#one day i'll do something more elaborate for both of them

[zainmalik]

#they’ve made it (insp.)

[hyperfixiation-station]

Hi!!

I am totally obsessed with your fics!!! Your writing 🤌💕

I just wanted to request a fic where the reader is new to the task force but she's experienced and tough. Vibez similar to Ghost to elaborate she's more scary than Ghost cuz of her past maybe she was experimented on or trained brutally....

Reader is working hard to prove herself even if everyone knows she's the most lethal person. So one time she gets injured badly while protecting someone from the 141( probably Ghost 👉👈) and she wakes up has an emotional moment Ghost comes know about her Trauma . More like hurt/comfort....

Happy Writing 💝

Guilt-Tripped

CW: Mentions/references of kidnapping, torture, canon typical violenece Part 2, Part 3 Hiii Anon!! First off, thank you! Secondly, I am so, so, so sorry for how long this took😭 I did make this a two parter, the first part is kinda like backstoryish and the second part will be the actual story. I was gonna wait until I finished both to post but you have been waiting for way to long so I'll give you the first part now instead of waiting, again I am so sorry! I hope you like it :)) Summary: F!Reader was a part of a special program(LMK if you can guess what it is) and once she was released she joined the military.

WC: 1467 As always, I didn't proof read so lmk if there are any mistakes :3

Life had not been kind to you. Ripped from your family at a very young age, you had never known the type of love and safety a nurturing home could provide. Instead, you grew up in the confines of a Russian base, with cruel instructors and a dwindling group of girls as your only companions.

From the moment you could walk, you had been told you were a weapon. A lethal force to be honed and trained, nothing more than a tool for others to use to further their games. Brainwashed, tortured, and trained into submission, a perfect puppet. Both your brain and body were sculpted into absolute perfection, a rigorous process most people did not survive. By day, they trained to be a lethal force, an unstoppable, unnoticeable, killing machine. At night, you were handcuffed to your bed, listening to the screams of students who did not make the cut.(to this day you sleep handcuffed)

You watched, at first in horror, then with a sense of detachment, as your friendsrivals bit the dust, unable to keep up with what the program demanded of them. It got better as you got older, less girls died from their tasks. But in some ways it got worse. It was a competition now, a fight to see who would remain victorious, to see who would come out on top. It was not a place for friendship and comradery, and you learned that quickly.

You stopped trying to make friends with the other students when you were forced to shoot your best friend in the head after giving her some of your dinner when she was being punished. You were 8. And you stopped trying to even just be friendly with the other girls at 10 years old, when the instructor broke every bone in your hands after your bunkmate framed you for something you didn't do. To this day your hands are not the same, always hurting and forever scarred.

Your world was kill or be killed, and you'd be dammed if you didn't come out on top.

And come out on top you did. You graduated top of your class, a position you had fought and killed for, won through bloodshed and pain. If you had a conscience, it would have been screaming at you for the things you had done to get to the top(You laid awake every night consumed by guilt and grief)

The program was disbanded(re: destroyed) when you hit 18, just two weeks after your 'graduation'. You were given two options: Join the American military, or face a life sentence in prison. 

You had a lifetime of sins to atone for, and knew there was only one way to even begin to ease your guilt. Two days later your background was sealed up and you were shipped off to boot camp. 

And you excelled. This was nothing to you. What was a six mile run when you used to run until you passed out, then wake up and keep going? What was surviving on four hours of sleep when sleep deprivation had been the norm your whole life? What was any of this compared to what you had been forced to do everyday since you were five? 

You scared your instructors. And the other recruits. And everyone else you came into contact with. And you were fine with that. You didn't like when people got close to you anyhow.

Love got you nowhere in the world. It was a lesson you learned hard and fast. You did not care for others, they did not care for you. And you liked it that way. Until you met the 141.

A woman named General Laswell came to you one day with a job offer. Well, not a job offer exactly, but more of a…transfer of positions. A small, (mostly)four-man team that she oversaw.

You had gotten disciplined for beating the ever-loving shit out of a recruit the week before, and Laswell had watched it all unfold. She went back to her office, read your full file, and decided you would make a good fit for John's team.

You took a look at your bunk, at the trunk that held zero worldly possessions, realized there is nothing for you here, and said yes. 

Price had not wanted a new recruit, and told Laswell as much. She simply said he had a penchant for picking up strays and left your file on his desk. It took him a week to actually get curious enough to read it. A paper copy, the only one in existence that had your full, undisclosed background. He pretended he didn’t see her smug grin when he hit accept on your transfer application. 

You had been trained since youth to fight and to kill, yes, but your true purpose was espionage. You were trained to study those around you, to lie, to mold yourself to the expectations of those around you. You excelled at fitting into your surroundings, at assimilating perfectly with your peers. It was all you were good for, in your opinion. So you asked Laswell for files on your new teammates. And she gave them to you. They were full of gaping holes and redacted information, but there was enough there for you to profile them. 

Soap would be the most receptive to you. He most likely would also be the one to not give up in trying to get you to be open with them. Gaz would be receptive as well, but you know that your sealed background would put him on edge, Ghost, well…Ghost was a lot like you from what you could piece together. Yet another person who learned that the world was cruel and unforgiving, who had learned the lesson that love does nothing but hurt. And because he was like you, you knew he would trust you the least.

You felt a small pang in your chest when looking at this masked photo that you hadn’t felt in years. Not quite sadness, but…pity? No. It was different, it was sympathy. It weirded you out. 

It was hard at first, joining the 141. You had court-mandated therapy you had had to attend, and you had slowly come to realize that some trust was good, necessary even, for life. You knew you wouldn’t be able to open yourself up to them, that you would never be able to feel the sense of brotherhood you had seen amongst other soldiers, but you wanted to try. 

It was harder than you thought it would be. Hard joining men who already had comradery, who had a bond that had been forged with blood, sweat, and tears. men who weren't sure how to fit another person, much less a female, into their group. 

As you suspected, Soap was the most receptive. He was fun, you thought. His Scottish accent and affinity for filling the silence made him a very pleasant conversationalist. You didn’t have to do any of the talking.

Gaz was wary of you, but did a good job of not showing it. As you suspected, he stopped inviting you out after you said ‘no thanks’ for the third time. 

Ghost didn’t like you. You could see it in the slight tensing of his muscles when you walked in the room, the way his eyes pinched when you spoke. 

It was a rough, rocky start, full of distrust and misunderstandings. Everything about you set his senses on high alert. They way you could sneak up on him completely silent, the way you could hold your own when you sparred with him, even the way you moved had his hair standing on end. It wasn’t until a mission that would have ended with Soap's death if you hadn’t risked your life to shove him out of the way that Ghost began to trust you. 

And then he began to notice something else about you. And the more he noticed, the more concerned he grew. He noticed the way you threw yourself into battle, what little regard you held for your own life. He noticed how you never instigated conversation, never gave away the slightest bit of information that could be used against you. Noticed that you always wore gloves. In fact, he's never once seen your hands.

His constant observations of you had an unintended side effect. The longer he watched you, the more he realized you were a lot like him, the more he was drawn to you. And vice-versa. 

You found yourself willfully seeking Ghost out, willingly sharing information with him. Nothing about your past, no, you would never tell anyone the things you had done. But little things, how you liked the food served this week, how your mission went, that your new pants were really itchy. And he told you things too. Told you really bad jokes, told you Soaps stupid Scottish saying of the week. And slowly you branched out, agreeing to go to the bar the next time Soap asked you, telling Gaz that you liked his new sunglasses. 

It was nice, having people who looked at you like you meant something to them. Having people who didn’t know what you’d done, people who didn’t look at you with disgust and distrust. It was nice to have…friends. 

So of course everything had to go downhill from there.

End scene :3 let me know what you think!!6 and be on the look out for pt.2, I hope you're ready for a buttload of angst >:) Also requests are open <3

[cherryfennec]

So this was originally supposed to have a kickass artwork of the bros using the power- up and stuff but then I got sick and then I realised Im out of time and here we are so uh hieee everyone and welcome to my post-

Happy MAR10 Day! For the occasion, let's go back to the (not discussed in a long time) Power-Up headcanons. This time I'll focus on the Ice Flower (most of the lore under cut like last time)!

This was surprisingly requested by some (3) people. I'm going to be honest, I barely remembered this one at first. I kinda know how it looks and generally what it does, which will have to be enough to base this entire thing on. With that being said, I did some thinking and here's what I've got:

General headcanons;

This one has difficulty surviving outside of it's original environment. If you want to keep a batch in the house your best bet is to use the fridge/freezer, otherwise it looses both it's blue look and the stored energy. See, the Ice Flower originally wasn't (and still technically isn't) it's own flower species. Let me elaborate:

Nowadays the conditions there are not as harsh, however a rather long time ago travelers heading towards places like the Snow Mountain needed to be both be specially trained and very well equipped to even attempt a climb. A heat source was a big must, and it so happens that it often consisted of Fire Flowers. They'd put some in their coats to keep warm, as well as store a few in the backpack just in case they needed to protect themselves from monsters. When setting camp during their journeys these hikers would use the Power-Ups energy to start fires and cook food. After the flowers were depleted of their energy and entered their hibernation stage (I talked about it in my Fire Flower post), they would be simply thrown away like trash. Waiting for them to recharge was often not beneficial, especially in conditions like this, so there was ultimately no point in keeping them. However like I mentioned before, Fire Flowers are very adaptable, which actually wasn't that known at the time. Instead of wilting, these stubborn plants would try gathering energy like the usual, but since it was very cold and direct sunlight was limited, they decided to collect something else. While not all flowers made it, a few managed to amass the eminating frost and turn it into a new kind of energy which proved to be enough for their survival. With time even their petal colour changed to blueish hues. And thus the Fire Flowers in the area became Ice Flowers and over the years started populating the mountains and snowfields.

The Ice Flower is a multiple use Power-Up in theory but more often than not you'll find yourself without a place to freeze it after using one. If it's not placed in a cold environment during it's hibernation it'll either die or, more uncommonly, simply revert back to being a Fire Flower after a long process.

Mario and Luigi specific headcanons;

While the idea of being able to freeze stuff sounded cool it wasn't very fun to learn.

In Marios case imagine: you're good at something, really, REALLY good at something. Okay great, now imagine being told that your knowledge doesn't matter because now you need to do the opposite of what you've learned. Back with the theme of "elements don't mix", Mario absolutely hated how much effort he needed to put into focusing the newfound energy to barely make a tiny projectile. Even before he got the Firebrand he had enough difficulty with it, so it only got worse from there. This was one of the rare times where learning the bare basics instead of mastering a Power-Up was enough for him.

Luigi didn't really mind. The main complications came more from the vague instructions he received during training rather than his own inability. Suprisingly or not the Thunderhand didn't make this one much of a pain either, I guess anomalies attract eachother. While he doesn't consider this Power-Up as a favourite he still finds it pretty fun that he can freeze and walk on water. Did you know, he used to be pretty good at skating in high school. If you didn't he'll make sure to bring it up at a given occasion. Back to ice powers, he definitely outdoes his brother on this one, even if not by much.

There's probably one more thing I should mention. Despite the contrary belief the Ice Flower does NOT increase ones tolerance to cold temperatures. To be frank it might even decrease it by lowering the bodys natural temperature, making the chances of frostbite higher. And so, they learned it the hard way.

In conclusion, this is more of a situational Power-Up. It's neither easy to find or preserve which can be annoying but despite all this it's hard to deny that it's ultimately a useful tool.

Few bonus headcanons!

I don't know how much sense I conveyed through my broken wording and less than average writing skills but it's not that shabby if I say so myself. Just like last time some details might change in the future but for now that's the general idea that I have considering the Ice Flower. Once again thank you to whoever took the time to read this!

[supernovafics]

𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐀𝐁𝐋𝐄

"i'll be there for you" universe masterlist

pairing: bestfriend!roommate!steve harrington x fem!reader

word count: 3.2k words

warnings: explicit language, some mentions of alcohol, parent drama (both reader’s and steve’s parents suck)

summary: in which your parents and steve’s come over for dinner 

author's note: this has absolutely nothing to do with the harry styles song but the title of it is just very fitting so yeah<33 i’ve been rewatching a lot of gilmore girls this fall season so i feel like that's helped me get the hang of writing awkward/tense dinners with family lol so this needed to be done

general note: everything in this universe/series can be read as standalone oneshots but to understand the full “lore” it would prob be best to read the other stuff too<333

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Fall 1985

When your and Steve’s parents first suggested this “early Thanksgiving dinner,” you thought that it wouldn’t actually happen. 

The initial idea sounded pretty funny to you— your parents and Steve’s parents would have a full on dinner at your apartment a week before the actual holiday. Yeah, right.

It sounded like the kind of idea that parents that really cared about spending time with their children would have, and that wasn’t how you’d necessarily describe yours or Steve’s. 

A month ago, when they told you about the ski trip the four of them were going on during the entire week of Thanksgiving, you expected to just not see them probably until Christmas— and that felt like a bit of relief to you because spending time with your parents wasn’t your favorite hobby.  

But then you remembered how, only during the holidays, your parents always had a need to show, or maybe more so “prove” to themselves, that they actually cared about you. So, of course, they wouldn’t let this stupid holiday go, and instead they thought that it would be best if you all did something early and together. 

And sadly, none of the immediate excuses that you and Steve came up with worked because your moms had solutions for everything.

When you told yours that the kitchen in the apartment was too small to cook for this kind of elaborate dinner, she simply told you that they’d buy and bring all of the food and you and Steve wouldn’t have to cook at all. She also not-so-jokingly mentioned that she would’ve never trusted either of you two cooking anyway.

And when Steve told his mom that the current dining table you two had was way too small to fit all six of you, she promptly had one ordered and delivered to your door in just a week. It was an expensive dark wood set that could comfortably fit six people, and you and Steve spent hours struggling to build it the day it showed up at your front door. It took up an obscene amount of space, but it did actually look kind of nice.

Now it was weeks later and the dreaded night was finally here, but you still tried to come up with any way to avoid it from happening. 

“And we’re sure that we really can’t get out of doing this tonight?” You asked Steve as you folded the blanket that was lying half-hazardly on the couch. “I could call my mom and say that we’ve somehow fallen tragically ill in the last hour?”

“I’m ninety-five percent sure that they’re all already on their way.”

“Shit.”

“It’ll be fine,” Steve said, and then he considered his words. “Actually, it will probably suck, but overall, we will be fine.” 

You let out a sigh and placed the now folded blanket back on the couch and then started cleaning off the coffee table, stacking the random magazines in a neat pile and then adjusting Harold’s cage so that it was nicely in the center. Your and Steve’s shared pet hamster was currently nibbling on the food that you had put in his bowl only moments ago. 

An abrupt feeling of worry shot through you as you looked around the apartment. The place was clean— probably the cleanest it had ever been— since you and Steve had spent the day doing everything to avoid either of your parents saying anything bad about the place. However, in the grand scheme of things, you knew that it didn’t matter because they’d still hate the apartment. They would hate how you two decided to furnish and decorate it, and they would passive aggressively make fun of the place for however long this dinner would have to be.

“Let’s try not to think about how bad this night is gonna be and just be glad that we’re not gonna have to suffer alone, like usual,” Steve said, practically reading your mind and the look on your face, as he started setting plates out on the new table. 

He was completely right. This was the first time that a collective Thanksgiving was happening among all of you. Usually, it was just you alone with your parents in Chicago visiting family members that you never talked to, and Steve was doing the same exact thing except he was in Indianapolis. You’d always end up calling each other at the end of the night from the hotel or family house you were staying at, and you’d tell each other stories about whatever weird family members you encountered or how boring it all was. 

It did make things feel a bit better that, for once, you didn’t have to go through this alone and neither did Steve.

“You’re right,” You said with a nod and then smiled. “We’ll be going through this shitshow together.”

As if on cue, there was a knock at the door and since Steve was closer he went to answer it. You took one brief and final look around the apartment before heading toward the door too, so Steve didn’t have to be by himself in this greeting.

“Hi,” He said when he opened the door and saw all of your parents standing there. There was a bright smile on his face and he effortlessly turned on that “Steve Harrington charm” that people had adored in high school— you hadn’t even gone to the same high school as him, but you still heard so many of the stories.

A chorus of Hi’s and Hello’s were heard as your moms entered the apartment first since they were carrying all of the food and your dads followed in right behind them.

“I still hate that you moved into a place that doesn’t have a front doorman, or, at least, a buzzer system,” Were your dad’s first words to you; deciding against saying the simple “How are you?” that you had expected. “You two should get a better lock on your door.”

You laughed a bit. “We live in Hawkins, not New York, Dad. I don’t think anyone is really itching to rob us anytime soon.” 

“Anything can happen,” He responded, looking at you seriously. “I’ll bring you a new one when we get back from Colorado.”

You only nodded at his words instead of saying anything to rebut them; you knew that he overall meant well. “Okay.”

Your attention turned to your mom and she pulled you into a hug that felt way too forced before pulling away and giving you a quick onceover. “Oh… Is that what you’re wearing?”

You thought that your outfit was fine; a V-neck navy blue knit sweater that was a bit cropped and a simple pair of black jeans. But, your mom always managed to find something wrong with everything, so this reaction to your current outfit didn’t necessarily surprise you; it did still annoy you all the same, though.

“Oh, um, no I was just about to change,” You told her and forced a small smile.

She nodded at that. “Okay, that’s good, that’s good. You go change while Christine and I get the table set up.”

You started heading toward your room but looked back at Steve first. He was in a conversation with his parents that looked like they were doing much more of the talking than him. As if sensing your gaze on him, his eyes met yours and he gave you a hopeful look and that was enough to make you feel a little better.

It didn’t take long for you to change. You kept your sweater on but traded your jeans for the long black silk skirt that your mom had always liked on you. You hoped this slightly different outfit would be enough to satisfy her, and if not, you were willing to suffer through her inevitable look of disappointment. 

You lingered in your room, tidying up your desk for no particular reason and then deciding to remake your bed. It was clear that you were stalling, avoiding having to face your parents again, and as much as you wanted to continue doing that, you also didn’t want to leave Steve to fend for himself. You were supposed to be suffering together, after all. 

You immediately noticed the dining table when you walked out of your bedroom. The food was now nicely set out and there were even brown placemats sitting underneath the plates that Steve had already set out. It was all set up in a way that would’ve felt nice and wholesome if either of your families had ever remotely felt like the ones portrayed in most TV shows or movies. But, they weren’t anywhere close to being like that, so this all just felt weirdly forced.

Of course, you didn’t say that, though.

Instead, you sat down with everyone at the table and desperately hoped that the next few hours of your life would breeze by. 

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

“From the brochure, the pictures of the cabin look really great. We hope it actually looks that way in person,” Steve’s mom, Christine, said. 

You took another bite of the mac and cheese on your plate as you continued to listen to your parents talk about their ski trip that was happening next week, which they had been doing for the last twenty minutes and you fully didn’t mind it. Since the conversation wasn’t centered on either you or Steve, things actually didn’t feel tense or nervewracking. If you could just make your parents talk about themselves during the entire dinner, you would probably end the night with a smile on your face. 

“Oh, and there are a lot of bedrooms too,” Your mom chimed in before taking another sip from the wine glass in her hand. “Maybe you two could take a trip up there soon and invite your friends to go too.” 

“Yeah, that would be nice,” You said with a small nod.

“Enough talking about the trip, though, that’s probably so boring for your kids to hear about,” Your dad said, and you internally sighed because you knew the exact direction the conversation was about to go in. You felt him look at you. “How’s school been going? The semester is almost over.”

“It’s been good,” You answered, keeping your response short and sweet. You decided not to mention that you really couldn’t care less about the majority of your classes because none of what you were doing in any of them felt like it really mattered. 

“Okay, and your grades and everything are fine, right?”

You only nodded in response to his question, hoping that your lack of actual words would signal to him that you wanted to bring an end to this topic of conversation. Of course, that was only wishful thinking.

“That’s good,” Your mom said. “You have to make sure your grades stay like how they were in high school, or even better, for when you transfer to the University of Chicago. We don’t want to have any reason for them not to accept you again.” 

You suddenly felt like you were right back in middle school and high school, where your conversations with your parents solely revolved around school; what your grades were, if you were doing your homework and completing assignments on time, and studying for tests. It always annoyed you that the only times they would bother to pay attention to you was when it came to that stuff. Other than that, you were always seemingly an afterthought, never a bigger priority than their jobs. 

In a way, this entire conversation should’ve been expected; it was always inevitable. Pretty much anytime you talked to your parents in recent months, the discussion always seemed to circle its way back to that school and you going there in two years instead of right now, like they had wanted you to.

“I’m still so surprised that you decided to not go to the University of Chicago now,” Christine said and you turned your attention to her. It was starting to feel a bit painful to you that the subject still hadn’t changed yet. “When Steve told me that you were going to go to the community college close by, I couldn’t believe it, honestly.”

You noticed your parents share a look upon hearing her words. The mix of disappointment and annoyance toward you that was shared between them in that moment felt palpable. 

“I didn’t think it was time to leave Indiana just yet. I’ll be going soon, though,” You said, keeping your voice light and plastering on a fake smile, even though all you wanted to do in that moment was leave the table and hideout in your bathroom for the rest of the night. 

You saw your dad smile a little and then you also noticed the look of relief wash over your mom’s face. For some stupid reason, you still felt the need to make them feel pleased with you. And somehow that made you feel even more upset with yourself than anything they had said to you so far tonight. 

The only thing that managed to make things feel remotely tolerable right then was Steve sitting across from you, giving you a look that said, “Everything will be okay.” For the time being, you chose to believe him and you simply took another bite of your food. 

You were about to say something about how good the turkey was so your moms would start talking about the restaurant they got all of the food from and why they chose it— you were sure that there was some story behind it all— and that would finally bring an end to the college conversation. But, before a word could leave your mouth, Steve’s dad began speaking. 

“Well, at least, you’re in college. We can’t say the same for Steve here.” He then looked at his son. “Do you really want to work at a video store for the rest of your life?”

 Christine let out a sigh. “Jeff.”

“What?” He shrugged as if his previous question wasn’t completely condescending. “I’m just asking a question.”

“I’m actually starting at the community college next semester,” Steve told his parents and you tried to hide your immediate confusion. “I found out I got in a few days ago.”

“Well, that’s great,” Christine said happily, and Jeff smiled approvingly as well. 

You had no idea Steve had gotten in or even applied, and you wondered if he was lying right then to just get his parents off his back, but you couldn’t tell. Something about the way he said it honestly felt pretty real. The only part that didn’t feel real was that you were finding out during this dumb dinner instead of at any other time. 

“So, I was wondering,” Your mom began and you braced yourself for the impact of whatever she was going to say. “Why did you two decide to get a hamster? I feel like it makes things smell a bit funny in here…”

A part of you was glad that the conversation finally shifted away from college. But you didn’t think that the passive aggressive comments toward the apartment would begin with Harold. 

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

“Well, this night was fucking brutal.”

You let out a sigh. “You took the words right out of my mouth.”

Steve was doing the dishes as you put what was left of the food into tupperwares and then put them in the fridge. Surprisingly, it was a lot of stuff leftover; your moms definitely went overboard with the amount they had ordered. You and Steve already made plans to invite Robin and Eddie over tomorrow to have some of these leftovers.

“I’m actually glad that the dessert tasted bad since it made them want to leave early.”

“It was honestly a bit bittersweet because I was kind of excited for that pie,” You said as you placed the final tupperware of food into the fridge and then went over to Steve. “Oh, and also,” You punched his arm and ignored his immediate “ouch.” “Why the hell didn’t you tell me that the stars have finally managed to align and we’ll finally be going to the same school for the first time ever?”

He smiled a little at your dramatics. “I didn’t wanna make a big deal out of it just in case I somehow didn’t end up getting in. I swear I was gonna tell you tomorrow.”

“So, you did all of that annoying application stuff by yourself?”

“Robin helped me with it.”

“I would’ve been happy to help you,” You told him, and maybe you were being a bit overdramatic, but you actually felt slightly offended that he hadn’t wanted to come to you about this. 

The possibility of you two going to the same middle or high school was a far out idea that never happened because you lived in different towns. But, it was still something that was adamantly and wistfully talked about by you and him; how much more fun both of your school lives could be if they intersected in that way like the other parts of your lives did. 

Of course, going to the same college would’ve been the most obvious way for it to finally happen, but Steve never seemed that interested in going to college, and up until the last possible second you were being pushed toward Chicago by your parents. 

But now things were finally different.

“I know that you would’ve, but I didn’t want to talk about it to anyone, honestly. Robin saw me working on the application one day and decided to help,” He explained and you only gave him a small nod in response. “I didn’t even think I’d tell my parents about it, but when I heard my dad’s dumb comment about Family Video I felt like I had to say it so he wouldn’t keep looking at me like a disappointment.” He sighed. “And it’s kinda fucked up… I really don’t wanna care what my parents think about me and what I’m doing with my life, but I think there will always be a part of me that does.”

You thought back to your dad’s approving smile and your mom’s relieved look when you reassured them that you still planned to go to the University of Chicago; how much you still wanted to make them feel at least a little proud of you even though you knew you shouldn’t.

“Me too,” You said softly. 

“I’m glad we probably won’t have to see them again until Christmas.”

You sighed. “Apparently, my dad is gonna bring us a new lock for the door when they get back from their trip.”

“Oh,” Steve said and then smiled at you when it looked like he thought of something. “Okay, what are the odds that he’ll just send someone to put the new lock on the door instead of coming himself?”

You thought about it for a second. “Honestly, I’d say there’s a pretty good chance that would happen. He’ll probably be too busy with work after the trip to actually come and do it himself.”

“Okay, let’s hope for that,” He said as he finished washing the last plate and placed it on the drying rack. “So, since the dessert was a bust tonight, do you wanna go to the diner? I’m sure Mary would never fuck up her apple pie. And then when we get back, we can finish that bottle of wine that our moms left.”

You smiled at his suggestion. “You have a brilliant mind, Harrington.”

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

let me know ur thoughts<333

(requests are open for stuff you wanna see in the universe/series!🫶🏾)

[thedepthsoffandomminds]

Run away with me.

Jack Dawkins x fem reader light smut.

Jack looked at you standing in his doorway, your elaborate dress looking so out of place in his tiny room. You were breathing heavily, a thin layer of sweat causing your skin to glow in the low lamp light. You put down a large carpet bag by the door.

"y/n, what is it? Has something happened?" Jack asks leaping from his bed. You shake your head.

"Where is Fagin?" You ask in a quiet voice.

"Out, drinking I think." He says. You nod, take a step forward and close the door behind you.

"Are you okay?" Jack asks again.

"I was at dinner, with my parents. There were several men there. Lady Fanny said it was because my mother wants to marry me off." You say.

Jack nods, confused.

"I looked at them all and I felt....I couldn't speak to any of them without comparing them to you." You admit.

"to me?" Jack smiles, he takes a step forward, "Your mother hates that you spend time with me." He reminds you. You can't stop the laugh that comes out of you.

"I know, but I don't care. I don't care about any of them, if you-" you cut yourself off, suddenly feeling doubt in your choices. Sensing it Jack closes the space between you, lifting your hands into his.

"I have been waiting to say this to you and I suppose now is the right time. Y/n from the moment you came barreling into this hospital I have been consumed by you. I think about you all day, wondering what you are doing, who you are speaking to. You are the thoughts before I sleep and the content of my dreams. You have bewitched me." He admits.

"I feel the same." You say smiling. Jack brings his lips to yours. The kiss is gentle, like he is frightened you might dissolve into the air. Your hands curl around his waistcoat lapels and you bring him closer to you. With precise movements Jack turns you and guides you back toward the bed, his lips never leaving yours.

"Jack, I-" you whisper, pulling back from his just a little.

"We can stop, at any moment if you're uncomfortable I'll stop." He says, one hand cupping your jawline. You nod and he continues the kiss. Using your nervous fingers you unbutton the blue waistcoat, pushing it off his shoulders. Jack shrugs his suspenders off so they drop down around his hips, his trousers dropping slightly. His tongue comes out a little to lick his lips before he too unbuttons your bodice. The tiny buttons seem to go on forever until he is able to toss your bodice to the ground. You drop your skirt and petticoats stepping out of them. Jack's hand takes your waist and pulls you back to a kiss. Blindly he unclips your corset, letting it join the pile of discarded clothing. His hand comes up to cup your breast, squeezing lightly. You sigh.

Jack lays you back on the bed, removing his breeches and lying beside you, half hovering over your body. He looks into your y/e/c eyes and has to remind himself to breathe.

"Are you sure you want this?" He asks, nose nudging your own. You nod.

"Yes." You whisper and bring him back down to you. Jack had not been this nervous since his first time with a woman. He tentatively ran his hand down your body, sliding his hand below your Bloomers to your core. The Doctor looks to you, silently asking for permission once more, you nod and he slips a finger between your folds. It was a sensation you had never felt before. His fingers worked in and around you. Your body arched and jolted involuntarily. Jack captured your moans in his kisses, easing you through your orgasim.

"Jack, I want you." You say holding him to you. Jack fully undressed you both before moving back over you and settling between your legs. He stroked his penis in his hand a few times before lining himself up with your entrance.

"If it hurts or you feel uncomfortable, I'll stop." He breathes out. He pushes his tip into you and you feel the stretch. Jack's hand moves to hold yours as he slowly sinks into you. The stretch is delicious, making you feel full. Jack's breath is shallow.in your ear as he begins to move inside you.

Sure you had adjusted to his size and movements Jack kissed you once more.

"I'm going to move faster now, okay?" He says to you and you nod your head. The feeling of his body moving against yours and the rhythmic motions of his pelvis had your muscles clenching around him.

"Oh god." His grunted, biting his head into your shoulder as his movements became sloppy, chasing his own end. His kisses you hard as he spilled himself inside you before collapsing above you. His body weight pressing onto.

"wow." You say between panted breathes. Jack agreed and slid out of you to lay beside you and pull the blanket over you both.

"Jack, I have a lot of money., I have a thousand pounds in my bag." You say, your head resting on his shoulder and his fingers tracing circles on your arm.

"I'm aware." He laughs.

"I know you have made a life here, in Port Victory but would you run away with me?" You ask. Jack freezes.

"Where would we go?" He asks.

"America? There are new towns popping up all over the place. We could set up an office, your own office."

Jack moves himself so he can look into your eyes.

"Are you serious about this?" He searches your eyes and you nod. "We will have to take Fagin." He smiles at you.

"Of course." You giggle as he settles himself back beside you. How is it his life continues to get better? Now he had you, fully and he didn't plan on ever letting you go

"All you have to do is pack and we can be gone, before my parents get to the desert."

[kerrtesy]

A Heads Up

Hello everyone, I hope you all are having a great day or night, whatever time it is for y'all.

Making this post to explain and elaborate on some parts of the recent AU (Bowser's Bodyguard AU, which I'm thinking of renaming) I've been working on. This is going to cover the general story idea, overall vibe, and the games I'm covering with this along with questions I think people may have about the general au.

Don't worry I'll always have this AU tagged, so if you don't like it you can block it easily.

So as stated above this is more of a clarification post and just generally covering my plans for this AU just so people know what to expect.

So I want this AU to be around 6 to 8 main chapters, where I will see if I can combine the Paper and Mario & Luigi universes into one. The first chapter will be on the Mario Movie.

What games will you be covering?

So below are games I definitely want to cover, please note the games are listed in no particular order at the moment.

Super Paper Mario

Paper Mario Thousand Year

Mario and Luigi Superstar Saga

Bowser's Inside Story

Dream Team

All games are going to be rewritten within mind of the character/setup changes. I'm not a huge fan of just writing something that is a paint-by-numbers retelling of the original story; if that's your cup of tea more power too you this is not to throw any shade on that!

For both Superstar Sage and Inside Story I do want to include the side stories the remakes added.

I will say Bowser's Inside Story will be heavily rewritten and I plan on calling it "Fawful's Revenge." The two main reasons are that I'm having Luigi prevent Bowser from eating the vacuum shroom which prevents a lot of the original plot, and I just don't want to draw the inside of Bowser. I don't know what else to say here.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Games that will either be short stories or I'm torn on covering:

Super Mario 2

Mario Galaxy (combining 1 and 2)

Mario RPG

Mario Odyssey

Origami King

Mario Sunshine

Luigi's Mansion 1 & 2

Rabbids Spark of Hope

Paper Mario 64

Super Mario 2 is going to cover Luigi's history with the Shy Guys, particularly with him usurping King Wart. This one might become a full/long chapter.

Mario Galaxy is one that might become a full chapter. It depends on what I end up covering. For instance, at the moment I'm debating on whether to have a semi-character death in it. It's weird because on one hand I don't fully consider this a character death, but it also kind of is because they leave the comic at this point and this does heavily impact the cast. So I'm unsure how to fully label this yet.

Mario RPG is a game I am very intrigued by and I would like to incorporate it into the story, but I do not know the plot of the story so it is on the fence right now. I do have at least a few short comics planned for it.

Mario Odyssey is just going to be a few short comics.

Origami King is where I don't know the full plot, but I'd like to do a comic about Shroom City just for some fun world building.

Mario Sunshine I am so torn on whether it would be a full chapter or just a short. I'm going to have to see where I go with it. Whatever it becomes I do plan on calling the chapter/comic "Obligatory Beach Episode."

Luigi's Mansion I'm going to be combining the first two games. I really want this to be a full chapter, I have just been struggling to plan out a full story for it along with fitting it into the rest of the games. I do want to try, but just in case I can't I'm slapping it into this category.

I need to give Rabbids a Spark of Hope a comic or two as Luigi and Bowser have a mission in there that is solely tied to their characters called "The Brains and the Brawn" which helped me think of their setup in this.

Paper Mario 64 will be another backstory one where Luigi attempts to use the Star Rod to send him home, to mixed results.

Games I am not covering:

Please note the games listed below are NOT because I think they are bad games, it's more because I haven't played them and/or I just don't have good ideas for how to fit them into the story.

Color Splash

Sticker Star

Paper Jam

Partners in Time

For Color Splash and Sticker Star, I just don't know the full plots of these games. Though I might do the train scene that occurs in Color Splash when Mario talks to that one Shy Guy.

Paper Jam is similar to the two listed above where I just don't know the plot and I don't want to deal with the multiverse. As in this I'm trying to combine the Paper universe with the Mario and Luigi universe into one.

Partners in Time could change, but at the moment I'm counting it as not covering as I'm just using the concept and the machine E Gadd builds. It won't deal with time travel, but instead the concept of looking into someone's memories. I don't like covering time travel so I'm just skipping it. Like I said I might cover the Cobalt Star and Princess Shroob, but I don't have a lot of ideas going for this so it might just be skipped entirely with her and her sister as villains.

Will there be shipping?

No, I'm sorry if you were hoping for anything. The most there will be is probably implied Peach x Mario, but that's it for the moment. If any of this changes I'll give a heads up just so no one is caught off guard. But romance isn't really the focus of this comic nor do I want to write romance. Listen just trust me on this you don't want me writing romance, I'm not good at it, this is for the best.

Just in case I am also just going to flat out say this so no one gets mad or feels misled when reading these comics. There will be no Bowser x Luigi in this story. Listen it's a funny and shockingly mostly wholesome ship, but it's not happening here. So I'm sorry if you were hoping for it, but I'm not doing it.

There might be some one-sided Luigi x Daisy (honestly thinking about doing Daisy x Waluigi because their Mario Party team name is Awkward Date and that is hilarious), and/or one-sided Luigi x Peasley, but in this Bowser will be majorly crushing on Peach. Bowser and Luigi are just platonic co-parenting the koopalings (think the Dungeons and Dragon movie with Sofina and Edgin). I just wanted to state this here so everyone is on the same page.

Quick side note: This isn't about shipping, but character-wise Donkey Kong and anything related to his games will only be in the first chapter. I struggle to write him and I don't know how to involve him in the other storylines so I'm just gonna have him chill in his kingdom. He will probably be making a reappearance in Dream Team as that is where I plan to end the comic.

What is the overall story/vibe of the comic?

The main story is going to focus on adventure and learning to love yourself. That's really the main premise. The story itself is going to focus on Luigi learning how to like himself for who he is and reconnecting with Mario and others while going on adventures. The big overall conflict will be the Chaos Heart itself. In this I really want to play around with the concept of the Chaos Heart and what if it didn't just go away after Super Paper Mario. I don't want to say too much about it at the moment as I don't want to spoil that part of the plot.

I feel bad because with the initial comic/sketches of this au, I made it seem a lot more dramatic/angsty than it will be. Sure there's going to be some drama but it really is more focused on the fun of the world, the adventures the characters go on, and the friendships that form out of them. I swear it's not as angsty (or I guess edgy, not sure if it was or not??) as the original comic made it seem so I apologize if that is what you were looking for.

Why I am calling Luigi Mr. L in this?

So in this, I am having Mr. L be more of his 'work mode.' It is designed to be more of a persona he puts on so he can do his job more effectively, but it is also still a part of his personality. I want to include more of his temper which is often portrayed through animations in Mario & Luigi (you know his stomping tantrum animations). Along with a few other notes, like how in the first Luigi's Mansion you kind of find some pretty sassy/sarcastic remarks through the pictures he takes with the Game Boy Horror, along with some of his dialogue in the Paper Mario games. I also want to play into him having a bit of an ego as well (playing more into the Mr. L in Super Paper Mario).

However, at the core, I do want to keep him a more socially awkward, easily frightened, and a very kind person outside of the mask/persona. At the end of the day he really just wants what is best for his friends and family. And that he is always ready to help someone even if he is scared out of his mind (though he might complain about not getting paid, or take a bit of convincing when it comes to dealing with ghosts.) I am also keeping the self-esteem issues, more so dealing with the fact he feels like all he has done is stumble through life making one mistake after another, and never being enough for the people he cares about in his life.

What are the inspirations for this?

Ghibli movies, particularly Howl's Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke, and Spirited Away. I love their world building and how they handle character stories.

Magical Girl animes, I cannot stress enough how much the masks and his powers/setup are based on the magical girl shows I grew up on.

Majora's Mask, I want to do quite a bit with the masks themselves in this setup. I'm not going to elaborate much on them yet, because I prefer to reveal how they function in the comics than through this ramble.

Funnily enough, the character design that kicked off this au, or at least Mr. L's design was Death from Puss in Boots the Last Wish. I can explain, it was his cloak and his whistle. I've been playing through Super Paper Mario and I kept wondering what if they incorporated references to Luigi's Mansion more like maybe putting in his whistling, or going with a more horror aesthetic for him. Or even goes more into the concept of shadows as well, playing not only his ties with ghosts but also how Luigi feels like he is constantly in Mario's shadow. And when I saw the Mario Movie and that he was captured by the Shy Guys I was like hey wait a minute, I can do something with that.

So this story is just me playing around with those thoughts. Don't get me wrong though, him building robots to fight you along with the absolute banger of a jazz theme, and his cocky/petty attitude I have no notes and I like how he is done in the game.

So yeah this pretty much covers everything, if you read all of this kudos, I know this was long, but I hope I clarified what this comic is going to be like. Though please note that I have a job and I'm going through school, so this is going to take a bit to get going. I'm still writing out the base story, and I like to have one or two chapters fully drawn before I start posting it. I do plan on posting some of the short comics and doodles while working on the main writing.

Thank you for reading my rambles. I hope you all have a good one! : D

[linkemon]

Imponderabilia (Ciel Phantomhive x Reader)

Friendly reminder that English is not my first language. You can check my Masterlists both in English and Polish here. Consider supporting me on Ko-fi. You can also check out my commissions if you're interested.

Other oneshots can be found here.

ᴀ ᴛʏᴘɪᴄᴀʟ ᴍᴏʀɴɪɴɢ ᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʜᴀɴᴛᴏᴍʜɪᴠᴇ ᴍᴀɴᴏʀ. ɢʀᴜᴍᴘʏ ᴄɪᴇʟ, ᴅᴇꜱꜱᴇʀᴛ ʙᴇꜰᴏʀᴇ ᴅɪɴɴᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ɪʀʀᴇꜱᴘᴏɴꜱɪʙʟᴇ ᴇᴍᴘʟᴏʏᴇᴇꜱ. ᴀʟʟ ᴡᴀᴛᴇʀᴇᴅ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴀ ᴘᴏᴛ ᴏꜰ ᴛᴇᴀ…

ɴᴏᴛᴇꜱ: ᴀᴅᴅɪᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ ɪɴꜰᴏʀᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴ:

ꜰʀɪᴇɴᴅʟʏ ʀᴇᴍɪɴᴅᴇʀ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴍʏ ᴡᴏʀᴋꜱ ɪɴ ᴇɴɢʟɪꜱʜ ᴀʀᴇ ᴛʀᴀɴꜱʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴꜱ. ɪ ᴛʀʏ ᴍʏ ʙᴇꜱᴛ ʙᴜᴛ ᴀɴʏ ᴛɪᴘꜱ ᴀʀᴇ ᴡᴇʟᴄᴏᴍᴇᴅ.

— Good morning, my lord! — [Reader] opened the door.

The view was the same as almost every day. The young lord was sitting in a navy blue, plush armchair and looking through the morning newspaper. He didn't take his eyes off it. He knew she would come. She was punctual. The same couldn't be said about the rest of the residence's staff.

— How are we feeling in the morning?

— Fine — Ciel replied quietly.

For him, it was an extremely elaborate statement. If Sebastian asked him about it, he usually told him to mind his own business. And when the other inhabitants of the estate did this, he preferred not to say anything because they began to get so happy that they would not leave him in peace for the rest of the day.

The girl grabbed the porcelain teapot and started making tea. The amber liquid sparkled in the decorated cup. The girl placed the saucer on a small table.

Phantomhive waited a moment to hear the sound of the door closing but to his surprise he didn't hear it. He looked at the maid. She stood with her back to him, leaning over the silver tray. When she started to turn away, he hid his head behind the printed pages, pretending to be reading.

A plate appeared next to him. An elegant plate full of cookies.

— It's too early for dessert — he said.

— Nonsense! — [Reader] rolled her eyes. — Sebastian is the one who keeps saying things like that. However, I think there is nothing wrong with sweets before dinner. Occasionally.

Ciel looked at the dessert. The baked goods looked average. Crispy, with chocolate pieces. However, their scent tickled his nostrils pleasantly. He felt his mouth water at the thought of tasting them.

— Did you make them today? — The question hung in the air, even though he knew the answer.

— I got up a little earlier. The lord had a hard day yesterday so I thought it would cheer him up. — She smiled.

The boy felt strange for a moment. He knew how much she had to do every day. She woke up long before him to take care of his house. In addition, she also had to correct the mistakes of Baldroy, Mey-Lin and Finnian. Tanaka wasn't that harmful but then again he wasn't very helpful either. Sebastian could arrange everything but she didn't like asking him for help. They tended to stay out of each other's way. Especially since the demon has been getting other tasks lately. Someone finally had to investigate in the queen's name.

And yet the maid denied herself the sleep to make these cookies for him. He felt a tightness somewhere around his heart but he decided to dismiss the ridiculous thought. Nobody cared about him. She did it because it was her job.

— You can take them. — His words were cold. So contrasting to how he felt inside.

— The lord won't eat even one? — She raised an eyebrow.

He shook his head.

For a moment the room was filled with silence. She was interrupted by footsteps. Suddenly, the newspaper paragraph was replaced by a girl's hand and a plate.

— Let's play a game. — That caught his attention. He became even more angry with himself. She knew him that well. — Please, taste them, my lord. If you don't like it, I'll leave the residence. Otherwise, I'll bake them whenever I want and you will always have to eat them.

— How do you know I won't lie? — He reached for the cookie.

— I'll take the risk. — The corner of her mouth turned up.

Ciel took a bite. He expected something extraordinary. Sophisticated taste. Secret spice. Amazing texture. None of these things! They were normal. As average as they looked.

As he took another bite, he had an epiphany. He was tricked like a little child. It wasn't about confectionery skills at all. He lost because he expected to fight on a completely different front than the one on which it actually took place.

— They're virulent — he growled.

— I knew it'll be like this. — Her smugness seemed to light up the entire room. For a moment he thought that she looked really nice in the bright light. The glow reflected in her eyes, reminding him of the radiant sun just outside the window. What was he even thinking about?

— Really? — He gritted his teeth.

— You like me too much to throw me out — she said.

She hit the nail on the head.

He felt a blush rising to his pale cheeks. For the first time in a long time, he was lost for words. Ever since she started working here, she had done and said things that made his heart beat faster. She was annoying. At the same time, he didn't want her to stop. He was stuck in a vicious circle and somehow he was in no hurry to change the whole situation. Yet he could fire her at any time.

He couldn't stand her smug expression as she headed towards the exit. He hated losing.

— Play chess with me.

— Chess? — she asked.

— Yes. How many times do I have to repeat? — he sighed irritably.

He placed the pieces in the starting position. If she thought she could just leave after all this, she was sorely mistaken.

[Reader] sat down hesitantly in the chair in front of him. He was pleased to see her slight confusion. She didn't expect this.

The game was going his way. However, he had to admit that his opponent was quite a challenge. The girl thought logically much better than he expected. Once she even managed to trap him in a bad situation. It took him a few moves to realize the trap. However, he managed to recover and was on the way to victory.

Chess was much simpler than life. They had clear and explicit rules. They rewarded the better and punished the worse. Only those who deserved it felt the taste of defeat. Completely different than in reality. A place where nothing was black and white, only shades of gray. Just like their strange relationship.

He moved the knight.

— [Readerrr]! — The door to the room opened with a bang.

Mei-Lin ran through the doorway. Red hair flowed behind her as she crossed the distance between them. Her glasses fell off her nose. She hurriedly picked them up from the floor. Even the carpet couldn't save them. One glass cracked, creating an ugly spiderweb on the surface.

— Oh my, my, my!

— What is it this time? — You could hear the tiredness in [Reader's] voice. The head of the Phantomhive family had no doubt that she had been through this hundreds of times, just as he had before Sebastian showed up. — Garden?  — She got a shake of her head. — Living room? — Same answer again. — So the kitchen… — [Reader] said. She didn't have to look at her co-worker to know she had nailed it. — It was very nice to play... — She was about to get up when the young master's hand gesture stopped her.

— We're not done yet — Ciel said.

— Ah, but... the kitchen! — Mei-Lin said.

— Find Sebastian. He will take care of it. — The lord moved his rook, thus indicating that he considered the conversation to be over.

— But I don't know where he is — the maid whined helplessly.

Phantomhive took a deep breath. Sometimes he really wondered why he kept all these people here. Maybe he should hire someone new?  He exhaled slowly through his nose.

— You worked with him in the living room today, so start in the living room. And if it's not there, keep looking until you find it. Have I made myself clear?

— Y-yes, of course! — The woman ran out, stumbling.

Maybe he was doing something stupid. After all, the kitchen was on fire. He shook his head slightly. Everything in the mansion burned down at least once a week, so it didn't really matter. Besides, why did he have his one hell of butler?

Ciel looked around the board, studying his options. It was basically a formality now but he still waited for her next move. However, only soft snoring answered him. He looked up from the black and white board. [Reader] rested her head against the plush headrest of the chair. Closed eyes and a steadily rising chest could only mean one thing. She fell asleep. How did sleep overwhelm her so quickly?  He had no idea. She must have been really tired. She had been helping him with his documents at night for the last week. However, he didn't think it would bother her so much.

He almost woke her up but then stopped himself. He brushed away a strand of hair that had escaped from her updo, then reached for the blanket lying on the backrest and covered the girl with it.

— Maybe I really like you too much...

He quietly moved towards the door and closed it.

[frankcastleonlyfans]

Hey honey! so i just read "Daemon would be an overprotective father, scared of what Alicent were capable of doing against his children since Alyssa helped Lucerys hurt Aemond." and I was wondering if you could elaborate this part into an imagine/oneshot, where reader is furious that Alicent wants to touch Alyssa and says something like "touch my daughter and I'll forget you're the queen and I'll hit your face " with the reader being super badass, please?

hiii my love!! i just wrote this little drabble, lemme know whatchu think! <3 also, thank u so much for requesting 💓

The very night your nephew Aemond lost an eye, you thought you would be the next one to lose something.

Daemon had his own worries about that incident, but you were paranoid about it. You could never forget the look in queen Alicent's eyes, practically burning your daughter alive with her menacing gaze. You knew Alyssa deserved to be punished for what she did, but you also knew that the queen did not want your child to be punished, but dead.

The following days, you never lost Alyssa out of your sight. Of course the little girl thought you were being very annoying, but she would never understand the things you very much knew the queen was capable of.

You were playing outside in the Godswood. You sat under the tree with Maegon in your lap, while Alyssa chased a butterfly. You murmured a sad ballad while your son read a book about direwolves and enthusiastically chatted about them.

When you heard your daughter's yelp and looked around, noticing she was nowhere to be seen, your heart skipped a beat.

Placing Maegon aside and commanding him to stay under the tree, you ran towards the sound of the child's cries. You found lord Larys Strong, holding Alyssa's arm, and, your majesty the queen, right beside him.

"Mama!" Alyssa shouted for you. Her little lilac eyes were puff and full of tears.

You marched towards them, ignoring your obligations to make courtesy to your queen, and grabbed the arm of the man that held your daughter hostage.

"Take your fucking hand out of her!" You spoke slowly between gritted teeth.

Larys looked to Alicent, silently asking for her permission to do so. The queen nodded, and he immediately pushed the little girl away.

"I think you forgot yourself, Lady Y/N. Should I remind you where you belong?" Queen Alicent gave a step ahead, being too close to your personal space.

"On the contrary, your grace, I did not forget myself at all. Just know that, if you touch my daughter I'll forget you are the Queen, and I'll hit your face." You acknowledged as you brought Alyssa behind you.

"Are you insane? I could have your head for that!" The woman shouted.

"Try touching my daughter again and my husband will give me yours." You challenged, walking away before she could even process what you just said.

You found Daemon in the same place — and position — you had left your son. They were both sitting under the tree, and your husband had the little boy on his lap. Once he noticed Alyssa's crying face and sobbing, he rushed to you both. Daemon took Alyssa in his arms in a protective way, immediately asking what happened.

"Don't worry, I already dealt with it."

"What do you mean? I wanna know what happened!"

You sighed, "I think we need to get even more cautious about Alicent now."

[janesaridoll]

Birthday princess 

pairing || woc!reader x mob!ari levinson

genera || fluff.

summary || how’s Ari dealing with someone trying to disrespect his girl.

wordcount || 2,4K

Donate to my ko-fi!

A vicious man who will go to any length to make his sweetheart smile.

Growing up, Ari enjoyed his mother's elaborate celebrations, where everything had to be extravagantly flawless—whether they were birthday parties, wedding anniversaries, or charity events. He thinks his mother did all that to compensate for her husband, his father’s harsh reality.

He especially gets excited whenever his birthday is nearing, he loved when he was ten and he loves it now, almost thirty seven years old.

Even though, it's different from when he was younger, he still enjoyed it. However, the idea of someone not celebrating their milestone were awful to him, So when he found out his precious girl never celebrated her birthday he was horrified.

He couldn’t fathom that someone not celebrating their birthday especially someone as sweet as his girl.

Your birthday was never acknowledged by your parents. Not even a happy birthday was said. Although, your siblings celebrated theirs, no one ever seemed to remember yours.

As you got older, you just forget about it. You knew you missed something, but there was nothing you could do to persuade your parents to celebrate your birthday because they always had some excuse not to.

At first, you resisted Ari's insistence on throwing you a birthday party. Therefore, Ari did not celebrate your first birthday together as he had intended while you two were together. But of course he did do something to celebrate.

He took you to an upscale restaurant, after both of you finished eating, he gave you your gift; an elegant pair of earrings. That was the first time anyone had ever given you anything. You were appreciative, till this day you never taken them off.

The following year, when your birthday approached, Ari broached the subject once more, you told him you didn't care and that what you both did last year was enough yet Ari didn't think so. He wants to give you the experience of celebrating your birthday properly.

After much persuasion, you agreed to the birthday party, Ari got his mother's party planner number in order for you to contact her to plan your birthday, he didn’t set a budget for it; just told you to do what your heart desired.

"I want everything to go as smoothly as possible, Steve, I don't want anything to go wrong," Ari says as he sips from his brownish liquor.

"Of course, I'll tell Peter to oversee everything," you'd assume from the way they're both talking seriously in their black suits that it had to be about business. No, it's Ari's princess 24th birthday celebration. Which, if you think about it, is more important.

Ethan, your bodyguard and friend, is racing with with staff members making sure everything is perfect for your birthday, including the lights, decorations, DJ, food and drinks.

“She even got Ethan to do all the work” steve mumbled to Ari who let out a chuckle “I can’t believe he’s the toughest one of our men” He sips the rest of his drink before smiling to himself “wait for me in the werehouse” Steve only nodded.

He went upstairs to the guest bedroom where you had your makeup artist and hairstylist stay because Ari doesn't like it when people are in his room.

He stared at you from the doorway, completely captivated; the expression of happiness in your eyes brought happiness to him as well; he can't believe someone could be so cruel as to not love or spoil you in the way you deserve.

"Can you leave us for a minute?" As soon as he said it, the room quieted down, and your best friend, Nat, who you met through Ari's friends, spoke up, "sure, we will be outside," she patted your shoulder. She had already dressed in a black silk dress, done her makeup beautifully with smokey eyes and her signature red lipstick that matches her hair, she looks stunning.

"You look pretty," he began, staring at you from the mirror “you do, too," you said, turning around to face him.

He takes a step closer to you, as soon as he is within reach, you wrap your hand around his neck, drawing him closer to you, tilting your heads up to lock your gaze on him smiling lovingly.

"Ethan needs a day off tomorrow," when you noticed that the party planner were demanding you gave her Ethan's phone number so she could organize everything with him rather than you, you just told them what you want the theme of your party.

He initially objected, after all, he is the toughest man. But he agreed simply because he likes you and he wants you to have the nicest and most memorable birthday celebration ever.

"Sure, anything you want." Even Ari is taking a day off tomorrow, he wants to spend it with you while business is calm nowadays.

"You spoil me a lot," you said, kissing his jaw. He smiled “that's the least I could do for you. honey"

"Thank you, I love you too much." You kissed him again. "I love you too."

"I’m leaving for a bit; I've got a business to take care of, and I’ll be back before the party starts."

"Why?" You pout. Is he going to skip your birthday? You know it was stupid. You shouldn’t have agreed. Maybe your parents is right; it is a waste of time.

"They need me there; it won’t take too long, maybe an hour max," he told you while curdling your face between his large hands and kissing your lips softly.

“You promise?” You smiled softly at him.

"Absolutely,I wouldn’t miss it for the world” he replied, you kissed him again.

“I’ll leave you now to finish, honey."

“Okay be careful”

“Always”

He left, and the girls returned to do their tasks. Wanda followed Nat into the room; it appears that your friends are already showing up, so you should finish quickly.

“Hey! Nat told me you invited Ema?” Wanda said as soon as she’s stepped beside you, “hello to you too” you turned to her smiling.

“Im sorry babe” she kissed your cheek before continuing “is it true?”

“Yes, i thought it would be rude to invite all of our friend group except her!”

Nat spoke looking at Wanda “told you”

“Yep, she’s tooooo nice” Wanda replied.

“I don’t know, Ari is inviting his friends and business partners, his mom and sisters are coming as well as their friends, so I think it would be crowded and she won’t be a bother!”

“I hope so” Nat said before looking at Wanda who was fixing her red dress, adjusting her breasts “what are you doing?”

“I’m gonna go see Ethan, wish me luck” Wanda and Ethan has been flirting a lot lately, you know they would end up together it was just a matter of time.

Everyone has arrived an hour and a half later, including your friends, Ari's friends, and family. Nat helped you dressing up in your pink gown, you wore your jewelry as well. Wanda is working as your personal photographer; she took many photos of you before you had to go downstairs so the party could begin.

When the DJ announced your entrance, everyone's eyes turned to you, yelling and clapping, while your eyes scanned the the place looking for Ari.

As soon as your gaze latched on him, you smiled brightly, relaxing for a while before getting down and everyone began to approach you, wishing you a happy birthday.

You were quite apprehensive because it was the first time you had ever been the center of attention at any form of event.

Nat gave you a microphone so you could thank everyone who came to celebrate with you, and you specifically thanked Ari, none of this would happened if it weren’t for him. You wished them a good evening.

After you handed the DJ the microphone, you felt like you were being crushed in a hug by someone, and when you looked down, you discovered it was Ari's younger sister, Amara.

“Happy Birthday!!!!!” She said screaming a bit. You laughed before hugging her back.

“Stop squeezing my girl to death” Ari teased his sister before greeting his mom and his older sister Sadie.

When Amara separated from you Sadie hugged you, as well as his mother.

"Happy birthday, sweetheart; i loved the party theme!"

"Thank you, Mrs. Levinson," you respectfully said. The elder woman scoffs at you, "sweetheart, we've been through this a lot! Please call me Freya; you make me feel old."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I'll start calling you Freya," you said hesitantly, knowing she had told you that several times but you always forgot. Your mother taught you to never address someone by their first name; instead, use Mr. or Mrs.

Sadie looked around “are we finally going to meet your family?”

Your communication with your family has diminished since you left for college; you text and call, but they don't reach out to you as frequently as you would want. It's what they've wanted ever since you were born. To forget all about you.

You gave them an invitation to your party, but they did not respond. And when you called they didn’t pick up, No surprise.

You didn’t tell Ari that, you didn’t want him to feel sorry for you. But he can see it in your face when his sister mentioned your family.

“Oh they’re busy, they couldn’t make it!” You hoped your excuse was believed and by the look they gave you they did.

After a small talk they left to join other people for dance and chatting.

Ari left you alone for a minute to talk with his friends while you drank and danced with your friends.

Hours later, it was time to cut the cake, two servants brought the cake to a table in front of you. Ari hand wrapped around your waist while your hand was on top of his, him and everyone else singing happy birthday for you.

"Make a wish!" Nat called for you, and everyone else joined her, you giggled before closing your eyes and making a wish.

After opening your eyes and blowing on the candle, everyone clapped and whistled for you.

"I want to show you something," Ari whispered in your ear. You turned around, looking into his eyes. "What?"

"Come with me," he said, taking your hand a bit further and directing you to the double massive doors, which opened immediately.

A Rolls-Royce Ghost in Champagne Rose pulled in, you could hear the stunned screams of the people surrounding you; you were as surprised as they were.

“Oh my god!!, you didn’t!!!” You looked between Ari and the car, Ethan stepped out of the car, passing the keys to Ari, who handed them to you.

“All yours baby” you jumped on him, hugging him firmly, thanking him constantly “I love you i love you i love you!!”

Nat and Wanda came close to you both “girl you have to take us for a ride!!”

“I can’t wait to show off my first car ever!!” You smiled big and jumped up and down while clapping.

Wanda smiled “let me take pictures of you with the car!” She took her phone out and you got beside the car posing while she took a couple of pictures of you.

You grabbed Ari hand wanting him in the pictures. He smiled before letting you posing him in whatever way you wanted.

If he could, he would have given you the entire world without asking, but for the time being, he will give you anything your heart desire.

Life has its own way of repaying you. While you spent the previous twenty-three years begging someone to spare you a glance, right now you could ask for anything and it wouldn’t be trouble to give.

From behind, an irritating loud noise was heard. "I told you that he is her sugar daddy!!" Everyone fell silent, wondering who it was.

Your smile faded slightly; you weren't a particularly confrontational person to begin with. People would walk all over you while you excused them. You were too kind and too afraid to ever react to anyone.

“Who said that?" Ari stated calmly yet furiously, everyone got quiet surprised at the person who is brave enough to insult Ari’s girl

Wanda and Nat exchanged knowing glances. Finally, Ema made a fool of herself in front of Ari.

They know Ari doesn't accept disrespect, especially to those who don't deserve it, and to disrespect his girl? Oh, she just dug up her grave.

“Ema did," Nat answered, unconcerned about your glares.

Ari doesn't want to ruin your first birthday celebration, but he can't let this individual get away with it.

When he observed a girl who appeared shaking with fear, everyone's gaze was drawn to her, he knew it was her, and he approached her moved in front of her eye sight, almost nothing can stand between them.

"There are two reasons for saying this; one is that you are jealous because no one has ever loved you enough to provide you with something you desired, or YOU don't deserve to be loved or cared for like i do with my girl, I believe the latter it is," he said as calm as he can be

He could hear Wanda and Nat laughing mockingly at her. Finally, someone standing up to this bitch.

“Get the fuck out of my house and don't ever think of disrespecting my girl; or the next time you won't have a tongue to talk with; are we clear?" She nodded so quickly

“Good," he said, motioning for two of his guards to accompany her out; Bucky pointed out for the DJ to play some music to keep the party going.

Wanda yelled “ oh my god i love this song”

Her and Nat went dancing on the dance floor, while everyone else seemed to have forgotten what had happened and continued to have fun.

"Are you alright, sweetheart?" Ari spoke to you in hushed tones.

"Yeah, I'm fine," you replied, smiling back. "Do you know this is the first time I've seen you in your mob mode?"

“Really??” Ari was taken aback, saying, "I hope I didn't scare you."

"You did not, thank you for standing up for me; I really thought inviting her to my party would make her nice to me," you said, "I didn't want to divide our group into two sides."

"Sometimes, honey, being nice to someone so low is not the solution; if they don't respect you, they have to go; it's either they do or they don't." His huge hands comforted you by moving circles behind your back.

You thought for a moment about what he said "Yeah, you're right"

You got closer to him, your lips almost touching, "do you want to take my new car for a ride?"

"I thought you'd never ask."

[azurecrystalz]

A Guide to Reading Crazy:B Stories!!

A quick note: I won't be linking any stories for the sake of the fact that this is meant to be a guide not a directory. However, if there is something on this list you can't find anywhere and want translated, please don't hesitate to drop an ask and I'll consider it !! Last Updated: Launch Day (1-24-2023)

I'll be making edits to this frequently if any suggestions + new stories come up !! I also invite other unit producers to make their own story guides and I can maybe host a guide masterlist so that anyone can reference it!!

Things to Know Before Reading This Guide

This is going to be an ongoing post that will be updated frequently, so if there's any errors, questions, suggestions, concerns, etc drop an ask/dm on here/twitter !! For the time being, I'll leave Double Face sort of out of this until I compile information about them. Please do not repost this guide anywhere. You can link it in whatever you'd like and share it with your friends but don't repost it please and thanks.

Getting to Know Crazy:B

The Importance of the Main Story: A majority of Crazy:B’s content lies in the main story. I highly recommend, before reading any Crazy:B story, to read the main story first. The main story not only gives you an idea of who each character is, but it also gives you insight on how existing characters think of them and hints at multiple things that still need to be elaborated on in future events. Plus, most Crazy:B stories go back and reference “MDM”, which is like it’s own arc in the main story that has a huge impact on the characterization of Crazy:B (both individually and as a whole). It’s available on the English Enstars server, please try to read it if you get the chance. It’s not like a requirement to read it, but you’d be missing out on references and characterization if you don’t.

Rinne Idol Story 3: If for any reason you can’t read the main story, this is a good story to start. It’s a very basic, one-chapter story that includes all four members of Crazy:B and it introduces them and their dynamics on a semi-basic level. Nothing is explained here but the story brings up enough unexplained points that make you curious enough to learn more.

Reading the First Idol Story of Each Member: If you can't read the Rinne Idol Story since you haven't unlocked it or something, read the basic introduction idol stories. Every idol in the game has one and it gives you a feel for their personalities on a basic level. Crazy:B has the advantage of having theirs voiced too. So, if all else is no good, start there.

Specific Pair Dynamics:

The following explains what stories to read when looking for development between two specific characters:

Bold indicates major development, italics indicates semi-major development, and no edit indicates very brief but still important development

Rinne + Niki: Hot Limit, Sweets Hunter, A Cup's Worth By Yourself, Niki Idol Story 2

Rinne + HiMERU: Nightclub, The "Runrun" Calamity, Prerequisites for a Win

Rinne + Kohaku: Sudden Death, Honeybee

HiMERU + Niki: Ariadne, Lucky SCRAMBLE

HiMERU + Kohaku: Honeybee, Romantic? Date, HiMERU Idol Story 2

Stories that hint at Kaname: Obbligato, Past, Present, And..., Ariadne, Roaring Sea Marina, A Pursuit in Plain Sight, HiMERU Idol Story 2

Niki + Kohaku: Spider, Secret Service, Kohaku Idol Story 2

Rinne + Crazy:B as a whole: The Bee's Knees, A New Game making the Rounds

HiMERU + Crazy:B as a whole: Ariadne, Romantic? Date, Lucky SCRAMBLE

Kohaku + Crazy:B as a whole: Spider, Honeybee, A Spring Evening's Respite, Sakura Sakura

Niki + Crazy:B as a whole: Hot Limit

Specific Members:

The following explains what stories to read when looking for development of a specific character:

Bold indicates major development, italics indicates semi-major development, non-edited indicates very brief but still important development. It is not recommended to read the ones marked with ** immediately.

Rinne: Main Story, Nightclub, AOSOBI

HiMERU: Obbligato**, Ariadne, Past, Present, And..., HiMERU Idol Story 3

Niki: Hot Limit

Kohaku: Sudden Death**, Spider, Honeybee

Fun Stories

Not everyone wants to read 42 chapters of a Reminiscence story, or sometimes you’re in the mood for something silly. The following is a list of lighter stories for each member that aren’t too heavy on the feels. These stories can either be from cards belonging to them or stories they appear in.

Rinne: AOSOBI

HiMERU: Lucky SCRAMBLE, The Principles of Sex Appeal

Niki: Sweet Sweet Hunger, Sweets Hunter, Sweets Box

Kohaku: Spider, Fruitful October, Storm Cloud FUMBLE, Lullaby

Lore Heavy Stories

The following explains the stories to read if you want full background closure on a specific member, meaning you want a story that explains a large part of their individual origins. These are more informational (and emotionally heavy) stories that need not only a good grasp on the member themselves to understand, but other characters in relationship to them as well.

Rinne: Select sections of Main Story

HiMERU: Obbligato

Niki: N/A

Kohaku: Sudden Death

Other Story Appearances

This is a list that contains idol stories that Crazy:B members make appearances in. The card and story don't belong to them but they still have dialogue in it.

Return Trip Service (Yuuta 3* Featuring Rinne)

The Principles of Sex Appeal (Jun 3* Featuring HiMERU)

Other Units Interacted With

2wink: Nightclub, A Spring Evening's Respite, Love Letter, FUSION Unit Collection 07 Live Story

Knights: Sudden Death

Most, if not all other units: Main Story

Stories Not Yet Sorted into the Guide

As far as my knowledge goes, the stories I haven't included featuring any of the four members are: Decadence, White Tiger, Nighthead (Shuffle) , Butlers (Shuffle) , A-Z (Shuffle) , Black Snow (Shuffle), Bankara, Chill Yellow, Easter (Shuffle)

Thanks for reading!! If there's anything missing from this that you'd like to suggest, please don't hesitate to ask!!

[linkspooky]

Alright so I sent this a few days ago but since tumblr ate it here it is again: Do you think Megumi has ever lived for himself? Personally I'm in the camp that he hasn't. If you think about it he's always lived for someone else (Tsumiki) or told what to do all his life (Gojo). I am a corrupt!Megumi truther and I was wondering what your take was on this since I think if the corrupt allegations are true, Megumi's gonna go fucking ape shit with all of that in mind personally.

I love reading your analysis so i'm really curious to see your take on this!

Hello to a fellow corruption megumi truther!

The short answer for this is: No, he hasn't.

I assume you want the long answer though, which will take awhile to answer. To begin with though let's define what "living for yourself" is. There's two two possible definitions I can come up with off hand.

Number One: Living for yourself is having agency. Basically it means having the power over your life to make your own decisions. Is Megumi in control of his life? Does what he wants matter?

Number Two: Living for yourself means being selfish. In this context it would mean is Megumi truly entirely selfless in his devotion to both Tsumiki and Yuji or is there an element to selfishness as well?

I'll answer both of these underneath the cut.

EGO

Megumi's stated motivation is to selfishly save others. On further elaboration in the Origin of Obeidence arc what he means is that he became a sorcerer to protect a few loved ones like Yuji and Tsumiki because he does not want to see good people suffer.

Even in the end of the Hidden Inventory flashback, it's shown to us that Megumi made the decision as a child to go with Gojo rather than the Zen'in Clan on the basis that Tsumiki would be miserable in the Zen'in. He made that life altering decision for Tsumiki's sake rather than his own.

He even says in his flashback dedicated to Tsumiki that he finds the idea of saving people as a Jujutsu Sorcerer stupid. In an interesting inversion to Geto in Hidden Inventory, Megumi doesn't really feel obligated to protect weaker people out of some higher minded ideals. He doesn't believe it's his duty to help everyone, he'll even argue against going out of their way to save strangers if they're pressed on time.

Which is why he's chosen to elevate Tsumiki and Yuji over everyone else and dedicate himself to saving them instead. That is Megumi's motivation, his choice, he's choosing to save the few out of the many. His reason for being a Jujutsu Sorcerer ties to this as well, because he's not motivated by getting stronger like Gojo, he's not out to save as many people as possible like Yuji. Being a Jujutsu Sorcerer is just something that will give him the ability to protect his loved ones.

I bring up Megumi's motivation to emphasize that Megumi is making choices. Agency is the ability to make your own choices and take control in your life. Even if I'm not going to elaborate on how Megumi is someone who's basically been handed off to different people and has had little say in what he wants to do his whole life, he's still capable of making some choices of his own.

When he requests for Gojo to save Yuji, Gojo interrogates him about if that's what he personally wants and Megumi confirms it. He's going against what Jujutsu Society considers right and instead making his own selfish choice in the matter.

He says the same to Noritoshi more or less, that he's trying to follow his internal conscience rather than what other people think is right. THis is to contrast him to Noritoshi who's specifically trying to be the ideal heir for the Kamo Clan elders, so he can inherit the clan and then make it a place where his mother can belong.

Megumi is capable of making his own choices and deciding for himself, however the vast majority of time he does not do that. The panel ahead is another example of that, when the more complex politics of the Jujutsu World is brought up Megumi mentions he doesn't care.

He's capable of being decisive, but tends to be indecisive and flippant about a lot of things. One of the exmaples I bring up is how much he dismisses the possibility that Sukuna might be after him, because he cares more about Yuji's life than his own. Therefore when Yuji insists it's dangerous for Megumi to stay near him, Megumi ignores it.

Megumi is someone who has had a lot of decisions made for him in his life. He didn't choose to be a sorcerer. Gojo offered him a choice that wasn't a choice. Either he goes to the Zen'in and be a sorcerer but they'll treat Tsumiki horribly, or he goes with Gojo but Tsumiki might have a chance at a normal life.

His decision isn't made on the basis of his well being but his sister's. Gojo also walked up to a five year old child and had them make a choice that would affect the rest of their life. Not only that he exorted labor out of that child as collateral for uh.... giving that child money so he doesn't starve to death.

Megumi wasn't raised as a child, he was raised as a sorcerer. He was raised with the implicit idea that he owed Gojo and that he'd be a future return on Gojo's investment in him. Neither of these things make Megumi inclined to make decisions about his own life... because when have his opinions mattered? When has he ever been in control of anything?

He's essentially a foster child passed between different homes that has no permanent place of belonging or family. Toji not only left him alone so often he can't even remember his father's face, but then he remarried Tsumiki's mom and abandoned both children permanently. Afterwards he finds out his father sold him, and the person who apparently "rescued" him from the Zen'in only did so to come into his life to take advantage of him.

Megumi had little control over any of that. Which is why late into his teenage years he still doesn't try to make decisions for himself or assert himself because he's had so many choices of his taken away before this. He's not allowed to do what he wants he has the massive responsibility of being a sorcerer thrust on his head because he owes Gojo for not letting him starve to death.

This results in Megumi putting little to no value in himself, and even being shown as suicidal at several points going out of his way to try sacrificing his own life. Gojo comments on his tendency to sacrifice bunt rather than swing for the fences but he doesn't properly diagnose the reason why.

Megumi tries to match the others around him and downplays his own strength, because that's what he's been doing his own life. He doesn't live according to his own wants, but what other people (Gojo) want for him and how they cane use him.

IT'S OKAY TO BE SELFISH

On the flip side despite the fact that Megumi lives primarily for other people, he can actually be quite the selfish character. His habit of pedestalizing both Tsumiki and Yuji isn't as good or noble as it seems. In fact Megumi romanticizes his own devotion to Tsumiki in particular into a sort of sleeping beauty and her knight protecting her fantasy. You could even say he's white knighting her...

Even in the story itself we never learn who the real Tsumiki is. We don't know what her thoughts or opinions are. We only ever see her through Megumi's eyes, we only know what Megumi feels about her. Megumi has obviously made her out to be some sort of perfectly innocent suffering victim.

She is sleeping beauty on her bed. The thing about sleeping beauty is she has no agency. She can't argue with you. She can't say cruel things to you. She can't ever leave her bed. She's just the perfect princess always asleep and in need of someone to rescue and take care of her.

I don't think Megumi wants Tsumiki to stay asleep forever in bed though, part of his motivation is saving her from whatever curse she's affected by. However, by making Tsumiki the princess to his knight he's actively taking away a lot of her agency. He's not taking her opinions or what she wants into consideration. When you decide to put someone on a pedestal like that, the one-sided nature of that viewpoint robs the pedestaled of any agency in the relationship.

I do think Gege is deliberately paralleling their story with sleeping beauty, almost every time she's mentioned she's shown as either asleep or associated with flowers that are symbols of innocence and purity. She's cited as his model idea of a good person. He has her up on that pedestal. The one time that we see Megumi interacting with Tsumiki after she wakes up (though it's actually Yorozu) he tells her to go back to sleep.

It's like Megumi wants to wrap Tsumiki in bubble wrap and put her somewhere where she's safe, so he can continue to live out his fantasy of protecting her. While I don't doubt Megumi loves his sister considering he basically sold himself to Jujutsu High for her sake there's a twisted element to this as well.

I'm going to reference Tokyo Ghoul here. There's a scene where Eto outlines that Kanae a character who's been desperately trying to get their cousin / love interest (I know, gross) Tsukiyama to recover from their sickness and leave there bed that all along they didn't really want Tsukiyama to recover. As long as Tsukiyama stayed in his bed then Kanae would have total control over him and he'd never be able to leave her, or love someone else.

That Kanae's feelings towards Tsukiyama aren't pure love and devotion, but rather a possessiveness that arises from her fear of being alone. Which is likely the same for Megumi, if he loses Tsumiki he has no one therefore he lives his entire life for protecting her.

Megumi is deeply motivated by his own abandonment issues and his fear of being alone, which is why to him his own life matters absolutely nothing in comparison to losing either Yuji or Tsumiki permanently. At the same time his protectiveness of Tsumiki can cross over into possessiveness considering his unhealthy viewpoint of her and his habit of putting her on a pedestal, making his feelings more one sided. Tsumiki being in that bed gives him a person save, a reason to live, someone to fight for.

On top of that Megumi pretty regularly disregards Tsumiki's feelings. The one thing we ever se of her in his flashback is how much she hates the fact that Megumi's constantly getting into fights.

Megumi not only completely ignores that, but he also starts using Tsumiki as an excuse to be violent. In the culling games he commitss unnecessary violence in her name.

When he enters the culling games he says (i'm paraphasing here because it's funny) "I don't know about Yuji but I'm TOTALLY WILLING to kill people." Then he goes on to show that it's true.

Megumi hears the announcement that Yuji has completed his side of the mission and that he can transfer points between players, meaning it's no longer necessary to kill people. Immediately after that he goes out of his way to finish off a man who's already on the ground and prone in the most brutal manner possible. He doesn't need to kill that guy, Megumi just does, and then he justifies it as saying it's a part of helping Tsumiki break free from the culling games.

His brutal takedown of that man is a pretty clear parallel to the way that Toji took out Gojo at the end of their first fight. If you're being paralleled to Toji then that's definitely a bad sign.

Megumi is someone who's had little control over his own life, and one way he exerts that control is through violence. The flip side of picking and choosing who to save, is picking and choosing who lives and who dies. Megumi's shown he's perfectly willing to make judgements on who's worthy of salvation and who's trash that needs to be thrown out.

He almost violently attacks this girl later on and the only thing that stops him is the idea that Tsumiki might disappear. Megumi lashes out in violence on a pretty regular basis, but it's understandable because the only thing he's been taught his whole life is that he needs to get stronger. That's what he's been raised for, his potential to become someone on Gojo's level because of the cursed technique. THat's what he's been told his whole life is the solution to every problem, get stronger, get stronger, get stronger.

THe Zen'in only cared about strength and so abused Toji all of his life until the only thing that mattered to him in life was proving that he was stronger than the sorcery world that rejected him. Which turned Toji into an incredibly violent person who kills others with little remorse.

Megumi similiarly had his whole childhood taken from him, because someone wanted to raise him as a weapon against the elders due to the cursed technique he was born with. Megumi's only value as a person is his strength, so he falls back on violence. In order to try to exert control over his life he lashes out in violence and desperately tries to get stronger.

Which is why the Megumi corruption arc conspiracy theories exist. Megumi hasn't broken away from this violent cycle at all. He's gotten stronger and more confident in using his abilities, but in every other way he's just growing more violent over time and more willing to kill others to get what he wants. He is a character that's selfless in his motivation and at the same time blind to his own selfishness. Because he is unaware of it he can't really do anything to fix or improve upon it which is why we see him steadily getting worse.

So if Megumi's violent behavior is a negative reaction to the trauma of his life then you can just imagine how he's going to react when he finally regains his body and has to live in a world where Tsumiki is dead. I doubt it's going to be pretty.

[canmom]

<stream> end of NieRRein

So. There's a NieR gacha. I've talked about it now and again on here.

In contrast to other games in the NieR series, which were in narrative structure reasonably traditional action-RPGs, following a small group of characters... NieR: Re[in]carnation is something a bit more like an anthology of short stories, all eventually tied together in an elaborate frame.

Over the course of the story, you are led to explore a vast collection of memories inside something called the Cage, a huge Ico-like stone structure full of gorgeous, moody environments...

...intermittently diving into the most dramatic moments of an impressively varied collection of characters, each portrayed in a cutout theatre style. They're a diverse bunch! Robot cowboys. Mountain climbers. AIs both kind and ruthless. Dark wizard yuri. Arabian Nights pastiche. Chuuni soldier boys. Elegant assassins, living weapons, disposable clones. Some are fantasy, some science fiction; some weave together and others sit apart.

And as you play further, you can unlock further stories, in various forms. All sorts of illustrations, all sorts of prose. The framing stories - the story of the girl Fio and the monster Levania who stole her body, the story of the violently estranged siblings Yuzuki and Hina, the story of the mysterious nature of the Cage, of its collapse, and the desperate bid to escape - all are very rich. The final chapters, where the characters are all finally brought together, are fantastic.

Not to mention - everything is voice acted, and generally very well (in Japanese at any rate, the English is more of a mixed bag). All is accompanied by a huge amount of gorgeous music by Keiichi Okabe et al., wrapping you in that mysterious, layered atmosphere. The UI design is magnificent. On an aesthetic level at least, there is a great deal to recommend here.

However.

As a game, NieR Reincarnation sadly left a lot to be desired. The gameplay is intensely repetitive, the strategy more to do with unlocking the right characters and grinding to level them up. Understandably, a lot of people bounced off it.

And now it's coming to an end.

In just a couple of days, the final chapter of NieR Reincarnation will be released. A month later, the game servers will be shut down for good! Perhaps, years in the future, they will release some kind of remake - but we can't count on it.

But don't imagine you can just jump in and experience it all right now. A great deal of material - the Dark Memories, the Recollections of Dusk - is gated behind a considerable investment of time and a strong team. There's a lot of events you'll simply have missed.

However... I have, perhaps unwisely, sunk the time into unlocking most of what can be unlocked in this game. I think it would be a shame not to get to experience them, and I love getting to share NieR games. These stories take some wild turns, and I think it would be a blast to watch together.

So here's the plan! Starting this weekend, and going on for as long as necessary over the next week, I'll be streaming the entire story of NieR Reincarnation on my twitch. Main story, character stories, EX stories: the whole lot, arranged for narrative flow. All the fun spicy parts and none of the grind, and you get to enjoy it with friends.

If you've been here for previous NieR game streams... well, I hope you had as great a time as I did. I fucking love NieR. For the other games, I would dig into the side material, read out fan translations of the stories, and do everything I can to give you the complete experience of the game. Here, there's not so much in the way of side material, but the game contains a lot on its own - and I want to share it all, the gut-punch parts and the goofy ones alike, because it all adds up.

Think of it kinda like an Animation Night if you want! An anthology series to enjoy together, just like the Animator Expo.

The first stream will begin on Saturday, 6pm UK time. I'll be making recordings and writing a guide to the story of the game too - but there's something special about watching something together, so I'd really love to see you there ^^

[drakkensystem]

My take on the interview advertised on the cover of @tangledinink 's 5kdtiys

I had an opportunity to sit down with Battle Nexus reigning champs, Gemini. Undefeated for the past 4 years, with easily over a thousand victories under their belt, Gemini are the twin kappa sons of Big Mama herself.

We start the interview with all of the usual niceties, and then I get down to brass tacks

Hidden City Beat: So, to make this easier for our readers, is there something I can call each of you as I'm writing up this interview?

Gemini: Blue and Purple respectively is fine.

HCB: Like the colors you wear in the arena?

Purple: gives me a flat stare

Blue: Yes, exactly! He chuckles

HCB: So can we assume that blue and purple are your favorite colors?

B: Yep, that's why we always wear them. That, and, well, we like to match. He winks

HCB: I chuckle politely

HCB: So, I gotta ask, the question everyone wants to know: how does one become a Battle Nexus Champion?

P: looks at me evenly Practice and hard work

B: Blue smirks at me charmingly Good genetics, and good looks don't hurt either. He leans back coyly, hands behind his head and one eye half closed

HCB: And of course, I gotta ask this one for all of the love-sick fellas and ladies at home: anyone special in your life? Girlfriend? Boyfriend? Other?

P: gives me a blank flat stare

B: chuckles nonchalantly Nah, my bro and I are too busy focused on being the most badass yokai in the Hidden City. Besides, he looks over to Purple affectionately We're all the other needs.

P: his face softens a little and he nods confirmation

B: looks back to me with a sly grin Though, I wouldn't say no to some no strings attached fun every now and again.

HCB:Do you mind if I ask- what is your sex life like? Do you prefer the men or the ladies….?

B: winks at me playfully A true gentleman doesn't kiss and tell, but I will say this: I've never been great at making decisions.

HCB: So does that mean you swing both ways?

B: winks playfully with a finger on his lips

HCB: I chuckle Alright, I'll leave that line of questioning alone.

HCB: My next question is for Purple specifically.

HCB: Sometimes you have some kind of armor. What's that about?

Blue stiffens momentarily but Purple sits up straighter and looks excitedly in my direction.

P: You'd like to know about my battle shell?

HCB: I incline my head in his direction Is that what it's called?

P: Purple fists his hands in his lap, but his eyes are dancing with delight. Yes! The Battle Shell, current version 3.2.0 is a lightweight, technologically advanced body armor of my own design.

HCB: You made it yourself?

Purple beams while Blue looks faintly bored of this conversation

P: Yes! Everything from the design to the fabrication of the materials and assembly was done by yours truly. Purple puts a hand on his chest proudly

HCB: You said it is technologically advanced. Would you care to elaborate?

P: I thought you'd never ask! I used an enchanted titanium alloy to make it as durable and lightweight as possible, not to mention easy to clean blood off, of course.

HCB: I chuckle Of course! Does it have any special little features or goodies?

P:It has a lot of features! For example, I can use it to-

He's interrupted by his brother yawning loudly

B: Yeah, yeah, we get it Purple, you're a world class super genius, yada yada yada. Save some surprises for the ring, hmm?

P: Purple looks faintly annoyed but nods Right!

B: winks slyly If your readers want to know more about Purple's battleshell, they'll have to come watch us in the Arena!

HCB: Oh, speaking of, when is your next match?

B: Two days from now, on Tuesday September 5th, we open the day's entertainment with an exhibition match, then there is a mini tournament, the winners of whom we'll fight at the end of the day!

HCB: You heard it here, folks! Make sure to grab your tickets now, if you haven't already because I hear seats are going fast!

B: winks slyly I might even choose someone from the audience to celebrate our victory with afterwards…

HCB: You're so sure you'll win?

P: Purple snorts Please. As if anyone competing in the upcoming tournament stands a chance against us.

HCB: Well, I suppose we all will have to wait and see, though with your phenomenal record, I don't doubt it.

B: Unbroken record Blue gently corrects me

HCB: I chuckle good naturedly Of course, my mistake. Good luck out there, not that you two need it.

They both shake my hands and take their leave

Tickets to all Grand Battle Nexus Events, including the aforementioned matches with Gemini, can be purchased from Big Mama at her Grand Nexus Hotel.

[bi-writes]

i'll fix it for you

he rarely means what he says.

type: one-shot pairing: joel miller x fem!reader word count: 4.4k warnings: some violence and suggestive content, mature language, implied age gap summary: boston. let your imagination do the rest.

complete masterlist author's note: been awhile since i've written anything. hope i haven't lost my touch.

There wasn’t much your hands couldn’t do. Your fingertips were tender and meticulous enough to fit into small places, making them perfect for something most desirable now—fixing things.

You had your hands around the small radio, a marker behind your ear and a screwdriver in your dominant hand. You spun the flathead into the screw, unwinding it until it was wobbling loosely and fell onto the table. You moved the screw to the little dish you had holding the others, taking a hold of the face of the device and lifting the worn plastic up.

You went slow, seeing that wires and electronic components were fitted to both sides of it. There were in familiar colors that you had memorized. Red diverted power, black grounded it, and the other colors were reserved for digital and analog readings. Your eyes went to the board that the wires were connected to, and your heart sank a bit. Around the soldered pins, you could see the discoloration of the green board, a bit of ash and black coloring seeping into the bright color.

“Fuck,” you whispered, putting the radio down. It was fried, and the only fix was to replace it.

Your comment didn’t go unnoticed. A towering figure sat down in front of you, and you didn’t have to look up to know he was staring right into your figure, a glare of curiosity and knowing disappointment. He never said much, so you knew he was waiting for you to elaborate on your sudden glowering mood.

“The component’s fried,” you said softly, putting the screwdriver down. You picked up a screw and played with it in your free hand, anything to keep yourself from looking up at him. “I…I need a new one.”

Silence remained. You knew what that meant.

No.

If he had a suggestion or an idea, he would’ve said it by now. You chewed on your bottom lip nervously, closing your eyes. It was your job to fix things; but you couldn’t fix things if you didn’t have what you needed.

You opened your eyes again, your head raised enough that you finally met his gaze. He wasn’t smiling, but that didn’t surprise you. What surprised you was that he seemed just as disappointed. Not angry, not frustrated, just disappointed. His gaze was accusing, even though he usually would have commented by now, in a tone most condescending.

“I don’t tell you how to do it, I just tell you to do it.”

You didn’t have his wisdom nor his years of experience. You didn’t have a hunter’s aim, you didn’t have killer instinct, but what you did have was books and time. Books to teach you, and time to learn. You were valuable enough to be worth enough ration cards to last a lifetime, and you knew it was why he kept you around. If he was good at anything, it was evening the odds, it was surviving. You made those chances much better when whatever you fixed was worth a basketful of goods.

You only agreed because it wasn’t so bad to be associated with him. As soon as you had been seen walking beside him at the market stalls, there was no more bargaining. Whatever you wanted, you paid less than what they were asking. Any soldier that had been looking you over soon pretended you weren’t there. If you asked for a favor, it was done. He was not your bodyguard, but his name beside yours was enough to keep the tide at bay.

So, you did whatever he wanted whenever he needed it. Neither of you had ever talked about this deal, but as soon as your days were calm with not so much as a frustrating touch or a wrong encounter, you never stopped showing up at his door. Words unspoken, a deal established, a life unbothered.

There wasn’t much else you could ask for.

You put the screw down, leaning back in the worn dining table chair. It creaked a bit, biting through the disappointing silence. You pursed your lips, sighing deeply, your mind wandering.

“I can ask around,” you said softly. “Someone has what I need. I’ll fix this for you.”

That phrase, the words that fell from your lips, it was sweet to his ears. You meant them well, and he knew the words were true. The promise you always made, “I’ll fix it for you,” you never fell through.

When he didn’t respond, you stood up. You went to the couch, where your bag was sitting, and you started gathering your things. The chair he was sitting in slid across the floor as he stood up.

“Where are you going?” He asked lowly. You lifted the bag over your shoulders, zipping up the end of your jacket. You shook your head, knowing this conversation was coming.

“I’m going to get what I need,” you said simply. He stepped closer.

“You know that isn’t how this works,” he countered. “I’ll go.”

“You’ll just scare them off,” you shot back, narrowing your eyes a bit. “You don’t know how to ask nicely.”

“How many close calls have you had? We both know—”

You stepped closer to him, putting a cautious hand on his chest. It stopped him mid-sentence. You had never touched him before, not really.

“It’s okay,” you assured him. “I just need a few hours. He won’t give me what I need if you’re with me, I know it. You scare him.”

He tilted his head to the side, angrily. He knew who you were talking about now. This wasn’t someone, it was somebody.

“I can handle him,” you said finally, after a few tense moments. You sighed, looking at the radio on the table. “How many ration cards is that worth?”

“Not just cards,” was all he replied, and you looked up at him with a raised brow.

“Then let me do this. We need this.”

We.

You took a deep breath, a smile finally gracing your face. You could feel his heartbeat slow almost at the sight, a reassuring smile that made his face fall a bit. You dropped your hand slowly from its place on his chest, and he almost flinched, almost lifted his own hand to keep you there.

But he didn’t.

“How about this?” You suggested, looking towards the window. It was about noon. “If I’m not back by sunset, then…by all means, wreak havoc. But I’m a big girl. It’s gonna be fine.”

You turned back to look at him, and he had turned his head to look at the window, too. Your eyes scanned his face, deep in thought. There was nothing more comforting than his thoughtful presence. He always knew what to do.

“Just don’t be stupid,” he said finally. His tone was back to normal; condescending, authoritative, as if he was scolding you. “I don’t wanna have to come get you.”

The quiet and calm moment was broken. You tried to not let his words show their effect on your face. You swallowed the sour taste in your mouth, turning to leave. You only were able to take a few steps before you were yanked backwards by the straps of your backpack. You opened your mouth to protest, but then you heard the zipper of your bag opening. He shuffled around inside, and you flinched a bit when you heard a disappointing grunt come from him. He roughly zipped your bag back closed, and then you felt his hand in yours. He handed you your switchblade, his touch leaving you once he was sure you were holding onto it.

“This oughtta be on your person,” he said lowly. “Can’t reach into your pack if you get into trouble.”

You gave him a small smile over your shoulder before you bent down and slipped the blade into your boot. You stood up again.

“I won’t get into trouble.”

When the door finally closed behind him, he finally let himself breathe. It was a shaky breath that came out rougher than he intended. He made his way over to the window, waiting there until he saw you come out the front, making your way down the steps. He watched as you walked down the street, his eyes on you until you turned the corner and disappeared from view.

The strain in his throat only got worse. He didn’t think twice before grabbing his bag, tossing it over his shoulders and making his way out.

—

“I got a few in the back.”

You sighed a bit with relief, tapping your fingers against his desk. You reached into your back pocket, pulling out a stash of cards.

“I could give you these,” you said, “unless you got something you want me to fix.”

You didn’t want to give the cards. In fact, most of your transactions here were remedied with your skill. People always needed something fixed, and you were more than happy to oblige.

“Yeah, I got something for you to fix,” was the response, along with a sly smile and a gaze that didn’t go unnoticed. You stiffened a bit, rolling your eyes.

“Don’t be an asshole,” you mumbled. “Give me what I need, and I’ll agree to forget what you just said.”

“I don’t want you to forget.”

He stood, and you straightened your posture. You narrowed your eyes, tilting your head to the side, shaking your head in a silent warning. The kind of trouble that followed exchanges like this weren’t pretty. You knew it, and you hoped he would remember that.

“Get me my parts,” you said again. “It’s the last time I’ll ask.”

You weren’t unfamiliar with situations like this. You might not have been the best sharpshooter in the city, but you could handle yourself. You silently thanked something above for the reminder to put your blade in your boot.

Can’t reach into your pack if you get into trouble.

You were quicker. His hand reached towards you, and you lifted your foot behind you, swiping the blade and flicking it out. You put a fist to his chest, knocking him off balance enough that he grabbed the table for support. You did not think twice before letting the tip of the blade go through the back of his hand, pinning him to the table.

The scream he let out echoed around the room, and you shoved the table backwards, forcing him to sit back into his chair.

“I fucking warned you,” you said before going around the table into the room in the back. He kept things organized. Everything was stored neatly in boxes, labeled with marker on fading painter’s tape. You opened your bag, grabbing a handful of the components you needed. You grabbed yourself a few extra things, some batteries and screws and other electrical parts that you were short on.

For my trouble, you told yourself.

You came out of the room, standing in front of the table where he was wheezing, hot tears rolling down his reddening face. His blood was dark as it ran down the skin of his arm.

You reached for the end of your blade, wrenching it out of his hand and splattering his blood across the table. His scream again crackled in your ears.

“I took a few extra things for the trouble,” you said to him, licking your dry lips. They stung.

“You bitch, I-I swear—”

Your laugh stopped him, and you put your hands on his desk, leaning forward.

“I dare you,” you said softly, almost sweetly. “To come after me. You know where I’ll be. And who I’ll be with. Let’s just agree to forget this ever happened, and then I won’t have to tell him how close you got to me today.”

His eyes burned with anger. They were dark and flooded with frustration. Your frame, smaller and younger than him, but so untouchable even though nothing separated you. You had too much baggage, too much protection, too many friends. He was not popular; he would not win.

“So when I need favors,” you continued, “and when I need things, you’re gonna give them to me.”

He opened his mouth to argue, but you shook your head.

“I’m not unreasonable,” you said. “I know you have a business to run. I won’t ask for much. But when I need something, you’re gonna be there for me. You’re gonna give it to me. Because you know what’ll happen if you don’t.”

The name hung in the air. Unspoken, but even just a whiff of him was enough to shut the man up. You didn’t have to say his name for the threat to sting, to permeate the air and stick like gum on the wall. His name was sacred, and you spoke it as little as possible.

Anyone smart enough made sure they knew his name, anyways.

You grabbed a rag off the chair beside you, tossing it at him.

“You should wrap that hand,” you finished before turning on your heels and leaving. The slam of the door behind you echoed through the hall. There were a few patrons shuffling around that just stared at you, but you didn’t pay them any mind. You simply made your way down the steps of the apartment building, shoving past anyone in your way.

When you were on the street again, you looked up at the sky, realizing the time. You needed to get back before he noticed.

To get home.

You kept up a steady pace as you made your way through the city. It was busy at this time. People were trying to get home before curfew, and they appeared tired and sluggish as they went through the motions. The sun was heavy today, warm and uninviting, and the sweat was in the air.

You noticed your shadow once you were closer to his street. A dip between the sunshine that came and went, a figure in your peripheral vision that followed you slowly. The hairs on the back of your neck stood tall, but then you realized the intense gaze was familiar. The curls, the ragged, figure-hugging shirt he wore, the stoic expression that nobody could really read.

You slowed your pace, letting him catch up. You turned finally, stopping, your eyes meeting his. You didn’t know whether to be angry or relieved that he had followed you. Once he realized he was caught, he slowed his walk. He made his way towards where you were standing, and you looked up at him with a neutral face.

“I told you I could handle it,” you said to him. Your voice was gentle. People were beginning to notice the two of you, standing close, and he started to walk again. You sighed in defeat, following him now. You felt like a child. Like you had just been found out, caught breaking the rules, and you were just walking towards the room where you’d never hear the end of it, of the lecture.

You shut the apartment door behind you, gently, locking it. He was already seated on the couch, his elbows on his knees and his hands folded together. You put your things down, slowly making your way towards him. You took a seat beside him, the cushions bending under you, your knee touching his. You were awfully close.

You opened your backpack, taking out the components and other parts you had procured. You set them down on the coffee table, smiling to yourself. You showed it to him like it was your prize. It was your trophy; you had done a job without him, handled the trouble, and came out with more than you planned.

You sat back on the couch, but he was still leaning forward. You looked down at your hands, still stained red. The blood wasn’t yours, but it didn’t stop you from swallowing hard.

You didn’t realize you were crying until you saw the blue of your jeans wet with small drops. You took a shaky breath, rubbing your hands on the couch for comfort. You weren’t a fighter, not really. Nothing was ever truly easy.

The blood never truly came out. The scars never faded. The words never stopped repeating themselves in your head. The stares never left your memory. The bruises never got better, not truly, when their touches were so rough.

You went to stand, but a grunt from him stopped you from moving too far. He put a hand on your thigh to keep you beside him, and you relaxed back against the couch. You stared down at his hand on your leg, his fingers curled around you firmly to keep you close. He was wearing his watch still, like always.

His touch was warm. His touch was comfort and safety and security, and if you thought his presence was comfort and security, it was nothing compared to the blanket of it you were wrapped in now. You wanted to feel it everywhere. You wanted to feel it around you, in you, everywhere and all the time.

You sniffled a bit. You couldn’t keep the tears a secret, and he didn’t need to turn to look at you to know that you had cried. You drank in the silence, feeling comfortable in it. You let your head lull to the side, your cheek resting against his shoulder. You closed your eyes, letting yourself breathe him in. You had never been this close to him. He smelled good, smelled so earthy and calm, and you nuzzled your face into his shoulder more to consume the feeling of him.

You did not know what love was. You did not know if you had ever felt it before, but if you had, you were sure it was not as intense as this. Nothing would ever be, nothing could ever be.

You let your hand curl around his bicep, holding yourself closer. Your entire body was against his now, your fingers squeezing the muscle that you had ahold of. You lifted your head a bit, pressing your mouth to his shoulder. You didn’t dare press a kiss there; there was no way you wanted to break this moment.

His head turned a bit, his eyes finding yours. His dark eyes were on yours now, and you let the rest of your silent tears fall. His gaze flickered down, watching the tears curl around your jaw before wetting his hand that still wrapped around your leg.

He lifted his other hand, reaching around and using the rough pad of his thumb to wipe your face. You kept your eyes on his as you leaned into his touch. It was clear to him now the effect his touch had on you. You followed it if he let you, searching for it to keep you grounded.

“Joel…”

The name slipped past you finally. You spoke it, gently, barely audible above a whisper, but you said it. It felt alright to say it between the walls of your shared apartment. For all intents and purposes, this place was safe. Safer than outside, safer than on the street, safer than the apartment next door. He lived here. He felt comfortable enough to rest his head on a pillow here and close his eyes until next morning. If he could do it here, so could you. If he could relax his shoulders just slightly here, you could say his name at ease. There were no barriers here.

Not at home.

He had tried hard to keep you at arm’s length. He had tried so hard to let his demeanor push you away, keep you at a distance, detest you in a way that made you unable to stand him for anything other than survival. He was stupid to think that was possible; there were stars in your eyes that never faded. He was almost certain you had the ability to ignore his words and find the meaning behind their roughness.

Don’t be stupid could be translated to be careful. Don’t make me come after you meant you know I’ll come if you need me. I’ll go really was just another saying for I don’t want anything to happen to you.

As your eyes held onto his, there was so much said that fell short. His gaze was soft, and your eyes were wet with love. You scooted even closer to him on the couch. You lifted your head off his shoulder, leaning even closer, close enough to touch your forehead to side of his head. He didn’t move away, not even a little. If anything, he pressed against you, too, his eyes lowering to look at where his hand still rested on top of your thigh. His thumb moved in circles there, feeling the denim beneath his touch. There was little else he could think about.

“I’ll…” He was first to speak again. “I’ll fix this for you.”

Your breath caught in your throat. This had to be love. There was no other explanation. There was no other way to decipher the heat in your chest, the throb in your heart, the swimming of the thoughts in your head. There was no other reason your skin burned and pulsed and ached to be closer and closer and closer to him.

You nodded in response finally, pressing your cheek to his. You closed your eyes, letting out a gentle breath of relief.

“Okay,” you whispered, and you could have sworn you felt his lips brush against the side of your face. It could’ve been a kiss. The way they pressed just enough against your skin, feeling the slight dampness from the way he licked his dry lips, the tenderness that only his mouth could hold because no other part of him was really capable of being that gentle.

There it was again, just beside your eye. Careful, calculated, secret, as if someone would catch him if he made too much noise or captured too much of your attention. You thought perhaps maybe he knew that if he gave any more than the ghost of his touch, you would make a sound.

It was true. You would cry. Maybe even scream. Perhaps you would say something and give this moment away, but how could you not? Joel Miller did not give affection. He did not receive it, and he certainly did not let his guard down enough to sit this close to someone other than his own shadow.

Oh, again, and this time you heard it. In the silence of the room you sat in, it was the faintest sound, but so sweet, you could taste it. A kiss, the sound of lips pressing against skin, a short peck that made your head spin. You didn’t cry nor scream. No, you whimpered, a soft whine that echoed in his ear. He squeezed your thigh in response as if to tell you that it was okay. Maybe it was to tell you that it actually happened, and that you weren’t dreaming. He was so rough around the edges. He was so hard to read. He rarely spoke, he rarely had any other expression on his face other than bitterness and annoyance. He rarely said anything except an insult or a command or a short, barking response that was meant to silence you.

This was peace and calm and serenity, and if this really was a dream, you wished on something above to never wake you up. You could die now, and it would be the most welcome end to whatever sick fantasy you had created; anything to keep this vision from stopping, anything to keep Joel Miller’s hand on you and his mouth on your skin and his gentle words in your ear.

Again, something new. The scratch of his beard as you turned your head slightly, your eyes meeting his for the hundredth time again. Another tear fell, but it was broken by the smile that grew on you. Sunshine in your eyes, not stars this time, he observed. He stiffened slightly as your free hand laid on top of his on your thigh, but he didn’t pull away. He was touch starved, and every lick of your warmth was a terribly beautiful relief. You smiled wider, suppressing a soft laugh. It was awfully funny to you the way he behaved. The brooding, dark man you had come to know was as stiff as a board, but he never pulled away from you. He didn’t pull away from your smile or your laughter or the soft touch of your meticulous hands, the hands that could fix anything.

The hands that could fix anything. The hands that could fix me.

He stared down at you as you continued to relax. The fear and tension in your body was gone, and while you explored this new territory, he never moved or relaxed. He was letting you explore on your own. He was too afraid to do anything more than he had already done. It was bliss when your hand left his bicep to touch the nape of his neck, playing with the ends of his hair. Greying and curly, but you admired him from this close. Now that you knew what it was like to be this close, you feared you would never move away again. There was something in your gut and on the tip of your tongue that told you that while he would never say it, you would be allowed to come this close whenever you wanted now.

He was gentle with you when he stood up finally. He didn’t push you away. He just let your hands fall into your lap again. It was dark out by now, and the both of you needed sleep for the day tomorrow. It would be a long day, full of laborious work and unforgiving heaviness. You reached up now, taking his hand in yours, stopping him from moving away.

“Joel…”

There was his name again. It felt good to be called by his name again by someone like you.

“Just a little longer?” You begged. He was touch starved; but so were you. He sat again on the couch, unable to deny your request. Perhaps he was unable to deny any of your requests, and you had just never known until now.

I’ll fix this for you had to mean I love you.

Didn’t it?

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for asking my brother to turn down the volume? And WIBTA for assuming his internet history and trying to get him to stop visiting certain sites?

So it's like this- my (24ftnb (closeted)) hearing is incredibly oversensitive. Like, I can hear someone chewing with their mouth open from 100 paces. However, I'm usually good about not reacting to noises that frustrate me. Not always- sometimes I have to text a meme I made to one of my brothers (22m, 20m, 12m) that's an edit of the "I (do this thing), but I don't want to" meme. The one with the guy who looks up in the second panel with red eyes. "I hear everything, but I don't want to," y'know?

In the past, the predecessor to this meme was simply crawling out of bed to stand in my brothers' doorframe to tell 22m (younger at the time, obviously) to stop singing loudly at 2 am. (It never worked until our parents got involved, and even then sometimes not for the entire night.) Times have changed, I no longer sleep across the hall from all three, but we're all still stuck in the same house, and it's now 20m who's keeping me awake.

Most of the time, he's watching a show he enjoys or playing a video game in the basement. And humming along. Which sounds perfectly fine, and I'm glad he can find some time to indulge in his interests. Whenever I ask him to maybe indulge at a volume that doesn't carry through the vents and directly to my room, though, he gets angry and tells me it's an "anon problem, not a [him] problem." Which. Whatever. I'll deal with itchy earplugs if I need to when at home. They're usually enough to silence the little things, though louder stuff always manages to get through.

Now, though, we're visiting family, and the four of us are sharing a hotel room while our parents take a second. (Yes, yes, I know, three 20-somethings still living with our parents. Our parents put the "rent" into "parent" for each of us once we hit 18, so it's not like we're "freeloading." The economy's in shambles, so this is the best we've got rn.)

And 20m started watching episodes of a show he likes on the room's TV almost immediately after dinnertime, continuing until about 11:30 PM, when I eventually suggested that he watch one more before turning it off or switching to his phone. Something that wouldn't get loud enough to half-wake 12m for the fourth time in a row. I was careful not to mention my own annoyance at being unable to sleep.

Apparently the appropriate response was "I don't want to hear that from you."

Now, this is where that other question I asked comes in, and why I felt the need to specify that I'm closeted ftnb. See, 20m has previously talked about sigma males being better than alpha males, has told me to "use your ethos!" and acted like I was an idiot for not catching on that he meant "use your brain," and repeatedly interrupts conversations where our mother, 12m, and/or I are speaking to completely veer it off-course to whatever he wants to talk about. Additionally, he is incredibly controlling of 12m and has been for nearly all of 12m's lifetime. At the same time, whenever I try to point this out to someone, I am not believed and am considered to be overreacting, thin-skinned, or oversensitive. If 20m is around to see me do so, he snaps at me for "butting in."

Honestly, it feels like he might be browsing incel subreddits or something, but I don't know any specifics beyond how his mentality's changed over the years. All I know is that it feels like he is so much less likely these days to treat my suggestions as equal to his own when I'm not being a yes-man. Yes-person?

Now, I'll straight-up admit that I am not an objective observer. It's very possible that I'm in the wrong about all this, as far as I can tell, but these are the facts as I see them, and nobody's told me otherwise while also elaborating on what the truth would be in such a case.

So…AITA for asking my brother to turn down the volume? And WIBTA for both assuming he's browsing sites that are eroding his ability to interact with other people, and for planning to find a way to get him to stop?

What are these acronyms?

[rinbowaman]

ↀOUBLE IIROUBLE - CHAPTER FOUR

Warnings: Just some fluff....with the two boys. There is a slightly (not too creepy) but kind of a hint of a death glare (or my attempt in making Heejeong having one) but honestly, he just looks a bit tired, but you get the picture. It's nowhere as creepy as the Heelel scary pic in SE7EN lol. but other than that, step-bros and step-sis (you) have some fluff exchanged, if you kind of take your time and read in between the lines...you find just a tad bit of...not really smut but acts that could relate to smut. But for the most part, we’re still in the slow burn stages.

Casually walking in, the brotherly pair dawned sophisticated and fashionable looks as they took gentle steps inside, with Heejeong slightly looking behind as he gently shuts the door, and locks it.

*click*

The latch is heard clicking in place all the while you, Wendy, and Jeff stood, issuing puzzled looks.

Both men, stood at towering heights, dawning their own unique sense in attire.

Heejeong adorned a trendy sense of men's elaborate state of fashion while Heeseung opted to wear all black. The two were so similar and yet vastly different in expressing themselves. One thing was for sure, the brotherly pair had something in mind that concerned you, otherwise, why would they both be here?

".....He-Heeseung? Heejeong?.....How.....how did you guys know-"

"Your mom gave us the address, we figured we'd stop by and take you out for coffee....that and you're coming with us."

Your eyes widened at the words that Heejeong issued out. Wendy's voice choked as she took a moment to process the wording all the while trying to figure out who the two young men were.

"....Y....Y/n......did you.....are these guys a part of a mafia or something?" she asked wholeheartedly with a sincere tone. You couldn't blame her, the way they had sauntered in, had you not known who they were you would have thought the same, much less Jeff, who was staring with his mouth wide open with an angry brow line displayed on his face.

"Come....come with you?" you asked in a high state of confusion, completely distracted by Heejeong's statement, so much that you inadvertently ignored Wendy's question.

"Yeah.....with us. We have your room already prepared at our place, movers will be in later today to get the rest of your things." Heejeong continued as he smirked in your direction, while looking through his aviator sunglasses.

Upon hearing him elaborate, Wendy interjects once more, much to the annoyance of the two boys.

"Y/n! You can't just leave? How am I supposed to get someone to take your half of the rent? Plus, who are these guys?" her irritation was expressed in both, her tone and on her face.

"They're my step brothers.....our parents are going to get married in a few days." you softly responded back.

"Thats right.....we're HER step-brothers....." Heeseung responded with his arms crossed, speaking in a defiant tone. "....YOU." he issues as he looks over to Jeff.

"What the fuck do you want? I'll fuck your ass up asian boy." Jeff snaps as he balls his fists tightly. All the while Heeseung issued a strange and terrifying glare over to Jeff. He would never admit it, but after witnessing Heeseung's eyes widening and his iris shrinking, Jeff developed chills on his spine. The look he had...it was so very.....eerie. Even you had lost your breath for a moment out of fear.

"Did I hear correctly that you just threatened.....OUR....baby......sisssssssteeerrrrr?" Heeseung replies back, his voice growing deeper towards the end of his remark.

"Oh what? You wanna do something bout it? Lets go mother fucker, I'll take both you on right now." Jeff spits out.

For a moment, the overwhelming sense of fear grew within you as you feared that the three men would lash out and be involved in a bawl. Heeseung and Heejeong looked as if they could put up a good fight, especially with the both of them tackling their opponent together, however, Jeff may have lacked in height, but he more than made up for it with his stature. The man practically lived in the gym and was built with a large amount of muscle mass.

Yet it surprised you the moment that Heeseung remained with his arms crossed, calm, cool, and collected. In fact, he smirked as he shifts his gaze down on the floor and shakes his head, as if he had found the threat so silly or adorable. Biting his lip as he raises his sights once more.

"Nah.....we didn't come here to fight you. We just came over to get the girl....our baby girl...our baby sister."

Everyone in the room was astounded and raised a brow, you couldn't deny but you too were caught off guard with how he addressed you, yet the sudden issue of "baby sister" had caused you to not think too hard on the address.

"..um....guys....Wendy's right. I can't just leave, I just moved in and it wouldn't be-"

Cutting you off once more, Heejeong walks up in your direction.

"You don't need to worry baby-sis. We got you covered." he smirks out as he bites down on his lip, much like Heeseung did. It seemed to be a habitual trait with both boys.

Digging into his inner pocket, he fishes out a rather thick stack of pure cash, bundled and rubber-banded together. You weren't sure just how much it amounted to, yet you knew it was high....very high.

"Here." he calmly speaks out as he carelessly tosses the stack towards Wendy, in a rather rude manner which had triggered you to irk a brow up for a second, yet you were too surprised, and intimidated by their demeanors to say anything. You couldn't figure out who was scarier, Heejeong or Heeseung.

"Wh-what's this?" Wendy asks.

"That should be more than enough to cover Y/N's part of the rent for the next six months, which gives you plenty of time to find a replacement."

Your eyes grew wide. Did they intend on bringing you back with them this entire time? There was no way they didn't, otherwise, why else go through the trouble to stop at the bank and draw out such large sums of money in cash?

"Bullshit! There's no way that is six months worth of rent!" Jeff snaps out, nodding towards Wendy, gesturing for her to count each single bill. Both you and Wendy were surprised at Jeff's dense statement since clearly, the stack showed legitimate currency in high value. But it wasn't just you two that were surprised and somewhat irked by his ignorance, Heejeong, much less Heeseung, who rolled his eyes at the outlandish statement, merely chuckled in an demeaning manner. Heejeong however, stood with a straight face as he looked over towards Jeff.

"Were you born with an added chromosome in your DNA? Or are you the product of goat fucking your mom's cunt? If you want to count it, go ahead, but we're leaving."

Jeff began lashing out a hurl of insults as Wendy quickly got up and stepped in front of him, trying to calm him down as he took Heejeong's rather brutal insult in high offense.

"Y/n..... we're leaving." Heejeong looks over as he smirks at you. Reaching up, he moves a piece of your hair away from your face. Turning his head back towards Heeseung for a moment, he proceeds to communicate with his brother in regards to your departure.

"Do you have her wallet?" Heejeong calmly asks Heeseung.

"Yeah." Heeseung responds as he grabs it from the console table. Grabbing your jacket off a nearby chair, he brings it over to you. "Put it on girly, lets go get you some coffee and show you around the house. You'll like it, it's got lots of space and has everything you need." winking at you, Heeseung wraps your jacket over your shoulders, gesturing for you to feed your arms through the sleeves as he aids you, much like a mother dressing her child.

"There you go. Good baby-sis." Grabbing your arms once your jacket was fully adorned, he admits a gentle squeeze before turning over to Heejeong and nodding.

"Alright, we're out. You all enjoy the rest of your day." Heeseung remarks, yet on the way out, you had only caught it from the corner of your eye right before Heejeong took you by the hand and pulled you to his side as Heeseung trailed behind you both, but you could have sworn for a moment...that terrifying glare was back on his face once more....looking straight over towards Jeff.

“What was that?” You thought to yourself as you walked out of the apartment. You couldn’t put your finger on it but there was something about that look in Heeseung's eye that gave you an unsettling feeling.

............

"Lets go get some coffee shall we?" Heejeong smirks out as he side glances in your direction, looking down at you from his staggering height.

"Um....about this whole moving thing..." you started.

"Shhh don't worry about that. We took care of everything, your roommate can tell the movers to pack, unless.....you don't trust her?" Heejeong raised a brow, yet his smirk was still persistently plastered on his face.

"No it's not that. Its just....I"m not sure if it's such a good idea...."

"Why not? We're family, we have to take care of each other. Plus...."

Heejeong paused for a moment, in both his words and his movement. You took a couple steps forward before noticing that he had stopped walking, as you turned back, you couldn't be sure but there was that similar uneasy feeling that you sensed by the look on his face, only it was hard for you to tell since he had his glasses on....yet for a slight moment as he slid them upward along the bridge of his nose, there was something about his gaze matched with the smirk on his face that was discerning enough. Even with the glasses back in place over his eyes, there was this feeling...

”I’ve didn’t like the fact that you were sharing the same living space with someone like that guy…Jeff was it?”

You nodded hesitantly. Even though you were still a bit unsure of moving in with your soon to be step-brothers, you couldn’t argue that Heejeong did make a valid point. Especially with how things were going down before the twin brothers had arrived, things were beginning to become out of hand. Honestly, had it not been for the both of them arriving just in time, who knows what would have happened.

“Well I guess you make a point. I supposed just for a little while until I can find my own place and-“

“Hey-aaaaaaayyyeeee…siiiiis.” Gently grabbing you by the arms and squaring your frame parallel to hidden he takes his index finger and slides his glasses down just a tad bit to eyeball your gaze. “Let’s just….enjoy ourselves and spend time together, mmkay? This will help us get to know eachother better since you know….your mom and our dad are getting married soon.”

You were at a loss for words, despite feeling uneasy about moving in so suddenly, one again, Heejeong made a valid point. Your mother was to marry Danny in a matter of days, and you really hadn’t gotten to know your new additional family members, perhaps this was all fate and would provide the positive outcomes of gaining a better bond with your new brothers.

Betrothed to the notorious Bluebeard, the maiden travels to meet her fiancé and marry.

Blinded by the mysterious and shallowness of his reputation, the maiden falls weary.

For the rumors be known, that the six wives of Bluebeard, no longer heard of and be out of sight.

Causing the maiden to fear for her own life, avoiding at all costs, chaos and strife.

Little did the pretty maiden know, that the danger that lurked in the shadows of Bluebeards home,

Will provide no escape, for which she will soon find that her harmless mistake, will be something she will soon atone.

..........

"Here we are!" Heeseung spoke out in an elated tone as he opens the front door and leads you inside, with Heejeong closely behind you.

Upon hearing the door shut behind caused you to turn halfway rather suddenly as you still felt somewhat uneasy about the entire arrangement. Yet the entire time the three of you were out grabbing coffee from your favorite cafe, the subject was always quickly hushed by both brothers each time you had brought it up. Despite them being rather gentle about it, always reassuring you with a soft smile on their identical faces, you still felt as if you were intruding into their life, even though it was their idea for you to live with them.

"Kitchen is over here, come on." Taking you by the hand, Heeseung leads you into the wide open floor concept of the kitchen and dining room combination. The house was enormous, with the dining room and kitchen area being the size of most living rooms.

"Rooms are all upstairs, we'll take you up there in a minute."

Continuing with the tour, Heeseung leading the front while Heejeong trailing behind, you were introduced to the massive living room, a sun room, the large backyard that was secluded by a heavy tree line, the wide patio that displayed a built in spa tub, with a large swimming pool that was surrounded by neatly trimmed hedges off into the yard. It was overwhelming, yet they continued to guide you showing the amenities in the entire house.

"Now for upstairs, this way." once again, Heeseung takes your hand and leads you up the grand stair way with Heejeong behind you. "This is the theater room."

Opening the door across from all the bedrooms, Heeseung reveals the large studio room that displayed rows of luxury sofa seating that faced a large blank wall, with a projector pointed in it's direction.

"We also use this as the game room for whenever we feel like gaming. Do you play video games, y/n?" Heeseung gives a side grin as he issues you the question.

"Um...not so much nowadays, I used to a little bit....with friends back in high school."

"Huh....you're going to fit right in then." Heeseung finishes his sentence with a slight bite of his lip. "Your room is right here, in between ours. It's the biggest one, we figured you could use the space, since we don't really need a bedroom that big."

Leading you in, your eyes grew slightly wide at how the furnishings of the room was formatted to fit the feminine aspect of interior design, despite the rest of the house being more formatted in in the masculine vibe.

"Oh wow.....you um....made it...-"

"For you." Heejeong finishes. "It has it's own bathroom, right there off by the corner next to the master closet. We figured you being the only girl here, you should get the most privacy."

You turned at his words, only to find the pair staring at you with their arms crossed, standing side by side as they smiled your way.

"Well....thank you. Um....will you at least let me pay you guys rent, this is very nice of you guys just...I'm a little bit overwhelmed..." you spoke honestly.

"Don't worry. Trust us, we're not even concerned with it. We're just glad that you'll be close by and safe from men like the one that we ditched behind back there." Heeseung states, brushing his shoulder as he sighs out another smirk at you.

"Why don't you get settled in and get some rest, it's already getting a little late." Heejeong insists. "We placed a pair of our t-shirts and whatever else we could scrap up out of our closet for you to sleep in. Your mom also gave us some of your clothes that you had left behind at her apartment, they're in the closet. Just to tie you over until tomorrow morning when the movers come over."

"My mom gave you my clothes?" you asked, wondering if she knew that the boys had planned in moving you in, and if she had supported their decision.

"Yeah, we stopped over there earlier."

"Oh....."

"You okay" Heejoeng smirks as he tilts his head.

"Yeah I'm fine. I just.......I guess I'm overwhelmed still....but also grateful. Thank you."

"Huh...good girl." Heejeong spoke softly....so soft, that you didn't even hear him.

"Sorry, what did you say?"

"Oh nothing, just said it's good." Heejeong answers back.

"Anyhow, get some rest, we'll see you in the morning. If you need anything, just text us." Both boys gently waved as they left the room and gently shut the door behind them.

There you stood in your lonesome state. The room was decorated with such beautiful and feminine wall paneling, with silk wallpaper of French damask patterns that reflecting hues of an offwhite to bounce off the beige wall color. The vanity, drawers, and bed frame matched in a natural cream base with gold and black trim, adding a perfect amount of accent to the room.

Changing into one of the boy's oversize t-shirt, you climbed into the bed, draped with satin sheets and a thick comforter set, filled with goose feathers. The boys knew luxury, though it didn't surprise you considering they were the heir's of a major corporation that ran the entire city.

Calling your mother, she answers with a tiresome voice.

"Oh I'm sorry mama...did I wake you?"

"Mmm no y/n, it's okay, is everything alright?"

"Yeah....i just um..."

You explained the entire daily event of what had happened between you and Jeff, and how your new step-brothers had, while not maliciously, yet seemingly forced you to move in.

"Ah, that's why they picked up your clothes. They said they were designating a room for you, but I assumed it was for whenever you decide to stay over night whenever you spend time with them. Kind of like how you do with your cousin's place."

Nodding, you seem to understand that the entire thing was just a mass misunderstanding on your mother's part, and that the boys had merely acted upon their own accord after you told them of how Jeff had been treating you. In a way, you got exactly what you asked for....

Recalling your inner thoughts, right before the exchanging of text messages between you and Heeseung, you felt like punching yourself in the gut upon remembering...

"hmm...I wonder if they care enough about me as their step-sister to actually save me?"

"God....well....I guess my own question was answered today."

Turning over to your side, you drifted off as the soft fabric of the comforter closed you into a cave of warmth and comfort.

"At least I dont have to worry about Jeff anymore....that was starting to become bothersome..."

.........................

"Good Morning! Did you sleep well?" Heejeong greets you as you make your way down stairs.

"Good morning, and yes I did. Thank you."

"Good. Come over to the kitchen with me, we can go make breakfast. Heeseung is barely just getting up right now, he'll be down after a bit."

Nodding, you take Heejeong's hand as he extends it your way upon finishing the remaining steps of the stairway.

"What are you hungry for?" He asks as he opens the fridge.

"Um....I'm down for anything. What did you have in mind?" Honestly, you weren't even that hungry, yet you didn't want to be rude as the two boys were being awfully nice and friendly, going out of their way in bringing you comfort and decorating a room just for you.

"Well, we have eggs, we got sausage, mitbanchan, we can make some rice, and we even got some rice cakes if you want a little sweetness with your breakfast."

Looking over to you, you nodded as he seemed like he was smiling your way waiting for your approval.

"I can make the rice." you insisted, considering you had learned from one of your friends who was of Korean descent. "Oh good, I'll get the pan out and get it ready for us to cook the sausage."

Taking the pot from the rice cooker, you eyeballed a measurement that was roughly about six cups of rice, and began rinsing the grains as you massaged and cleaned them by hand.

"So who taught you how to make rice?" Heejeong smiled as he leaned in from behind you.

"Oh, I had a friend from high school who was Korean and she and her mom taught me during a sleep over one time." you chuckled, as did he.

You felt him watching you, which had started to make you nervous. You wondered if you were doing something wrong, so you slightly turned and smiled at him as you both made sudden eye contact.

"Am I doing it correctly? It's been a while."

"Yeah, you're doing good. I just like watching you clean the rice. It's kind of therapeutic." he smirks as his gaze moves back over to your hands massaging the dampened grains in between your palms.

"Here, I'll help."

Rather suddenly, you didn't have time to process his words let alone respond, as you felt him lean in....closely from behind. Both his hands reach around you, his arms cradling and trapping you in a reverted embrace as he washes his hands and then proceeds to dip them into the pot. His fingers gently grazing against the outer palm of your hands as he grabs a handful of grains and begins massaging them in the same motion that you had committed to.

You slightly gulped as you felt a bit strange and yet, it nearly felt satisfying to be caved in....by him.

Was it his scent? That wonderful musk of the deep blue sea with a hint of salty vanilla, aloe, and eucalyptus.

Or maybe it was the feeling of his firm arms, how they felt so strong yet they were wrapped around you gently, while not over crossing any boundaries, yet subtle with the physical contact you both shared.

Or could it have been the way it felt with his chest and his lower abdomen slightly pressed against your backside, with his chin gently grazing against the top of your head as he slightly rests it on the side, right above your ear, while whispering....

"There.....we can do it together....its fun, see?"

You were left speechless when taking in the feeling of his lips barely touching your ear as he whispered, the hot vapors of his breathe entering in your canal as the tip of his nose touches your strands. Through his words, it was faint, but you could hear him taking in an inhale of the scent of your hair.

"Is this.......this isn't at all how brothers and sisters should act....but we're not brother and sister.....we're step siblings.....but still....this isn't right yet....why does this feel so natural....and nice?"

You've heard of step-siblings developing feelings for each other, so long as there was no blood relation, yet it was something that was still frowned upon, at least in the area you lived in. With a high class community, it didn't leave much room for individuals to be open minded or understanding, instead, many judged and would become hostile over something that they didn't see eye to eye with. This, being one of them. Plus there was the fact that Heejeong had a girlfriend, Yeon-jin.

Yet still....

Was it so bad for you to feel this good? Especially when he was relaxing just a little bit of his weight against you. It just felt nice...like two pieces of a puzzle fitting together.

To your utmost shock, the moment you felt him pressed up against you more, pushing your pelvis forward as it gently bumps against the edge of the counter, you felt the rush of blood and tingling traveling downwards, from our chest to your pelvis....and even lower.

Gasping slightly, you slightly retract back and away from the edge of the counter, but by doing so, you had pressed against his groin even more than he initially had done.

Feeling your shocked movement, he takes a step forward, once again having your pelvic bone meet with the edge of the counter on the kitchen island. With another step, you felt the pressure of his lower abdomen firmly planted against your lower back and your rear.

"Shhh.....its only rice....siiiiiissssss." he softly hisses into your ear as he ended it with a soft chuckle. "Let me help you......let me help you with everything." he softly states as he presses his chin against your head.

You felt yourself zoning out as you dazed your sight on an empty spot on the wall across the other side of the room, barely massaging the grains that were settling in your hand. Slowly, you felt your body going slightly limp. His groin pressed firmly against you, your body couldn't help but slightly lean forward just a tad, as your eyelids grew heavy and the pungent sensation in your core starts to rise, all due to his touch and mannerisms triggering you to grow weak in the knees.

It was beyond your control, yet you could have at least put up a fight. However, the way your body had spoke to you internally....it yearned to be touched, to be grabbed, to be rubbed and caressed....it yearned to be.....

"Yeah...just like that. Just keep rubbing them." He whispers once more as he takes both your hands in his, and guides them to scoop up the rice and massage them in his pace. Chuckling, he once again rests his chin just slightly against the side of your head.

Gulping down a breath, it was very faint, yet with your luck, he had heard it. A subtle and airy, whispering whimper emerged from your lips as you felt him press inward more. The tightness of his frame applying the hard pressure of trapping you against the counter was just.....

"Ugh...."

Hearing it, he whispers....so low and deep.

"Yeah?.....Do you like that?"

Breathlessly whispering, the pounding of your pelvic muscles distracted you from everything else, to include his whisper which you had barely made out.

"Tell me.....what do you want me to help you with next....siiiiissss?" he whispers once more, only this time, his lips made full contact with your ear as his hot breath accompanied the sensation.

Hearing his words, you don't know what was it that made you gather the last inch of your strength internally, yet somehow you found it. Wincing your eyes shut, you barely gained control back with your body as you came back to your sense, though had he persisted with just even the slightest bit of tenacity, you would have caved in.

"What am I doing?? What's wrong with me?! I can't do this." an inner voice snapped you out of your zoned state as you shook your eyes shut.

"Umm....let me start cooking the sausage, do you want to finish washing the rice?" you softly spoke out with a nervous smile as you turned your face slightly away.

"Yeah.....sure." He smirks out, as he watches you slightly duck down and swoop away under his arm. Rinsing your hands clean, you turned and immediately started to focus on cooking the meat, hoping to regain your composure as your hands remained shaking.

As you turned on the stove, you set it to low in order to allow you time to prep the vegetables. Standing at the other side of the counter while Heejeong remained on the kitchen island sink, finishing up with the rice, it was faint, yet you could have sworn that you heard a deep chuckle emerge from him the moment he heard you move over to start cutting the veggies.

He must have sensed you being nervous. You pretend to not hear as you grab the knife and began chopping up each vegetable, when you heard Heejeong's voice greet Heeseung.

"Welcome sleepy head. We're making breakfast, care to join?" Heejeong spoke as he finished rinsing the rice, set the pot inside the rice cooker, and set it on cook.

Stretching while he gave his answer, Heeseung nodded as he groaned slightly from the stretch.

You heard the faint footsteps from behind when you suddenly felt a hand rest against your waist, and another reach around the opposite side, grabbing hold if a cucumber and holding it high.

"Heejeong putting you to work on vegetables?" Heeseung smirks as he bites into the cucumber.

You chuckled slightly. "Oh no, he was helping me with the rice but I figured I could start on the veggies and then cook the meat."

"Don't worry about the sausage, I got it. Why don't you and Heeseung take care of those vegetables." with a devilish smirk, Heejeong assigns the two of you with the task of vegetable prep. Heeseung didn't object.

"Sounds good." Heeseung smirks out, before nudging you from behind. "Come on y/n, tell me what you need help with..." he whispers against your ear.

With his arms, he closes you against him as he gently embraces you from behind, playfully nudging his nose agains the back of your head.

Much like his brother, Heeseung had a scent that left you a bit weak on the knees. It had the same effect as Heejeong, yet was different. While Heejeong's cologne was brisk, fresh, and flared the calming scent of the ocean, with a tinge of warmth from the vanilla and the coolness of the eucalyptus, Heeseung's was the opposite.

There was more warmth, with a tinge of an icy punch to his scent.

He smelled largely of mandarin with a hint of vanilla bean, which all provided the warm sensation that hit your nose, yet there was a fraction of the base of his scent which was similar to black leather, adding it’s own unique punch much like Heejeong’s.

“Oh….umm…did you want to wash the rest of these?” You placed your hand softly atop a row of assorted vegetables as you turned your face slightly away, just as you had done with Heejeong in feeling the blood rush through to your face.

"Sure." Heeseung chuckles out as he takes another bite of the vegetable in hand, eyeballing you from the side as your back remained facing him.

The three of you enjoyed breakfast, and to your amazement, it wasn't awkward as you initially had feared once you found ourself sitting across from Heejeong. After the display you both had committed to while washing the rice, you figured it was best to go with the flow of the atmosphere, which was lively, carefree, and nothing but positive energy as both Heejeong and Heeseung entertained you with jokes and fun stories of their college years as team captains for their respective sports.

......................

After breakfast, the movers had arrived right on time as Heejeong and Heeseung had arranged. You were surprised at how detailed and thorough the movers had done their job. From lifting, bringing in every box, to unpacking and placing everything wherever you pointed or guided them to set the items in place.

Once everything was unpacked, your room felt much cozier with all your belongings in reach once more.

"Got everything princess?" Heeseung stood leaning against the door way with his arms crossed.

"Oh yeah." You chuckled out as you took in the view from the window. "You guys picked a huge lot for this house...how many acres did you get?" You inquired, recalling that your mother mentioned the boys buying a plot of land over a year ago with the intentions of building a house of their own.

"Hmmm.....its about fifteen." Heeseung rolls his eyes inquisitively as he regains the memory of the acreage count, all followed by that same smirk that he and his brother like to display frequently.

You nodded as you took in the breathtaking view from your window.

".....Why do I still feel that staying here is just.....should I?......"

Secretly, you found yourself contemplating on finding a place of your own in the near future. However, for now, this was fine.....

So you thought....

....................

The next day, you were back to your regular routine of going into work. Both Heeseung and Heejeong drove you in one of their car's, taking you right up to the entrance.

Heejeong turned his whole body to peer over towards you from the front passenger seat, placing a hand on Heeseung's headrest as he leans in over the center console, while you sat in the back right behind the driver's seat.

"We'll be here to pick you back up when you're done with work." he calmly states with a wide eye look, almost as if he was beholding a great sight or view of something wondrous.

Little did you know...

...................

"Hey Y/n, is that you?"

You turned at the voice calling out towards you, and found a fellow acquaintance from high school.

"Oh my goodness, Kurt! Is that really you? It's been too long, how are you?" you smiled widely as you greet the familiar face that you once found yourself feeling a sense of romantic fondness for, yet never pursued as the man was always claimed for by his fellow senior leveled peers, while you were in our junior year.

"Wow, it's been a long time. You work here?"

"Yes, I do. I just graduated roughly five months ago from (enter your college name) university."

"No shit? I have a friend who attended there last year."

"Wow....what a small world." You chuckled as you displayed a sweet smile. The view of his face brought back memories from your days as a silly high school student, yet you were already a groomed, young woman who was further blossoming as you entered the tender age of seventeen and moved right along to eighteen, facing the prospects of your future as an aspiring college student.

"So yeah, I thought I recognized you. What are you up to these days?"

"Oh nothing much. I just started working here and my mom, do you remember her from all those times she picked me up from school?"

"Yeah I do." he softly laughs at the memory of you being picked up.

"Yeah, she's getting married in a couple of days."

"Good for her! Tell her I said congrats."

"I will...." you chuckled softly as you remained smiling gently towards the man. You found yourself wondering what it was that you ever saw within him, as the man did display handsome features, yet it was not at all to your preference. Perhaps your taste in men changed, despite you not taking interest in dating or focusing on relationship prospects. Still, you couldn't help but find yourself more attracted to exotic features, whereas Kurt was pure Caucasian all the way through, looking at him now, his face only brought back the memories of being a younger woman who didn't know anything in regards to future, love, and relationships.

Snapping you out of your zoned state, Kurt's voice gently triggers your eyes to grow slightly wide the moment you processed his question.

"Soooo...what about you? Any boyfriends or husbands in your life at the moment?"

"Oh no." You chuckled as you crossed your arms gently. "No, I kind of took a long break from the whole dating scene once I started college."

"Oh wow, so it's been a while since you've had companionship."

"Mmm..it's not all so bad."

"Well....do you think you could take a break...from that break?.....And join me for dinner next Saturday night?"

Before you could think....or answer, your phone sets off a ding indicating a text. As you read the message, you felt your chest sink in just a bit.

"Uh....Kurt, why don't I give you my number and you text me? I need to check my schedule and I can let you know. Is that okay?" you made up an excuse on the spot, as you relayed your phone number to Kurt.

"Alright got it."

"Okay, just text me and I'll check and get back to you."

"Sounds good. I'll be looking forward to it."

Grabbing your belongings, you clocked out right on the last minute, avoiding going on unapproved overtime.

"Huh....there timing is very punctual."

Looking at the text once more, you take the elevator to reach the first floor level as you walked towards the main entrance and exit point. Reading the text once more, there was that strange feeling that hit your gut once more. It was an odd feeling, one that you couldn't pinpoint yet it hit you hard enough for you to try and figure out what it was about the text that made you felt....strange, even though the text, after reading it several times in the elevator, seemed harmless.

......................

CHAPTER 5

Authors note: In case yall are asking, I did some research and mitbanchan (what Heejeong was grabbing out of the fridge) is a series of Korean side dishes, normally consisting of assorted pickled veggies, broiled meats, some beans and seafood. I wanted to keep the authenticity in their Korean heritage within the chapter without being too generic.

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