggy." You approached as you heard Luffy grunt, pulling on his limbs to free himself, which worked as he fell to the ground.

"Put him down." Luffy said, this time more threatening as he stood up.

"But why ? He's having such a great time !" Buggy laughed. "Aren't you, junior ?" He grabbed the kids face as if to make him talk. "Yes ! The best, Buggy !" He laughed more as Luffy sent his hand behind himself, stretching it before punching Buggy's head away from his body.

The audience screamed in fear as the head landed on someone's laps, the kid yelling in horror at Buggy's body, still holding him.

Luffy looked at his fist, confused for a second. Did he just... ?

"Nah, don't worry, kid. He's alright." You said with a chuckle, patting his shoulder.

"Hi." Buggy clicked his tongue, head turning on the person's laps. "Well, well, well, looks like we have something in common !" He said with a laugh before flying back to his body, reattaching himself.

"You ate a devil fruit ?"

"The Chop Chop fruit. So you can slice me, you can dice me, but I'll always put myself back together again." And with that his arms, legs and head were separated from the rest of his body before being pulled back together like magnets.

"Want to see what else I can do ?" He whispers, showing his arm without a hand. Luffy feels something poking his shoulder and he turns around only to see Buggy's hand squeeze a red ball full of red smoke before punching him in the face.

You grabbed Luffy, refusing to let his men take him but it was you against all his minions.

You had to watch as they placed him in some sort of glass tank.

"You really don't have to do this." You said to Buggy.

"Oh, but my dear [Name], I do. Unless you can tell me where my map is ? No ? Then I fear I have no other way."

You groaned, it was far the time where Buggy would listen to you and consider your words. But now it is impossible. You missed those days. They were fun.

He missed them too. But they were over.

"You know he's never gonna give you the map ?"

"Just like you were never supposed to leave me ?"

You could not answer anything. Remembering the promises you've broken by leaving.

Luffy woke up soon after in the tank, he was weak and struggled to move to get up.

"Don't bother, it's sea water." Buggy says, ignoring Luffy's grunts as he tries to hit and break the glass. "Hardly seems fair. All those wonderful powers rendered useless from a few splashes." He kneeled to Luffy's level. "Of course, you could always give me my map if you don't want to die alone in this tank."

"My crew…" Luffy began but was too weak to continue.

"Your crew ?" Buggy laughed. "You mean the ones that abandoned you ? Just like Shanks did ? Oh… did that make you sad ?"

"They will come back for me."

"No one's coming back for you. Your only chance is to turn over that map and if you do, I may have a very special place on my crew… just for you."

Luffy struggled as he stood up, slowly, despite the sea water draining his energy. Buggy got up, following him.

"Never !"

"Why not !" And with a bang Buggy hits the glass with his hand, hurting himself in the process. "Ah ! God ! You're an outcast, just like the rest of us. A freak, scorned and abandoned ! Join me… and you can serve the man who will become the King of the Pirates… And when I have that map, I will find the One Piece, and then everyone will know my name. And they'll love me."

"You can't make people love you." Interjected Luffy. "Just like you can't make them smile. I'll never give you that map."

Buggy used to make you smile and love him. It wasn't hard. But now it felt like forever since these happy days.

"Well then, I guess it's curtains for you." Buggy said, increasing the water's level, making Luffy fall back and drown in the water.

"Buggy ! Don't !" You yelled, approaching the tank. "Killing him won't change anything. It won't make the map appear !"

"No, but it might change my bad mood !" Buggy replied, grabbing Luffy's hat on the floor and beginning to pull on the straws.

"Bugs."

"You seem to have forgotten you lost the right to call me that when you left."

"Don't touch my hat !" Luffy managed to shout.

"What was that ? I… I couldn't hear you over all the drowning. You want out ? You know the price you have to pay." Buggy said but Luffy only knocked on the glass, pointing behind the clown.

Nami stood at the entrance, throwing her stick against the tank and cracking the glass.

"Where are my freaks ?!" Buggy yelled, looking around himself. Why were they all gone ?

"They're not coming." Zoro said, approaching from another side.

The glass cracked and cracked until it finally broke, the water gushing out and sweeping Buggy and pushing Luffy out.

Luffy coughed, catching his breath as he vomited the map out.

"My map !" Buggy gasped, crawling toward it while Luffy moved toward his hat. Buggy laughed as he finally had the map between his hands, standing up.

Zoro threw your sword your way and you grabbed it in the air.

"You want a piece of me ? Let's see what you got." Buggy said to Zoro.

Without waiting he cut his neck in two then his torso before slicing it in four. But all Buggy did was laugh and put himself back together as Nami watched in horror.

"Surprise shithead !" He yelled, cutting himself in pieces before sending them flying around the three of you.

"How am I supposed to slice a guy who's already in pieces ?"

"You stab him." You say quietly.

"This is not part of the plan." Said Nami as the three of you began to hit any parts of Buggy flying your way. But quickly you found yourselves overpowered as he re-attached himself to turn to Luffy.

"Ah, would you look at that ? Somebody escaped my Tank of Doom. Well, I'll be back to finish you off. Right after I tear apart your sad excuse for a crew !" Buggy said, laughing more.

"You can dump sea water on me, and I'll let it slide. But don't you ever threaten my friends." Luffy stood up, putting his hat on before punching a hole inside Buggy's chest.

He made it fly back to him, clicking his tongue with a wink as he pulled his daggers out once more.

"So you want to die first. Be my guest." He said, detaching both arms and legs and sending them toward Luffy. Laughing hysterically, Buggy attacked Luffy relentlessly, stabbing his hat to a wooden mat, laughing loudly at the sight. Punching and kicking him when he tried to grab it back, strangling him against the floor.

That's when Luffy got an idea.

"Nami ! The crates !" He yelled, voice straining.

Luffy threw Buggy's arm to Nami, who kicked it with her stick inside the crate before closing it. They continued like this with each part of Buggy's body until all that was left were his hands, feet, and head.

"What have you done to me !?" He yelled, head falling to his feet.

"Cut you down to size."

"The One Piece will never be yours ! You're just a sad, lonely little boy wearing another man's hat !"

"I know exactly who I am. I'm Monkey D. Luffy, and I'm gonna be King of the Pirates."

"Gum gum…" Luffy yelled, throwing his hands behind himself. "Bazooka !" Before sending them full force against Buggy, throwing him out of the circus, making a hole in the giant tent.

And with Buggy gone, Luffy walked to the Grand Line map, giving it to Nami.

"You're giving this to me ?" She asked.

"You're the navigator." He simply answered.

"Let's get out of this clown show." Zoro said only for Luffy to stop him.

"Still one more thing we have to do."

"Tell [Name] to pick better partners ?" Zoro said, looking at you as you glared at him to shut up.

"No." Luffy shook his head, walking toward the audience to free them.

"Are you our new captors ?" The white haired man asked.

"What ?"

"Well, you're a pirate, aren't you ?"

"I'm a different kind of pirate." He smiled as Nami stared at him.

[kakujis]

𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐎𝐅 𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓… ☽

geto vers | baji vers

synopsis: when your husband and best friend are targeted by a hitman, the aftermath leaves you in shock. but suguru has always instilled one line into you: forever has no meaning unless you're in it.

warnings: gn!reader, vampire!suguru, vampire!choso, vampire!satoru, hitman!toji, character death ( + resurrection), depictions of blood and violence, almost blind devotion, a bit angsty but also fluffy.. but also not really? idk what to tag this as LOL, canon divergent (gojo n geto are attacked much later in life), you have no clue they’re sorcerers 👍, swearing, sfw, if choso is ooc im so sorry idk barely anything about/cldnt get a read on his character from one episode djknj

ft + wc: vampire!suguru x reader, 3.2k

tags: @enchantedforest-network, @em1e (u guys should totally read em's necromancy fic btw)

a/n: hi! idk wtf this is, this is just how i deal with chara death i think? this idea came to me when i realized i was writing two fics about dealing with grief (baji fans are u here ?) and wrote nearly 2k for both in one sitting haha. anyways, i feel like atp i'm edda from ffxiv coded except suguru is 1000x better than avere. if you'd like to listen to her theme, it's here. thank u to wallaby for proofreading!

there is something about the morning light, filtered through the white blinds that you’ve forgotten so many times to replace, that feels just like a hug. it’s this light that kisses your eyelids and pulls you out of bed faster than your mother on a school morning. 

you’ll yawn, then stretch, pulling your arms up and over your head arching your back as you do. then you’ll get up, set up a pot of coffee before heading off to brush your teeth and wash your face. and you’ll pretend that you don’t see the eyes, red and shimmering, from the shadows in your closet.  

“go to bed suguru,” you sigh, before lightly pressing onto your puncture marks, hissing when they’re still tender. “it’s morning.” 

“i could fix that… if you’d let me.” he responds, the hinges of your door creaking ever so slightly before you gasp and rush to close them before the light bleeds in. 

“don’t!” you snap, hand trembling, “don’t… you dare.” 

you crouch down, before slotting your pinky into the smallest slit you can with the door still providing adequate coverage. before long, his cold finger entangles with yours and you smile. 

“by the way babe, when are we moving?” he jokes and when your eyes finally adjust to the dark, you can see him stretch his limbs, hands entangling with your hanging clothing. “it’s pretty cramped in here not gonna lie.” 

“well… i put in that application a few weeks ago and they did get back to me… so soon. we just need to go through the final steps.” you reply, fighting the urge to crawl into that small space with him and sleep the day off. 

when it comes to suguru, you’d do anything and everything, from the hairs on your head to the tips of your toes, you pledged yourself to him fully. 

“gonna go to work?” he asks and you nod, albeit with a pout. he snickers when he sees your expression, “aw, don’t cry. i’ll be right here.” 

you bite your lip, trying your best not to draw blood because you know. you know that suguru will always be right there, whenever you need him. 

you made sure of it. 

-

his name was choso. you remember the night you met him after a round of drinks at the bar. he was nice, if not a bit quiet, and loved to talk about his siblings. suguru and satoru talked aimlessly with shoko while you made new friends. it was a fun little past time. 

you don’t remember how you left the bar or how he even convinced you to follow him out. your mind muggy as you followed him, like a moth to a flame, down a back alley before you finally snapped to your senses and shoved him off before he could make a move. it wasn’t until you saw the razor sharp pearly whites of his teeth that you stopped. 

you asked him what he was, but he simply shrugged, asking, “have you ever dreamt about being saved from someone or something?” 

you nodded, of course you did. everyone has. 

“then that’s me. something you can dream about.”

it was a cryptic message, but a message you got nonetheless. choso was not of the day, flourishing under the midnight sky. but for some reason, he wasn’t necessarily scary. in the small amount of time you had spent, he seemed to listen to you and your woes. gotten to know a little bit of your family history, and perhaps decided you would do better with his. 

you remember hearing suguru’s panic laced voice calling out for you and you spun around to call back out. turning back, choso was gone. with a hand placed on your shoulder you were pulled into a tight embrace. 

“where were you?” suguru asks, nearly crushing you in the heat of his body, “almost lost my mind trying to find you.” he glances behind you, eyes scanning the alleyway in search of something or someone. 

“honestly… i don’t even know how i got out here,” you mumbled into his shoulder, hands trailing the familiar sensation of his clothing. “can we go home?” 

“yeah, i’ll just let gojo-“ 

“no!” you exclaimed, the uneasiness in your stomach now palpable, as you balled your fists into the fabric of his shirt, “let’s go now, please.” 

he blinks, before nodding, “okay, yeah, okay. let’s go home.” he presses a kiss to your forehead, almost like a seal of protection, before he’s throwing his arm around you and walking you home. 

you don’t ever recall meeting toji fushiguro. it was just another night out underneath flickering street lights, outside the same bar where you met choso, the street familiar yet empty. your husband smoked into the evening air, the scent wafting over and tickling your nose. 

“no offense, satoru, but i didn’t listen to a single thing you just said.” he stated, lips curled up into a smirk with the cigarette dangling between his fingers. 

“good,” satoru snorts, before glancing at you, “i wasn’t asking for their opinion anyway.” 

you feign ignorance, perking up and asking, “hm? what were we talking about?” 

“man the two of you are so fucking annoying.” he whines, head hung back as you both laugh. 

“care for a third opinion?” a voice asks and you gasp, jumping back. 

the man was tall, handsome, with dark hair and a scar on his lip, wearing a simple outfit of a tee and sweatpants. he seemed otherworldly as well, just like choso. maybe, it was the aura he exuded, more like the lack of, but it set your hairs up on end. 

suguru was quick to pull you behind him as your fingers instantly grabbed onto his shirt. 

“don’t really care for a stranger’s opinion,” satoru drawls, glancing over the tips of his sunglasses. but you can read his body easily, a culmination of friendship over the years. it was screaming: danger. 

“c’mon, don’t be like that. why don’t we introduce ourselves then? i’m toji.” he said, sticking his hand out for a handshake. but neither satoru nor suguru moved to grab it, instead they tensed, waiting. 

“suguru.” satoru whispered, a command with only one word. he understood exactly what it meant. you don’t remember suguru being able to run so fast, the force from his pull almost knocking the air out of you. nor do you remember satoru being able to fight so efficiently. 

you do remember suguru hiding you away and making you wait, even when you tried to hold onto him, he assured you it’d be fine and made you wait. but seconds ticked into minutes, long, monotonous minutes that made the pit of uneasiness in your stomach bloom into a festering bouquet of chrysanthemums. 

“suguru?” you called, stepping out into the dreary moonlight. no response. 

“satoru?” you tried again, quietly walking back towards the area they were in originally. it’s strange how quickly the night changes, how suddenly the flickering street lights aren’t an annoyance but one of your only sources of comfort, as if the dark can swallow you. 

“suguru,” you call out again, voice teetering on a breakdown and eyes scanning the desolate street.  “please res-“ 

you stop suddenly, the sickening squelch of something warm pooling beneath your feet halts you. you feel sick as you start to take in shallow breaths, eyes following the stream of ichor until it reaches its source.

suguru. 

you remember dragging his lifeless body down that familiar back alley. knowing that anyone would be able to see that trail of blood and find you. the darkness of that alley covered you, looming over you like a guardian, while the scent of trash almost, almost, covered the sharp tinge of iron that permeated the air.  

you propped suguru up against the wall as best you could, your body still thrumming with adrenaline. “just gimme a sec, okay?” you mumbled through tears, knowing that he couldn’t hear you. “i’ll figure it out, just like you always do.” 

you’re not sure why you were compelled to scream out that name, but maybe it was because in your dreams, he appeared when you least expected him too. 

“choso!” you screamed, waiting for a brief moment before you filled your lungs with air once more and tried again. “choso!” 

nothing. 

choso!

still nothing. 

and when nothingness almost consumed you, taking you into it’s ghostly clutches, you felt it: the sudden heaviness in the air. 

you feel like you screamed for hours, the name tumbling off your tongue and into the moonlit air like a siren song. just a little less pretty. in reality, it was probably only a few minutes before the brunette arrived, dark rimmed eyes and all. your new guardian “angel”. 

“he looks pretty bad if you ask me.” he started, already crouching down to your level, before reaching up to brush the red coated strands away from suguru’s face. “looks pretty dead.” 

“fix it.” you whispered, continuing even after choso shot you a look. “fucking fix him.” 

“what makes you think i can do that?” 

and in that moment, you feel compelled to tell him about the dreams that you’ve been having lately. the ones where he’s in them, beckoning you to stay under his protection. call for me and i’ll be there. 

but you keep it simple, too pressed for time. “you’re in my dreams, right?” you answer. 

he’s quiet, face softening as he mulls over your words. “good to know.” his eyes wander over to the crimson trail, that bleeds from the streetlamps to your waiting spot. “he’ll probably find you.” 

“toji?” you ask and he nods, “i don’t even know why he’s after us.” 

“he’s not after you, he’s after him.” he says, cupping suguru’s face, dribbles of blood falling from his mouth, and you twitch, almost reaching out to snatch his hand away, “he’s never liked sorcerers.” 

“sorcery…?” you mumble, glancing once more at your lifeless husband. 

but you’ve never heard that word, believing that magic cannot exist, that what you saw could not be explained so easily. there is no magic, only reality, and what is this but such painful, excruciating reality that sucks the air from your lungs and the color from your eyes.

choso dodges the question, “well then. let’s get out of here.” before he places a palm on the back of your neck, sending you back off to dream. 

there’s a voice that pulls him out of the light. low and drumming, it snaps him back into the present and out of his stupor. he sits up, scrambling to make sense of just where he is and who is talking to him. the bed he’s in is similar to a hospital bed, although the white sheets are now stained red. 

“… stay out of the sunlight, feed only when you’re hungry, animal blood counts, it just doesn’t taste that good,” choso continues listing things off, not taking into the account the shock etched so firmly into suguru’s face. “you can feed on them and if they ever wanna turn, let me know, i’ll teach you how to do it.” 

suguru whips his head around, spotting you sitting in a chair with blood covered and bruised knees, the sweat and tears now dried on your face. you glance up at him, giving a little wave and a tired smile. he notes the dried blood that seems to be caked even under your fingers. 

“what the fuck did you do to them?” 

“you mean, what did i do to you?” the brunette retorts. “you wanted to stay together, right? now you can.” he answers, crossing his arms and leaning back against his desk. but suguru’s not sure if he’s asking him or you, the one who smells so much sharper and sweeter than he remembers. you also smell of blood. so much blood that he can hear it coursing through you with each thump of your heartbeat. 

and like a moth to a flame, you stand on wobbly knees, the pads of your feet hitting the floor in sluggish steps as you pad over and throw yourself onto your lover. 

“don’t be mad at me,” you whisper, your eyelids fluttering as you try to fight back your tears. “i thought i could figure things out like you always do… because i always rely on you, right? i was too scared to be alone.” 

he’s so cold now and you’re so unbearably warm, the perfect juxtaposition of your souls. although he doesn’t need to, he takes a deep breath, before pulling you into his embrace. 

“you’re cold, sugu.” you mumble, yet you press harder, deeper into his embrace. 

“is that a turn off?” he jokes because he can’t be mad at you, not now and not ever. and any fragments of anger always dissipate like a puff of smoke. you giggle, before finally giving in and crying, digging your nails into his stiff skin. you cry until you can’t anymore, going limp and falling asleep in his arms. 

suguru’s gaze shifts upwards, as he holds you protectively, one arm wrapped firmly around your lower back, the other on the back of your head, fingers laced in your hair. 

“so, no introductions?” he asks, trying to be friendly, although the intonation in his voice betrays him. it’s first time meeting such a strange man, who can blame him? 

certainly not choso, who responds in turn, “my bad. you can call me choso. i fixed you up on their behalf.” 

“and satoru?” he asks, scanning the room to see if he can find the familiar white tufts of hair. 

“is fine,” choso replies, before jutting a finger out towards you, “they made sure to cover all the bases.” 

suguru shifts you in his hold, pressing a kiss to your forehead, that familiar seal of protection once again placed within your being. but also, as thanks for trying to keep everyone safe.

“then, where is he?” he asks while the other sighs and points over to another bed in the corner. dark eyes follow and the familiar tufts of silver hair peek immediately confirm it’s satoru. 

“he’s gonna wake up soon too. i’ll fill him in on the details.” before suguru can reply he’s cut off, “you should go soon, before the sun rises.” 

“am i actually a vampire?” 

“vampire, dracula, nosferatu, the undead. you can choose whatever you want.” 

“… i see.” he pauses, glancing back at satoru’s sleeping form before deciding he’ll be fine on his own. “we’ll be going then. …thanks.” 

he places his feet on the floor, still wearing his shoes from earlier and starts to walk off, cradling you in his arms. 

“when you feed, geto, don’t overdo it. or they will die.” 

he stops mid-step, gripping you tighter in his embrace, his brow furrowed, before finally walking off. 

you really should’ve taken a photo for satoru of the realtor’s perplexed expression when only you showed up to a three bedroom home, insistent on your need for space. 

when you do get that house, situated so nicely in the countryside, away from the buzz of the city, you think about what life would be like if you changed. if you no longer saw the sunlight. but you shake your head, pressing your fingers up to your neck once more, rubbing over the now scabbing indentations. 

you know suguru can’t feast on you forever as your body ages and his does not. but the thought of him feeding on someone else makes your stomach turn. 

“woow,” satoru hums, breaking you out of your trance as he takes in the new home, “not bad! not bad at all.” 

you smile, “thanks, satoru. i wanted to make sure you had your own space too.” 

“whats the third room for?” he asks, peeking his head in as he saunters around the new home. 

“office space.” you reply, “remember i work from home?” 

he nods, replying, “ooh, makes sense,” before he’s suddenly in front of you. his once crystalline blue eyes, now a deep crimson. “can i get a quick snack? i’m hungry.” 

“always so insatiable, satoru.” you tsk, rolling your eyes, but hold up your wrist anyway.

“not my fault you just so happen to be the best tasting human around.” he says, smiling against the thin skin of your wrist. 

luckily for you, he’s fast, the pain is almost nonexistent beyond the prick of his fangs but you still shut your eyes, waiting for it to be over. and when it’s over, gojo thanks you for the meal with a large bow before leaving to settle in his room. 

it’s so different from suguru who plans out the days that he’ll feed, keeping you in his clutches for what seems like hours as he sips away at your blood, making sure to maximize the experience.

the blood loss always makes you so dizzy, dizzy and pliant. he likes to watch over you afterwards, splayed against the sheets, fingertips running over your veins as if he’s painting over them in hues of ice. 

in your half-conscious state you never notice the furrow of his brow as he contemplates turning you every single time. you won’t last forever, too fragile, too soft, too alive. and suguru believes that forever only exists if you are in it as well. he asks you one night, while the house is almost too still, if you’d stay with him forever. 

“… of course…” you murmur, head dazed and body heavy, “always, sugu.” 

“even if you lose yourself?” 

“i can’t… lose myself if i’m with you.” you smile contently, reaching out to him with one shaky hand. 

“then how would you feel…” he asks, fingertips snaking up the veins of your neck, “if i turned you?” you shiver under his touch, eyelids fluttering not only at the sensation but also the low timbre of his voice. 

“turn me?” you mumble, pressing your hand against his, encouraging him to continue carressing your skin, “like… choso did with you?” 

he grins, albeit a small one and nods. hand now exploring the curves of your face, “just like that.” and while his hand is ice cold, it sears your skin with his touch, a testament to how deeply you’ve fallen. 

you pout, finally relaying your fears, “won’t you feed on others though?” 

“you want me to starve?” he jokes, still running his touch over you. 

“let’s go vegan.” you hum, your consciousness starting to drift until the thrum of his fingers. 

with your eyes closed you don’t catch the expression on his face, but you catch his laugh, drifting down into your ear. “i don’t know if that’s how it works, honey.” 

“animals...” you mumble, breaths becoming deeper with each passing second. “like humans… but diet… is how choso… explained it right?” 

he smiles, letting you fall deep into sleep. he keeps his hand intertwined with yours, knowing that even in dreams you hold onto him as if you were awake. he thinks you look so beautiful in the moonlight, better even than the moon or the stars themselves. 

and he is so sure, that forever cannot exist, if you’re not in it. 

[thegayhimbo]

Stranger Things "Deliver Me From Evil" Review

If you haven't yet, be sure to check out my other Stranger Things Reviews! Like, Reblog, and let me know what your thoughts are, as well as any theories you might have for Season 5!

Stranger Things Reviews/Theories

Stranger Things The First Shadow

Stranger Things Comics/Graphic Novels:

Stranger Things Six

Stranger Things Halloween Special

Stranger Things The Other Side

Stranger Things Zombie Boys

Stranger Things The Bully

Stranger Things Winter Special

Stranger Things Tomb of Ybwen

Stranger Things Into The Fire

Stranger Things Science Camp

Stranger Things “The Game Master” and “Erica’s Quest”

Stranger Things and Dungeons and Dragons

Stranger Things Kamchatka

Stranger Things Erica The Great

Stranger Things “Creature Feature” and “Summer Special”

Stranger Things Tales From Hawkins

Stranger Things x Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Crossover

Stranger Things The Voyage

Stranger Things Tie-In Books:

Stranger Things Suspicious Minds

Stranger Things Runaway Max (Part 1 of 3)

Stranger Things Runaway Max (Part 2 of 3)

Stranger Things Runaway Max (Part 3 of 3)

Stranger Things Darkness On The Edge Of Town (Part 1 of 3)

Stranger Things Darkness On The Edge Of Town (Part 2 of 3)

Stranger Things Darkness On The Edge Of Town (Part 3 of 3)

Stranger Things Rebel Robin Book and Podcast (Part 1 of 2)

Stranger Things Rebel Robin Book and Podcast (Part 2 of 2)

Stranger Things Hawkins Horrors Review

Stranger Things Flight Of Icarus

Stranger Things Lucas On The Line

Stranger Things Episode Reviews:

The Vanishing of Will Byers (Part 1 of 2)

The Vanishing of Will Byers (Part 2 of 2)

Synopsis: While delivering pizzas on a dark night in Lenora, California, Argyle and Jonathan exchange creepy stories...........

Observations:

I wasn't aware this comic came out last May. If I had known, I would have reviewed it then before I saw The First Shadow. Ah, well. Better late than never!

For a short released on Free Comic Book Day, this was a nice quick read, and a fun story centered on Jonathan and Argyle. It has a similar premise to Halloween Special and Hawkins Horrors in that it focuses on scary urban legends, but the main differences here are 1.) They're told from Argyle's perspective, 2.) There's a strong comedic tone to these stories as opposed to just playing them for straight horror, and 3.) The stories Argyle tells are tied to his Mexican heritage, and ones he likely grew up listening to from his family.

Take his first tale for example: As an 8 year old boy, he attended his cousin's birthday party, and at one point encountered a monster called a Chupacabra:

In Latin American folklore, the Chupacabra is a creature known for sucking the blood out of animals, and having a reptilian, alien-like form (though some people claim it also has some similarities to a kangaroo). Its name means "goat sucker" in Spanish, and it's often considered to be of the same species as vampires.

Naturally, Argyle freaks out at seeing the creature, and attacks it with a baseball bat (similar to what Steve Harrington did to the Demogorgon in S1)................only for it to be revealed that it was never there to begin with, and that he ended up smashing his cousin's pinata with the bat:

Then we get another story from Argyle about his first crush (Suzie Q) whom he skips class with so they can make out in the janitor's closet........only to conveniently encounter La Llorona:

Just like with the Chupacabra, La Llorona also comes from Latin American folklore, and is a vengeful ghost who drowned her children in a fit of rage after her husband cheated on her, and now haunts watery areas (lakes, rivers, etc), unable to move on to the next life, forever wailing over her dead children. In some versions of the tale, she also goes after those who are unfaithful, still clearly sore over what happened to her.

Funny enough, the first time I ever learned about the legend was from watching the pilot episode of Supernatural:

But just like with Chupacabra, La Llorona was never really there, and instead a teacher named Miss Downers shows up, catching Argyle and Suzie Q ditching class, and punishing Argyle as a result:

The final story occurs around the time Argyle gets hired at Surfer Boy Pizza, where he encounters yet another monster, this time known as the Quetzalcoatl:

Quetzalcoatl (also known as "The Feathered Serpent") is a deity in Aztec culture, whose role varied, from being the God of vegetation and wind, to even being a symbol of death and resurrection, and also contributing to the creation of humanity. Like with most Gods, the mythology surrounding him was constantly evolving, with different stories analyzing his exploits and role in the universe.

It is weird and hilarious that an all-powerful God would randomly show up to scare the daylights out of Argyle after he just finished his job interview.........and you can already put together what actually happened during this scene:

With all 3 of these stories, it's pretty clear the monsters Argyle claims to encounter aren't really there, and are more symbolic of Argyle's feelings in the moment: His disinterest (and possible jealousy) with his cousin's birthday party leads to his "encounter" with the Chubacabra and destroying his cousin's pinata. His romantic interest in Suzie Q and her later "unfaithfulness" after she rats him out to Miss Downers having parallels to La Llorona's legend, and even his new job as a pizza delivery boy reflecting the mythology of Quetzalcoatl who brought maize (corn) to humans. It's ambiguous if Argyle just has an overactive imagination, or if he's tripping balls and hallucinating in these stories, but the main theme seems to be that he's constantly getting into trouble while taking it in stride. It's probably a big factor in why he was so willing to accept Jonathan, Will, and Mike's explanation in S4 about the Upside Down.

Jonathan is with Argyle in his van as he tells these stories, and while he doesn't go into specific details about the horrors he faced in Hawkins, he does allude to them in a somber tone (something Argyle takes note of):

It works as a nice contrast to Argyle's lighthearted tales, and a way of showing that, despite having moved to Lenora, Jonathan is still haunted by the monsters of the Upside Down and the fear that they will return one day (which sadly happens in S4).

It's nice to finally get a comic that focuses on Jonathan and Argyle and the friendship they shared during their time together. Argyle was a standout in both the Lenora storyline (which was one of my least favorite arcs on the show) and S4 as a whole. While he did serve as comic relief, there was a surprising amount of depth and insight to Argyle (such as pinpointing the problems with Jonathan keeping secrets from Nancy, being savvy enough to follow Colonel Sullivan's trail to El, and even providing El with the salt-bath she would use for remote-traveling in order to save Max from Vecna) that made him a lot smarter than he appeared on the surface.

Those moments alone allowed me to appreciate him.........which is why I wasn't happy when Eduardo Franco announced back in January that he hadn't gotten a call from the Duffer Brothers for S5, which likely means his character won't be returning:

I am hoping I'm wrong about this, and that they're deliberately misleading fans about Argyle not coming back to prevent spoilers about the last season. I even speculated on the idea that Eduardo has an NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement), which is why he might be cagey about production details. There's nothing, for instance, to suggest that the Duffer Brothers couldn't have called him several weeks or months after this interview, and he's simply keeping quiet about that for the sake of the show. There's also the possibility of the Duffer Brothers reading the room over fans reacting to Argyle's absence (which was pretty negative) and making the changes necessary to give him an important role in the story.

It's also possible to argue that since Argyle lives in Lenora and S5 will take place exclusively in Hawkins between 1987 and 1988 (a whole year or two after S4), there isn't any logical way to keep Argyle in the show, and I can understand that perspective to some degree. However, it still doesn't change how it comes off as the Duffer Brothers wasting the potential of yet another character (*cough* Kali/Eight from S2 *cough*), and nuking a friendship between Argyle and Jonathan in the process that fans reacted positively towards and wanted to see more of. Argyle was good for Jonathan in that he allowed Jonathan to be more open and relaxed than he ever was in Hawkins (even while introducing Jonathan to Purple Palm Tree Delight to achieve that), and was genuinely supportive of Jonathan through his issues.

Not many friends would be willing to drive halfway across the United States and put themselves in constant danger the way Argyle did. He was a loyal companion, and he absolutely deserves to be part of the Party, and have a role in taking down Vecna and the Mind Flayer.

As for Jonathan.............I've seen a growing chorus of fans who've complained about his character and story being shoved into the background with each passing season, and I have a hard time refuting that claim. Season 1 was where he arguably has the most relevance to the show, from his motivation to find Will when he disappeared, to his growing feelings for Nancy and how that brought him into conflict with Steve. However, ever since Season 2 when he finally got together with Nancy and helped her get Hawkins Lab shut down, it feels like the writers have lost interest in Jonathan, and either reduced him to a side-character in other people's storylines (i.e. Nancy dealing with sexism in the workplace in S3, or Will dealing with his feelings for Mike in S4) or have given him arcs that come off as inconsequential in the grand scheme of things.

I make no secret I wasn't a fan of Jonathan's arc in S4. While he did get a few chuckles from me when he was stoned, I wasn't impressed with other aspects, from him ditching Nancy during Spring Break, to keeping her in the dark about not applying for Emerson College (which was the school they were both supposed to attend). I know fans have analyzed Jonathan's behavior to the moon and back, and I get what the Duffer Brothers were trying to go for with Jonathan's indecisiveness and his fear of creating a relationship with Nancy that would echo the horror show that was Lonnie and Joyce's marriage, but it was still frustrating to sit through, and in comparison to many of the other arcs that season (Vecna, Hopper escaping Russia, Dr. Brenner's return, etc), this felt like small potatoes, and a conflict that could be easily resolved if Jonathan sat down with Nancy and talked it over with her.

I am somewhat curious where they're going with this. Since the last season takes place a year or two after the events of S4, it makes me wonder if Jonathan will have already come clean to Nancy about Emerson by the time S5 starts, or if he'll still be keeping that secret from her. I really hope it's the former because I have zero interest in sitting through multiple episodes where Jonathan continues to lie to Nancy until she eventually finds out about it.

Adding on to this, I'm not thrilled that they brought back the Nancy/Jonathan/Steve love triangle in S4, and that the marketing for S5 is focusing exclusively on that:

In a season where we're likely going to see multiple characters die and have a final gruesome battle between Hawkins and the Upside Down, this comes off as superfluous. The "love triangle" should have been over and done with by S2, and I'm not going to be thrilled if Jonathan and Steve's interactions in Season 5 consist of them duking it out over Nancy. All 3 characters deserve better than that. 😒

I want to be clear that I still like Jonathan as a character, and I'm still rooting for Jancy despite everything. All that I want for Jonathan at this point is to have a decent storyline, and be given more focus in the final season. I remember having similar criticisms of Lucas's role in S3 at the time, and expressing how I wanted Lucas to have an arc of his own for Season 4. The Duffer Brothers must've heard that (or at the very least gotten feedback from fans about it) because Lucas got one in S4 that not only was engaging and helped further his character development, but was also one of the highlights of that season.

By the same token, I hope Jonathan gets that treatment, with an arc where he's at the front and center that helps further his character development. One thing that gives me hope that they might do this is a behind-the-scenes Tweet from S5's production, revealing that there will be a flashback episode in "Sorcerer" (Episode 4 of Season 5) focusing on Jonathan when he was 13, as well as Will and Mike when they were 8 years old:

My hope is that the flashback gives more insight into Jonathan's past and mindset. I'm sure there will be a focus on Mike and Will and their relationship, but I would like to see more revealed about Jonathan as well. I hope that he become more open and trusting with people (aside from his immediate family, Argyle, and Nancy) and eventually realizes he doesn't have to worry about turning into Lonnie or continuing to act as a co-parent to Will, and can start living his own life without feeling like he has to limit himself.

On top of that, I also want Jonathan to have some kind of confrontation with Vecna where he dishes out some much-needed payback after the hell Vecna has put Will and his family through.

Overall, this was a delightful short comic that I wish had been longer. It's currently free on Kindle if you wish to check it out! :)

[mzannthropy]

The other day I was listening to Celebrity Memoir Book Club podcast episode about Olivia Munn and one of the hosts said she saw Olivia in the film Love Wedding Repeat and it was one of the worst films she had ever seen. I was seized with a sudden urge to defend the film.

I mean, it's not good. I would never have watched it had Sam Claflin not been in it, I don't like romcoms and nothing about the title or the synopsis would entice me to watch it. If you ask me for a list of essential Sam Claflin, I will happily leave it out. But I still think there's worse stuff out there. At least it's beautifully shot and takes place in Italy. Everything looks so gorgeous! I'm not sure actually whether it's a romcom or a comedy, as Sam shares more scenes with Eleanor Tomlinson, who plays his sister, than Olivia, who is his love interest. But I don't mind bc I like good siblings. In fact I like good siblings more than a romance, sometimes. Interestingly, Olivia's character, Dina, is actually a great character, she's a very successful war journalist. Sam's character, Jack, is an engineer, so they make an amazing power couple.

The film has potential, but in many points doesn't make sense, like who are the guests at the wedding, why is Jack's ex-gf there, who is Sidney, etc. It should have had more of a fun family dynamic (Sidney should have been a cousin). And the different timelines are not explained, those kids that mess up the name cards at the table, who are they, we see no kids at the wedding. They should have just gone whole Groundhog Day, let Jack re-live the day until everything gets fixed. There's a Christmas romcom, Twelve Dates of Christmas that does this (basically Groundhog Day but with a female character re-living Christmas Eve) and it works quite well, so idk why this film didn't just embrace that.

Still, is generates a few laughs and Sam is good, as always, so at least there's that.

[thealmightyemprex]

Superman REview:The Adventures of Superman:Clan of the Firey Cross

Superman has been adapted in multiple mediums but argubly the most important to the history of Superman is the radio series The Adventures of Superman .I'll go into why later but I hadnt listened to a full arc from this series ….So I decided to listent to what might be the most iconic and important arc,The Clan of the Firey Cross

SO I usually include the voice actors in the plot synopsis …..But I couldnt find who the guest voices were ,so no cast in the synopsis this time though I will discuss the performances of Bud Collyer(Clark Kent/Superman) and Jack Grimes(Jimmy Olsen) later

In this 1946 arc,Jimmy Olsen is leading a baseball team ,where the star player is Tommy Lee,much to the irritation of Chuick Riggs ,who complains to his uncle Matt Riggs,who turns out to be a bigot and the leader of a hate group called the Clan of the Firey Cross,and uses a fight Tommy and Chuck as an excuse to do escalating violent acts from harassment to kidnapping and attempted murder ,while Clark Kent,Jimmy Olsen and Perry White try to unmask the terroist group

SO before I go into the plot of the episode,I wanna talk about the legacy .SO much of what we associate with Superman comes from this show.Supermans pal Jimmy Olsen ,his catankerous boss PErry White,his weakness Kryptonite,and his place of employment the Daily planet come from the radio show .It is where Superman first flew and first met Batman .The film serials directly adapted arcs from this show .BOth the Flishcer Superman shorts and the Filmation New Adventures of Superman share the actors ,namely Bud Collyer as Superman,and the Geoorge Reeves TV series Adventures of Superman is seen as a bit of a spirtual sucessor .HEck the famous "Look up in the sky! Its a bird,its a plane,its Superman" comes from this.THis might be the most important Superman adaptation EVER…..And I am tempted to check out more cause this arc was reallly good

Now this arc is pretty famous,mainly due to the villains being expies of the real terrorist group the Klu Klux Klan ,which was gaining popularity in the 40's .Now the reason for choosing the KKK as villains are two fold

1.The creators wanted to fight back against critics who saw the show as mindless violence by dealing with social issues and teaching kids about the dangers of bigotry

2.They needed new villains,during the war the go to villains were Nazis ,but the war was over so they werent as topical,and monsters and mad scientists had become a bit stale ,so this real life hate group were perfect foes for Superman

See a thing about Superman that people forget is he ,as he was originally envsioned,is a figure about social justice .Hes an immigrant from the stars who battled the injustices of the world .People harp on the power stuff that I think people dont realize his appeal is he is this powerful being who helps those without power and standa against those who use power cruelly

I went into this arc not knowing what to expect but honestly it holds up for the most part .As just a dramatic story it is THRILLING and TENSE .I was gripping my chair for a lot of this ,this is a very good Superman story.I always feel the best Superman tales bring out tension by having not Superman in trouble but someone he cares about ,in this case Jimmy and Perry.ALll the characters do their part well.Tommy is a likeable kid ,Chuck brings a sense of conflict as he is torn over his fears and what he knows is the right thing to do ,Matt Riggs is a detestable villain being the representative of fantacal hatred,Perry White while being very much against the clan ,he is sort oof in denile about how dangerous they are.JAck Grimes brings a niavete to Jimmy Olsen,hes a very good Jimmy.The standout howevber is Bud Collyer who protrays Superman with a powerful baritone and Clark with a meek tenor .Now I have heard Collyers take o9n Superman in other versions,butspecifically in this radio show he is one of of my fave takes on Supes,due to how no nonesense he is

As fir the message ,77 years later the message is still strong and admirable,telling kids that both racial and religious prejudice is wrong ,comparing the Clan to the Nazi (COnsidering the overlap between the two in the modern era,eerily prophetic ).They even go into the manipulative aspect of bigotry,how those at the top profit on the blind hatred of followers which feels ...Relevent .I also loved hearing how PISSED offf Superman gets at the idea of bigotry,Superman will not take any racist nonsense

Is it perfect ...No .Sadly I feel like the Lees while likeable ar kind of there to be victims and not characters.I wouldve preferred Tommy be more of a character instead of focusing so much on Chuck.There is also ...Poko,who I had to look up to know what his deal is.Basically he is a squeaky voiced alien who is Perry's personal chef who speaks in rhyme ....I do not like Poko .Also if you listen ,theres a lot of flag waving talk,but this was post WWII ,makes sense,its just amusing how frequent it is .They also use a certain slur for a Chinese person in this ....They use it a lot ,mostly by the villains

However despite some faults this is an admirable storyabout dangers of bigotry ,while still being a thrilling tale .ITs a good listen and makes me wanna listen to more of the radio series

@ariel-seagull-wings @the-blue-fairie @themousefromfantasyland @scarletblumburtonofeastlondon @amalthea9 @theancientvaleofsoulmaking @princesssarisa

[pinonhallow]

Episode 1.01

“Yeah, I can pick that up.” She pursed her lips and closed her eyes as she listened to the voice on the other end of the call. “Mom, I got it. I know what size Fallon wears.”

She tapped the end call button and dropped her phone into the opening of her tote bag. She paused for a moment before collecting her bearings of where she was in the mall. She was only a few stores away from Imagination, the children’s clothing store. Pop music filtered over the different speakers until she was closer to the store, and she heard more of the kidz bop version of songs, than the actual songs.

The store smelled like cotton candy; the walls decorated with pictures of kids who looked like they had just walked off the set of a Disney Channel show. Bright smiles, perfectly done hair, bold colored clothing. This wasn’t really her first choice to shop for Fallon, but it was the one her mother wanted her to shop at. Try and keep Fallon a little girl as long as possible, she was almost a teenager though and most of what was available at the shop screamed preschooler instead.

“Shopping for Fallon?”

The friendly voice caused her to turn around, “Hey Maggie, yeah, Mom wants her to have some more cardigans.”

The blond nodded as she led her deeper into the store, “These should work. They’re a bit mature, classic, they should grow with Fallon for a year or two before she becomes a teenager and wants to pick her own stuff.”

She chuckled, “Oh, I sure did. I think that might be why my mom is so insistent on what exactly Fallon wears. Trying to keep her tame before she does something silly and dyes her hair teal.”

“Abby Adams with teal hair? I can’t see that.”

“I was fifteen, I was rebelling.” She searched through the rack for Fallon’s size, “But things happen, like becoming an older sister suddenly.”

“You’re a good older sister.” Maggie reminded her as she pulled out two cardigans in different colors and handed them to Abby, “if Fallon asks these are very Taylor Swift.”

Abby smiled, “She’ll love them.”

“Let me know if you need to find anything else.” Maggie looked around the store to see a customer going towards the register.

“Thanks Maggie, hopefully this is it.” She moved around the area of the store, finding a few more things that would suit her sister, and her mother would approve of.

After she paid and left the store, she made her way to the bookstore. Right on the front table was a display of all the books written by Chad Davis, a giant picture of him. He was a hometown name after all. She picked up the latest title and turned over the back, reading the synopsis; Teenage Wick wasn’t sure he could survive without his girlfriend Sketch. Yet their families kept them apart. Years later Sketch has been kidnapped, and Wick is an FBI agent sent to find her. Will he find more than just his first love?

Rolling her eyes she opened the dedication page, “To the real Sketch, I’m so sorry.” She kept the book in her hand as she moved to another table, looking for a copy of Fourth Wing for her book club. She found one, collecting it with a couple of other books she had found for herself as well as a few she found for Fallon and a book her mother wanted for her own book club.

After leaving the bookstore she walked towards the food court, stopping in at the coffee house. She needed a caffeine boost. “Abby, here you go.” She hadn’t even ordered yet and her best friend since the third grade was handing her a cup.

“Thank you, how did you know I was coming in?” She took a sip of the cold coffee, feeling her body relax as she ingested it.

Pam smiled, “I saw you pass by earlier. I knew you wouldn’t leave without stopping in. Mom, have you shopping for the sister again?”

“And some other errands.” Abby shrugged, “I had to get some stuff for my book club, for Mom’s too so at least I got to the bookstore.”

“You get Chad Davis’s new book? I heard that Marcy wants to make it next months pick.” She rolled her eyes, “Like that is going to help win over his brother Kip, or anyone in that family. I don’t think Chad has stepped foot in Pinon Hallow since high school.”

Abby shrugged, “No clue, and I saw it. I don’t know, his stuff isn’t my usual read.”

“Neither is Fourth Wing.” Pam snickered, “Just be glad that’s not the one your mom will be reading.”

“Wait why?” Abby took another sip of her coffee, “Her book club is doing some Hockey Romance or something. I think it was called Icebreaker.”

Pam covered her mouth with her hand, “Oh Mrs. Adams is going to be reading Icebreaker? Who picked it?”

“I don’t know, why?”

“It’s supposed to be spicy; I mean so is Fourth Wing, but that from what I have seen online is tame in comparison.”

Abby put her cup down and started laughing, “Constance Radford picked it, I think. Oh, I bet she has no idea.” She looked in the bag from the bookstore, “Oh I bet she saw the cover and thought it was just cute and sweet. I might have to just steal this copy from my mom once she realizes what it is and is scandalized.”

Pam put her arm around Abby’s shoulder, “I’m going to be honest; I don’t think your mom will be scandalized, but it will be glorious when Constance Radford is, isn’t this for the Church book club?”

“Yeah, it is.” Abby tried to keep the laugh in, but she couldn’t. “Oh, that will be a fun night when they meet.”

Pam didn’t respond, she kept her eyes on the guy walking by. He had several other guys their age walking with them. One had a camera out.

“Seriously Pam, still? Do you not remember what he was like in high school? Plus, have you seen what his videos are like? Maybe it’s an act, but I doubt it. He’s still the same slimeball he was when we were younger.” Abby watched her friend; she could see the defeated expression coming over her.

“I could fix him.” Pam finally suggested.

Abby groaned, “Oh Pam, you don’t want a man you need to fix. You want a man, that wants to build something with you. Create a life with you. Not one that just wants to create content.”

“You know he tried to revive the cinnamon challenge last week.” Pam kept her eyes as he stood in front of the shoe store across the hall.

Abby shook her head, “Think about all the stupid stuff Kip did when we were in high school. We’re in our late twenties now Pam, he’s still doing that stupid kind of stuff and posting it on YouTube.”

“Point taken.” Pam shrugged, “Are you going to join us at Moonlight tonight?”

“I don’t know. I must finish a project that’s due on Monday.”

“Then why are you at the mall right now?” Pam countered.

Abby looked at her bags, “Had to get out of the house. Mom was working from home too and it was just too much.”

“Move out. Why are you still living with your parents?”

Abby sighed, “I’m a freelancer, I don’t have steady work now. I’m just trying to save what I can so one day I am not worried about money.”

 “I could always give you a good deal on an apartment.” Pam reminded her.

Abby looked towards the fountain in the middle of the food court, “I know, but right now I need to still be at home.”

“Whatever you say. Please tell me you at least got Fallon something cute and not like a four-year-old would wear?”

“Yeah, Maggie helped me out a bit.” Abby felt a chill through her body for a moment, someone near the fountain caught her eye, but they were gone before she could see who it was.

Pam heard her name called from behind the coffee bar, “Text me later.”

“I will, I got to get going anyways.” Abby thanked her for the coffee again before leaving the coffee house. The mall was surprisingly busy for a weekday afternoon as she made her way past the fountain towards the outdoor promenade of stores, past the valet parking towards the lot. She felt the wind blow, and a shiver go through her body as she got into her Jeep Grand Cherokee.

She attempted to ignore the feeling as she started the engine. Maybe it was just the conversation with Pam, or the display in the bookstore. Yeah, that was probably it.

####

Maggie checked the time on her phone as she left the store. She was feeling rushed this afternoon as she made her way down the hall to the bookstore. She had scoured her bookshelves the past two nights looking for her copy of Emma, only to get a text message from her sister that she’d borrowed it for a book report.

Normally Maggie wouldn’t care, and would be thrilled that Cassie cared to read, let alone read Jane Austin, however it was this month’s selection for the book club she took part in. They had decided to read all of Jane’s books, starting with Emma. She did chuckle to herself at the selection, thinking Pride and Prejudice would be the first pick.

At least getting another copy would be easy enough. Though she wasn’t expecting the store to be as full as it was when she walked through the doors, moving around the display in the front, trying to dodge the booktok table, and almost getting knocked into a selection of cookbooks by people with failed daytime television shows.

“You good Maggie?” Conner McKay had caught her before she took out the pile of discounted cookbooks.

She gulped as she got lost in his eyes for a second, that was all she could allow herself to have, “Yeah, sorry just trying to get to the classics.”

“Cassie has your copy, doesn’t she?”

“Yeah.” Maggie shrugged as she ran a hand through her blond hair, “I’m thrilled she borrowed it; the timing could’ve been better.”

“Which one is it?” He walked with her to the section, feeling the crowd thin out.

Maggie looked around, “What has the store so busy today?”

Conner rolled his eyes, “New Chad Davis book got released. People still think he’ll show up to do a book signing. He never has. I only do the display right in front to keep Adel happy.”

“I fear the day that Kip knocks one of his groupies up and she or he wants a clothing sponsorship.” Maggie confessed as she reached for a copy of Emma.

“That is scary for a number of reasons.” Conner laughed, “I’m going to let you browse, I have to go check on Eric up front.”

“Thanks.” She bit her lip as she watched him walk towards the register area. She had been flirting with him since they met, and well nothing. For now, she would just have to stick with having a book boyfriend, if she couldn’t even get the attention of a real-life man.

Conner was silently cursing himself again as he walked away. Why could he never actually ask her for a cup of coffee, or a drink, or what did people even do these days for dates. He hadn’t gone on one since he was in college—and that had led to a baby and marriage shortly after. A daughter who was now sixteen, who only saw her mother in TikTok videos of all places—at least it wasn’t only fans.

“You didn’t ask her out again, right?” Eric shook his head as he worked on stocking the reusable shopping bags under the counter.

“No, I didn’t.” Conner sighed as he looked around the sales floor. “Lysa adores her, Bethany is never coming back—and I wouldn’t want to repeat that anyways. I don’t know what I’m scared of.”

“Moving forward.” Eric started to shrug and then stopped midway as he looked at the entrance of the store.

Conner followed his glance to the entrance, “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”

Eric shook his head, “Shouldn’t she be trying to live in some random country for like $200 a month?”

“Yeah, last I knew.” Conner rolled his eyes as he walked over to the one woman he didn’t want to deal with. “Hey Bethany, looking for a travel book?”

She smiled, “Hey Conner, I was looking for you.”

“You should’ve called.” Conner crossed his arms over his chest as he looked down at his ex-wife, even in heels she was still tiny. “Have you spoken to Lysa?”

“Not yet.” She adjusted her purse strap, “I wanted to talk to you first.”

“Are you even going to see her this time?”

“I am.” She took an unsteady breath as she looked at him, “I’m going to be in town for a little bit. I’m working on a travel book. I have a deal with a publisher in Denver.”

“I hope you found a nice Air B&B or something like that.” He was terrified she was about to ask to stay with him and their daughter.

“I have my parents house.” She told him, “When they moved to Arizona, they sold it to me.”

Conner bit the inside of his cheek as he listened to her, “Good for you. If you want my help with Lysa, I can’t give it to you. You need to be the one to call her, to tell her you’re in town. You want to see her; you work to set it up. She’s sixteen now, she can make the decision to see you or not herself.”

“She’s fourteen Conner.”

“Sixteen Bethany, you’ve been gone for twelve years.”

Bethany was frozen for a moment, “You’re right.” She couldn’t believe she had gotten her only daughter’s age wrong. “I’m still jetlagged obviously. I will call her and set up a lunch this weekend.”

“Good luck with that.” Conner looked towards Eric, “The sooner, the better. People have seen you. It’s only a matter of time before Lysa finds out you’re in town. The longer you wait to tell her, the less likely she’ll be to talk with you or see you.”

He didn’t wait for her to reply, he walked back to the register desk. If Bethany didn’t call Lysa by tomorrow night, then he would sit her down and let her know. It really was a matter of time considering Eric, who loved to spill the tea as he said mentioned something if she dropped by the store.

“Is she gone?”

“Yeah Boss.” He passed him his phone, “Lysa was calling while you were over there. I didn’t answer.”

Conner looked at the young college student in the eyes, “Do not mention that Bethany was here. It’s the last thing Lysa needs to find out.”

“Yeah, Maggie didn’t look thrilled either while she checked out.”

“Maggie knows about Bethany, everything she’s done.”

Eric lifted himself onto the back counter to sit, “Boss, if you and Maggie are close enough that you can tell her about the ex. You’re close enough your daughter likes her, then just ask her out. She is clearly crazy about you.”

“I doubt that.”

“Fine, she’s just trying to get to you for the book discount. She did buy five books today.” Eric picked up his phone, “Yes, my food is almost here.”

Conner rolled his eyes as he checked the time, “I have to go. Can you handle this on your own?”

“Yes, I’m not going to burn the store down or anything.”

Conner knew Eric wouldn’t burn the store down, he really did. He just was afraid he would get sucked into whatever hot social media app was at the moment.

####

“Thank you for coming Detective Lane.” The officer led her under the crime scene tape as they moved through the wooded area of the local park.

“What do we have?” she pulled her dark hair back into a short, tight ponytail as she got closer to the crime scene.

“White male, early thirties we believe, beaten, left for dead.”

She nodded as the paramedics started to transfer the body. “Any ID?”

“Just this.” He passed her a Colorado Drivers Liscense.

“Shit.” She saw the name and then looked at the victim, “Get him to Memorial, we’ll work on notifying the family. Hopefully they’ll have some answers about what happened.”

“It doesn’t look like this is where he was attacked, just dumped.” One of the crime scene engineers pointed out several aspects of the scene. “If he hadn’t been found when he was, he would probably be dead.”

“Who found him?”

“He did.” The uniform pointed to the young man giving a statement to another uniformed officer.

“This kid, seriously?” She shook her head.

“Something wrong Siobhan?”

The thick voice caused her to turn around, “Lucas, you’ll never believe who discovered the body.”

He followed her glance, “Wait, seriously? The delivery boy?”

She nodded, “I can’t deal with that kid, will you please take his statement?”

He chuckled, “Fine, I got this but that means you notify the family.”

“I got it.” She watched as he was loaded into the ambulance before she took out her cell phone and walked away from the crowds of people. She searched through her contacts, she had lived in this town for so long, she almost always knew a victim’s family. This one though, he hadn’t been in town in many years.

The number she selected dialed, and the line started trilling. Before she had even taken one deep breath the call answered, “Hey, perfect timing.”

“Not really.” She didn’t give a greeting, “I’m actually calling on police business.”

“What’s going on?”

“Brighton, he’s on his way to Memorial Hospital here in town. He was found beaten, near death this afternoon.” Siobhan looked over as her partner laughed with the witness. She felt herself shiver.

“I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“If you give me your parents number I can call them. They can probably make it faster from Arizona.”

“I’m in town. And my parents won’t help Brighton.”

“Oh, okay. I’ll see you at Memorial then.” Siobhan hung up, processing the information she’d just been given.

“Lane, you, okay?” Lucas waved his hand in front of her face.

She blinked a couple of times, “Yeah, I’m good. I just wasn’t expecting this family member to be in town.”

“We’ve got to get over to the hospital, see what the situation is, okay?”

“Yeah, you got the kid’s statement?”

“I did.” Be shook his head, “I don’t know why he irritates you so much.”

Siobhan looked back at him as he got into his Nissan, “He was delivering a pizza three weeks ago to a house just as we went in for a raid on their drug lab.”

“Wait, that was--.”

“And then, he was the one who witnessed that incident downtown when that guy drove into the shoe store.”

Lucas nodded, “Yeah, he’s got some bad luck.”

“Anyways, let’s get over to memorial and hope that Trista is on duty.”

####

“I don’t want to lose them. They’re a major anchor store for the mall.” Adel Davis paced around the living room of her family’s large estate, her phone on speaker.

“We understand, but we might not have a choice.” The person on the other end spoke.

“We need to keep them, and if God forbid, we can’t then let’s make sure we can get that space filled within a month. An empty space like that could ruin us.” She ended the call, for a moment wishing for the days when she could slam the phone down.

“The mall is always bustling Mom, no need to worry.” Her youngest son came into the room, for once not followed by the so-called camera crew he usually had trailing behind him.

“Kip, what brings you away from the cameras?” Perhaps she should’ve sent him off to school with his brother, at the very least he had a career, but he never came home.

“Getting ready to go and meet the guys for Taco Thursday.” He picked up one of the decorative glass balls sitting on the coffee table, “I saw dear Brother’s new book came out.”

“Yes, it did.” Adel braced herself, never sure what Kip would notice, say, bring up.

Kip tossed the glass ball in the air as he leaned on the arm of the white sofa, “I read it on my Kindle this morning. What a silly story. I can’t believe people buy his books.”

“Your brother is a very talented writer.” His father told him as he came into the room. “You are a talented content creator, even if I still don’t really get it.”

Kip rolled his eyes, “About that.”

“Yeah?” Adel perked up, perhaps her son would finally use that college education he had for something, anything besides sitting in his room and streaming video games all day.

“I was wondering if I could use the pool house, turn it into my studio. I’m looking to expand the kind of content I create.”

Adel looked towards her husband, mentally trying to tell him to tell Kip no.

“Go for it. It could use an update anyways. Redecorate it and use that for content too Kip.”

“Thanks Dad.” Kip smiled before looking to his mom, “You cool with that?”

“Yeah honey, though any thought of using that business degree?”

Kip shrugged, “I use it every day. I know you don’t think streaming is a job or anything, but I haven’t even touched my trust fund in five years. I sell merchandise, I have paid subscribers. I get it you want me working under you or under Dad, but it’s just not going to happen.”

Adel, “It’s getting late, you two figures out the logistics for the pool house. Just please Kip don’t knock down any walls.”

“Whatever you say Mom.” Kip slowly sighed as his mother left.

Doug sat next to him on the couch, “She loves you; she’s concerned, she doesn’t get it.”

“I’ve noticed.”

“Just maybe no more prank videos, especially done in the mall.”

Kip nodded, “Yeah, that probably doesn’t help her take this seriously.”

“Not at all.” Doug turned his iPad on, “Figure out what you want to do with the pool house, I mean besides move in it to get some distance from us.”

“You figured that part out huh?”

“Kip, you’re beyond old enough to have your own space. Okay yes you have a suite of rooms upstairs, but it’s time for you to move out. Even if it’s just to the pool house. Let’s be real that’s as far as your mother will let you move out without interference.”

“But Chad lives in New York, she sent him off to private school when he was in high school. He never comes home.”

Doug took a moment, “Chad’s situation is very different. What I can say is that might be why she holds on as tightly as she does to you.”

Kip tried to remember what he could about when his brother had been sent away. Whatever it was had to be bad, really bad. Kip had his own hiccups and scandals in high school, yet Chad had been sent away. “Think Chad will ever come back?’’

“When the time is right he will. Don’t know when that will be.”

“Thanks Dad, I’ll see you in the morning.” Kip gently put the glass ball he’d been playing with back in the bowl on the table.

“Be safe.” Doug called out as his youngest son left.

####

“Has he been disposed of?” she questioned as her chair faced the wall of Higher Education Degrees.

“We did exactly what you asked us to do.” He told her, his hands behind his back, “Unfortunately luck was not on our side this afternoon.”

The chair spun and she slammed her arms on the desk, “What do you mean?”

“The police have already discovered his body. Someone passing by running on the trail caught sight of him.”

“Why wasn’t he deep in the river?” She ran a hand through her white, blond hair.

“It’s April, the runoff hasn’t really started, and so the river is not as deep as we would’ve liked for this. We were hoping the current would take him downstream a bit more before he washed up.”

She rubbed her forehead, “Take care of this. We can’t be found to be connected to him in anyway.”

“Don’t worry, everything will work out in our favor.” He told her as he left the office. He knew he’d just lied to her. But that was everything he did these days, lie. He lied to her, to the people around him, none of them knew the truth. He was surprised he had reached this high in the organization, gotten in deeper.

Once he was alone in his car, he pulled his phone out and pressed stop on the recording. If Carla ever found it, he would play it off as him covering his ass if she ever turned on him. Really though he was uploading it as part of the case his department was working to bring against her.

“Hart” he answered his phone as he pulled out of the medical suite parking lot, “yeah, that’s good to hear. Yeah, I’ll swing by the hospital.”

####

Siobhan paced in front of the nurse’s station while Lucas had gone to get them coffee. She had let her hair down once they were back in their car, giving her the chance to twist it around her fingers as she put together the information she had already about the victim and what had happened to him.

She couldn’t ignore the fact that his sister was back in town, the same day he washes up on the edge of death in the river. Not that Siobhan realized he was even in town either. What the hell were either of them doing here? Was it a coincidence or a connection?

“Detective?” the doctor stood in front of her, “You, okay?”

“Yeah, just going over the pieces. What do you know?”

She frowned as she put her hands in the pocket of her black scrubs, “He is in a coma right now, a lot of swelling in his brain. He’s got broken ribs, and a lot of bruising and swelling. Right now, it’s touch and go.”

“Trista, any idea of what caused these injuries?”

“I’m not a medical examiner, but these aren’t the kind of injuries in a car accident, not even the kind that lands you in the water.” Trista looked around, “I’m still waiting on the tox screen.”

“You think he was high?”

“I’ve seen a growing number of patients you wouldn’t expect.” Trista confessed as her name got called over the speaker system, “I’ll check back in with you soon.”

“Thanks.” Siobhan called out as the doctor walked away.

“I’m looking for Brighton Simpson.”

A voice crossed Siobhan’s ears and it was not the one she was expecting as she turned around. “Holdon Hart?”

She saw him cringe at the sound of her voice as he turned to look towards her. She tried to ignore how good he looked in the tight white T-shirt that stretched across him, the leather jacket he wore. He had total bad-boy appeal all over him.

He gave her a smile, hoping to thaw the freeze he saw from her, “What a small world.”

“Why are you asking about my victim?” She had a new piece of the puzzle and at this moment she wasn’t sure she would like where this could be going.

He looked around, trying to see who was around him, them before leaning in close. “I’m just asking about a friend.” He knew he couldn’t tell her in such a public place. “Where’s your partner, or do they have you going on cases alone?”

“He’s getting coffee.” She kept her eyes steeled on him, “Why are you even in town, I thought the feds cut you. Shouldn’t you be somewhere disgraced?”

He smirked, “If I remember correctly Siobhan, you liked my disgraced side.”

“Shut up Holdon. I don’t have time for your nonsense. Or maybe you know exactly what happened to Brighton.”

“I promise you Siobhan, I don’t. I just wanted to check on him.”

“How do you know him?”

“We worked together.” That was all he could tell her; all he could say. It wasn’t a lie; it was the truth. He just knew that Siobahn Lane wouldn’t be ready for the truth right now, and not in such a public setting.

“He’s alive, for now.” She finally let her eyes go to the entrance, wondering why she had believed his sister would show up quickly.

He nodded, “Thanks Lane, I’ll see you around.”

“Hart, how about we don’t count on that?”

“Oh, but you can count on it.” He licked his lips as he walked out of the hospital. He had gotten way too close to blow his cover. And now he wouldn’t be able to sleep because he would be haunted by memories of his former police partner.

####

“Enjoy your stay in Colorado.” The attendant at the rental kiosk handed over a stack of paperwork and a car key.

“Thanks.” He gave her a smile before throwing his carrying on over his shoulder and dragging his wheely hardshell behind him. He knew he still had over an hour drive to Pinon Hallow—if traffic on I-25 wasn’t bad. He couldn’t be sure of the reception he would get when he arrived.

He found the car he’d been assigned and loaded his bags in. His phone automatically connected to the Bluetooth system in the car, and he listened to the messages he had received while in the air. He would deal with it all tomorrow.

He set the phone to play a podcast, listening to the story of a woman who ran away as a teenager to join a cult. Her family didn’t know what happened to her for a decade and a half.

He was almost at the end of the podcast episode when the familiar silhouette of Pinon Hallow came into view. It wouldn’t be long now; he would be home soon. He moved down the streets he’d known for his entire childhood. He was surprised by how familiar and foreign they were at the same time.

He pulled up the long driveway towards the stone mansion. The lights were on in many rooms, but he knew there weren’t people to fill them. Not now at least. They wouldn’t tell him they didn’t have room for him, unless they had turned it into a hotel—which his mother would never have done.

He parked in his favorite spot from when he was in high school and took out his carry-on bag. He locked the car out of pure habit as he went to the door. He let himself in, the foyer that led to the living room was empty. He glanced at the time on his phone, if his father was around, he knew exactly where he could find him.

Moving through his childhood home he stopped outside the bowling alley. He could hear the pins falling. “Alright Adel, let’s see what you’ve got.” His father’s voice was older, how had he missed that in phone and video calls.

“I will get this turkey.” Her voice teased.

He watched as his mother took her ball and moved up towards the lane, and then let the ball sail down the hard wood and got a strike. He started clapping as he walked into the room. “Good job Mom.”

His parents both turned, instinctively they knew it wasn’t Kip interrupting them. Instead before Adel and Doug Davis, for the first time in over twelve years was their oldest and first-born son Chad.

“I’m home.”

“Welcome home son.” Doug moved to give his son a hug, unsure if he would accept, but grateful he did.

“Why didn’t you tell us you were coming home?” his mother moved in for a hug of her own, holding him tightly.

“I wanted to surprise you. Why did you turn my room into something else?” He put his bag down as he picked up the blue bowling ball sitting to the side he had used throughout his teenage years, before he’d been sent away.

“No, though Kip did try.” Adel smiled.

“Ahh yes, probably wanted a room for his video games.” Chad put the ball down, “I don’t know how long I’ll be in home. I just knew it was time to come home.”

“We’re glad you did.” Doug told him. “I’ll call Simone and get your room ready for you.”

“Thanks Dad.” Chad watched his father leave the room before he looked at his mother, really looked at her. She was older of course, A sadness over her. “Is Kip home?”

“No, I think he went to get tacos with his friends.”

Chad nodded, “So probably making a stupid video with them.”

“I wouldn’t call them stupid.”

“Uninspired then.” Chad suggested, “Is that bookstore still in the mall?”

“Of course, why?”

Chad shrugged, “I might go sign some copies of my latest book, or if they have any of my past ones.”

“They do, they have a huge display of your stuff.” She gushed.

“Wow, I never would’ve guessed.” But he knew why, it was to stay in her good graces. Sure, he’d made the New York Times list three times already but here in Pinon Hallow, his mother had a lot of pull. Any attention he got, at least in a positive sense, was of her will.

“Do you have any dietary needs or requests. I can make sure Simone has a grocery delivery done early so you have what you want or need.”

“No, I’m not that fussy. Unless you’ve all gone gluten, meat, free.”

“Nothing like that, next week with your brother who knows though.” She sighed a little. “I do wish you had told us you were coming. I could’ve set you up with a proper book signing.”

“I prefer this way. I don’t generally enjoy crowds of people.”

“Simone is getting your room ready.” Doug informed Chad when he came back in. “She already has fresh towels in your bathroom and the sheets are being put on the bed as we speak.”

“Thank you. I think I’m going to go take a shower and go to bed. It’s been a long travel day.” He left the room before they could protest or say anything else.

He made his way up to his childhood room, unsure what he might find. The room had been cleaned up, cleaned out. It had been updated to a more mature style. Almost like his mother had expected he would return—which he had.

He dropped his carryon bag by the door, bypassing the bathroom for a moment. He needed to know if it was still here, after all these years.

The books on the bookshelf didn’t appear to have been traded out. He pulled out a copy of The Hunger Games, and as he flipped through the pages something fell out. He picked it up, the blue in drawing of himself, sitting under the tree at the high school courtyard.

It was here.

It still existed.

All this time he had told himself it had to be gone.

Was this a sign he should try to find her?

If he could, maybe he could apologize about how things ended.

It hadn’t been his choice.

Would she even want to see him now?

She was probably married, had kids.

She probably left Pinon Hallow.

She was probably in Paris or Sydney, exploring the world.

But she was why he came back to town. She had been haunting his dreams for months, years really.

It had to mean something, and Chad was determined to find out what. He would find his high school girlfriend. He would apologize for what happened. It was the least he could do all these years later.

####

Abby sat at her desk, staring at her computer screen, willing the inspiration she needed to finish the project in front of her. It just wasn’t coming.

She read over the client’s information sheet again, sighing. What was in front of her was perfectly acceptable, yet something was missing. She just couldn’t decide what it was.

She turned the monitor off and moved over to her bed, she looked at the bag from the bookstore she hadn’t unpacked yet. Pulling out the book by Chad Davis, she opened the dedication page again, letting her finger drift over the text.

She closed the book and put it on the shelf above her bed. The same shelf that had every other book he had written. Next to them was a box of notes she had received in high school, along with the breakup letter from her first boyfriend. On the other side of the books was a baby picture of Fallon, simple and classic.

Simple and classic.

That’s what her current project was missing. She went back to her desk, turning on the monitor and getting lost in her art.

Tomorrow would be a new day, and she wouldn’t feel the past encroaching on her the way she had today.

[nsfwhiphop]

Incoming Text for @jessicabiel and @justintimberlake :

Subject Title: "My Apologies for the Frivolity"

(Fun Fact: it's the title of a Two and a Half Men episode - "Apologies for the Frivolity" is the 6th episode of Season 4.)

I like this title; it sounded fun to me.

Hey Jessica & Justin! It's me, Angelo.

I know, I'm a jerk and I have abandoned my two friends Justin and Jessica. Instead, I chose to be loyal to Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling.

I know it hurts. I swear, I wasn't going to even write this letter to you, but when I saw the picture of Jessica Biel pop up on my Tumblr feed, I instantly understood the message. It means Justin and Jessica are mad at me for ghosting them. Hence the title I used to express my apologies for ghosting you: "Apologies for the Frivolity."

Listen, Justin and Jessica, you should never worry because you know that Eva and Ryan will always look out for you both. When they win, guess what? You both win as well.

When Eva wins, Jessica Biel wins.

When Ryan wins, Justin Timberlake wins too.

That's why I encourage you to join their team. You will fight side by side and protect your financial interests with Eva and Ryan.

You should never worry; we are all part of the same team. This will make you both rich as well, but I never mention your names to protect you. As long as your name isn't mentioned, you are winners.

You should join the team of Mila Kunis and Ashton as well. They are also our team members, but I never mention their names too.

This is going to happen in Hong Kong, but you will all remain in the United States territory. It will take us some time to coordinate and protect this wealth. There are a lot of steps until we reach the victory, so we have to take it step by step until we win this chess game.

Never forget that we are playing a chess game, and one false move can make us lose. That's why we are all taking it slow until we reach that victory and say in unison, "Checkmate."

We can't rush into this; we have to take it slow because we are dealing with the most ruthless, evil regime in the world. They want to see us lose everything, they wish to seize our wealth, and we have to outsmart them by moving all the wealth to Hong Kong.

You know it will take us some time to win this chess game. That's why we must prepare for it.

It's a marathon, not a sprint. Take it easy.

@connieorlando is the woman that I have chosen to protect the wealth of Eva Mendes and Victoria Beckham because she will send a family member to live in Hong Kong. That's how she will protect the wealth in Hong Kong.

If you wish to join the team, you can have conversations with @connieorlando.

That's it, it's very simple. I wish you well, Justin and Jessica.

Your virtual friend and guardian angel,

Angelo.

P.S.:

Synopsis of the Letter:

Angelo writes to his friends, Justin and Jessica, apologizing for abandoning them in favor of supporting Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling. He acknowledges their hurt feelings and explains that he saw a picture of Jessica Biel, which he took as a sign of their disappointment. Angelo reassures Justin and Jessica that Eva and Ryan will look out for them, and he encourages them to join their team to protect their financial interests. He mentions that the plan involves moving wealth to Hong Kong, which requires careful coordination due to the threats from a ruthless regime. He also suggests they join Mila Kunis and Ashton in this effort and highlights @connieorlando as a key figure in protecting Eva and Victoria Beckham's wealth. Angelo emphasizes patience and strategic planning in this "chess game" and closes with well wishes, signing off as their virtual friend and guardian angel.

[ekstan]

Another Erik interview

In August 30th 2006, Erik was interviewed by online magazine TeenTelevision where he talked about his work on TV show "Jericho", the original link with the interview is down, but I managed to save the interview and I'm going to share it with you here.

Erik Knudsen: "Jericho" Teen

By Lynn Barker

This fall on CBS, a small Kansas town will be engulfed in a mystery. In "Jericho", townspeople see a mushroom cloud bloom on the horizon and know their world may never be the same. What happened? Is it war, a sloppy, horrible mistake, terrorists, trigger happy scientists? The show's creators and stars hope you'll tune in to find out. In addition to acting heavyweights like Gerald McRaney, Skeet Ulrich, Pamela Reed and Ashley Scott, there are a few teens in "Jericho". Among them is Dale Turner, a 16-year-old outcast trailer park kid who might just turn out to be a leader when the lights and communications go down. Erik Knudsen, 18, who co-starred in Saw II, The Prizewinner of Defiance, Ohio and Perseverance and, on TV, in "The Guardian" plays Dale and he plans to give teens a voice on the show. We caught up with the cute, curly-haired guy in Pasadena, California recently and got the scoop on this exciting new Fall drama. Picture Erik in trendy black and white graphic art tee and matching black tie.

TeenTelevision: Is your character Dale the only teen in town?

Erik: There's going to be another one. She's being cast right now and her name is Skyler. Maybe there's a love interest there. I'm sort of the outsider from the trailer park and they make fun of me, she makes fun of me but we grew up together and I'm trying to do my best and help her out.

TeenTelevision: Do you think the teens in the show will have as much weight as the older characters?

Erik: I think so because we're trying to hit a broad viewing range. We want to get people from teenagers to the elderly. I think it wouldn't be as exciting to just watch the elder characters. You want to see the kids do something too. Maybe my teenage character would think of something an adult wouldn't think of so I think that's a point too.

TeenTelevision: Are the writers and producers open to you making suggestions for your character?

Erik: They're very open. Stephen (Chbosky, Exec. Producer and co-creator) wrote a book called "The Curse of Being a Wallflower" and it was a fantastic book about teenagers; sort of a "Catcher in the Rye" kind of thing so he's brilliant at writing teenage parts. All my dialogue is so brilliantly written. He knows exactly what teenagers go through so it's awesome. He's very open.

TeenTelevision: What kinds of shows do you watch on TV?

Erik: Personally, I like comedy. I also like mystery. I watch "Family Guy" and "24". I watch a little "Lost" too. My show is being compared to "Lost" a lot but the difference is that "Lost" is about strangers. We know each other. It's a mystery. It's a question. People are going to return to watch to know what's going to happen in the next episode. I would definitely watch this.

TeenTelevision: What attracted you to the part?

Erik: I got a synopsis of the plot and read it and my manager got me the audition. There's so many television shows that humans can't relate to. This is something everyone can relate to. I grew up in Toronto, Canada and we had that big blackout. For three days the power was out and people were going nuts, stopping traffic trying to help people. It was amazing to see people cope. I think that's so cool, the personal connection how people are strangers and then how they cope with other people and how people that know each other cope and help each other. Reality TV is so huge right now. This is like reality but it's not reality TV. It's like a movie. It's about real, human instinct. That's what attracted me.

TeenTelevision: When you hang out, what kind of music do you listen to?

Erik: Death Cab for Cutie, The Shins, Broken Social Scene, a Toronto band. I like the classics too like Pink Floyd.

TeenTelevision: Do you play instruments yourself?

Erik: I used to be in a band. I took drum lessons for eight years. I also brought my guitar to L. A. [where Jericho shoots] with me and I play a little bit of acoustic guitar.

TeenTelevision: What kinds of girls are you attracted to?

Erik: [smiles] Right now, I have a girlfriend. She's amazing. She's not in the business. We've been going out for only seven months. She's up there and man it's hard. I miss her very much but we're getting through it. I like unique girls. There's a charisma to them, so much to them and you just want to look at them. Beauty is honestly nothing to me but what's inside, their personality. I like uniqueness and a sense of style.

TeenTelevision: Would you eventually like to be a director too?

Erik: Yeah. It's always been my dream to direct. I do some small films on my own with my own camera. I really want to try it so I've been making my own movies and hopefully that will work out.

TeenTelevision: What do you think of the L.A. lifestyle for young people? Too weird?

Erik: I'm not into it. I'm a homebody. When I'm done with work, I don't like to go party, big social events. I don't drink. In Canada or Toronto anyway, the legal drinking age is 19 and I've never drank or done drugs. I'm strong on not doing that but it's just my own personal opinion. I can't let my family down. I just come home and watch TV and call my friends.

TeenTelevision: Favorite movie you've seen recently?

Erik: Lost in Translation is my favorite movie. I love that.

TeenTelevision: It's an actor's movie. Any advice for teens who want to act?

Erik: Yes. There are so many people who want to be actors to be famous. They want people to admire them. If you are in it for that, don't do it. There are so many people out there. It's frustrating. When you're doing an audition you see like eighty kids. The key to success is not to give up. If you want to do it for art, if you want to succeed at acting, just stick to it. It's impossible to fail if you just keep doing it. I've been acting for eight years and there've been people who say 'you're not a good actor' or 'that's wasn't good' but if I took that to heart, I'd be nowhere and right now I'm working on a show on CBS.

TeenTelevision: How did you get into acting in the first place?

Erik: When I was in grade 5 I used to do the lead in plays then high school plays. My teacher said I should try acting. I liked hockey and sports and I thought 'maybe'. I told my mom and she said 'okay'. I gave up hockey and tried Second City, the improv group. I was up there [on stage] with 20-year-olds. I was doing that for a while. My teacher at Second City said 'you're really good. You should talk to my agent' and now she's my agent. I started with commercials and did that a long time and then some Canadian shows, then movies then I was in Saw II also a show at CBS called "The Guardian". I was like ten when I did that. Now I get to play closer to my age.

Source: teentelevison

[hiimblurry]

slow-motion suicide | eddie munson oneshot fanfiction

synopsis: When Eddie disappears after Chrissy's death, you and your friends go on a mission to find him. Since you're the closest to him, you're the one to go and talk to him, to calm him down. What your friends don't know is that your relationship with Eddie is... complicated.

word count: 5.1k

pairing: Eddie Munson x female reader

warnings: 18+ (MINORS DNI) smut, oral sex (both female and male receiving), penetrative sex, unprotected sex, BDSM, choking, mention of death, suicide, violence

disclaimer: please keep in mind English is not my first language, feel free to point out any mistakes!

spoilers: this takes place at the end of s04e02 vol1, so spoilers for the first two episodes of season 4!

inspo: this fic is inspired by the song "Julien" by Placebo, listen along as you read to enhance the experience;)

„I got him!”

You were all staring at the screen over Robin’s shoulder, watching her search through the database, your breaths heavy with anticipation.

“That must be it. Riffer Rick’s”, she said, pointing at the screen that now showed an address.

“He must be there!” Dustin jumped, grabbing his backpack.

“Whoa, whoa, hold your horses, Henderson.” Steve grabbed his arm, stopping him from jumping over the counter. “We can’t just go there.”

“And why the hell not?” Dustin asked, already annoyed with Steve.

“If he’s actually there, he’s, let me remind you, hiding. He ran for his life. He must be totally freaked out and five people just showing up, three of whom he doesn’t really know, might, I don’t know, freak him out even more?”

Dustin didn’t look happy, but by looking at his eyes you could tell he knew Steve was right.

“What do we do then?”, you asked.

“I say we all go, but only one of us actually goes to see him. The rest of us wait outside so that this one person can calm him down and we only all go when he’s ready”, Robin said. “And, given that, as Steve noticed, Eddie barely knows me, him or Max, it’s either Dustin or Julien who has to… deal with him.”

You froze, hearing your name. You started to breathe faster, hoping none of them notice your nervousness.

“I suppose he trusts you more. You know him way longer.” Dustin’s words were exactly what you were afraid to hear. You looked at him, hope in his eyes. You knew he cared for Eddie. So much.

And it wasn’t like you didn’t care for him too. Of course you did. You wouldn’t be here if you didn’t. You were worried, worried sick about him. It was just that… you didn’t know how to tell them that the thing about him trusting you might not be true anymore.

“Do you think you can do that? Talk him down a bit?” Max asked and you forced an encouraging smile.

“I sure hope I can,” you said, trying not to let your voice shake.

“Are you guys close?” Steve asked in a weird tone.

“Why, Harrington, you jealous?” Dustin laughed.

“Oh, shut up”, Steve rolled his eyes. “Asking for… the mission’s sake.”

Dustin mumbled something that sounded like a very convinced ‘sure’.

“I… I suppose you could say that”, you answered Steve’s question.

Why did you feel the need to lie to them?

You all got in Steve’s car. The whole ride you just stared out the window, trying to calm your nerves. It made you feel a weird sense of guilt, to be nervous now. Eddie was being accused of murder, he most likely witnessed something from the Upside Down kill Chrissy. Who knows what horror has played out right in front of his eyes? He was hiding, running from the cops, from the jocks trying to get him, hell, maybe from whatever creature got Chrissy. He must be scared for his life. Hell, you didn’t even know if he was fine. What if he was hurt? What if, while you were taking forever to figure out where he was, he was out there, bleeding out? Or worse, what if he was already…

No. He was fine. He must have been. Your heart ached, thinking about how, if he… if he was really gone, the things you said to him last time you saw him would be the words he took with him to his grave.

You were stupid. So, so fucking stupid. You promised yourself so long ago you wouldn’t be saying things you didn’t mean. Yet you did.

Pushing him away felt like the right thing to do. You thought it was better for both of you if you never saw each other again. That it would make things easier, so much easier. So that’s what you told him. Now, that the reaper was around the corner again, all of this felt so irrelevant. Who the fuck cared what other people thought, who the fuck cared about school, about obligations, about all the things that made you think you were better off alone?

All you could count on was that he would still want to listen. And that he was still there to listen.

Steve parked the car and you saw a house that looked as if it was abandoned. No lights were lit, but you knew it didn’t mean he wasn’t there. Of course he wouldn’t have the lights on. He wasn’t stupid.

“Julien, you ready?” Dustin’s voice barely reached you, your heavy heartbeat muffling your ears. “Jules?”

“Yes, sorry”, you snapped out of it, grabbing your bag.

“Do you have your transmitter?”

You just waved with the device before putting it in your bag.

“Good. You go there, talk to him, and when he’s ready, you call for us, yes? We’ll discuss. We… we’ll figure it all out”, Robin reviewed the plan. It was hardly a plan, really. But a starting point, definitely. And that was better than nothing.

You left the car, catching the last encouraging looks from the group. It got dark already, the air crisp, the wind making you regret not wearing something warmer. You tucked down your skirt and held the sleeves of your sweater, making your way towards the house.

If this whole town was forgotten by God, he must have wanted to forget this place with some special passion. The stairs to the front porch creaked as you made your way up them, using your flashlight to see where you were going. You looked into the house, dirty windows making your light barely pass inside.

“Eddie?” you said, probably not loud enough, knocking lightly on the glass. You knew it would have to be a miracle for him to hear that, but your guts were squeezing at the thought of making a louder sound.

You knocked a couple times more, hoping that somehow he’d react to that. You made your way around the house, looking through and knocking on every window of the building. Nothing.

You were about to get your shit together and just storm into the house when you noticed a small shack. The house was near the lake so Rick must have kept a boat and probably some fishing equipment there. Definitely a less obvious choice for a hideout than the house near the road.

“I don’t think he’s in the house, but there’s a shack down near the lake, I’m gonna check it”, you said through the transmitter.

“Okay. Be careful.” You heard Steve’s voice.

“Always am”, you said melodically before putting the device back in your bag.

The moist ground made squelching noises as you walked down to the shack. There were no windows to check. You just had to get inside.

The doors creaked and the sound felt incredibly loud in the eerie silence of the night. You looked around the shack, scanning it with your flashlight. It did, indeed, hold the fishing equipment: rods, oars, nets, life jackets. In the middle, there was a boat, covered with a tarp.

“Eddie?”, you tried again, a bit louder, now that you were in a closed space. Your hands were shaking as you walked around the place, placing your steps carefully on the screeching wooden floor. “Eddie, please—“

You couldn’t finish. All of the sudden you heard the tarp rustle and before you knew it, the flashlight fell out of your hand and you were being pushed onto the wall. A strong body pinned you to the wooden surface and you felt something cold and sharp on your neck. A hand squeezed your arm, keeping you in place.

“Eddie, Eddie, please, it’s me, it’s Jules”, you said, panic barely letting the words come out of your mouth, the sharp object scratching your neck as you spoke.

Eddie was staring at you with no recognition, pure fear in his eyes, his left hand on your arm, his right hand holding what you now realised was a broken glass bottle. He was breathing heavily, his nostrils wide as he scanned your face.

“Julien?” Your name fell out of his mouth, his brow furrowed.

“Yes, it’s me, it’s Julien. I’m here to help you, Eddie, please, I’m not going to hurt you. Please, put the bottle down.”

He took a few more seconds before he dropped the bottle. You squeezed your eyes as the glass shattered on the floor, the sudden noise triggering the panic that still hasn’t let go of you. His grip on your arm loosened as he took a step away, only now letting you take a deep breath. You watched as he leaned his back on the wall, sliding down to sit on the floor. You kneeled next to him carefully as he stared into the void in front of him.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, his voice weak.

“I had to find you. I heard about everything and I was worrying sick about you.”

“How did you know I was here?” He finally forced his head up to look at you.

“I didn’t. I did some… research. This seemed like the most probable hideout for you. I had some help”, you answered. He nodded lightly. You were glad he didn’t ask more questions about that now.

“I didn’t do it”, he said all of the sudden.

“What?”

“I didn’t do it. I didn’t… kill… her. I didn’t kill Chrissy”, he said as if it ached him to just say those words out loud.

“Of course you didn’t”, you exhaled.

“And why are you so quick to believe me?”, he snapped. “You heard the fucking news. She was found in my house, there was no one else there, and me? I ran like a fucking coward! I basically fucking confessed!” He threw another bottle you didn’t realise he was holding across the room, the shattering sound making you jump again.

“Eddie, please calm down. I believe you, because I know you.”

“Do you now?”, he smirked, a sad laugh escaping his lips. “Why do I have a mere memory of you saying that you wish you didn’t?”

You closed your eyes, taking a deep breath. You knew this was a bad idea. You should have told Dustin to come. Whatever distance the two of them had would be way easier to get over with than… this.

“Eddie, now’s not the time…”

“Oh, no, I think this is a perfect time for that”, he said, standing up. You slowly stood up too, watching him now walk around the shack nervously. “Because you know what? All this shit going on, literal people dying in front of my eyes, some weird ass satanic shit happening to a poor girl that just needed a distraction, shit that would be fucking wild in DnD, let alone in real life!” His voice was shaking as he started to scream the words out, kicking whatever was in his way. “People thinking not only that I killed her, but that I’m a fucking spawn of Satan of sorts, I mean, hell, who the fuck knows, maybe I am fucking possessed?” A wild, fake smile grew on his face, madness in his eyes. “That groomed fucking boyfriend of Chrissy’s and his disgusting crew now being on a fucking hunt for me probably, and my uncle, my poor uncle being told I did it, and I can’t even fucking go back and talk to him.” His voice went softer. “All of this, Julien, all this fucked up shit happening and yet what I think about here, being alone in this nasty, dark place, hiding for my life, is you.”

He finally stopped walking around nervously and just stood there, looking at you as your heart froze. Tears formed in your eyes as you noticed the pain written all over his face.

“Eddie, I—“

“No, Julien, I don’t want to fucking hear any of this again. Just go, okay? I can manage. I’ll be fine. I’ll… run. That’s what I do now. Maybe we do have something in common after all”, he said with a bitter smile.

“I didn’t mean any of it”, you said, putting all the power you had left into your voice.

“What?”

“I didn’t mean a word of what I said to you that day. I don’t think we’re better off alone. I don’t think we shouldn’t see each other. I don’t think we’re bad for each other. I— I don’t”, you spit the words out before anything could stop you from saying them.

Eddie furrowed his brow, confusion in his eyes as he just stared at you, lightly nodding his head.

“Why would you say that now?”, his voice cracked. “You really think you can just, what, manipulate me to trust you again? What is this, Julien, you have some fucked up case of saviour complex or what? I told you, I’ll be fine, you can stop feeding me lies…”

“These are not lies, Eddie”, you interrupted him. “I thought it would be easier this way, because I got scared, because I cared for you so fucking much that it started to hurt, because I was convinced it could never work and I just couldn’t bear the thought of us being friends anymore, because I was fucking in love with you!”

You own words shocked you and you went silent as the echo of you confession filled the room with indescribable tension.

“You’re going to be the death of me”, he whispered, making his way slowly towards you. “I was dying by your side every day, loving you from the distance, convinced you’d never want more, only for you to prove it to me, prove that you want nothing to do with me.”

Your breath stopped.

“Loving me?”

“Yes, Julien, fuck, yes, loving you. But I could never say anything. I was just deteriorating, watching you distance yourself from me. You’re my doom, only I still stayed, I chose to love you still, so it’s my fault, really�� You’re not killing me, Julien, you’re… you’re my slow-motion suicide.”

He was only a step away from you now and you could see fire burning in his deep, brown eyes, his jaw clenched and nostrils moving fast to the rhythm of his breath.

“Why… why wouldn’t you say anything?” you just whispered.

“Why wouldn’t you?”

Your breaths were the only thing disturbing the silence now.

“I guess we’re both just fucking cowards” you let out a sad laugh.

He looked you deep in the eye, as if thinking deeply about something, a glimpse of hope on his face before he said:

“Well, in that case, I’m done being one.”

Before you could catch the meaning of his words his lips crashed with yours. Only the initial shock prevented you from kissing him back immediately, but as soon as you understood what happened, you returned the kiss, both of you holding onto each other for your dear lives, as if it was the only thing in the world right now, just the two of you, finally doing what you both wanted for God only knows how long.

His kiss had you out of breath, but none of you dared to let go for a second. He held your cheek, as if afraid you’d want to back away. Your hand travelled up to his head, your fingers tangling in his hair as his free hand explored your body down, brushing your waist, going down to your ass, his thumb going under the material of your skirt. His touch, the slight brush of cold from his rings made you shiver.

“This is not how I imagined it would go”, he breathed out.

“What do you mean?”

“I never imagined us fucking in a nasty old shack”, he said and you could feel his smile against your cheek as he now proceeded to kiss your face, your chin, going down to your neck.

“That implies you did imagine us fucking”, you laughed.

“Hell yeah I did”, he grinned.

“What did you imagine then, if not the shack?” You forced yourself to speak properly as his kisses reached your collarbones. You looked down, the sight of him kissing you, praising your body, with your hand still in his hair, making the tension build in your abdomen.

“I imagined riding you on my bed, making you scream for the whole park to hear… I imagined you spread on the table in Hellfire Club, completely at my mercy, like an offering ready for a ritual… I imagined us fucking in an empty classroom while we skip classes, you bent over the teacher’s desk” he enumerated, putting the images in your head. “I imagined eating your pussy at the back of my van, then you sucking me off, then you laying down, letting me cum inside you”, he kept going, breathing heavily, each confession coming from in between the kisses.

He looked up at you, as if suddenly snapping out of a trance. “I’m a fucking creep, huh?”

You just smirked.

“I imagined you tying me to my bed, gagging me with that sweet little bandana of yours so that my parents don’t hear us as you fuck me senseless, I imagined your hand on my throat. I always imagine your tongue and fingers on my clit as I touch myself”, you said, returning the favour, kissing down his chin.

“You’re a little freak too, aren’t you, Jules?” he grinned before taking off your sweater with one, smooth move, smiling as it revealed nothing under it.

“They’re gonna have to hunt us both down”, you said, getting rid of his jacket, following it with his shirt. “Because I ain’t ever leaving your side again.”

As if to prove this confession, you kneeled down, carefully, your last remaining piece of reason making you make sure you don’t kneel on any of the shattered glass. He looked down at you, his hand now in your hair as you undid his belt, taking his pants down to his ankles, quickly making his boxers follow. His cock was now right in front of your face, hard and ready, making a little smile appear at the corner of your mouth.

Eddie put his hand on the wall to steady himself as the mere sight of you kneeling down for him made his legs weak. He swung his head back as you started teasing him, your tongue touching his tip ever-so-slightly.

“Fuck, Julien—“

“So impatient already”, you smirked, intentionally making the vibration of you voice tease him even more.

“I’ve waited months for this, god damn it, don’t you call me im—“

He didn’t finish as you put his dick in your mouth, words escaping him in a breathy moan. You started to slowly work him up and down, one of your hands joining by his base, the other squeezing his thigh. His grip on your hair tightened as your moves became faster.

You looked up to see him with his head still back, his hand desperately trying to hold on to something, scratching the wall next to you. He let out another moan as your hand, previously exploring his thighs, now slightly squeezed his balls. His sweet sounds made you need to rub your thighs together, the pressure becoming too much to hold in.

As if he couldn’t fight it anymore, he started to move his hips to the rhythm you imposed, making his dick hit the back of your throat. You gagged as he went faster, his hand in your hair speeding your moves too.

“Fuck, Julien, you’re sucking me so good, way better than I could ever imagine…”, he gasped. “But I— I don’t want it to be that simple”, he breathed out. “I wanna come inside you.”

He let go of your head and you let his cock slide out of your mouth. You stood up and he brushed your face with his hand, smearing the mixture of spit and pre-cum all over it. He then licked your neck, up to your chin, collecting some more liquid with his tongue.

He kicked his pants off of his ankles before he pushed you back, leaning you against a wooden table in the corner. He brushed all the stuff laying on it with his hand, making the clutter hit the floor. The sound of breaking glass filled the room again.

“I would fuck you on the floor, but hell, it’s way too nasty, even for freaks like us”, he laughed before lifting you by your hips, sitting you down on the now objectively clean surface.

“The table will do just fine”, you responded, grinning.

He lifted your skirt, teasing your pussy through the thin material of your panties.

“So wet for me”, he whispered against your skin as his lips made their way to kiss your chest, nagging at each of your nipples, slightly biting and pulling as his fingers massaged you, pushing the material more and more to the side. Finally, both his hands slid your panties down before he held your thighs, squeezing them, the rings probably leaving scratchy marks on your sensitive skin. You spread your legs as he lined his dick with your entrance, teasing you by brushing it up and down.

“For fuck’s sake, Eddie—“

“Well, look who’s impatient now”, he grinned before pushing himself into you. The feeling of him inside you made a moan escape your mouth as your eyes travelled up. He, too, made sweet noises as he started to impose a pace. Your legs wrapped above his ass as you desperately wanted to feel him closer, feel him more. Your hand went to grab the back of his head again, loving the feel of his locks as your hips thrusted harder, making the two of you work in perfect rhythm. You both kept going, the wood of the table squelching under you, the noise accompanying your moans and whimpers.

Eddie’s hand travelled up your body, cupping your breast, then higher, to your throat. You breathed in sharply as it tightened around your neck. He pushed you down, making you now lay on the table, not stopping his thrusts. His hand, squeezing your throat, pinned you down, making the sensations cloud your mind.

“Say you’re sorry”, he said suddenly, his voice definite.

“Wh-what?” you mouthed more than said, his hand barely letting any air into your throat.

“Say you’re sorry for running away from me”, he clarified. “Say you’ll never do that again. Say you’re mine.”

His thrusts became harder and his hand kept squeezing your throat, the intense emotions taking over him. There was anger in his eyes, anger, desperation and lust as he waited for you to respond, his face making you believe he was ready to punish you if you didn’t obey.

“I— I’m so— sorry”, you said, your voice weak, barely making any noise as you struggled through the tight grip he had on your neck, his rings burying deep into your skin. “I— I’ll never— I’m yours, only— only yours.”

He threw his head back, as if thriving in your confession. His moves were so fast and deep that for a split second you thought that maybe a demon of sorts did, in fact, possess him. But, shit, if the devil was this fucking good, you’d gladly burn in hell.

“Ah, fuck, I can’t—”, he whimpered, his grip on your neck now loosened, but his hand still there.

“Come on, fill me up”, you groaned. He didn’t have to hear it twice. Your voice his last straw, he came to his release, his cum exploding inside you. The warm feeling drove you closer to the edge.

Taking just a second to catch a breath, he slid out of you, leaving you dripping with his cum from in between your legs, your pussy desperately wanting to tighten around something.

“I quite liked one of those little fantasies of yours, you know”, he said, suddenly making his way back to where his pants were. Your body trembled when he reached to a pocket of the jeans and picked up his bandana. “What do you say we test it out?”

You licked your lips, the thought of him doing what you imagined him do so many times making you shake with excitement.

“Use your words, princess. As long as you still can.”

“Yes, please”, you managed to say, your voice shaking.

“Good girl”, he grinned as he approached you, folding the bandana into a flat strip. “Open up”, he ordered and you obediently opened your mouth. He brushed your lips with his thumb before he put the material in your mouth, tying it at the back of your head tightly. You struggled to swallow as he made sure the gag sits well. “Very well”, he smiled, looking at you as if you were a piece of art he just finished creating. “I’m gonna make you regret you can’t beg.”

Before you could digest his words, he pushed you back down so that you were laying on the table again, your legs spread before him. You bit down on the material as he started to kiss his way down your body. Your hand went to grab his head, wishing to guide him exactly where you needed him.

“Ah, nope”, he let out a dry laugh, grabbing your wrist. He took the second one too and placed your hands above your head. “You keep them there or I stop. Understood?”

You nodded, grabbing the edge of the table.

“Words, princess”, he gave you a vicious smile.

“Understood”, you tried saying, the bandana muffling your voice almost entirely.

“That’ll do”, he said, your struggling voice clearly working miracles on him.

He continued down, his kisses reaching your thighs, his lips sucking your skin, surely leaving bruised marks behind. Your breath was heavy as you fought your urge to touch him, even more so when his fingers slid across your folds. His two fingers teased your entrance before sliding inside, making another muffled noise fill the room. His lips now went to your clit, his tongue licking and massaging your most sensitive part, sucking on it as his fingers worked you fast from the inside. You were practically screaming into the black material when he added the third finger, his hand and mouth working you perfectly. You whimpered when he rested his free hand on your lower stomach, pressing slightly.

“What is it? You wanna cum?”, he asked teasingly.

“Yes, please—”, you tried saying, but what came out was a desperate cry.

“Oh, I’m sure you can hold it a little longer”, a devilish smile grew on his face as he went back to working you with his tongue. Your body arched as tears started to fall down your face, the sensation too much to hold in. “Just a little longer.”

A primal cry escaped your mouth, the bandana now soaked with your spit as you held the edges of the table, your whole body trembling.

“Please, Eddie, fuck—”, you tried saying, miserable noises coming out of you.

“Very well. Cum on me, you little slut”, he said, burying his face in your folds again. Your pussy tightened around his fingers once more as you finished. He licked you, gathering your cum with his tongue as he took his fingers out of you, straightening up.

“Such a good, good girl”, he praised as he leaned over you, kissing your chest, his face wet with your cum. “You can now touch me.”

Your hands reached for him desperately, cupping his face as you rose to sit. Eddie’s skilled hands untied the bandana, taking it out of your mouth. As soon as it was out, you leaned in for a kiss.

It was now soft, long and passionate. As if you both wanted to seal this, make it last, make it real.

“I did mean it now. With my whole heart”, you whispered.

“Mean what?”

“That I’m yours.”

A soft smile grew on his lips.

“I’m not letting you do it alone, Munson. I won’t let you go down.”

He brought you in for a hug.

“The two of us against the world it is”, he said.

The two of you. Yes. Wait, no. It’s not just the two of you!

“Fuck!”, you exclaimed.

“What?”, he asked, half amused, half shocked as you jumped out of the table and started to nervously pick up your clothes.

“Get dressed”, you breathed out.

“No need for modesty now, love, we just—”

“Remember when I told you I had some… help?”, you asked and he nodded. “Well, that help came here with me. They’re waiting in the car for me to… talk to you and… calm you down.”

“Well, that you certainly did”, he smirked.

“They’ll be worried sick why it’s taking so long—”

As if summoned, you suddenly heard an aggressive knock on the door.

“Julien, I swear to God—”

“Dustin!”, you said, opening the door. “I was just about to call you guys…”

“Henderson?”, Eddie said, surprised. You turned around to see that he only managed to put on his pants, still buttoning them up.

“Eddie, man, good to see— why the fuck are you half naked?”, Dustin suddenly retreated from his way to hug him. “And why the fuck are you both all greasy and sweaty?”

“Well, you know how these thigs go, running from authorities and shit. Fucks you up, man”, Eddie said, giving him a dumb smile.

“Sure… well, find something to cover up, dude. We gotta talk about how we gonna get you out of this shit.”

“Appreciate that, man”, Eddie gave him an awkward thumb up as he pretended to have a hard time finding his t-shirt.

“Whatever took you so long anyway?” Dustin looked at you suspiciously. “We tried reaching you on the transmitter, but you wouldn’t answer. We were worrying sick, I would have barged in here way earlier if it wasn’t for Robin…”

“We got caught up…”

“In the conversation”, Eddie finished for you. “Took her a minute to, you know. Calm me down.”

“I see.” Dustin didn’t look convinced. “Anyway, since you’re good now, I’m gonna go get the rest”, he said, making his way out of the shack.

As he closed the door behind him, you both burst out a childish laugh. You quickly made sure that there was nothing left in the room that could have revealed the characteristics of you calming Eddie down.

“We gotta fight whatever that is, Eddie. We gotta save the world, ‘cause, hell, I refuse to let it end now that my life has only just begun.”

“We’re never running again, love”, he whispered in your ear. “We fight. To the death.”

[bellesowl]

kiss and make up

- multiple characters 

⤷ atsumu, sakusa

genre: (an attempt at) angst to fluff ; established relationship, timeskip 

synopsis: in which you have an almost relationship-ending argument

word count: 2.1k total - about 1k each

warnings: fighting (obv), being called a burden, the boys are kinda mean but they make up for it i swear

- a/n: tbh i was kinda getting sick of writing just fluff so i wanted to spice it up a lil! if this sucks i’m probably going to stick to fluff fics but i think it should be fine? this one also only has 2 characs cause idk how i would be at writing angst LMAO if this does well enough i’ll post the one i have written w kuroo and iwa <3 but i feel like this kinda sucks so oh well

- thank u @kybabi for beta-ing <3

- miya atsumu

you n atsumu have been together since high school which is why you’ve always been inseparable

you went to the same college & moved in together right after, but once he got his job with the jackals, he insisted that you didn’t work and focused on getting your master’s degree

you reluctantly agreed, if only to be able finish & earn your phd soon after

because atsumu is always busy, it’s kinda become commonplace for you to do the chores around the house- like doing the laundry or washing the dishes or cooking dinner for him

but it’s gotten to the point where he expects it

atsumu sighs, unlocking the door to your shared apartment. today’s practice was rough, it was a day of hard conditioning and bad sets and he wanted nothing more than a good meal and to cuddle. the first thing he noticed when he walked in was the mess. instant ramen bowls were scattered everywhere, empty coke cans and dirty napkins were all over the floor, and there you were, in the eye of the hurricane. the second thing he noticed was that there was no homecooked meal.

surprised, he walks into the dining room to see you, furiously typing away at your laptop with four different books surrounding you. you hear his footsteps and look up.

“hey baby! how was practice?” you ask with a smile

atsumu grunts in reply and gestures toward the kitchen, “so.. what’s for dinner babe?”

your eyes widen, “oh shoot! i’m sorry, i was so busy studying for this final that i forgot to cook. do you mind-“ you stop when you see him roll his eyes and head out.

“um, where are you going? you just got home?” you ask, following him.

“out. i have to get food somehow” he replies, “especially because my useless s/o can’t cook a goddamn meal for me” he mutters under his breath

you stop in shock because did he really just say that?

“i’m sorry, i don’t think i heard you right.” you start but he interrupts you

“i said, i have to go get food because someone is too busy to cook a goddamn meal. what do you even do anyways- well, besides spend my money? the least you can do is cook for me, god.” he finally turns to look at you but he feels his heart stop at the look on your face.

not wanting to escalate the situation any further, you try to calm him down, “tsum, hey, i’m sorry i forgot to cook okay? this is my last final before the year ends and i just can’t afford to fail it, so i’ve been studying all day. if you come back to the kitchen, i’ll make you something, okay?”

“i don’t want to eat your half assed attempt at a meal, y/n. the whole point is that you couldn’t get off your ass for an hour to cook when i make the money, i paid for the apartment, hell, i’m even paying for your school! is it really too much to ask for you to stop being such a burden and cook and clean everyday?” he fumed.

you gape at him, shocked that he would even say that. to hell with not escalating things

“at least i want to do something more with my life than hit balls around and retire at 35” you hiss, “and i do everything in this house! i do the laundry, i clean the bathroom, i cook - i do all the things you refuse to. and do i complain? no. i offered to get a job but you refused.”

you turn around to grab your laptop and your textbooks, “just- just do whatever the hell you want to, atsumu.” and with that you walk out the door.

atsumu’s heart drops when he realizes that you actually left. sure, you’ve had arguments here and there, but you’ve never left. he pulls out his phone to call you when he sees you’ve left yours on the counter. knowing there’s nothing to do but wait at this point, he begins to clean up and calls osamu over.

-

it’s already 3 am when you walk back into your apartment, and you blink multiple times when you open the door. it’s ... clean? you’re sure it was a mess when you left, so how would it be clean? you sigh, too tired to think about it more and walk into the kitchen. your eyes widen at the sight. not only is your favorite food on the stove, but there your boyfriend is, asleep on the dining table. you smile slightly, well that explains things.

“ ‘’mu, hey, wake up babe.” you kiss him lightly and shake him.

he grunts and sits up, “baby! i’m so so sorry for what i said. you are in no way, shape, or form a burden, i have no clue why i said that. today’s practice was just really tiring, but i know i shouldn’t have taken it out on you. just please-” he sighs, “just please don’t leave me again.”

your heart breaks your teary eyed boyfriend. “shh, of course baby. i’ll never leave you again okay?” you say, tugging on his arm, “cmon babe, let’s go to bed, okay?”

“mm okay my love.” he replies and practically pulls you into bed. “i love you, okay?”

“i love you too baby.” you reply

“to the moon and back?” he asks

“yeah, and to infinity and beyond.” you reply, your lack of sleep hitting you hard

“oh, i didn’t know i was dating buzz lightyear”

you let out a loud laugh and just like that you both fall into the same routine, love radiating off both of you in waves.

- sakusa kiyoomi

dating sakusa was,, challenging

it definitely took him a while to get comfortable with you

so you guys have been dating for a couple years now, and at this point he’s def clingy

however there still moments when he reverts to his old self

this just happened to be one of those times

“OUT! AND JUST LIKE THAT, EJP RAIJIN TAKES THE WIN AGAINST THE BLACK JACKALS!”

the stadium is silent before the ejp cheering section erupts in cheers. you stay silent, watching your team below. you watch as sakusa stills, still in disbelief. you make your way down, practically sprinting to your boyfriend.

he sees you on the sideline and makes his way over to you. you put on your biggest smile and attempt to make him feel better.

“you did great, kiyo! you’ll get them next time, yeah?” you beam, knowing how hard he’s been training to beat his cousin

he eyes you warily, not knowing what to say.

usually, sakusa gets pretty clingy after games, so you you move to give him a hug.

“don’t touch me” he barked, jerking away from you. “if you hadn’t been distracting me, we would’ve won.”

you stare at him, refusing to let the tears flow. you both turn when you hear a certain setter yelling at the opposing middle and you sigh.

“um, okay then. i’ll see you at home, yeah?” you ask

sakusa merely nods and makes his way over to his teammates. you look around to see if anyone saw what just happened and you lock eyes with your boyfriend’s cousin, who walks over.

“congrats on the win komori! you guys did so well!” you cheered

“thanks, y/n! and i’m sorry about kiyoomi. i’m sure you know he gets that way sometimes.” he explains

you smile and shake your head, saying that you’re used to it and you both bid your farewells. as you walk out of the stadium, you think back to how your boyfriend, the one person you loved with everything you had in you, utterly embarrassed you in front of his whole team. before you know it, silent tears start streaming down your face. 

you enter your home and immediately rush to the bathroom. you draw yourself a bath and make some dinner while waiting. you assume that kiyoomi wouldn’t be home to have dinner with you anyways- and now that you think about it, you can’t remember the last time you had dinner together. after you finish your bath and eat your dinner, you decide to wait up for boyfriend and watch a couple episodes of your favorite show to pass the time. 

-

kiyoomi walks into his apartment at around 1 am, completely and utterly exhausted. he kicks his shoes off and drops his bag on the floor. The rustling rouses you from sleep and you sit up.

“hey kiyo” you say with a yawn, “where’ve you been all night?” 

sakusa ignores you in favor of getting ready for bed and you frown when he brushes past you. 

“kiyo, babe, what’s wrong? you’ve been ignoring me all night and i-” you start but he interrupts you before you can finish. 

“god, just shut up, y/n. can’t you tell i don’t want to talk to you right now? i’ve already had the worst day, i don’t need you making it any worse.” he snaps

"kiyoomi, look, i understand you’re upset but you shouldn’t take it out on me.” you reason, reaching out towards him, “listen, i’m here if you wanna-” 

“i said, do not touch me.” he seethes. “you are so fucking clingy y/n, lord, let me breathe a little.”

with those words, you explode. “you know what, sakusa,” he flinches when he hears his last name come out of your mouth, “i think i have the right to want to spend some time with my boyfriend! i haven’t seen you in god knows how long- you leave before i wake up and i fall asleep in an empty bed. i’ve been working my ass off to get some time off to watch your stupid volleyball game and what do you do? you embarrass me in front of your whole team!”

you sigh, wiping away the tears that continue that continue to fall. “listen, i don’t want to fight right now. i’m going to go stay at a friend’s house for the night, alright? i’ll see you tomorrow” you say, grabbing your purse. “if you’re even home tomorrow,” you add under your breath.

sakusa is in shock. the moment he saw your tears start to spill, he felt an undeniable and unrelenting ache in his chest that only seemed to grow with every work that came out of your mouth. and when the door shut? sakusa fell on his knees, his heart dropping. he truly couldn’t believe he said that to you. now all he had to do was wait till you got home.

-

2:38 pm - you check the time on your phone before pulling out your keys. you hope you made the right move, choosing to come back home while kiyoomi was still at practice. you open the door and the sight causes your eyes to widen.

there, on the couch with your favorite flowers in hand, is your boyfriend. he hears the door open and stands up abruptly.

“y/n, my love, i am so sorry. i truly cannot express how horrible i feel, and i cannot begin to understand how you feel.” he takes a deep breath, seemingly holding back tears. “i- i do love you. i love you more than i’ve ever loved anyone in my entire life. i know i’m not the best at expressing it, but you mean the world to me- no, you are my world. without you, i don’t know what i would do. so please-” his voice cracks, “just, please give me another chance?”

you run towards your boyfriend, practically tackling him. “kiyo, baby, of course. i love you too, you know? you just can’t do that anymore, yeah? you shouldn’t feel like you have the right to embarrass me just because you had a bad day. and please, don’t call me clingy? i know i do stick to you like glue sometimes, but that’s just because i never see you anymore.” you reply.

“that will all change, darling.” he answers sincerely, “i’ll make more time for you, i swear. in fact, i’ll take the week off, how does that sound?” at the sight of your smile, he relaxes.

“that sounds wonderful, yoomi.” you answer

sakusa feels the weight that’s been dragging him down lift and he realizes the effect you have on him- you’re his breath of fresh air. he also realizes how utterly idiotic it was to push away the one person who could make him feel better.

it’s fine, he reasons, he’ll just never make that mistake again. he swears it.

[prncesshrs]

2:03 A.M.

Eddie xblack!reader [Just because I want to 😋]

Synopsis · Reader just finished watching their favorite show and had to tell ·

· I might made it modern since p-valley is on my mind rn and there’s p-valley season 2 episode 5 spoilers sorry - Jae

It was too early for you to be this hyper and loud for fucks sake, you gasp watching what’s happening unfold right in front of your eyes. You’re just in utter shock you start squealing bouncing up and down on your bed grabbing your pillows yelling into it pausing the show “what the fuck is happening not Keyshawn I can’t watch this, I know I hated her because she acts brand new but not her I still have love for her please. I-I need a break because I can’t watch it” You walk out your room “I can’t watch that too much is going on”you whisper to yourself jogging down the stairs. You grab a water bottle and a few snacks before jogging back to your room.

“Okay” you whisper to yourself “let’s do this y/n” you play the show again watching the rest of it still pausing it talking to yourself adding unnecessary comments as if there’s someone else besides your pet in the room.

Once the show ended you stare at the black computer in utter shock you just had to tell your boyfriend you had to it was crazy, you sit up grabbing your phone calling your boyfriend Eddie Munson

Eddie is knocked out peacefully sleeping in his room. His phone is going off crazy every time the name “Y/n” lightning up, he hears it but he must be dreaming right it’s too early for someone to be calling right?After a few rings Eddie groans answering “what”he groans

“EDDIE” you yell over the phone

Eddie sighs looking at the time “shouldn’t you be sleep?” He asks

“Forget that Munson I just saw the most recent episode of p-valley and when I tell you it was crazy” you exclaim Eddie just hums in a response half asleep as you rant this was a somewhat normal thing you’ll usually stay up until twelve to see that new episode of whatever show you were watching just going on and on until you fell asleep, then the next day he’ll scold you about how you need your sleep and staying up all night isn’t okay but you didn’t care you’ll always do it and he’ll always listen somewhat.

“I mean I hate Derek baby I hate him so much this nigga goes and beats his wife because she was exclaiming you can hit me but don’t hit my fucking babies then she brings up the fact he’s not going to get the job and he hits her”you exclaim Eddie just hums “he fucking hits her Ed’s I hate this nigga so much so fucking much I’ve never hated a character this much before he literally enrages me he goes and hits a 3 year old because he’s crying EDDIE”you scream over the phone causing Eddie to jump a little “Are you fucking kidding my that’s a baby Eddie they cry he’s sick Ed’s I’m telling you, I forgot he says My daddy spanked my young now look at me NIGGA you are a woman and child beater you are not fucking okay you need help he needs help Eddie this is not okay”you say.

The rest of the night you’re just ranting and Eddie keeps on dozing off he hears faint yells and words like “me personally” “Keyshawn” and “Woody” he was getting kinda irritated, you’re supposed to be asleep he can see how the lack of sleep is effecting you he needed you to sleep but you didn’t care sometimes you’ll sleep during the day, it was as if you’re a night owl it was just strange how could you have so much energy at night like that.

“Y/n”he mumbles you stop talking you always loved his sleepy voice, it always grabbed your attention.

“Yes Eddie”you say sighing

“How about you go to bed and tell me the rest tomorrow”he says

“But-“

“No buts just go to sleep I know you are sleepy so how about you just sleep it off and tell me tomorrow at least get a few hours in huh”he says you huff

“Fine”you pout

“Good girl now good night Y/n” he says

“Good night Ed’s”you mumble ending the call “I’m not going to sleep the nigga must be crazy” you say looking for another show to watch

[beomqutie]

ㅡ maneater - episode three

synopsis: upon what yeonjun deems as flirting with the most popular girl in college he decides to make her his girlfriend. she however seems to have other plans in mind, which initiates a conflict about love, sex, friendship and betrayal. was she worth his effort and was he worth the fun? wc: 400-ish tw: none

it only being the second day of school and yet you and yunjin are the only ones out of your friends who are on time for classes, how did the others manage to be late on their second day? hand in hand with yunjin you walk into the university building before parting ways since she has a different class than you.

like the day before, yeonjun and his friend already arrived on campus before you came. since they were never out partying or catching up with friends they usually got enough sleep; except for beomgyu who chose to stay up playing games all night causing him to present dark blue eye bags today. to yeonjun's luck they left their discussion about my little pony in the past and are instead talking about the new barista at the coffee shop that soobin thought was cute. and even though soobin was his closest friend yeonjun didn't listen. he felt the need to redeem himself from what happened with you, still firmly holding onto his belief that you hadn't seen him coming your way.

he doesn't know which classes you take and if your day starts with first period today but his eyes were currently desperately scanning the hallway; and there you were, calmly walking in his direction while fixing your outfit.

now alone, you continue your way to class while smoothing down your skirt that had ridden up and fixing your hair that got messed up by the morning breeze after the bus ride you two had to take; screw jay when he oversleeps! immediately upon looking towards your classroom you see a familiar pair of brown eyes looking at you before he bid goodbye to his friends and walked in your direction. the start of your day was fairly troublesome so you thought having a little fun teasing him before class was just what you need.

"hey! are you y/n?" he asks once his steps come to a halt in front of you, trying his best to not come off as nervous as he truly was. his facial features are now much clearer than they were yesterday when you saw him from a distance.

"yes, i'm y/n! and who are you? i'm surprised i've never seen you before" you say while giving him your best doe-eyes.

"my name is yeonjun" he swallows shakily while trying to keep his eyes from wandering to your exposed cleavage, how cute.

"nice to meet you yeonjun!" you smile at him, was he really gonna be this easy? you had hoped he'd be a good challenge but you must have been mistaken. were you still gonna have fun with him? fuck yes!

"nice to meet you too…" he mumbles while trying to subconsciously wipe his palms that had grown sweaty on his jeans, which you notice yet pretend not to. you grab his hand and intertwine your fingers with his before smiling at him again. yeonjun feels as if his heart is going to explode, did you really just grab his hand? it seems as if luck is on his side and you are interested in him too.

"i have to get to class yeonjun but i'd sure love to talk to you more when we see each other again?", you question while taking in his physique up close one last time, almost making you drool; he is built like a god.

you let go of his hand, throw him a wink and start walking towards class, barely even hearing the "yes, me too" he mutters, still slightly dazed from what just happened. you were hoping he'd come to jackson's party so you could have some fun. meanwhile, yeonjun hopes he'd have another opportunity to talk to you again soon, preferably somewhere outside of campus and without the prying eyes of his friends.

episode two | masterlist | episode four

taglist. @blahbluhblahbluh @ioszzn @nobodyshallenter @cherriruto @dee-zbignuts @soobsfairy444 @solihwng @fairyoftaehyun

© beomqutie, please do not translate, copy and/or repost my work.

[jeonfiles]

once more to see you | kth 01

pairing: taehyung x reader ft. seokjin

genre: angst, fluff, unrequited love

synopsis: taehyung is the complete opposite of you, and you're so in love with him. he's not interested in you at all, but he's willing to pretend so he won't be known for breaking the sweetest girl in school's heart. he knows you'll end up hurt either way.

warnings: taehyung is an idiot, a lot of pining, y/n is annoyingly dependent on validation, y/n does a lot of silent prayers, y/n is a track star, childhood bsf seokjin (cute), mentions of deceased family member

music for this chap: she had the world , carry me out

a/n: taehyung will disappoint u in the beginning but hes cute i promise

"I get why you like him Y/N," Sohee swallowed the rest of her sandwich before finishing her sentence, "He's so hot. People say he's interested in you too, y'know?"

Sohee visibly tried to get food out from the back of her mouth using her tongue, and it made you chuckle at the sight. "I don't think he does." You sighed, resting your chin in your palm.

You were both situated at the table in the inner corner of the cafeteria, with a full view of who walks in the door, and sometimes you swore you could see Sohee drool when attractive guys walked in that exact door.

"Hello, of course, he does! Even his friend Jimin told Kang Seulgi from Class 1, who told Go Euntaek in class 3, who eventually told his girlfriend Baek Ho-rang who ran to me to tell me the great news." Sohee gasped for air after rambling, and you rolled your eyes,

"Stories change when that many links contribute." You scoffed, sitting back in your chair and reaching for your juice box on the table, taking a huge slurp, which you knew would annoy Sohee.

"You don't believe me? Guess we gotta ask a link closer to the source then." Sohee stood up from her chair, and you looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Park Jimin, get your ass over here will ya?" She nearly shouted across the cafeteria, and now all looks were pointed at you two, and you felt the urge to just slip down the cracks of the floor tiles and hide there forever grow stronger for each nanosecond.

You sunk further down on your tacky, orange chair, but you could still see Jimin's black locks sway a little over the crowd as he walked over to the table you were sitting at.

"What's up sugar?" Jimin smirked at Sohee, and Sohee didn't even budge, and you had no idea how she did it. He was stupidly attractive and could make any girl drop her pants with a comment like that.

"Jimin my dearest, a little birdie told me that Taehyung likes my sweet Y/N, could you confirm?" She batted her long lashes and smiled prettily at Jimin.

He looked to the left, sucked his teeth, and said, "I can't, I'm sorry." You realized you had grown a little too hopeful, and your heart sunk quite a bit when he spoke.

"Does he think I'm pretty at least?" You spoke up, eyes shining when you looked up towards the standing Jimin, the harsh lights in the cafeteria reflecting in them.

"He hasn't mentioned you much, to be quite honest." He shrugged, walking back to his table, where Taehyung and the rest of his friends sat.

Your heart thumped when he met your eyes, and you looked away in panic. The rest of lunch was just Sohee apologizing and you avoiding eye contact with any of the students at the nearby tables.

Jimin mentioned you and Sohee's name several times, he was a loud speaker, and you were so scared of what he was saying you could probably die right then and there.

Saved by the bell, you picked up your stuff and got ready to start running to your classroom, praying you wouldn't meet any of Taehyung's friends, and especially not Taehyung as you ran Usain Bolt style.

You looked down while running, not thinking twice about leaving your best friend behind, you suddenly fell to the ground with a thud. This was surely not one of your glory days.

When you looked up, you wanted to cry. It was none other than Kim Taehyung, and he didn't look pleased. You gathered your things and muttered "Sorry." under your breath probably about 10 times, and he just watched, disappointingly.

"You're a klutz. Why were you running?" He spoke, and your knees turned into jelly when you tried to stand up, you nearly fell and dropped all your stuff again, but he caught you by the arm, straightening you up like it was nothing.

"Uh... Uhm... Err..." you mumbled, and he rolled his eyes, and not in a joking manner. "Fuck that, why are you going around telling people I like you?"

Your breath hitched, and he stared at you coldly. "I didn't! Gosh, my friend Sohee told me someone had told her that you liked me, and- uh... We asked Jimin, and-" He put his hand over your mouth, making you shut up.

"I don't want you two to go around making up baseless rumors about me, it's incredibly annoying for me to go around correcting people who assume shit just because your little friend speaks louder than a bunch of hyenas at a tea party." Taehyung nearly spat, and you took a step back.

You noticed that people were listening in, their stares burning holes in your back. He was livid, and you didn't understand why, you just smiled, praying to god that this would end soon.

"I just thought you liked me-" You began, and he interrupted you, "You thought I was gonna like someone like you? Get over yourself and enter the real world."

The hallway went silent, your lips trembled as hot tears raced down your face, and like the track star you were, you fled the scene and passed the finish line into the bathrooms.

You stayed till the school day ended, not knowing what was unraveling outside the four walls of the stall.

Sohee 💜: 01:12 pm

Y/N, where are you? i heard what happened :( i hate taehyung im gonna chop his sausage off

Sohee 💜: 01:38 pm

taehyung is fighting w doyoung because doyoung decided to defend you this is hilarious

but fr where are you

Sohee 💜: 01:57 pm

doyoung gave taehyung a black eye damn

doyo is on the verge of tears when taehyung said you liked him and not doyo

taehyung cant not have feelings for you like there must be smth deeper going on

Sohee 💜: 03:39 pm

class just ended i'll wait out back

Sohee always knew when to leave you alone, so she did, partially. You usually shut off your phone when you're upset, but she still sends you texts to update you whenever you turn it back on.

This time, it was quite dramatic, and you rushed out of the icky stall and ran (again) to reach Sohee to get the full story, and as you expected, it was interesting.

"Basically, Doyoung punched Taehyung and Taehyung was a little too OP, so he failed to initiate a fight, so it just turned into Taehyung being an ass to Doyoung for defending you." She shrugged, adjusting the straps of her leather backpack as you walked home.

"Taehyung's rep is so tainted right now, I don't know how he's gonna fix this my dear Y/N, so I guess he got his karma. He's an idiot and I'm glad other people are starting to see."

You nodded yes, pushing out a fake chuckle, while silently you prayed that everything would soon be back to normal and that Taehyung would forgive you for the mess you caused.

Being in love with Taehyung for a year had taken a toll on you, and your best friend since freshman year had noticed too. You were different.

You used to be so independent and optimistic, but now you would strive for validation, and you had turned into one of the most insecure people Sohee had ever met.

Sohee tried to pull you away from him, but to her demise, it only got worse when you tried to meet other guys. She figured that the only way for you to disconnect from him was if you had your go with him, or if he treated you like a complete idiot.

You waved goodbye to Sohee as you entered your house, kicking off your shoes and throwing yourself down on the couch. You wanted to scream, but you saw your brother's and another guy's shoes in your hallway, so you kept it inside.

After having watched an episode of Seinfeld, you could hear the floorboards creak, and your gaze found its way to the hallway, where your brother, Yoongi stood, peeking out from his door.

"Ah, Y/N, you're the one who's home?" He smiled brightly, eyes turning into small crescents, which made you awe at the sight.

"Yuppers." You said and sat back again, pressing play to start the next episode. "Who's your guest?" And as you uttered your last word, another head peeked out from the door, and you couldn't help but feel the happiness brew inside you.

It was Kim Seokjin in all his glory, and this time, he looked even hotter. It had been about two years since you last saw him because he moved to Germany to study medicine.

Seokjin had been your neighbor since you were born, and you pretty much grew up with two older brothers who always took care of you.

No one dared to mess with you, because Seokjin and Yoongi always got to them first. That way, you grew up without a care in the world, protected from all evil.

You had no idea when you fell in love with him. It was somewhere during puberty, where your interest in Brad Pitt and Kim Soohyun from Dream High had grown stronger.

You remember Seokjin was scouted for modeling, acting, and even idol groups all through your childhood. He did a few ads, photoshoots, a popular teenage drama called Double Trouble, and even managed to get his own Wikipedia page.

There was no doubt that Seokjin was an attractive man, and in the two years he had been gone, his face fat was completely gone, and he had defined cheekbones, a slimmer and tighter figure, and you thought he couldn't be any more perfect.

"None other than God himself," Seokjin said smugly, opening his arms to greet you with a hug, and you threw your blanket you were covered into the side as you bolted into Seokjin's arms, legs wrapped around his waist.

He slowly put you down so your feet touched the parquet, and you felt a kind of euphoria as he smiled at you again, the same smile he had flashed you as long as you could remember.

Everything about Seokjin had matured and changed, but his smile remained the same. "What are you doing back?" You sniffled, holding back the happy tears that were forming in your eyes.

"Hey, don't get me wrong, I love Germany, but it's a little bland. I miss ahjumnas complimenting me on the subway and the bomb ass food here in SK." Seokjin grinned as he wiped a tear that fell down your face.

Yoongi was leaning against the door frame, smiling at the grand reunion. You knew he liked seeing you two together, and you had a small suspicion about him shipping you guys.

"Please don't ever leave again." You gripped onto his shirt, digging your face down in his chest, and he said, "I swear to god if you're wearing makeup right now-"

You laughed as you pushed him away, placing your hands below your chin and batting your eyelashes dramatically, "I'm all-natural."

"Naturally pretty." Seokjin leaned forward and whispered in your ear, and your heart did a little somersault.

Seokjin's always been a charmer.

You woke up in your room, pink sheets draped over your half-naked body as tons of messages poured in on your phone, vibrating so much it nearly fell off the edge of your nightstand.

You grab it while rubbing your eyes, and you're shocked to see the messages that had exploded on your lock screen.

Unknown: 08:39 am

Hey, it's Kim Taehyung.

Look, I'm sorry for the shit I said to you and I would love to make it up to you in some kind of way.

Maybe I could take you out?

I get it if you don't want to, but I heard you were interested in me so...

What kinda food do you like? Activities, hobbies?

I really wanna make this right :)

You: 08:43 am

oh hey! I'd love to, you kinda owe me one. if it's your treat, I suppose we could get some sushi and boba...

btw I don't like u like that

Contact made, saved as "taehyung <3" at 08:44 am

taehyung <3: 08:47 am

Okay. Meet me at Nori Table at 6 pm. Don't make me wait.

Your heart was palpitating, and when you pressed your phone up to your chest, you could feel your body heat up from your scalp to your toes.

Maybe Kim Taehyung had no interest in you right now, but he sure would after tonight. You were gonna make him love you, soon enough,

Running to the shower a few hours of Seinfeld later, you scrubbed with all your might with your newest strawberry scrub, did your makeup, curled your hair, and sat down on the couch, outfit draped over the armrest of the chair.

It was an hour till you were leaving, so for the time being you sat with hair rollers in your hair, dressed in pink sweats. Seokjin and Yoongi had been awake all night, you had heard them laugh and play Mario Cart all night, it reminded you of old times.

Old times where you went to bed crying because Yoongi and Seokjin's bedtime was later than yours at sleepovers. Thinking back, your parents made a pretty rational decision, but you resented them for it.

When Seokjin left for school in Germany, during your Sophomore year you cried again. You thought it was so unfair that you had to be two years younger, why couldn't you come with him?

You were painfully in love with him, and you had been probably since you were. A few months after he moved, your feelings faded. You were love-free, only to fall stupidly in love again with Taehyung just a year later.

You were forced to snap out of your train of thought because you heard the floorboards creak again. When you looked over at the dark hallway, you saw a tired, yet familiar face smile at you.

Seokjin looked quite disoriented, hair ruffled and eyes puffy, yet he looked like a Greek god. Sculpted to perfection, he smiled at you like he did yesterday and all the times before.

"Morning." He grunted out, his morning voice prominent. You chuckled when you looked at the time, feeling kind of bad for Seokjin who had slept away the majority of his day, which you knew he didn't like.

"It's 5 pm, cutie. Mom said you guys could order takeout, cause she's working late." You stood up, and Seokjin gave you a good look up and down, and then diverted his gaze to the lavender ruffle skirt and white long-sleeve blouse you had neatly hung over the armchair.

"What's the occasion?" He nodded over at the clothes and then your hair rollers and full-face makeup-covered face. He threw a few walnuts from the little bowl on the coffee table into his mouth.

"It's none of your business, but I have a date tonight," you said smugly, and a walnut flew out of Seokjin's mouth in shock.

"A date? Like a real one?" He frantically asked, and you nodded as you walked away with your outfit in hand.

You came back out minutes later, and Seokjin had to hold his mouth shut so it wouldn't drop to the floor. You had matured so well, a white blouse adorning your waist, and the lavender skirt hugged your curves nicely.

You had decorated your neck and ears with golden jewelry, and you had a pair of Air forces dangling from your left hand. You were beautiful, hair let free from the hair rollers, curls swaying as you did a twirl.

"It's alright, I guess." He pretended not to care, and your proud grin morphed into a frown pretty quickly, and he noticed.

He stood up and walked towards you, standing very close. His tall figure was hovering over you. Seokjin leaned forward towards your ear, not whispering this time,

"You're gorgeous." He pushed your curls behind your shoulder, adjusting your golden necklace as he returned to Yoongi's bedroom.

You were screwed.

The time on your phone showed 6:06 pm. You recall him saying ‘don’t be late’. What a hypocrite. It had started to pour down, so you were squeezed up against the brick wall of the restaurant so the ledge above you would shield you from the rain.

You were shaking from the cold, legs exposed because of your skirt. Sighing deeply, you reached down into your purse to text Taehyung, but when you looked up, you saw him running over to you.

He was holding a bouquet of pink delphinium and peonies. You’d always been interested in flowers, and this small gesture made you all fuzzy inside.

“I apologize for my late arrival m’lady. The flower shop was about to close down for the day, and I had to beg the cashier to let me in, promising to buy a huge bouquet if she did.” He smiled as he stood in front of you.

“No worries sir, I haven’t been waiting for long.” You chuckled, as you accepted the bouquet. His eyes scanned every inch of your body, and he said, “You’re shivering. Let’s go inside.”

This was a side of Taehyung you had barely seen before, caring and warm. This was also the side of him that initially made you fall for him.

The memories of him reading stories for children at the hospital was heartwarming. Whenever you went to visit your brother, who has now passed, you would see him read stories for all the unlucky kids.

Your brother, who was only 7 years old talked about Taehyung like a superhero, and it seemed as if Taehyung’s stories were the highlight of his days at the hospital.

Daejung wasn’t a kid you would pity. In his last months in the hospital he never once cried. You believed that Taehyung was a big part of the reason.

That’s why you fell in love with him. He hadn’t been a superhero in the form of saving lives, but he definitely made a whole lot of sick kids happier.

How could you ever repay him?

Taehyung rested a hand on your shoulder and lead you inside the door, and there stood a beautiful tall woman, black hair to her waist, almond-shaped eyes, and full lips.

She was beautiful. You looked up to see Taehyung’s reaction, and he wasn’t looking at her, he was looking at you. His eyes met yours, and you could’ve sword the whole world stopped.

“Excuse me?” An unfamiliar voice spoke up, and it kicked you right back into reality. It was the pretty woman speaking, an even prettier voice to match her.

“Do you have a reservation?” She questioned, smiling so genuinely from ear to ear. “Yes. It’s on Kim.” Taehyung spoke so confidently.

“Ah, for two. I’ll be your server tonight.” She waved for you to follow her, and before she turned around, you saw her name tag.

Bae Eunmi. A pretty name for a pretty person. Of course, she had to be pretty. Your confidence sunk even lower, and your insecurities grew.

“I’m not interested in her, by the way. I’ve talked to her before. She’s all beauty and no brains. Not for me.” Taehyung whispered into your ear, possibly to reassure you.

You sat down at the table and ordered a huge plate of different types of sushi, maki, nigiri, uramaki, and even sashimi.

This restaurant was fancy, nearly too fancy for your liking. It was huge and flashy, and it made you doubt your outfit choice completely.

The restaurant fell silent since there weren’t many guests here this early. The silence wasn’t awkward between you guys. It was just, too silent, and you decided to break it.

“Do you still write stories?” Taehyung’s face froze. How did you know about the stories he wrote? Had you been stalking him? Was this when everyone would find out how weak he truly is?

“How did you find out... About them?” He asked hesitantly, fidgeting with a small woven basket with bread placed on your table.

“When sun and moon met, moon felt bad. When the moon was alone at night, he cried, because he wanted to shine just like the sun.” You quote his story word by word, it was your favorite paragraph.

He looked at you with a confused look and his eyes told you that he wondered why you knew the story so well.

Before he could speak up, you said, “My brother's name was Daejung. He looked up to you and constantly told me about how he wanted to be like you when he grew up.” You placed your hands on top of his over the table.

Taehyung was speechless. He sat there, body completely frozen as he processed what you just said. The little boy he had mourned for many months was the same flesh and blood as you.

“Daejung told me how he wanted me to marry you because he thought no one else deserved me.” Letting go of his hands, he continued sitting completely still.

First, he felt disappointed in himself. Disappointed of the way he had treated you, how sad Daejung would be if he knew.

Second, he could see him in your traits. Your button nose matched his completely, and your eyes sparkled just the way his eyes did.

Third, he realized he had to take care of you. Fall in love with you, for Daejung. Taehyung had promised the little boy to take care of his friends and family when he has at his worst.

His expression completely changed. It softened, and his eyes looked at you like you were godsent. He believed you were too. It was fate.

join the “once more to see you” taglist

a/n: u guys know the angst isn't over lol u guys r never gonna see the light at the end of the tunnel ! this chapter was originally a bit longer but i have to test the waters and seeing how u guys like it !! pls reblog <3

[zombeegrll]

Bitch, you thought. Ep 2

Bully!Gojo x Black!Chubby!fem!reader ( Geto is involved but not that much )

Ep 1 link

Synopsis: You just transferred to the closest high school to your new house as a senior. While settling in your local school. Some people became interested in you. You're just a bit...peculiar. But the one that is most curious is Satoru. ANd his ways to try to get away with you is also ...peculiar too.

Warnings: Nsfw ( not full-on smut but undertones.), bullying, manipulation, swearing, smoking, manhandling, teasing, power control, Modern Au, threatening, knifes

^ these warnings do not all apply to each episode on its own but to the series itself.

MINORS DNI

This week was some shit. Every time I walk into the hallways after classes, I'm always met with gojo and his posse, sneering at me. I can feel their eyes lingering on my body. And sometimes, just sometimes, one of them has enough courage to say something like, "aye Mami, shake a lil sum for me?"

Or they would loudly whisper,

"I wonder what sounds she makes in bed?" Now, being sexually objectified every time I fucking breathe isn't the only thing that wanted to make me want to rip my hair out. Most of the girls here are some A-1 bitches. I have been bullied before by women and it's nothing compared to when guys bully other guys. Yeah, it can become physical with a girl but that's not all. It can be so underhand and under the radar.

And if you look different than the bunch, you can easily become the next target. It's the constant snorting every time I walk past a group of girls or the notes on my desk saying that they will order me a salad for lunch. I looked behind me to see who wrote the letter but I see all of them laughing, snickering at me.

"How about you all stop reflecting your insecurities on me and go see a therapist, hm?" you asserted.

The laughing usually comes to a halt after you insult them and you usually look away from the girls and throw the note behind you, hitting one of the girl's head.

One day, maybe Wednesday, you met a girl named Eris. She had tanned skin and brown eyes to match. Her hair was curly and perfectly framed her face. A feature that really stood out to you was her long straight lashes and the freckles that added to her face.

you saw her walking to the lunch table you sat at. She had a friend beside her smiling innocently. you felt comfortable.

" Hi! my name is Eris and this is Selene. We noticed you were new here and just wanted to get to know you" She exclaimed. Selene confirmed with a simple nod.

" uh sure? Yall can sit here if yall want."

They both gave me a toothy smile and sat down across from me.

We talked about everything and nothing. Eris seemed like she could talk about anything for hours while Selene listened compliantly, adding giggles and pleased grins in the middle of our conversation. They were a fresh breath of air. If I haven't met them I would be kicking a bitch in the face at the moment. Our short conversation ended with a quick exchange of phone numbers.

" Call us anytime! Were planning on going to a party and even though e just met, we really want you to join us" Eris exclaimed.

" Yup, could be fun with you. You have a different energy than the other girls here at (name) high, I just can't put my finger on it yet" Selene murmured.

You chuckle at their honesty. You can say you are different. They will know why soon you thought.

-

You're now getting ready for this party Eris --and even Selene --been chatting your ear off about. You slip on your dress while shouting at the speaker phone on your 3-way call, " This set is giving, to be honest, hehe."

" can't wait to see it bub" Eris shouted back.

"mhm!" Selene exclaimed loudly.

You eye your body in the mirror, admiring how your curves were so alluring like you were some sort of seductress. Shamelessly poking your ass out and swaying your hips to see your outfit in action.

The secret was,

You were a big party girl. Emphasis on big. You were a City Girl, infamous in Maryland for your shenanigans when the street lights shine. The night was your best bitch and you were about to show that at the party. Usually, these house party ends up you high as shit dancing for some store owners or sneaking in some club accompanying some random ass DJ.

"Let's try to be a bit civil tonight," you say to yourself in the mirror.

You look at your hair to see if it still looks good from the last time you looked: also give your french tips a peek too.

" You almost here S? (nickname for Selene)"

"Yup, Just picked up Eris, 5 mins away, ill honk when I'm here since your mom is at work."

"Okay, see yall soon haha"

You hung up the phone and grab your star-shaped purse, putting the bag over your broad shoulders. You caught a glimpse of yourself in your vanity mirror again a mummered,

"This is gonna be fun."

You soon sprint down the stairs to the front door. As you turn back around to punch in the security alarm pin, you hear a car rolling up at the curb. Suddenly turning around, you see a Black Range Rover and hear a singular hotel coming out of it.

You let out a toothy grin and yelled "Eris better not already called shotgun!!" as you practically jump into the back seat. The group laughed as Selene drove off, heading to the party.

-

(here is some music to read through the party scene !! all on Spotify btw)

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 ( They all gonna make you get up and dance and at some point, I promise ya)

-

We arrived.

As Selene parked the car in the much-occupyed parking lot, I can hear <3

practically spilling out the house.

" NOPE, this my song!! Hurry up Selene, whip this car so we can get inside!!" you shout from the backseat, clawing at the driving and passenger headrest, waiting for your reserved friend to finish parallel parking.

When she finally sets the car to par, you jump out of the car excitedly. The artificial streetlights bathed your skin while you squeal for them to get out. Too excited for your own good. They both finally get out of the car, clutching their matching Nine west purses as Eris exclaims,

" Cmon bub, let's see you shake sum ass haha" she chuckled jokingly.

You put your hand on your mouth to hold in your laugh and laughed, " Why do you sound like a whole nigga saying that?"

They all laughed while walking into the house. There were LEDs everywhere giving a party atmosphere--definitely worked. Bodies clung together but most were in groups staring at others. Too scared to move.

And since this was your song, you grabbed a nearby wine bottle and started to dance with your new friends.

Suddenly, people were eying the group. "Who are they?"

"Never seen the girl in black around.."

"She moves so...wow."

When the hook dropped, you're already letting your friend uck it up behind you as you twerk on her. Drink in your hand and throwing up the other.

You needed this.

You were aware of the stares, the whispers, the encouragement from the other party-goers. That just makes the night more fun. But you weren't aware of something, sorry, someone.

Gojo Satoru.

He was chilling with a bottle of 'yac and talking about...god knows what. But he heard someone, someone louder than the music for a bit. He heard people cheering and shouting "damn girl fuck it up!" followed by a giggle.

He looked over with his group to see...you.

Flaunting your ass on a girl he didn't know. The way you were so confident filled him with this unknown mixed feeling. He definitely thought you were so sexy as you dance with your friends--but--usually girls like you, well so he thought, would be looking at him by now, trying to get his attention. He is so confused how you don't see him eyeing you down like a wolf, wanting to ruin you right there.

You were just having fun, interrupting smoke sesh to snag blunts, prancing around other dancers without partners, trying to lighten their evening. you felt welcomed.

He hated that.

He pictured you to feel so vulnerable and alone if you came here. Silently watching others and not knowing what to do with yourself. He hated how you can handle yourself confidently simply because he has never seen it before.

He still wanted to see if you can be that way for him

he wants to break you.

But would you even let him?

Geto appears beside Gojo, beer in hand and blunt in other " that grl you been teasing is really doing a number over there... might need to introduce myself-"

"She wouldn't let you get the chance. You have always been next to me as I teased her. She knows your face" gojo is exasperated, frustrated on how your not clawing at him, wanting his attention.

Getou laughed lowly, patting Gojo in the back from his extremely possessive remark.

"let's see shall we?" he chuckled, leaving his drink on the counter as he walks in your direction.

Gojo is furious but waits till-- if you are bored of him.

As Getou walks over to you and a group of people smoking and snorting, the song changes <3.

You jump up and sing-song the intro of the song and when the beat dropped, you settle back down.

You are high as shit.

Eris and Selene, also in the circle, Laughed at your newfound excitement through the weed. as you sway your voluptuous hips while a mid-finished blunt sit on your lips, you feel a looming figure over you. You turn around to see that same man Gojo always be next to you. You blew put pupils can his face and made a confused look.

" Whatcha want man bun?" you shouted to pierce the music.

He suddenly acted like he was hurt from your comment then chuckled lowly " Jus' wanted to say you good tonight darlin' "

"Don't I always?" you questioned, but not really waiting for an answer.

You already knew the answer.

To be honest, Geto expected you to be swooning over that compliment. But you weren't. It was nothing different than the usual shit you're spat at every day.

He's not any different.

You look at him with a more confusing look followed by a 'get away weirdo' look in your eyes. He scoffed and walked away like he just didn't get rejected. When he was close enough to Gojo he growled, "What a fucking brat." Slamming don his hand on the counter, taking a swig of his beer.

"Told you" He chuckled.

He watched you until you got up and headed for the upstairs, taking a drag of your blunt. He licked his lips while following you,

" ugh, I need to freshen up" you murmur to yourself, fiddling with the hem of your skirt as you make your way to the bathroom. As soon as you turn the doorknob to open the door, you feel two cold hands gripping your waist pushing you into the bathroom with force. You try to pry the cold thick fingers off your body and try to turn around, but they're not letting you.

" What in the actual fuck? get off me loser!" you scream.

You hear a low chuckle and a hand was lifted from your waist, only to hear a door lock.

This gives you some time to move and see who is doing this, and when you did, all you see is the white-haired bastard's eyes boring into your body, then soon your pissed-off face. A small smirk started to grow on his lips as he looked at your face.

"Scared?"

"Pissed. Leave me an alone dipshit."

Suddenly, you try to kick him but it was unsuccessful, somehow he blocked you?

" Finally, I got you all to myself. Isn't what you wanted me to do Y/n? You wanted me to chase after you instead?" He squeezes the exposed skin of your waist tightly, unconsciously making you closer to his body. The bathroom was tiny, with barely any space to breathe, think, or process anything.

" what are you talking about Gojo" you questioned. Have you seriously been giving this dude signs? Nah. He's just fucking delusional.

You never really were interested in dating people, yeah maybe a good fuck buddy is cool but nothing more. Relationships are draining in your opinion, and mess with your mentee.

You laugh and look at him with an amused look, confusing the blue-eyed boy.

"You thought..I liked you? HAHAHA! Gojo I barely even know you! And so far I got.." You made some distance and counted with your fingers,

" 1. A-1 asshole 2. Total creep 3. Total sadist by heart and 4. anger issues." you chuckle at him and wiggle your fingers at his face. You could tell he was annoyed at your confident state. That you didn't just accept his attraction and make the best outta it.

" Also..." you grow closer, staring at his ocean orbs. " If i did even think about you, It wouldn't be dating you ... it'd be just using you. You being my personal dildo hehe."

He stepped back trying to understand what you said.

" Just...fuck buddies? That's all? Not gonna fall in love w me or nun?"

" You're a jerk, would never think about it. But you are attractive and could use that to your advantage."

"oh and.." You firmly grabbed the bulge through his pants, making him groan into your touch, " Don't ever touch me again without permission. I'm not your little slave mkay?" he whispered in his ear. When you let go of his sore hard-on, you unlocked the door and left, leaving the confused boy in there alone.

'I just need to break her'

' need her to beg for me'

[simeons-sinful-saint]

Summertime Happiness

(OM) Boys (excluding Simeon, Solomon) x GN!Reader

Synopsis: the beach episode

WC: 3.2k

Note: it’s summer, and I miss the beach. I really want to go so I projected it here. I will say this is a part one bc I plan on writing smut for part two and you get to pick which ending you want. For example, you could pick to spend the night with Diavolo or you could choose Mammon. I’m challenging myself to write for each character so we’ll see how that goes.

“Beach! beach! Beach!” Mammon, Asmo, and Levi were chanting in the back of the car.

“Guys, we’re not even halfway there.” You groaned. They had been like that ever since you got to the human world. They then started squabbling about what to do. Mammon then tried to steal Levi’s tablet. Asmo seemed to ignore them completely.

“This would be our first human world beach! Of course, we’re excited. Just think of all the photos I could post.” Asmo was gleeful, the main person who suggested this trip.

“Well can you guys keep it down. I’ll turn this car around if you don’t!” They shut up, leaving you able to concentrate on the road, “You guys are lucky that Lucifer is in the other car.”

“I didn’t know you could drive MC.” Satan was in the front seat next to you.

“Of course! I’ve been driving since I was 16.”

“I’m sure you could teach Mammon how to drive safer.”

“Oi! Quit insulting me!”

“Honestly, why couldn’t Belphie be in my car. He’d just sleep.” You grumbled under your breath.

“I still don’t understand why Diavolo would want to come here when he has a beach of his own. Besides the beach is stupid.” Satan was now complaining. The choir in the back started up again, and you could feel the headache develop.

Instead of listening to them, you turned the music up to drown out the noise they were making.

That’s when Barbatos gave you a call. You answered it hands free, “hello?”

“MC, it seems the young lord would like to visit the nearest rest stop. He wants to see a human world gift shop.”

“There will be gift shops at the beach!”

“You don’t understand MC! I heard rest stop gift shops offer a wide variety of trinkets that the state offers.” Diavolo sounded too excited for you to say no.

“Also, Beel ran out of food, and we don’t want him to rampage in the car.” Lucifer sounded annoyed, probably because he got put in the back seat since Barbatos was driving.

“I’m hungry…” you could practically hear Beel’s stomach growl from the backseat as well.

“I suppose we need to fill the cars up with gas as well. There should be a rest stop at the next exit.”

“Understood. We’ll follow you to the rest stop of your choice.” Barbatos hung up. The music resumed. Hopefully, they didn’t hear the commotion from the back of your car.

You pulled off the next exit to arrive at a big gas station/truck stop. Parking your car at a pump, the others got out of the car to stretch their legs.

“You guys go ahead and get some snacks or drinks. Make sure to get me one too. The others should show up shortly.”

They walked into the shop thankfully not arguing. Barbatos shortly pulled in at the pump opposite of your car.

They also got out, and Diavolo practically ran to the shop with Beel following behind him.

“Lucifer, please don’t let them get into any trouble. That’s the last thing we need.” He nodded already looking annoyed. Upon inspecting their car, you could see Belphie peacefully sleeping in the back seat.

Barbatos walked over with a map consulting you on the best route to the beach. Their D.D.Ds didn’t have human world GPS, and of course, they didn’t have any human world phones to access it (and you weren’t planning on buying a new phone.) With a pen, you highlighted the route after consulting your GPS. You knew that Barbatos wouldn’t get lost behind you, but it was nice having this assurance.

Barbatos then turned around and excused himself from your discussion, heading towards the gas station shop. You tended to both of the cars, making sure that they were filled up and ready to go.

When you saw all of them come back to the car, Mammon was thrown over Barbatos’s shoulder.

“Put me down!”

“I’m sorry MC, but Mammon will be riding with us now.” You didn’t even want to know. Beel now was in your car, which solved part of the headache that was going on.

Lucifer simply texted you:

Mammon tried to steal

You knew that Mammon was going to be harshly punished in Barbatos’s car which he deserved. The last thing y’all needed was for the cops to come and arrest Mammon.

You noticed how many bags of souvenirs Diavolo was putting in the back of the car. It looked like he swept the store clean of everything. Same with Beel but with food.

“Beel, please make sure to not get food everywhere in my car. My parents would kill me if I ruined their seats.” He nodded and kept chowing down on the bag of chips he got.

Satan just shook his head and handed you a granola bar and a soda. Thankfully someone remembered to get what you asked for.

You all loaded the cars back up and set off once more. This time your car was quieter, and you were so thankful for that on the rest of the way to the beach.

—

“Finally! We’re here!” Asmo exclaimed when you parked the car at the condo y’all would be spending time at. Barbatos shortly pulled in next to you.

They got out of the car and met up with you, “We’ll need rolling carts for all of our luggage and supplies. They should be in the lobby’s office.”

Lucifer and Barbatos left to go fetch them and check in to the condo for you.

It was surprisingly easy to get all of the suitcases, beach supplies, and coolers up to the room. You made sure to get a big condo so everyone could get their own room (saved yourself the headache of who will be rooming with who.)

“Alright everyone, time to set up the ground rules!” You gathered everyone to the common room, “Make sure you all remember your human world names. Please do not stray too far from the others. We do have the beach for ourselves here, but the public beach isn’t too far from here. Please be careful to not wander that way. We have an itinerary for dinner and free times. Please do try to behave yourselves over the week we are here. Other than that, we’ll have fun!”

They all agreed and left to go unpack their stuff.

“I really hope we can get through this without any trouble. We’re spending too much money being here instead of being in Devildom.”

—

The sand was nice and warm. The sunlight danced over the waves, making the ocean sparkle. Lucifer and Barbatos already got the umbrellas and beach chairs prepared, so all the rest had to do was get into swimsuits.

Running out to settle down on a chair basking in the sunlight was your first objective.

“MC, you need to apply sunscreen before you sit out in the sun.” Barbatos walked over with the spray on sunscreen.

“Right. I forgot.”

“MC, I can help you put on your sunscreen!” Asmo ran over to you, “Then you can rub it all over my body.”

“Oi! If anyone is going to rub sunscreen on them, it’s going to be me. I’m their first so I have that right!” Mammon was quick to swoop in and grab the bottle out of Asmo’s hand.

“You can’t use that excuse every time. Especially since you’ll never admit how you feel.” Satan was the next one to take the bottle.

“I-I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, you know you’re a simp.” Levi came up to y’all, “O-Of course I will apply sunscreen on you MC. Who am I kidding you’ll never pick me.” You could hear every mumble under Levi’s breath.

“What on earth are you all doing?” It was Lucifer, “they are perfectly capable of putting sunscreen on themselves.”

“But their back! They couldn’t possible read that part,” Asmo flirted, “and I’m the perfect person.”

Lucifer rolled his eyes and took the bottle out of Satan’s hands, “I’ll put on your sunscreen MC”

“No fair! How come you get to do it?” They started to whine. Honestly at this point you didn’t care who put it on you.

“Thank you, Lucifer,” you turned your back towards him so he could apply the lotion on you. Feeling his hand run up and down your skin did feel nice.

The others continued to bitch at Lucifer about it.

“Haha! Your brothers are lively as always.” Diavolo stood next to Lucifer, who only sighed at his comment.

“I’m afraid so.”

Now that everyone was prepared, Mammon, Asmo, Levi, and Beel ran towards the water. Belphie was already asleep on a beach chair. Satan sat next to him with a book in hand. Diavolo was forcing Lucifer to build a sandcastle with him, while Barbatos helped by carrying buckets of ocean water.

A smile grew on your face as you ran towards the ocean yourself with a floaty, finally able to relax and play with everyone there.

When entering the nice warm water, you’re immediately dunked in. Rising back up,

“Mammon! You ass!” You move your hair out of your face.

“It’s ok MC, he did the same to me. He has a death wish,” Asmo looked furious. Every time he’s swim close to Mammon, he would simply swim away.

“Didn’t peg you as a good swimmer.”

“The great Mammon can do many things!” His laughter was infectious, and your anger fizzled out as you see the brothers chasing each other.

“Ugh, what normies.”

“What did you expect to do out here Levi?”

“Well you see I saw in this anime called A Trip to the Beach turns into a romance story and-“

“Forget I asked. I’m surprised that Mammon didn’t dunk you.”

“The water doesn’t scare me.”

“Makes sense. You do kind of control water. I guess this would be the best place to summon Lotan, besides the fact this is a human world beach.”

“Hahaha. I have no plans of doing that. My Ruri-Chan towel and bag would get soaked, and I don’t want that.”

“Right…”

You then heard eating sounds in your ear. Turning around, you see Beel mouth full of fish, “You can’t just eat the marine life here!”

“But I was hungry…”

“Then go to shore and grab some of the food we brought down here!”

Beel took you up on that offer as soon as he finished devouring the fish he caught with his bare hands. You just prayed he left something for the rest of you, lest you have to go back to the condo and get more.

Mammon quickly swam back and hid behind your back, practically using you as a shield.

“Don’t use MC to protect you!” Asmo was coming in hot. You dunked yourself under the water for Asmo to finally catch Mammon and push his head in the water.

Upon both of you returning to the surface, you shook your head to get the salt water out of your ears.

“You pushed too hard Asmo!” Mammon bitched.

“You brought this upon yourself!”

“Can you both shut up? I’m trying to fantasize about Ruri-Chan.”

“Stay out of this otaku!” They both shouted at the same time. Levi clammed up.

“Of course, they think I’m some weird gross shut in…”

“Oh Levi, that’s not true. Just let those two idiots fight and dunk each other under water. Let’s go back to shore and hunt for seashells!” He felt better from your words. Grabbing the floatie that seemed to be abandoned (you’re glad it didn’t float away into the sea), you both swam back and went to dry yourselves off.

Beel was devouring all of the food in the coolers you brought.

“Satan! Why didn’t you restrain him?”

“Huh, it’s not my job to keep Beel from eating everything. That’s Belphie’s.” You glanced to see that he was asleep basking in the summer sun.

“Of course.” You turned your attention back to Satan, “why don’t you come with Levi and I to hunt for seashells?”

“No.” It was immediate and caught you off guard, “I’m at the climax of this book, and I’ll do beach stuff when I’m done. Except go into the water.”

“Still don’t get it, but whatever.”

You grabbed the necessary supplies to gather seashells, and you made your way back to the shoreline with Levi by your side.

“Let’s see if we can find one that’s not broken! I’d love to get to a nice cone shaped one” Levi cheered up.

So far, you’ve only found broken sand dollars and pieces of broken corral, “well this isn’t great.”

“Oi! Why you hogging MC all to yourself?” Mammon always knew how to ruin a moment.

“Hey, Mammon~”

“Y-yeah?”

“You want a dollar?”

“Yes! Giving money to me is an investment-“

You simply placed a sand dollar in his hand causing Levi to practically die, howling about how you got him good.

Mammon just stood there looking like he could turn to dust at any moment. You couldn’t help but laugh.

Satisfied with your haul, you and Levi placed the bucket of shells back at the beach chairs.

“Still reading Satan?”

“Yes, and it’s getting good so leave me alone.” You roll your eyes in response. Levi said he would chill with Satan in the shade, something about getting his daily log on bonuses.

Shrugging, you turn on the group you hadn’t visited yet.

“Lucifer! Diavolo! How’s the sandcastle coming?”

“Well…I tried making a sand sculpture of Lucifer, but it doesn’t look anything like him.” Diavolo pouted. Upon looking at the pile of sand, you tried to hold back your laughter. If this was supposed to be Lucifer, then Asmo should really give him a makeover.

“The important thing is you tried Diavolo,” Lucifer tried to hide his annoyance, but of course he was bad at that (he would never admit it though.)

“Maybe we should take a break, my lord.”

“I guess so.” You felt bad and patted Diavolo on the back.

“You’ll get it right the next time you do it. Here why don’t I show you something humans do on the beach!”

Diavolo perked up, and the three of them followed you back to the shaded umbrella where their beach chairs were. You sauntered off and grabbed four bottles of beer and a bag of limes you cut up earlier (thankful that Beel didn’t eat them.)

You handed them the beer as well as a bottle opener, “Ok, so typically on the beach with this brand of beer, you push a lime into the neck of the bottle. It helps add flavor to the drink of the summer here.”

You demonstrated for them, even though Barbatos was a step ahead of you anyway. Diavolo looked at it all with wonder, taking a sip after preparing it, “Fascinating! Is this really what humans do?”

“Some. I like to do it when I go to the beach. It’s nice and relaxing. Plus, the advertising says to do this.”

“I do have to say, it does add a little aromatic flavor. However, I’ll have to decline drinking more than I already have.” Barbatos handed the bottle back to you. Even though you knew he had his reasons, it bummed you out a little.

“Well Lucifer! What do you think?” Diavolo turned towards his friend who was happily drinking his.

“Honestly, I needed some sort of break after being in the sun for so long.”

“Well, I’m glad I was able to help.” Lucifer smiled at your response, praising you about how you’re always a help to everyone.

You sat down next to them on the sand and just took in the calmness of the beach air, the smell of salty sea water filling your nose. It was enjoyable to have one moment of relaxation.

“Hey MC! Belphie’s awake! Help us throw him into the ocean!” You could hear Mammon from the other side of the beach.

“Your brothers are always so exciting, Lucifer,” Diavolo was laughing and was waiting for Lucifer to laugh along with him.

“More like a headache…”

“I’ll go over there so they don’t bother you three. Remember to get the relaxation you need. The three of you work way too hard, you deserve a break. That goes for you to Barbatos! You don’t have to be a butler here.”

He laughed at your comment, “So noted.”

Satisfied, you ran back over to the others.

“If you like to live, you’ll let go of me” Belphie was trying to fight, but with Mammon, Asmo, and Levi together, he didn’t stand a chance.

“Same for you Beel! Put me down so I can finish my book!”

“Nah, you can finish your book later. We’re at the beach. You should have fun with us!” Mammon had a death wish. They managed to pull Belphie and Satan into the water. Belphie at this point had already given up.

Satan, however, was like trying to bathe a cat. Extremely unhappy about it. He screamed profanities and was about to go apeshit, until you were by his side and holding his hand.

“It’s ok Satan. They just want you to have fun.” He huffed in response with a hint of blush developing on his face.

Finally, all of you were in the ocean, splashing water at each other, seeing who could hold their breath the longest, and float around letting the water massage your worries away.

The fun eventually was coming to a close. The sun started to set, and everyone went to pack everything up.

“Hold on!”

They turned to look at you who has a mischievous look on your face, holding up sparklers in their face, “They’re a lot of fun to have on the beach too.”

Everyone was about to decline until, “Ohhhh, that sounds like fun. I’ll do it with you MC.”

Diavolo started to take sparklers from your hand and went to get a lighter.

“Well, I guess I can do it too.” Mammon said.

“It does sound like fun. Plus, I can take all sorts of photos to post when we get back to Devildom.” Asmo ran to be by your side.

“Don’t eat the sparklers Beel,” Belphie said walking over with his twin.

“W-well it’s a normie thing to do, but if MC wants to do it then I will too.” Levi took a sparkler from the packet.

“As long as Lucifer isn’t going to participate then I will too.” Satan said.

“Too bad because Lucifer has to do this too!” Your words sounded very adamant, leaving Satan with no other choice.

Lucifer sighed but then smiled, “As long as your happy MC and Diavolo.”

You squealed in happiness. As you lit the sparklers, everyone waved them around. Asmo took photos of everyone with theirs. Mammon tried writing words (they didn’t look good.) The rest were happy to chase each other with Diavolo and Lucifer standing on the side. Diavolo was mesmerized by the sparks shooting out, and Lucifer couldn’t help but laugh with him.

Barbatos filmed the entire thing for everyone to remember later. One of the best days ever.

—

After showering, you noticed the night was still young. Everyone was kind of doing their own thing now.

You didn’t want the night to end too soon. Hitting up the town seemed like a good idea.

You sat thinking of who you should bring with you.