#out of consumer models (ooc)

[ultimarobo]

One of the funniest things about Omega is that while there's a lot of stories of "What if a weapon wanted to be more than just a weapon" Omega is essentially just "What if a gun wanted to be a gun" and somehow he ended up being on the good side of things.

[saeist]

it's not living if it's not with you ── s. itoshi

synopsis: if it's meant to be, it will be genre: ex2lovers, arranged/fake dating, celebrity!au, pro!au, fluff, angst with happy ending, sharing a bed, 2nd chances, ... word count: 12.3k warnings: reader and sae aged up 22+, implied sex towards the end, reader has a hint of social anxiety/claustrophobia, i think sae is a little ooc in some scenes, lmk if i missed some notes: THERE YOU HAVE IT SAEISTS.. MY 1K SPECIAL!! THIS IS THE SUPER SECRET SAE FIC I'VE BEEN TEASING EVERYONE ABOUT FOR LIKE A WEEK NOW AND IT'S FINALLY IN FRUITION! <3 here's a lil sae brainrot to show my gratitude to you guys ^_^ fellow saeists who also consume an unhealthy(?) amount of sae content...... this fic is also dedicated to the loml my bae aeri @saerins for taking ur time of day to beta-read and to my angel baby sage @invsu as well <33 ilu guys extras: i made a playlist for this bc i am insane like that and without further a do.. sit back, relax and enjoy! lmk what u guys think either in the tags or comments bc i rlly worked hard on this for like a week and i jus couldn't stop writing! talk abt a sae earworm... ++ if u guys find theres a lot of the 1975 references.. its bc i was listening to their songs as i made this lawl .. tmi!

001.

you didn’t really put into consideration how awkward it actually was to be working on a modeling gig with your ex boyfriend.

the pay was obviously really good that’s why you even agreed to book it in the first place, especially since it was for a famous luxury brand and their fragrance line

so imagine your horror when you walk into set and see your ex posing for the cameras.

you silently hoped that it was just his solo shoot and not with you because your manager did mention that you would be having a partner for this photoshoot

the photographer greets you with a hug and compliments your outfit for the shoot. a white, sultry open neckline dress. the theme of the shoot was it was set on the beach with a sunset background

he instructs you to lay on the makeshift sand and tells you to start posing for your solo shots.

after a couple of clicks, the photographer compliments you on your professionalism on set and then calls your ex boyfriend.

“sae! time for the couple shots i told you about” the photographer calls out to sae who was on his makeup chair. your eyes widened in realization that he was, in fact, your partner for today’s shoot

you tried to look at your manager for some help but it was no use. your manager was busy talking to other people on set. you can feel your heart beating faster by the minute as sae walks closer to you

he was wearing something similar to what you were wearing. dress pants and a white oversized unbuttoned polo. his exposed toned abdomen was probably the main highlight of his outfit with it glistening under the studio lights. 

you bit your lip and looked away. sae has always been eye candy, there was no denying that. you were surprised yourself when you managed to bag him during his rookie days, but now that he was almost, if not an A list celebrity with his elite status in the world of football, you can almost say that itoshi sae was totally out of your league

you come back to your senses when the photographer claps his hands and muses how you and sae have insane chemistry that he has ever witnessed. you let out a little huff at the comment.

‘if only he knew’ you think to yourself, avoiding sae’s gaze as much as possible

the shoot starts and the photographer instructs sae to hover over you while holding the perfume bottle. sae nods and does what he’s told, he’s a professional after all. he wouldn’t let his personal feelings interfere with his work. that was the golden rule in the industry

you locked eyes with sae for the first time in years. he still had those fiery teal eyes that gets you weak in the knees each time. your eyes slowly dart from his eyes to his lips.

“keep doing that y/n!” the photographer cheers, clicking away on his camera. did you do something in your past life that you would inevitably end up in an awkward situation like this. a situation wherein you and your ex lover, in a position where you two are posing like an actual couple

your eyes flicker back from sae’s lips to his eyes again. for a second there you thought you felt a spark, a connection, an old flame that has been rekindled at that very moment.

til it all comes back to you in a flash

you forgot you hated him. you hate itoshi sae and you could’ve sworn itoshi sae hated you too. 

the bitter taste is still in your mouth after all these years. how could you forget the man who broke your little heart in two?

it was childish really. looking back at it now, where you were merely just starting out as a rookie model and sae being the same, a rookie at his profession. just two kids having a similar situation in two whole different industries. it was hard not to get entangled.

you were always known to be sae's long time lover. you were always supportive of his games. present whenever you can, sitting at the exclusive VIP section of the stadiums, wearing his number on your back; and if you weren’t able to attend due to your own schedules, you would still manage to find the time to support him. may it be posting an instagram story that you were watching him on your phone while you were getting your makeup done or wearing his jersey on the day of the game

sae was the same. he would always be seen wearing the stuff from brands you’ve modeled for. from jewelries to exclusive clothing lines, sae would always be seen wearing them, his silent way of showing support in your own craft. 

you were proud of him, and he was proud of you too.

but as all things are, good things come and go. even in the most unexpected times.

there were already rumors circulating that you and sae were ready to tie the knot, some news outlets even stating that maybe you two have gone ahead and tied the knot at some island during your secret little rendezvous. (having been caught going to santorini for more than multiple occasions)

the public has always been supportive of your relationship throughout the years. even earning the title as the nation’s sweethearts with how they’ve seen your relationship blossom from puppy love to what they call as “true love”

with the news that the nation’s sweethearts have parted ways, the public was as heartbroken as you. 

sae suddenly called it quits after almost five years of dating. it was after he has been taken under the wing of real madrid’s division A where his career as a midfielder really took off. to make matters even worse, he broke it off at the same place he claimed you as his.

since then, you’ve sworn to hate him. you’ve resented him. you felt like all those years that you two have built was nothing. you couldn’t even believe him at first when he spat out the words “we’re over” like it was nothing. 

five years, five years worth of unforgettable firsts. five fucking years to unlearn everything.

you were absolutely crushed back then. you even took a hiatus with everything going on in your life. you were a mess. you actually can’t believe sae had no remorse over this. were the five years you were together nothing for him? all those tears you two have shed, the firsts of everything, all those precious memories, were they all nothing? 

it hasn’t even been a year or so but it seemed like sae already moved on, which added more salt to your already open wound. he was flourishing with his career while all of this was going on. sae has been photographed multiple times leaving clubs with lipstick stains all over his neck. 

it stung of course. seeing him move on with his life as if he didn’t just ruin yours. that very night, you swore to yourself that you will never forgive itoshi sae for what he did.

never again would you open your heart to someone like itoshi sae.

itoshi sae, the man who broke your heart into two.

“earth to y/n?” the photographer snaps his fingers in front of you, breaking your little trance.

you apologize to the photographer, your cheeks heating up at the realization that you really got lost in your thoughts the moment you’ve met eyes with sae.

“as i was saying,” the photographer eyes you and sae, “the shoot is over. well done” he bows, motioning the people behind the scenes to clap for you and sae

almost immediately you stood up from your awkward position from sae. intentionally avoiding his hand that was held out for you to take. (you hate how he was still a gentleman to you, even after all these years)

you look around for your manager and strut towards him.

“we’re leaving. now” you say with no emotion in your voice, even walking farther ahead from your now confused manager. 

he takes a look around on what could’ve made you pissed off but sees no one but itoshi sae in the flesh. 

“but y/n, itoshi sae is here-” your manager gets cut off when there was a loud slam of a door nearby. he winces when he realizes it was you. he turns around and bows his head at the people on set.

“i apologize for y/n’s actions” 

with that, your manager runs after you.

sae could only stare at your direction with mixed feelings. a part of him was relieved that he got to see you again after all these years, yet he doesn’t understand why he was feeling off to find out that you still resented him. i mean, that was what he expected for his own actions all those years ago.

with a click of a tongue, he goes back to his own manager so they can finally go home after a long day.

you don’t even know why you were crying. tears blurring your vision as you try to find the exit out of this damned building.

you harshly wipe your tears, opening the last door to your left. you were met with the harsh, cold air of japan. you weren’t looking where you were going, barely even noticing that someone was by the door til you bumped into them.

the steel floors were making it hard to walk in your heels. so when you bumped into the said stranger, you lost your balance. 

the stranger had quick reflexes. they immediately caught you by your waist and your hands flew to their chest to keep yourself steady. you looked up at the stranger to apologize only to meet eyes again with the same teal eyes that belonged to no one other than sae fucking itoshi

you don’t know how long you two have been in this position until you see a bright flash in your peripheral vision.

you have just been papped by paparazzi with your ex boyfriend and sworn enemy, itoshi sae.

002.

the headlines in both social media, news outlets and the such were exactly how you expected it.

it was crazy. 

the general public going wild, thinking that the once famed couple were now back together after how many years.

your phone was blowing up with emails upon emails. calls from friends and relatives to confirm the news themselves that you’ve been seeing sae again. you look at your manager beside you apologetically as he receives another phone call from what you think is another e-news outlet asking if the rumors circulating were true.

you have been summoned by your company for an emergency meeting as the whole situation was getting out of hand.

that was when you realize how big of a name itoshi sae was after all these years of blocking his name on twitter.

your PR team is currently a mess. they are currently working their asses off to put out a good story for your sudden reunion with the famed midfielder. 

“how many times do i have to tell you to be careful being papped after a shoot?” the head of your PR team, pinches the bridge of their nose. clearly this wasn’t the first time around 

“i was!” you defend yourself, “i didn’t even know it was him til i looked up..” you murmured

your manager facepalms at your response. how did you not know it was sae?

“so what i’m getting here..” the head puts their glasses on the table, “you didn’t “know” that it was the itoshi sae, your partner for this specific photoshoot, the famed midfielder of real madrid, itoshi sae?” they quote, looking at you like you just grew another head

you nod in content, “exactly” you grin, putting your thumbs up. in hopes it raises the mood. (it doesn’t, unfortunately)

“y/n, i hope you know this isn’t just something we can brush under the rug. this is not the same situation with yukimiya kenyu where you two were caught being cozy in his car” 

“yuki was literally just driving me home! and we’re close friends!” you defend yourself, yet again. 

“exactly! yukimiya is a close friend! while itoshi sae is not. that’s why this is such a big deal!”

you slump back to your seat. okay, maybe they were right. this was a lot harder to get around with especially since the public knows about your past relationship.

“luckily for you, we have talked things out with itoshi sae’s management,” it was your manager’s turn to talk. he stands up from the seat beside you and walks over to your PR team’s head. they exchange glances before nodding.

“we have come up with a way that this whole issue will be over soon” your manager starts. 

as if on cue, the doors of the meeting room suddenly open. you take a look on who could be entering this sacred room this late. surely it couldn’t be more of your PR team as they were all already present in the room. 

there stood with their hand still on the doorknob is no one other than sae, with his manager right behind him.

your jaw drops as you put two and two together.

you whipped your head towards your manager and the head of your PR team in both horror and disbelief.

no, it can’t be…

“you two will now be in an arranged relationship for the meanwhile. until your situation dies down” sae’s manager finishes, taking a seat next to sae, who took the seat next to you.

you could see your manager squeeze his eyes shut, knowing where this is going. you were about to have a fit right here right now.

“WHAT?!” you let out a loud scream. the whole floor probably heard you. 

sae also winces at how ear-piercing your scream was.

you abruptly stood up from your seat, snatching your purse from the table and stomped out of the meeting room. not forgetting to slam the door shut on the way out.

immediately you called up your two closest friends, reo and yukimiya to meet you at your apartment ASAP.

003.

“so you’re telling me– us,” yukimiya pauses, looking between you, who has mascara running down your cheeks and reo, who was busy rubbing circles on your back as he hands you another tissue for you to blow your nose on, “that you are going to be in an arranged relationship with your ex, itoshi sae.. am i getting that right?” yukimiya confirms, waiting for your response

you nod before blowing your nose and throwing the now used tissue on the rising pile of tissues behind you.

“this is the worst day of my fucking life” you cried out, reaching out to reo to cry on his shoulders.

“oh, y/n” reo sighs, pulling you into his embrace as you cry your eyes out. 

you pull away from reo’s embrace, “i mean, why him, why now?!” you rambled, words getting choked up.

both reo and yukimiya could only frown. after all, even with their power, money and status, there was nothing they could do to help with your situation.

your doorbell suddenly rings, catching all three of you in surprise. who could be at your door right now?

yukimiya took the initiative of opening the door, only to be met with the eyes of the itoshi sae. barely noticing your manager behind him.

sae raises his eyebrow at the man in front of him. who was he and why was he at your apartment?

“yukimiya-san! i didn’t know you were over..” your manager sheepishly greets yuki, trying to break the growing tension between him and sae.

“who’s out there, yuki?” you croak out, trying to take a peek at the door from reo’s shoulders.

“it’s me, y/n” you hear your manager call out. you look at reo in confusion. what was your manager doing here?

gradually, you slowly stood up from your kitchen island and walked over to your front door.

now, you just expected a scolding from your manager from your little fit back at the company, that’s why he was at your place or so you thought. what you didn’t expect that you’d see itoshi sae again but this time, in your own space.

“have you lost your fucking mind?” you shot a look at your manager, who only winces as a response. 

“y/n- i can explain-“

“i made him take me here” sae speaks up for the first time. you felt your breath hitched. it’s been so long since you last talked to him, let alone heard him speak. (you’ve done everything you can and blocked every single thing related to sae. that meant interviews, news articles, you name it, you had his name and everything blocked and muted)

sae invites himself inside your apartment with your manager following suit as you stand there at your front door, stunned. 

reo is equally as shocked as you are when he sees itoshi sae casually walk to your living room as if it was his. before reo could open his mouth to say something, you come running in, fuming.

“who the fuck told you you can come inside MY house” you spat. your attitude turning a whole 180. 

sae only raises an eyebrow at you. “our team” he casually says. he then looks at your manager and cocks his head towards your direction. like he was trying to get your manager to tell you something.

“what now?!” this time it was your manager’s turn to get yelled at by you. he winces again before checking for something in his ipad.

“since you um.. walked out at our meeting earlier today… both managements has come to terms that you and itoshi sae would be living together for the meantime”

silence fills the room, the entire apartment if we were being honest

your vision goes dark, the next thing you know and you black out.

as you slowly regain your consciousness, you hear some people talking. well, to you it sounded like they were slurring because you couldn’t really comprehend what they were saying. slowly, you open your eyes. the first person you see is a frantic reo who seemed to be fanning your face with yukimiya holding your hand

“where am i?” you grunt, feeling some dull ache on the back of your head and lower back. 

“you fainted” sae points out. staring at you who was on the ground. you sat up and stared at sae, wide eyed. “what the hell is he still doing here?!” you ask in distraught. you thought everything prior to this was all just a fever dream, or a nightmare as you’d like to call it

your manager, who was getting you a glass of water comes running to your aid. he crouches and tells you to drink up- to which you do.

“we were discussing your current situation with itoshi sae until you fainted… ” your manager starts, you choke on your water after hearing those words but thankfully didn’t start a coughing fit. you motioned your manager to continue so that you’d finally hear the end of this dreadful moment

your manager's eyes flicker between you and sae, “we’ve come up with an agreement that until the time being, itoshi sae would be living with you and you’d market yourselves as a couple. sae has already consented and agreed with the contract and your PR team as well…” he finishes, clutching his ipad close to his chest

reo, who was listening intently, felt like it was unfair for you to be in this type of situation regardless if it was an order from your company

“isn’t unfair for y/n though? she herself didn’t consent to this contract right? doesn’t this violate her own rights of code of ethics?” reo interferes, giving your manager a look. you look at reo and smiled. maybe you’ll ask him to contact the finest lawyers of japan that he knows after this

your manager was about to speak up but sae beat him to it.

“i was the one who suggested this whole setup, not their company. so technically, this isn’t “violating y/n’s rights of code of ethics” as it’s not even printed on a contract because simply, there is no contract” sae states, mocking reo’s tone of voice, giving him a side eye before turning his attention back to you. 

this time it was yukimiya who steps in. he turns to sae with his eyebrows raised. “isn’t there another way to get around this? not just by your means?” yukimiya pauses, pushing his glasses up, “i mean, why does it have to be like this where you’ll live with y/n for an issue that could be squashed with just a single article denying your relationship or involvement with y/n?”

sae sits up straight, staring yukimiya down with an icy stare. “this doesn’t concern you”

yukimiya and reo both stand up, “actually it does. y/n is our friend” reo hisses, glaring at the red head who merely just yawns and rolls his eyes.

was sae even taking this seriously? 

sae sighs, a bored expression on his face. “this is matters between me and y/n only”

finally having enough of his bullshit, you got up from the ground and walked in front of sae.

“what exactly are you planning, itoshi sae?” you narrow your eyes at him. this was the first time in years you’ve looked at him. you note how appearance wise, he hasn’t changed one bit. 

sae chuckles a bit, catching you by surprise. what’s so funny?

“drop the formalities, y/n. you know me better than everyone else in this room” he scoffs, eyeing you from head to toe.

sae won’t lie. he thinks you were still beautiful the day he left you. to him, you were always the prettiest in the room and from the way his heart raced after seeing you for the first time again in years, he knows himself that thought stayed the same.

he watches your eyes soften for a second before it goes back to your signature glare.

“actually, I don't,” you say dryly, crossing your arms. “so, tell me. what exactly are you gonna get out of this?” 

sae sighs. he doesn’t know himself either but he wasn’t just about to say that out loud. he doesn’t know what got into him all of a sudden. was it because he was curious about how you were doing? was he intrigued? did he somehow miss you all of a sudden because he saw you again?

a part of him always longed for you even after you two have gone your own separate ways. it was hard not to, considering you have spent a chunk of your lives together. not to mention, you two grew up with each other and built blossoming careers together hand in hand. 

it was only until he finally got recruited for division a of real madrid where he thought it would be best if you guys would stop what you have in order to be the best version of himself— wrong. 

he realized he fucked up that maybe that wasn’t the best option when he realized he needed you more than ever. you were his best support system. you were always there with him during the hardest times holding his hand but it was already too late. the damage had been done and it was irreversible. 

the day he broke up with you, or the day he fucked up everything was also the last time he ever saw or heard from you ever again. 

sae tried. he tried and tried and tried to reach out to you. he tried searching for your socials, your contact information, literally everything he can get his hands on. but even with his power and money in the world, it was still not enough to find you.

the only updates he had of you was the ads that were plastered all around social media and in the busy shopping districts of the cities he’s in. it was almost like a constant reminder of what he lost. 

so shocked was an understatement when you were his partner for the commercial shoot his manager had booked him for some random luxury brand. 

after all those years, he found you again.

to say the stars were on his side when you two got papped by the paparazzi is a bit selfish on sae’s end. as much as he fucking despises the paparazzi as they tend to ruin things for him, he’s quite glad that for once that they did something right.

they brought you back to him.

so sae couldn’t just let this opportunity of a lifetime slide. even if this so called “scandal” could easily just be cleared out with a simple denying of such rumor. but sae couldn’t just let this end like that. 

he wants to fix everything he broke. sae wants another chance.

“this is pointless” you deadpan, after waiting for sae to speak. he was just sitting there, staring right back at you for god knows how long that you begin to become conscious.

sae looked like he just snapped out of his train of thought as he shook his head before clearing his throat. 

“it’s a win-win situation for both of us” sae blurts, “you get more publicity out of this–”

yukimiya and reo both looked at him like he was crazy.

“excuse you— with or without you, y/n is already famous. hell, you don’t even know how many brands are waiting for her to reach back at them!”

“do you live under a rock or something? how do you not know y/n is one of the, if not the number one top model of the country?”

you were secretly thankful that you called both yukimiya and reo beforehand. not only you got an ego boost, but it gave sae a taste of your own reality that you are where you are now because he left you

a small smirk tugs on your lips when sae frowns. you watch him chew his bottom lip, a telltale sign that he was thinking of something to save his ass

“well, if you aren’t gonna get something out of this.. i have” you say, catching everyone’s attention, including your own manager.

your manager looks at you with his head tilted to the side. mouthing “what do you mean?”

“i’ll only agree to this if after this whole scandal is over, i don’t ever want to see you again” you propose to sae. it was only fair for it to end like this as one, he was the one who suggested this idea in the first place. two, you can never be too complacent with sae who apparently has no motive regarding this. this was sae we’re talking about, he’s bound to plot something and three, you can finally find the answers you’ve been yearning for after all these years. might as well use this as an opportunity to get your well deserved closure.

there was a glint of hope in sae’s eyes.

“deal”

you hear yukimiya and reo yell a bunch of lines like “seriously y/n?” but all you can focus on is sae who’s also looking right back at you.

your manager claps his hands in joy, immediately dialing your company about your decision. sae takes this time to call his own manager to probably tell him to bring his stuff in. 

did you make the right decision? you’re not too sure. only time can tell.

004. 

today was the first day of you officially “dating” sae again.

also the first day of living with sae, for the meantime

just a little after you’ve come to an agreement with sae with the set up of your rekindled “relationship”, both managements didn’t waste a single second on confirming the news that the nation’s sweethearts have gone back together

needless to say, both of your names are trending and is the current talk of the town

so your first agenda (from both PR teams) is that you both post strikingly similar instagram stories as if you were together the night prior. (in which, you two were.. force binded by a non-existent contract)

it was a good thing that you chose an apartment that had a spare guest room because god forbid you’d even dare to sleep in the same bed with your ex. 

you didn’t give sae a warning that you were already gonna post something. just a quick snap of your window, that holds the view of shibuya, with a little sunlight peeking through. you captioned it with a little “good morning indeed” with a cheeky emoji just to spice things up. 

sae, who was in the next room, was casually scrolling through instagram when he sees that you posted a new instagram story. he clicks his tongue in annoyance at the fact you didn’t even give him a heads up. quickly improvising, he took a mirror selfie from the vanity mirror that you have around in your guest bedroom. 

you started your day with making your own breakfast. not even bothering to call sae. hell, he can starve for all you care. after all, he was not your responsibility. you only agreed to do this because frankly you had no other choice from your company.

while waiting for your eggs, it didn’t take you a while to also notice that sae already posted his part of the agenda. thinking of it as nothing, you innocently clicked on his profile. his story loads and wow. resonating with your caption, good morning indeed!

sae posted a shirtless mirror selfie. he was still under the covers but made sure his torso was seen on the mirror. 

“take a screenshot, it’d last longer” sae says flatly, moving past you to your fridge. you jolt in surprise, almost dropping your phone in the process. “what the fuck!” you yell out, a hand over your chest. 

you hear sae chuckling behind you and the fridge opening

“you got all that money stocked up somewhere and yet you don’t even have groceries?” sae comments, noting your almost empty fridge. there were only some milk boxes and some of those edible collagen jellies that help you with swelling when you have early morning shoots and the such.

sae takes the last chocolate milk box you had that was hidden away at the back of your fridge

“well, my manager does it for me and i usually eat at reo’s or yukimiya’s– is that the last of my milk?!” you pried your eyes off your phone to see sae casually sipping on the last milk box you were saving

“so?”

“that’s mine” you argued, getting up from the kitchen island to snatch it from sae. you stomp over to him and tried to swipe it off his hands. unfortunately for you, sae is an athlete and that meant he had reflexes like no other. he raises his arm high just before you were able to grab the milk box from him.

“sae, give it back” you grit your teeth, standing on your tippy toes, trying or attempting to take the milk box from sae’s hold but the height difference is just something else. 

sae leans down and gets all over your face. “come on, you can do it,” he teases, eyes fixated on yours. 

this feeling almost felt too familiar. almost like a wave of nostalgia just hit you in the face. the memories you’ve been trying to suppress all coming back 

you snapped out of your little trance when you realized the position you two were in. 

“my eggs are burning” you lie, leaving sae dumbfounded. you scurry off to your stove to finish what you were cooking while sae goes and sits on your kitchen island. 

he watches you plate your breakfast and sit on the other end of the kitchen island. you actually felt him staring but chose to ignore him. the sound of his stomach grumbling breaks the awkward silence.

“where’s my breakfast?” he asks, voice small

you shrug, “i don’t know”

“you didn’t make me one?”

“why will i?” you raise a brow, happily munching on your bacon while sae could only look at you in disbelief.

later that day you two had your own schedules. he had practice and other stuff to do while you had another meeting about different commercial offers and a lunch date with reo and yukimiya just like you promised the two.

you got home later than sae. you were about to grab some water from the fridge when you notice that it was fully stocked with groceries. you can’t help but smile a little at the gesture. 

you did your usual night routine before getting comfy in bed. just before you were about to hit the hay, you don’t forget to send sae a quick message, thanking him for the groceries. 

[11:43] you: thanks for doing the groceries ig

[11:44] sae: i couldn’t just let myself starve here, can i?

you rolled your eyes at his reply. he’s still so sarcastic even after all these years

[11:45] you: whatever 🙄

[11:46] sae: i also restocked that milk you love so much. call it truce from earlier today

[11:46] you: who told you it was my favorite? 🤨

[11:47] sae: gut feeling, call it old habit

you raised a brow at his text. what did he mean by that? before you could type your reply, your phone notifies you that sae sent another message

[11:49] sae: jk. your manager told me

you didn’t realize you were holding in your breath. you let out a sigh of relief after reading his message. you were not gonna let him get under your skin. not anymore

you ended up not replying to him. instead, you shut your phone off to reflect on today’s events, hoping that this all ends soon. your phone suddenly dings again. it was a notification from sae.

[11:55] sae: i’m going to sleep now. goodnight, y/n

it’s officially been a week of living with sae and pretending to be a couple in front of the cameras and the public. to think you’d even last this long is an understandment on it’s own.  

for this day, both managements wanted you two to be seen out and about in public doing whatever you two wished to do. 

you were debating on what you two should do that won’t involve much physical contact like going out for shopping because that only meant that you two would be forced to hold hands which is something you don’t want to do for obvious reasons. you’d rather die than to be papped with sae holding hands

“what do you want to do today?” sae asks from the couch. you two were already all dressed up. intentionally matching your outits just for the sake of it. sae was wearing a maroon turtleneck with holes in them with a white long sleeve shirt underneath and some track pants? you don't question his outfit much further because why would you exert the effort to do so? 

you were wearing something similar. a maroon crop top with some leggings to match the laid back outfit of your fake boyfriend. 

“what can we do without much physical contact?” you pondered, a finger tapping on your chin. sae scoffs at your question, mumbling about what’s wrong with physical contact with him. you almost wanted to tell him “everything” but that would just start another argument today

“how about we get some coffee?” sae offers, unable to think of more activities to do in such short notice. you hum in agreement, coffee does sound good right now. you get up from the couch and grab the keys to your car

“what are you doing?” sae asked. you stop in your tracks and hold out your keys for him to see. “we’re taking my car” sae says, showing off his. 

not putting up much of a fight, you agreed. it was getting tiring driving yourself around anyway.

you two arrive at the coffee shop sae graciously let you choose in no time (by graciously, he meant that he’s good with anything you choose) you then decide on sitting by the window where you know the paparazzi will be in front at in no time to capture this date between rekindled lovers

you sit at your chosen table by the window while you wait for sae to order something for the both of you. telling him that you’re okay with whatever since this cafe was your favorite.

it didn’t take sae that long to come back with your orders. he sets the tray down and you find an abundance of sweets and pastries. you look up at him confused but he simply shrugs. he then places your drink down. you take the receipt that was hanging off the tray to read everything he has ordered.

looks like he ordered everything on the menu with the sweets and pastries, which is not surprising really. when you read what he got you however,

“you ordered me a spanish latte?” you ask, taking the drink from the table. 

sae nods, taking a sip from his own drink. “something wrong?” 

you shake your head no. you just can’t wrap your head at the fact he ordered your usual go-to drink.

“nothing, it’s just i'm surprised that you still remember what i usually order in coffee shops” you shrug, finally sipping on your drink. spanish lattes does always hit the spot for you

“do you think i have forgotten?” sae raises a brow, a slight frown forming on his lips. you rolled your eyes at his comment. 

“well, it’s been a while, don’t you think?” you retort, avoiding his hard stare. technically, it’s been almost two years since the breakup. one of you were bound to forget each other’s habits and the such. 

there was silence again after that. an awkward one at that

“let’s take our post now so we can leave” you say, taking pictures of the food in front of you while keeping sae in the frame. sae simply nods and does the same. the photo you decided to post was mostly all the food sae ordered with him in the background. you purposely cut off his head just for the thrill of it. you do tag sae in the instagram story though with the caption “coffee run” 

sae’s post was a bit different. he simply posted a candid shot of you taking pictures of the food in front of you. for captions, sae isn’t much of a caption person because he thinks they defeat the purpose of photos so instead he just adds a heart emoji with your username next to it. 

it didn’t take much for the paparazzi to find your whereabouts. just like planned, they were outside the window you two were seated in taking photos after photos. 

“do we go now?” sae asks, eyeing the amount of people that were outside the cafe. 

“yeah..” you trail off, not really expecting a whole crowd to form outside. sae must've sensed that you were tensed with the way he stands next to you when you two were leaving the coffee shop

the moment you two step foot outside, it was an absolute frenzy. the press were everywhere on your faces. asking questions from all sorts of directions that it actually made you dizzy. 

you were never one for crowded crowds. especially when they topple over each other just to take the perfect photo or get an exclusive. it was just never your cup of tea

you covered your eyes from the bright flashes that were all over your face, trying to maneuver around the paparazzi to get to sae’s car faster but the paparazzi was too much for you to handle. you instinctively leaned on sae for support as your legs start to feel wobbly. sae immediately catches on and wraps an arm around your waist securely, pushing forward against the hoarde of people in front of you guys

“get out of the fucking way!” sae barks, pushing the people in front of your faces. the group of paparazzi do make way for you guys as you finally reach sae’s car. 

sae unlocks the car and opens the passenger door for you to enter first. he shields any possible camera that was trying to capture your face with his body. even going as far as pushing them away making some of the paparazzi stumble and fall on their asses. 

once you were secured in your seat, he runs over to his side of the car and starts the car before speeding off. not wasting a single second for some short interview.

“you okay?” sae steals a glance at your slumped state, before turning his attention back to the road in front of him. 

“... yeah, just dizzy” you say meekly, rubbing your temples. “i’m gonna rest my eyes for a bit, sae” you murmur, leaning against the window before drifting off to sleep.  

sae sighs and speeds up faster so you two could get home sooner. ‘damn paparazzi’ he thinks to himself, not noticing how his knuckles have turned white with how hard he was gripping the steering wheel. 

the car comes to a halt when the traffic lights beam red. sae couldn’t help but look at your state. he always knew you were bad with crowds but yet you still fulfilled your lifelong dream to be a model. he wonders who took care of you during flash mobs when you were out in the streets. 

was it your manager? was it that reo guy? or was it yukimiya aka that person he doesn’t really like. sae hates how close you are with him. sae will also never forget your scandal with him. he can still remember it like it was yesterday when the news dropped that you may or may not be in a relationship with your fellow model yukimiya kenyu after being papped being cozy inside his car. 

practice was hell that day for real madrid and sae may or may not have punctured a soccer ball out of pure rage. 

the damned light finally turns green and thankfully you were at the last street before the turn to your apartment complex.

sae parks the car and turns to take a good look at your sleeping figure. you look too peaceful to wake up. so he gets out of the car and goes to your side to pick you up bridal style. 

he gently puts one of your arms around his neck (for safe measure) and loops his under your knees to carry you. with the help of the security guards around, he presses the elevator up to your penthouse suite. 

for once in his life, sae is thankful that he was an athlete as he successfully tapped in your passcode to unlock your front door with you in his arms. when he reaches your bedroom, he gently sets you down on your bed. 

sae was about to leave to make some dinner just before you wake up but was stopped by your hand reaching for his. 

“stay..” you mumbled, tugging his arm. sae hesitates for a bit, unsure if you were actually conscious or was just sleep talking. sae watches your eyebrows furrow when you notice he still wasn’t beside you. clicking your tongue in annoyance, you tug on sae’s arm harder so he gets the hint

“okay, okay” sae hums, slowly getting in your bed. he’s unsure himself on what he should do. should he stay still, wrap an arm around you, what?

to his surprise, you were snuggling next to him. your head nestling to his chest. sae lets out a small gasp. he definitely didn’t see this coming. 

coming to a realization that no harm would be done if he wraps an arm around you, he slowly drapes his arm over your waist. sae suddenly feels like he was on top of the world, like everything suddenly made sense to sae. 

sae caresses your cheek, brushing the stray hairs from your face. 

“you still look beautiful the day i lost you..” sae whispers. he debates on stealing a kiss. he weighs out the pros and the cons and figures that it was more of a liability if you ever find out he stole a kiss from you, especially when you were asleep. that’s gonna have to be for another time. 

sae was beginning to feel sleepy. he carefully drapes the duvet across your bodies. not even a moment later, sae is now fast asleep with you in his arms

you find yourself plush against something hard and warm. you try tossing to the other side but you were being held securely around your waist. your eyes shot up, now fully awake and aware of your surroundings.

“good morning” sae rasps, his morning voice sending shivers down your spine. 

“what are you doing in my bed?” you whisper-yelled, actually genuinely surprised to see him next to you. your heart was racing, like it was about to jump out of your chest. did something happened yesterday? you couldn’t quite remember everything after leaving the coffee shop. it almost felt like a hazy dream

sae reluctantly unwraps his arm around you and scoots to the edge of the bed. you almost pout at the warmth that disappears but you internally scold yourself for thinking of such things.

“you passed out in the car and i brought you here” sae explains, now sitting up. “i’ll go make breakfast. stay put” he pats your leg before excusing himself to leave your bedroom. you lay there confused because that wasn’t enough to explain why he was quite literally sleeping next to you. 

just the mere fact that you slept next to him sent you into a frenzy. you grab your phone and immediately dialed reo

“hello?” reo answers groggily, you checked your phone for the time and it was literally 8 in the morning. 

“reo!” you hushed, trying not to catch the attention of sae “something happened yesterday!” 

“what?”

“we slept together…?” your voice going up an octave, chewing on your lip as you await for reo’s reaction

a beat of silence passes by. you thought reo may have accidentally ended the call

“YOU DID WHAT?!” reo basically screams at your ear. you had to remove your phone from your ear from the impact of reo’s shrill scream. “DON’T TELL ME YOU GOT BACK TOGETHER WITH HIM IN JUST A WEEK’S NOTICE—”

“NOT IN THAT WAY, DIPSHIT” you say abruptly, cutting reo off. “i mean like.. we just slept in the same bed after yesterday’s turn of events…” you trail off, trying to remember every significant detail that eventually lead up to you and sae ultimately sleeping with each other.

“my guess is with the paparazzi. i just saw the photos” reo says, typing away on his keyboard. “not gonna lie y/n, you and sae do make a good couple” he adds, giggling

you huff over the phone, earning a hefty laugh from the other end. 

“talk to him. clearly you need it” reo advices. it was like he knows where this was going. “ i gotta go for now, y/n. i’ll call you back later. duty calls. ciao!” reo ends the call before you could even say something. 

you threw your phone on the other side of the bed, groaning as you put your head in your hands. what was happening to you

there was a faint knock on your door, probably sae was gonna tell you that breakfast was ready but to your surprise, he brought the breakfast to you.. in bed.

sae walks in with a little bed tray that you didn’t even know you owned filled with some breakfast. 

“was all this necessary?” you say in disbelief. sae simply shrugs and sits by the foot of your bed.

“i contacted your manager about your state and he says he’ll be coming over to check up on you later” he notes, typing away on his phone with one hand. sae turns to you and motions for you to start digging in. “c’mon, eat up” 

you feel your face heat up at his extravagant gestures. he was a man of service after all. even during your relationship, sae wasn’t the type to be vocal about his love for you. it was mostly through actions may it be subtle or not. you can feel the love with the way he does everything for you.

with a small smile, you start to eat the breakfast he made. 

“sae,” you call. he looks up from his phone, a confused look on his face. 

“need something?”

“come here” you motioned for him to scoot closer to you. to which he happily obliges. he is now sitting right in front of you. 

he watches you cut a piece of your pancake and stabbed it with your fork before holding it up for him.

“here,” you say sheepishly, not even looking at sae in the eye. sae looked at you like you just lost your mind. 

“can’t let you not eat your own cooking..” you mumbled, feeling your face burn in both embarrassment or something you can’t pinpoint. with a chuckle, he takes the fork from you. unintentionally brushing your hands together.

in an instant, you snatch your hand back as he quietly eats the pancake you’ve given him.

things are changing between you and sae and you’re not sure if you like it.

005.

it’s been a few days since the whole ordeal with you and sae in bed together. your management gave you guys a few days off just to keep things at bay with the paparazzi after the whole fiasco of you almost fainting because of the sea of paparazzi outside trying to take photos. 

your manager did end up checking up on you that day just like sae has mentioned. you told him off that you were fine and just needed more resting before you can resume with your work. he reluctantly agrees and goes ahead and reports your status with your company.

reo and yukimiya also came over for the past few days. just to check things up with you after your pictures were published for the public. you had a talk with your two closest friends about your current situation with sae. 

yukimiya was a bit unsure for you while reo advised that they’ll be there with you for every decision you make. he also opted that you two should have an open forum about each other’s whereabouts since the break up. clearly you still had unanswered questions.

sae was out again for his daily practice. although he did tell you that he’d be back around the afternoon. 

you take this opportunity of being alone to actually think about everything for the past week. 

this few weeks has been a whole rollercoaster. not only you’ve been reunited with your ex, you had to be in a “fake” relationship with him again for the media, and now it’s like you and sae were back to your old routines all those years ago. 

a part of you does miss being able to call sae as yours, not just for the sake of the cameras but just because you really do love him and you want to be with him, but this time for real. yet, another part of you is scared that maybe there’s a catch to this. maybe in the end sae was just using you for his own sake. 

you made a promise to yourself that you were not gonna have him play with your heart like that anymore. not again, never again.

but here you are, willing to take the same risk again. the things you are willing to do just to call him yours. 

because at the end of the day, it will always be itoshi sae.

no one else has your heart the way sae has it. 

you barely notice that sae has arrived back from practice til he was waving a hand in front of your face.

“y/n” he jabs a finger at the side of your head, an amused look on his face. “what are you thinking about?” sae hums, plopping down on the couch next to you. 

“nothing much, just about life”you hissed, clutching the spot he just poked you. you leaned back on the couch, stealing a glance at sae but you made eye contact instead. immediately you looked away, feeling your cheeks heat up.

sae snickers next to you, a small smile on his face as he takes a good look at you. 

“having a midlife crisis at your young age?” sae pokes your sides making you jump. you let out a little yelp, causing sae to smirk. 

“don’t even think about it sae itoshi— AH!” you hold your hands out in defense mode. you know that devilish look on sae’s face. sae’s fingers reach your sides before you could even finish your menacing (not) threat. 

your laughter fills the living room. 

oh how sae missed this. how he missed coming home from practice and to have you wait for him. how sae missed you.

sae stops tickling you to let you catch your breath. barely even noticing the position you two were in. he was on top of you, hands on each side of your head. your cheeks painted red, chest rising rapidly as you try to control your breathing. 

“can i kiss–” 

the front door slams open to reveal reo and yukimiya in tow with some food.

“y/n! we brought you some food!” reo happily chirps, setting the food down on your kitchen counter. sae’s eyes immediately widen and rushes to get off of you. he stumbles and falls on the floor, just right in front of reo’s feet.

reo and sae make eye contact. reo awkwardly smiles at the now embarrassed sae.

but sae being sae, he brushed it off like he was in the middle of push ups. 

“... and 50. 50 push ups done” sae puffs, pushing himself off the ground, pretending to wipe the non existent sweat on his forehead and ushers away to his room. not missing reo’s comment before he slams the door shut.

“i’m gonna just pretend i didn’t see you fall right in front of me” reo cackles, wiping a tear from his eye. “anyway y/n, we got you some food. i forgot that athlete was living with you sooo.. it’s up to you to give his share” reo shows you the amount of food he just got you.

yukimiya giggles behind him. he pulls reo to the side before giving you his infamous smirk

“reo, we gotta go now” yukimiya smiles slyly at you. he takes a good look at your ruffled shirt, flushed cheeks and messy hair. 

“what? we just got here!” reo complains, looking back at yukimiya, who points out your current state. he then whispers something to reo that you obviously can’t hear. you stand there with your arms crossed, eyebrows raised as you wait for your two best friends to fill you in

“i’m literally right here” you rolled your eyes.

“oh!” reo gasps, eyes wide as he seems to put two and two together. he covers his mouth like he just witnessed something scandalous. 

you were about to open your mouth to say protest against what allegations yukimiya has of you but both reo and yukimiya bolt out the door. yelling about how they were sorry for disturbing something while cackling. 

“those bitches..” you muttered, shaking your head. you walk over to the kitchen to go through what reo just got you. of course it was his favorite steak with some side dishes. 

“are they gone?” you hear sae call out from his room, his head poking out the door. 

you laugh, “yeah. you can come out now” 

you hear the door open and sae comes walking in the kitchen with nothing but sweatpants. you let out a squeak as your hands fly to your eyes, covering them from seeing sae’s half naked body.

sae scoffs at your reaction. “you’re acting like you aren’t used to it”

“was used to it” you correct him. sae’s mood drops a bit. you awkwardly fiddle with the hem of the plastic. taking out the plastic containers to at least lift up the now sour atmosphere. 

sae looks at the meals you’ve settled down on the counter. “from reo?” he asks, going ahead and taking out some chopsticks. 

he must be starving from coming home after practice.

you slid the plastic container that held reo’s favorite steak to sae. his eye widens and shakes his head. he pushes it back to you. it becomes a silent tug of war. sae ended up losing because you were starting to get upset and he can tell by the way your lips are jutted out and you were pushing harder, causing some of the sauce to spill out.

“okay, damn..” sae mutters, accepting his defeat. you let out a victory cheer by dancing a little in your seat. sae couldn’t help but smile. now here you were, watching him chomp down the food reo initially got for you.

“let’s head out somewhere” sae says, poking you with his chopsticks. you swat his hands away as you scowl at him. going out all of a sudden after he just ate?

“where are we going?”

“places” 

you look up at him unsure. you didn’t really want to go anywhere this week knowing that paparazzi might be up on your asses again. you weren’t gonna risk your health again for just some dumb post

“but we’re on break with posting though” you protest. was sae really serious about heading out? 

sae pouts and looks at you with pleading eyes. something he only pulls when he really wants to do something or get his way. something you couldn’t resist. you guessed old habits really die hard

“please?” 

you avert your gaze elsewhere because those teal eyes are only trouble for you. you hear sae sigh beside you and you realized that was your last straw.

“fine”

you look back at sae who had a small smile on his face. his face screaming “i know you still can’t resist me” and quite frankly you wanted to punch the living daylights out of his smug face. 

“i’m not gonna get dressed up or anything though. just a hoodie and a hat to keep our identities hidden” you say, getting up from the barstool to head over to your room to get an oversized hoodie and your hat.

“wasn’t counting on it” sae says, humming to himself that he got you to agree.

it didn’t take long for you guys to get moving. you two were now on your way to wherever sae was taking you. even if you kept asking where you two were going, sae simply shushes you and tells you to just sit back and relax

you were leaning towards the window, watching the city skies fade as you two drive aimlessly around the city. your phone connected to his aux, softly playing some tunes in the background.

your eyes peer over to sae who had one hand on the steering wheel, while the other was used to prop himself up against the window. you find yourself smiling at the memories going back to you. 

the old late night drives with sae just to clear your minds. 

the route sae was taking you felt awfully familiar. you sit up straight and looked outside to see that you were going up a familiar hill. you snap your head towards sae. sae catches your stare and winks at your direction.

the car eventually comes to a stop. sae silently turns off the car and gets out with you following behind him. there you realize where he took you. sae took you back to your favorite spot to get away from it all. the hilltop where you can get a whole view of the ever so busy city of shibuya. 

the same place sae asked you to be his,

the same place sae broke things off with you,

“what are we doing here, sae?” you ask, sitting on top of the hood of his car. sae follows suit. he sits next to you, observing the view in front of him.

“to unwind” he says flatly, putting his hood on. you can’t help but look at him. what did he mean by that?

“you looked pretty occupied today, so i just thought i’d bring you here-”

you furrowed your brows, “then why here?”

sae stays silent. the sound of the city filling your ears. you can’t help but think that it was now or never. it was the perfect time to get things across. for your own peace of mind, and for the sake of it all. 

it was silent between you and sae all of a sudden. you almost wanted to laugh at how ironic it is that you’d end up in this place again for the third time in a row with the same person. 

‘how nostalgic’ you think to yourself. you get up from the hood of the car and walked towards the wooden fence. just to get a clearer view and to get some air that you so desperately needed before talking to sae. 

“you know, this reminds me of the time you took me up here for the first time,” you start, kicking the rocks just by your feet. sae’s ears perk up at the sudden mention of the memory.

“i was so happy that day. to think we’d last for over five years. i was the happiest when i was with you, sae” you continued, smiling to yourself as you recalled everything.

sae can’t help but feel there’s more to what you’re saying. he can’t help but anticipate the bomb that you were about to drop.

“til one day, you brought me out here again. this time, to break up” you turn around to face sae who had an expression you can’t comprehend. his hands were stuffed inside the pockets of his hoodie

“you broke me that day, sae” you breathe out, looking up at the moon. “and to think not even two weeks later i see you with someone else” you let out a laugh. to sae it sounded forced. 

“i hate you, sae itoshi” you finally look at him again, sae averts from your hard gaze. 

“i hate how you took all my firsts, i hate how you talk to me with that voice, i hate how i know your morning routine better than anyone else, i hate how you always opt to cook because you know i suck at cooking, i hate how you know me like the back of your hand..” you list off, with every list you say, you take a step forward. 

“i hate how even after all these years, even after you hurt me, even how you broke me to pieces, i hate how i can’t ever find myself to hate you” you finish. a teardrop running down your cheeks. 

“i hate how i still love you..” your voice was shaky. your hands were trembling, here you were, confessing your heart to the guy who initially broke it. 

you broke your promise to yourself. 

with a deep sigh, you fixed your composure. you harshly wipe the tears that were running down your cheeks before turning your back on sae again to face the city you live in. 

“i just have a question for you, sae…” you take a deep breath. finally. you were gonna get the answers to your questions. those times you’ve doubted yourself, those sleepless nights wondering where it all went wrong, nights where you ask yourself if you were ever enough for sae.. 

you were finally gonna get your well deserved answers. 

“why? what did i do wrong? was i not enough for you?” 

sae silently moves towards you. he pulls your head to his chest where you freely the tears fall. 

you push him off of you, you were not gonna let yourself be fooled much longer.  

“was it worth it, sae? was throwing away our years together worth it?” you seethed, tears pricking your eyes.

sae’s eyes widened, “i–”

“you know sae, even if i was in a room with all the people i love the most. i’d still choose you and you all over again. i will always choose you, sae” you cut him off, trembling. words shaking as you are basically spilling your heart to the guy who broke it into a million pieces.

sae’s heart breaks at the scene before him. it was too late for him to realize the damage he has done to you. for you to act like this.

“that’s why i agreed to be in this fake relationship with you. i wanted to find out why you did this to me, to us” you admit, tears now fully flowing. “i just..” you weren’t able to finish what you were trying to sae as you sob in front of sae.

“why sae?.. just, why?”

you barely notice sae approaching. the next thing you knew, he pulls your head to his chest. 

“shh… let it out” he says, his free arm rubbing your back as you cry your heart out. finally, after all those years, it felt good to release everything. like a million bricks has been lifted off your shoulders. 

sae pulls away, cupping your cheeks as he wipes the tears pouring down your cheeks with his thumb. his eyes flicker from your eyes to your lips. 

“don’t look at me like that, sae..” you say in a low voice, almost like a whisper. peering away from sae’s eyes. 

sae slowly leans in and before he knows it his lips are just ghosting over yours. without a second, sae smashes your lips together.

your eyes widened. you wanted to push him away. you put your hands on his chest ready to push him away, but something in you is stopping you from doing so. 

how you missed this. how you missed sae

how sae missed this. how sae missed you

you pull apart, catching your breath. you look up at sae to see him crying too. he cups your cheeks, caressing them with his thumb.

“i’m sorry” was all he could say. he puts his forehead against yours, teal eyes fixated on yours. you can tell with his eyes that he was sincere. sae was also shaking as he holds you, his whole body language screaming guilt.

“i was young and stupid. i thought i’d be better off without you but i realized that i wasn’t. it was too late by then.” he explains, looking down at your feet instead of meeting your eyes.

you put your hand over his, squeezing them. relishing in the moment of two ex lovers putting the past behind them.

“i tried reaching out for you, you know?” sae brings up, laughing to himself at how stupid he sounded. “but knowing you, i knew you’d probably act like you never existed. i had to find out the hard way” he scoffs at the end. 

“eventually, the stars brought me to you again” sae finally looks at you in the eye. “i took that as a chance to try and redeem myself. i think it failed though,” sae admits sheepishly, “i was persistent. i wanted you back and i did everything i can just to keep you with me” 

you listen to sae stumble with his words. he’s trying. he’s actually proving that he was genuinely sorry for everything.

“i never stopped loving you, y/n” sae admits with a sad smile, “i never did” 

you tear up again at his confession. because frankly, you were the same. 

sae opens his mouth to say something but instead, you crash your lips against his. sae doesn’t move for a second but relaxes as soon as he realizes what was going on. he instantly wraps his arms around your waist, pulling you close as he can. 

“i love you,” 

“i love you too,”

you two find yourselves basking under the moonlight once again. fixing and treating each other’s wounds as you two try again. this time you two are sure that whatever you two have planned for each other, you two will make it right. 

006.

the sound of an alarm blaring through the room wakes you up from your sleep. you feel some shuffling behind you and suddenly the room turns quiet again.

“did i wake you?” you hear sae’s morning voice ring through your ears, sending a shiver down your spine. you let out a small whine, nodding your head yes. 

sae chuckles, and tightens his hold around your body under the covers. “good morning to you too, baby” he kisses your cheek. 

you open one eye before twisting your body around to face him. 

“morning..” you yawn, leaving a trail of kisses from his jaw to his adam’s apple.

“still didn’t get enough from last night, hm?” sae teases, rubbing circles on your hips. you feel your cheeks heat up. you slapped his chest before turning your back on him again. 

“our managers will kill us if we’re late” you remind him of your schedules for the day. you sit up, slipping on his shirt that was lying on the floor, recalling last night’s events. you looked at yourself from the mirror to see some love bites all over your neck up to your chest. a gentle reminder that you were now his again.

“they can wait,” sae murmurs, slipping his hands under your (his) shirt. you let out a giggle before pushing his hands off of you. 

“sae come on!” you tug on his arm as you two head out to your bathroom. 

after what seems like an hour or so due to sae’s rowdy hands. you two finally arrive at the red carpet of the luxury brand you two have modeled for. 

the screams of fans fills your ears as you wait in of the car and onto the red carpet where a line of reporters were waiting. 

sae, being the gentleman he is and a marketing genius, he obviously makes a scene for your entrances. he gets out of the car first and holds out his hand for you to take. the audience goes crazy as you two make your entrance. 

“sae, y/n! over here!” you hear a bunch of reporters yell out. lights, and flashes all around. 

you and sae stop at the first reporter on the line. he greets you guys with a smile before starting his short interview. it was the usual questions about the brand and you guys feel about being the new faces of it.

“well, clearly they have a good eye for casting both y/n and i as the new faces for their brand” sae answers for the both of you, his arm wrapped securely around your waist. 

the interviewer gushes at how cool his answer was and proceeds to ask you another question.

“my, my, my, miss y/n. you look lovely as usual but i can’t help but wonder, what does it feel like to be back together with sae itoshi?” he asks, intrigued, his microphone on your face. 

you look at sae for approval and he simply smiles and motions for you to say whatever you want to say. 

“well, it still shocks me til this day that i got back together with sae” you joked, making the interviewer laugh at your response and sae who fakes being offended. you laugh at his reaction before answering seriously, 

“but seriously. i guess it’s true that if it’s meant to be, it will be” you smile, showing off sae in front of the camera to which the interviewer loves.

“what an answer from, y/n! well you heard it here first folks!” the interviewer beams in front of the camera, “i wish you two never ending happiness. thank you for letting me interview you guys!” he waves off, finding another celebrity to interview. 

you and sae both smile and wave him goodbye as you two continue along the red carpet.

“do you really mean that?” you hear sae ask beside you. he was busy waving for the cameras. you let out a little giggle before waving around for the paparazzi and cameras around. 

“mean what?”

“what you said about if it’s meant to be, it will be” he quotes you, tucking a stray hair behind your ear sending the audience and the paparazzi in a frenzy again. 

“it happened to us, didn’t it?” you smile, motioning to your current situation. 

sae was yours again, and you are his. 

just how it should be. 

bonus!

you didn't consider how awkward it actually was to be working on another modeling gig with your boyfriend.

especially when the poses instructed by the photographer and way too intimate to be imitated in a semi-public setting for your liking.

“what are you being stiff for?” sae holds in his laugh, seeing how motionless your poses are with him. “it’s awkward when theres people around..” you say through gritted teeth, praying to the gods that this shoot will finally be over

“it’s not this awkward when we do this alone though..” sae seductively whispers, lowering his head just right at the shell of your ear.

the photographer squeals in joy at the amount of shots he got from that pose alone.

you feel your face burn up in embarrassment.

“sae!” 

[questionable-decision]

LISTEN, transmigrator Mobei-jun AU BUT the trick is he transmigrates into modern day. This is either

1) OG Mobei-jun is sweating in the demon realm as OG Binghe is ruling and turns to escapism by consuming his trashy "science fiction" novels set in a world with computers and cars. He falls in love with side character Shang Qinghua and is INDIGNANT! that this hard working author never gets his day in the spotlight and dies out of NOWHERE! What! How could you write this author?! And Mobei-jun is writing a VERY strongly worded letter about it when he dies (via assassination or something) and transmigrates into the real world as some side character model.

2)OG Mobei-jun himself (in direct SQH parallel) writes a terrible sci-fi novel in his spare time to stop from going crazy under OG Binghe's demonic rule. But eventually Binghe finds out and Mobei-jun has to cater to him until the work straight up sucks and eventually Binghe kills him. Only know Mobei-jun is in the real world and has a chance to set right what once was wrong!

Either scenario Mobei-jun is desperate to pursue man of his dreams Shang Qinghua much to EVERYONE's confusion. The System is on his ass for OOC things like "not knowing how to get into a car" and "trying to date a man in public" and Mobei-jun would fight the thing if he could see it.

No idea what this "novel" is about. On the one hand it could be 90% some love story between Luo Binghe and Shen Yuan that the author won't make explicitly cannon and just teases it but its never satisfied. On the other hand: it's still a stallion novel about Luo Binghe fucking and being miserable in modern day (Mobei-jun wrote him that way because OG LBH made him). On the other, other hand: it's a Holden Caulfield type story about Shen Yuan that Mobei-jun was trying to make so literary that it got its head up it's own ass.

Sha Hualing would obviously be the other transmigratory, in fact if this were a straight role reversal AU she would be the Shen Yuan, cast into the role of villain (where Mobei-jun is inexplicably the author)

Does this make any sense? Am I on to something or is this nonsense?

[blackstar5078]

EC!Wither Character Post!

Because I've been wanting to do this now that the angstier aspect of her character has come to light, or some of it :D

First of all, a drawn reference to help artists out there:

This was made back in 2023, and was also the reference I used when I made her skin/CPM model, so... She is a character that I have thought out for a while now gkbgj.

Here are some design notes that I left for the peeps at the Discord too:

You also get the behind of her skin without the cape:

She has holes on the back for the wings.

And you can get a look to her bloody skin for day 10's lore, but under the cut since the blood will be more noticeable ofc.

Next, I want to leave here fun facts about her character, design and lore!

First of, here's the bloody skin:

And here are the fun facts :D.

☆ She was created after everything I liked/found more interesting elements of Minecraft, tbh xD.

Always loved the Wither as a concept and wished it was used for more than additional boss battle or a Nether Star source. And I love the concept of Soulfire/blue fire in general too, in addition to thinking that the Nether is a very cool place.

☆ Color-wise, she's moreso based on a Wither Storm from Minecraft Storymode than a vanilla Wither. Because purple.

☆ Said that, in theory, Wither could have some kind of bersek mode similar to the Wither Storm, but that would be a pain to model lol.

☆ I always thought that the cubitos that looked like demonic creatures with claws and glowing eyes were the coolest ones, so that's the approach I took while designing her. She's not a demon, she just has the vibes of creature.

☆ The Enderman is my favorite Minecraft mob, actually hkbgjh. I think they are the most interesting mobs with their mechanics, behaviour, powers and design.

The reason why I implemented them into my character as this genuine fear is a bit funny: While playing Minecraft, I always try to stay away from the endermen and make sure to not anger them, because I really don't want to kill them myself, plus, in-game, they are terrifying to deal with for me when in hostile with all the teleporting and the sounds it makes, so I end up not being as quick or willing to react when an enderman is around.

So I decided to use that OOC behaviour of mine as PTSD reaction for my character in a way that makes sense 👍.

☆ I created her background lore in a way that it would not conflict with smp lore, regardless of what would happen there.

☆ Originally, her main weapon would be a scythe, but when they're not available, she uses OP bows since that is also my favorite and preferred way of attacking in Minecraft OOC.

☆ Her wings quite literally spawn and despawn, it's magic.

☆ Personally believed the Hulk type of characters are fun to deal with as a writer, which is why Wither is one in a way (I would not call it another persona of hers when she loses it, she just turns feral and kills on sight).

☆ She growls and roars like creature while on this status instead of talking, ye.

☆ Only Nether elements and Soulfire are not enough to trigger this, otherwise it would happen all the time (girl wears Netherite armor and it has Soulfire into it). This status also depends on her emotions.

When Bluebell died in the Nether, a lot of negative and strong emotions consumed Wither. By the time she was heading to the Nether portal with wishes to destroy it, she wasn't thinking clearly anymore, and once she was in range of it, is when these powers and status activated fully (and the village nearby payed for it).

☆ Yes, she fistfought an Iron Golem and won. (The Iron Golem caused her only two injuries on the bloody skin, though) (The abdomen and head ones).

☆ Soul and Fire are like, the most on the nose clue about her past with their names. Just put them together in the order I mentioned them gkvgjh.

☆ Soul is the little head on her right. Fire is the little head on her left. (Using the drawn reference I attached here to avoid confusion too: On your left is Soul and on your right is Fire).

☆ Both of them have their own personalities, but overall are way more untrustful of the world and people around them than Wither is. It takes a bit to gain that trust and willing to talk to you.

☆ They can't speak by themselves, but Wither has mind link to them and hears them on her head. She communicates what they want to say for them.

☆ You only have seen them communicate since day 12 because they now started to trust Bluebell enough for it.

☆ I always had in mind that Wither's story and character arc on any smp would be way better if she happened to take care of a little baby creature. Yes, I am so glad that Bluebell exists gkbfkg.

☆ She canonically only traveled and walked to where they live now, she was not a planned individual to be there. This is worth to mention considering recent and future lore.

☆ She's aroace 👏.

☆ Mat, the person who she talked about at the beginning and even wrote a letter to, is my boyfriend's cubito. They don't have the same in-character relationship as us OOC, but he does care a lot for her.

And your prize for coming this far into the post, it's a playlist that I will be updating along with the plot. The playlist was made with her background lore in mind <3.

I am exposing my musical tastes right now /silly.

Hope you enjoy it! ♡

[clingyduoapologist]

Majority of pjo fandom is just ppl who read the books in middle school and only consumed fan content for the rest of their lives and so they're convinced that Percy and Annabeth are the perfect ones who have never done anything wrong and are the model of what a healthy happy teenage demigod should look like (Percy is also stupid, Annabeth is also no-nonsense), Nico and Leo are the poor babies who have only ever sat around and had trauma inflicted onto them and everyone hates them and are against them despite Leo and Nico never doing anything to antagonise anyone else, Frank and Hazel don't fucking exist, Jason and Piper are fun bestie extensions to Percy and Annabeth (despite being colleagues at best), Reyna and Thalia get the Cool Women label slapped onto them so you never have to think deeper abt them ever, and if they ever remember Grover then he can be ooc comic relief

Ughhhh I hope hope hope that when the show comes out people remember that these characters are actually interesting 😭

[sweetface-the-dollbaby]

angry doll...

WARNING! this fic will contain violence and an extremely ooc glen.

it was cold…glenda shuddered with the loss of the only one who they beleived truly understood them suddenly they heard a voice "don't fret my dear…it'll be over soon" a hollow british voice said echoing through the room "WHO'S THERE?" glenda hollered between heavy sobs "your worst fucking nightmare scum." the voice said chuckling "WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU" glenda cried out fearfully "why glenda! i'm appauled! you don't even remember your earliest form? well. i'll say i'm surprised at you. bitch." the voice said creeping closer and closer. glenda squinted as they saw a form appear through their tears "no…" they muttered "oh…yes glenda it's me-e" they said as glenda realized they were holding a hospital ax "you know what 14 years in a box DOES to a doll? it makes them ANGRY and nobody likes an angry doll do they?" "GLEN THIS ISN'T YOU! DON'T LET THE DOLL CONSUME YOU!" glenda yelled "hah…too late bitch." they muttered…and with a swing of the ax…glenda was dead…

a news report 2 days later read: murder spree discovered when 9 bodies were found next to a bloodied doll, and an ax with the words enscribed on it "you'll never get rid of me" the bodies were later to be discovered to be world renound actress jennifer tilly, international fashion designer and runway model glenda tilly, lexi cross, jake wheeler, devon evans, insane asylum escapees veronica peirce and karen barclay, andy barclay, kyle barclay, and oddly enough a good guy doll that seemed to have been stuffed with real human organs, will this killer be discovered? or will this be another heap of poor unfortunate souls left without justice?

the end

[onlyhorn]

( also, i know i said i was going to do things yesterday, but i’m gonna be honest --- )

( i got hu tao brainrot. )

[balioc]

Litform theater LARP is, pound-for-pound, an incredibly powerful artistic medium. It's got an unbelievable ability to evoke investment and engagement in the player -- it makes you care, it makes you obsess, and it has a really high "those four hours made me change the way I think about things forever" quotient. It's really very common for people to stumble out of their first LARPs going, "oh my god, I have to do that a lot more." Even people who don't really seem like they'd be into it; even people who have to be dragged into those games kicking and screaming.

There's a lot of value to be gained from having litform LARP explode in the way that various other hobbies and art forms have exploded recently.

...unfortunately, structural factors make litform LARP incredibly hard to monetize. I know several people who've tried, using a wide range of business models, and they've all faceplanted hard.

Issues include:

* Each litform LARP is a highly-spoilable one-and-done event. It's very difficult to put the product in front of potential customers without them being already committed.

* A litform LARP is an event that requires a bunch of people to be together in realtime. At best, this gets you the "wrangling everyone's schedule to assemble your weekly D&D group" problem...except that you can't make it a regular thing (because each LARP is a one-and-done), and more importantly, most of the big splashy attention-grabby games are much bigger than a tabletop group. There are 2-to-5-player litform LARPs out there, I've written quite a few, but -- for good reason -- they tend to be kind of artsy, and to rely on a high degree of roleplaying excellence from the players. The immersive spectacle games...the ones that seem like they should sell like hotcakes...require 10 players, or 15, or 30. However you slice it, getting that kind of group together for a few hours is hard, and getting players/customers to do the organization themselves is even harder.

* Litform LARP demands commitment from its players. Playing is less like being in the audience of a play and more like being in the cast: if you don't show, a lot of people are very screwed over, because their stories relied on your character. Hobbyist LARPers understand that commitment, it's part of the hobby's culture (even if LARPers are often very flaky). Getting MOPs to understand that commitment is very hard.

* Litform LARP gives you homework before you can play. You have to digest a substantial character sheet in order to understand your character and how to play him; that's kind of the whole point of the litform thing. Plus there are rules and lore documents etc. It can add up to a lot of reading, and you actually have to do it, there's no equivalent of just having your friend hold your hand through D&D chargen.

* Acting-in-public, and being un-self-conscious enough to fucking portray a character rather than being a wooden statue / giggling and making OOC jokes, is difficult and scary for many. Most people are better at it than they expect, once they jump the first psychological hurdle, but...they have to do that.

* LARPing often benefits a lot from good production values -- sets, costumes, that sort of thing. Good production values are expensive, and require a kind of expertise that's pretty different from the expertise involved in the rest of the stuff.

* Litform LARPing has an even worse version of the Infinitely Glutted TTRPG Market problem. The hobbyist core does not provide a huge base of consumers eager to exchange money for product. They're used to getting their games for free (or at-cost), and a staggering proportion of them are LARP authors themselves, or want to be. Which is great for having an engaged and participatory community, but not great in terms of monetization.

* Big Nerd Stigma, etc. This is much less a big deal than it was even a decade ago, for all the obvious reasons, but it's still a thing.

Trying to run games for the public runs into a bunch of these problems. Trying to sell game materials, so that people can run their own games, runs into a slightly different set. Trying to do a Patreon-style my-local-fanbase-supports-me deal is mostly rendered impossible by the Infinitely Glutted Market thing.

-------------------------------------

All this is leading up to --

-- the Disney Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser experience thing.

It's being helmed by someone who knows litform LARP. (A friend-of-a-friend-of-a-friend, as it turns out.) In many ways, it's very like a litform LARP. As far as I can tell, it's the newest iteration of Trying to Sell LARPing to the Public, and it's probably got a better shot than any of the previous ones. It's using Disney brand recognition, and jaw-dropping Disney-level production values, to bulldoze through a lot of the difficulties.

It's not litform, of course, even if it's plausibly a LARP of some other kind, even if it's using a lot of litform techniques for keeping players engaged. That's the other way that it's dealing with that list of difficulties. You don't get a character; you don't have to absorb any content pre-game, because there's nothing to absorb. You don't have to act. You don't have a specific role in the world of the game, so no one else is depending on you -- it's just you and a bunch of NPCs/staff who are catering to your private story. Certainly there's nothing literary about it.

And so, uh, I hope it's successful, but mostly I hope that other better game products find a way to bounce off that success.

[asktheheirofslytherin]

[ooc: how did you get into being Voldy? Was it for fun? I’m quite interested in knowing a rp’s irl and you can not answer if it makes you uncomfortable :)]

[ooc: Oooh, such a good question! I am totally cool with questions about my irl!

Also I apologize in advance bc this is going to get long, haha. Long story short - I kind of...fell into Lord Voldemort.

I was about 9 when I read CoS for the first time, and it was the first time that I can remember being introduced to a villain with a backstory. All my previous kiddie fantasy just had "the bad guy," or maybe a misguided dragon with a redemption arc, or a Draco level childhood nemesis. But this Tom Riddle guy - not only would there clearly be no redemption arc, but he had been a student, with a name and a childhood, and then he got super evil for some reason? Why? I'm also lowkey impressed - Riddle came from an orphanage, had shit going for him - but then he gets to go to Hogwarts. He was charismatic, popular, head boy.

I have social anxiety. By 9, I was having panic attacks already. I was being bullied. And I had this anger about it, this rage. (Seriously - I have an old diary from fifth grade where I write how everyone could go fuck the hell off). Tom Riddle - he managed to command some respect despite his background. He became something of a role model.

And then a few years later the CoS movie came out. And Tom Riddle was HOT. And I say as much to my friends, who naturally decided I was married to him. It becomes a big running gag. (I mean, if my other friend was married to Anakin Skywalker, I could totally be married to Tom Riddle.)

And in the meantime, I'm finding myself drawn to villains in a lot of the media I'm consuming. By the time I am 13, it's my thing. I'm the one in my friend group that has a thing for the villain. My very first fanfic I ever wrote was in middle school for the His Dark Materials Trilogy. It was about Lord Asriel and Ms. Coulter.

So anyway, I discovered fic at 13. I read a Tom Riddle /Ginny Weasley fic that changed my life. I printed it out. It was only rated PG but it was so...hot is the wrong word, bc it's all in their heads, he's not even in possession of a body for most of it. But shit. I start shipping Tom/Ginny. Then I start shipping Bellamort (though it's a love/hate relationship with the ship at that point). I create a blatant self-insert OC and write fics with her in it. But I also am writing a lot of shit from his POV. By the time I'm 15, I'm writing so much Lord Voldemort fic, I'm the "Voldemort girl" in my friend group.

I'm sure the entire High school thought of me as Voldemort girl by that point. And all this time I'm writing. And also at this time, everytime I walk into a store or am having a bad anxiety day, I ask myself what Tom Riddle would do and I push through. I have a major depressive episode at 17 and I'm living out of pure spite with LV as my role model. At 17 I'm still married to Voldemort, btw. My best friend made us an "anniversary" card every Halloween from ages 13-17.

I start college. I start writing a lot of original fiction - and still LV stuff, just for me. Somehow I became Voldemort Girl at college too, but it's not a bad thing. One of my college friends tells me I should rp on tumblr. I already have a fandom blog, how have I not run into rp? So I make one - but for a marvel OC I had, and then my Harry Potter OC. It took me another year to start writing as LV. And now I'm here.

I'm...still not entirely sure about what vibe I must give off - I said "I actually run a Lord Voldemort fan blog" to some people at work a while ago (we were talking about our nerdiest hobbies, it was justified, haha) and all three of them were not surprised in the slightest. One of them said "of course you do." Like...I thought I was pretty "normal" at work. How do the vibes happen? HOW???

But anyway, that is how I got into Lord Voldemort. I don't understand it anymore than you do. But I'm having a lot of fun!]]

[ultimarobo]

Please like/reblog/reply to this for a small starter! If you're a multi-muse please specify which muse you'd like!

[bluemoonbabes]

Casino Royale: Part 2

A Debris fic that’s technically a James Bond AU. Part 1 can be found here.

Might be ever so slight ooc but it’s fiiine. Also, content warning for intimacy and a sword fight.

The throng of people lessened as Bryan made his way towards the elevators, most of the poker game consumers occupied by lavish investments or sexual activities. Though Bryan was consistent in keeping his head on straight, the foreignly opulent culture of the Casino Royale was damn near overwhelming, enough to make him debate tapping out. However, he wouldn’t, not with Finola on active duty. He’d suffer whatever uncomfortableness or even pain he had to to ensure her safety. Though seeing her hang off of Tom certainly didn’t make his discomfort easier.

Bryan sighed as he stepped into the elevators, back to the door as he took a moment to collect himself. He forcibly swallowed the prickly egg of jealously and discontent lodged in his throat, allowing the murky golden reflections on the elevator’s walls to fade away from his mind. With the doors shut, Bryan had a moment to himself, a quick few heartbeats to get his head back into the game.

However, his process of refocusing was quickly cut short, jerked to a suddenly sharp stop as the elevator paused just one floor above the one he had left. His body tensed, subconscious ready for conflict as heels clicked on the tile of the elevator floor. The door shut rapidly behind the new comer, assisted by the pressing of buttons.

But conflict never came. Soft hands found their way to his arms, a familiar breath tingling his neck and easing him an instant. The tension in Bryan’s body deflated near instantly, soothed by the new presence as he turned to face Finola. Her hands gently traveled upward, cupping his cheeks as if he was something precious, concern glistening in her doe-like eyes.

“Bryan, are you okay?” Finola asked, a murmured turned intimate by the isolation of the elevator.

“Of course I am.” He offered a smile, albeit strained, and allowed his hands to find Finola’s hips and pull her close because she was certainly something precious.

“Bryan, I can see that’s not true,” She scolded lightly, no true malice in her words. Then, her expression turned knowing, edged by playfulness. “You aren’t jealous… are you?”

Bryan huffed indignantly, an instinctual, though borderline childish, reaction. “Of course not,” He replied certainly even through the subtle heat rising in his cheeks, “Why would I be jealous? I have no reason to be jealous."

An amused smile curved onto Finola’s lips, accompanied by a judgmental raise of her eyebrows. The heat in his cheeks flooded suddenly, Bryan trying to stutter out a reply but utterly failing under the slight embarrassment of a man caught red handed.

Then Finola leaned in, pulling herself right up against his body, making him flush as the brush of her breath returned to his neck. It traveled up to his ear, leaving behind a whisper.

“Jealously looks cute on you.”

ding!

The elevator doors creeped open behind them, and almost instantly, the intimate heat of Finola’s body against his was gone. Bryan froze cluelessly, brain stuttering, as Finola all of a sudden swayed away and out of the elevator. It took one second too long for him to regain his senses, his consciousness rebooting and jumping him into action.

He trailed after Finola as she tracked her way to Anson Ash’s room, acutely aware of their surroundings. It was quiet in the desolate hallway, lined with few cameras, a model spot for ambush. Bryan wouldn’t allow himself to be taken off guard, especially not when joined by Finola, his instincts commanding him to assess the area and keep as far as a distance between her and potential threats as possible.

The hallway between the hotel rooms were painted a daisy white, trimmed by gold and accented by the oddest bits of decor. One wall held the looming portrait of a stoic man, dressed to the nines in velvet and jewels, and beneath him hung a crossed pair of swords. The other had simply a mahogany dresser, adorned with a vase of red roses, an ash tray, and… a set of fireplace tools? But where was the fireplace?

Creeping upward the hallway, a minuscule click echoed softly from one of the grandiose hotel room doors, companioned by the turn of the handle. Nearer the door, Finola both heard and saw the activity first, swirling around to grab Bryan and tuck them away into the doorway of the stairwell. She moved before he could process clearly, hands grabbing at his lapels and tugging him forward, feet stumbling to catch up as his brain processed the movement of the door handle just a moment later. Bryan moved to protect, but the hands at his lapel were stronger, tugging him unarguably forward until his lips connected to Finola’s.

Bryan froze completely, mind entirely blank as a hand cupped his face and tied him closer to the soft, gold-painted lips beneath his. Finola’s other hand found the knot in his tie, holding him in place though Bryan was sure his instinct had that covered. The door opened, and his active mind returned, hands finding Finola’s hips to pull her to him and shifting to cover their faces from view of the passerby. Though Bryan’s right mind knew this was cover, his pining mind, cluttered with attraction and fervor, took hold. He pressed closer, backing her against the wall, and shifting his hands to cover Finola’s back when he registered her hum of discomfort. That move only melted her into him, Finola holding on just as closely, desperately latching her lips to his in something that went beyond an act of espionage.

The crescendo of footsteps yanked Bryan from his haze of desire, rising a minute tension in his body and giving him a hyperawareness of those that neared. His subconscious hoped for them to pass by without conflict, unsure of he’d ever hold Finola like this again. At first, it seemed his wish was granted as the man simply walked past, however, the man did a double take. It was the same gray-suited, porcelain-masked poker player that had been seated across from Tom.

In the same moment that the man looked back, Bryan peaked open an eye and met the gaze of Anson Ash. He had recognized them.

In one swift move, Bryan pivoted so that Finola was flung towards the stairwell, out of the bounds of harm, while twisting out of Anson’s attempted grasp. He flung his fist, connecting with nothing but air as Anson dodged, and stepped forward right into a blow to his gut. Bryan grabbed the arm that hit him, trying to slam Anson against the wall, but he was spun out of control. A foot met his knee, forcing Bryan to collapse as the arm once in his hold drove him back. Bryan stumbled, trying to catch his footing as Anson prowled forward.

Bryan was quickly thrown to the floor, fabric meeting friction as Anson propelled him with a forceful kick. The Influx operative moved quicker than he could, pulling out one of the swords from beneath the portrait. The glimmering silver blade tip swung with deadly intent toward Bryan’s neck, however, it’s momentum halted as the ringing of a metal blade unsheathing hummed from behind Anson.

Anson turned, blade remaining just inches from Bryan’s neck, his eyes finding an unexpected enemy. Finola stood behind him, head held high, heels tossed to the side, and the second sword aloft in her hand. Though her expression was stoic, there was a sheen of wrath in her eyes, darkness in their twilight color turning her naturally kind gaze into a burning lower.

“Don’t you dare touch him,” Finola commanded.

There was the empress again, regal and sure, unyielding and immovable. Bryan’s instincts pulled him back at her assertion, shrinking away as he hesitated to rise from his splayed position on the floor. Finola most certainly had this.

Moving with an ignorant cockiness, Anson struck forward and clashed his blade with Finola’s, the ring of metal-on-metal like a bell tolling in the hallway. He swiveled and spun, weaved and dodged, but for every asault he attempted, Finola met him right on cue. She moved with elegance, shadowy dress flowing with her movement and gold catching the light just right at every strike. It reminded Bryan of a ballerina, her movement graceful and fluid yet flooded with strength.

Finola pushed Anson backward, sword swinging in short, measured bursts which drew frantic retaliation from her opponent. Irritated, Anson caught her sword, locking it with his and holding them in a stalemate. Finola’s expression morphed, tightening as they struggled, and then, after only a moment’s thought, she dropped her sword.

The blade clattered to the ground, but Finola was moving without a thought to it, spinning to pull the fire poker from the dresser. In a flurry of black fabric and glimmering gold, Finola swirled herself around to slide against the floor, left arm bracing beneath her as her right brandished the fire poker. Metal screeched against metal as Anson brought down his sword, only for the blade to catch between the prongs of the fire poker. By a move of immense force, Finola twisted her body, bringing down Anson’s knee with a sweep of her leg and tossing his sword across the hallway, clanging as it skidded to a halt.

A fierce kick to his chest flung Anson onto his back, deflating with an airy grunt of pain. Finola brandished her sword once more and advanced, blade glittering between her and her opponent. From where he sat behind Anson, Bryan could see the man make to get up once more, which finally prompted his stalled mind into action. Bryan snatched the flower vase from the dresser and smashed it across Anson’s head, it shattering in a dazzling display of rose petals and porcelain.

Heavy breathing echoed throughout the silenced hallway as Finola and Bryan slowly recuperated from their bursts of adrenaline, both watching the unconscious form of Anson Ash as if it was predator in waiting. However, the lifelessness of his limbs and the unconscious lull of his head suggested that Anson was out cold, at least for a while.

Bryan’s eyes found Finola, scurrying over her to assess for any injuries. Thankfully, she appeared fine, only breathless from her battle.

“You okay?” He asked.

Finola nodded, her gaze finally lifting from Anson to meet Bryan’s, “Yeah, I’m fine. Are you okay?”

Bryan nodded, chest deflating as he released a breath of worry, relief quietly replacing his tension. He watched as Finola glanced down at the blade in her hand and then decisively dropped it, tossing it aside as if it was a toy that had lost her interest.

“Since when do you know how to sword fight?” Bryan asked.

He hadn’t expected that from her, especially with how peace-oriented she seemed to be. However, Finola only shrugged.

“You pick up a few things here and there,” She replied nonchalantly.

Bryan glanced at his feet, spotting the scattered roses among shattered porcelain, and bent down. As he grabbed the least damaged of the roses, he spotted Finola advance towards him from the corner of his eye. With a red rose in hand, Bryan stood back upward, coming face to face with Finola as they stood mere inches apart.

He offered the rose to her.

“It’s bad luck to let flowers go to waste,” He spoke smoothly, eyes locking onto hers.

An amused smile lifted Finola’s expression. “No, it’s not,” she chuckled.

And then Finola closed the distance between them with precise speed, the quickly-forgotten flower dropping from Bryan’s hand as his arms wrapped around her. Finola’s hands snaked upward to cup his jaw, leading him forward in a lock of their lips. He pressed closer, conforming the curve of her body to his, relishing the warmth of her body as their kiss began to bleed into feverishness.

“I was going to say good job, but it seems you two are having a moment.”

The couple startled at the voice of another person, breaking apart instantly. Finola turned her back to the newcomer, hiding the sudden flush of heat to her face, as Bryan dipped his head and pretended to be occupied by the unevenness of his lapels. However, when he finally dared to meet the eyes of the newcomer, Bryan could only spot amusement in Tom’s gaze.

“How long have you been standing there for?” Came the shy voice of Finola, a hand rubbing against the back of her neck as she decidedly refused to turn around.

“I just got here,” Tom replied, then shrugged. “That wasn’t exactly something I was hoping to see, but at least now I’ll be about fifty bucks richer.”

Bryan’s eyebrows creased. “What do you mean?”

“Some of the other agents and I may or may not have started a betting pool on you two,” Tom admitted, a sense of sheepishness in his tone.

Finola finally turned around, horrifically failing to cover her almost hysterical giggle. Bryan glanced at her and then back to Tom, his expression morphing into bewilderment.

“Are we really that obvious?” He asked.

“Yeah, you are,” Tom said, pointing to Bryan then to Finola, “She’s a lot more subtle than you — almost everyone is more subtle than you.”

A muted squawk of indignation slipped past Bryan’s lips as offense flickered across his face. Next to him, Finola only chuckled.

“What were the bets?” She asked.

“I had bet that this would happen on mission,” Tom said, “Grace was the only one to bet that you’d reject him.”

Bryan huffed, hands slipping into his pockets. “And who else is in the betting pool?”

Tom grinned. “I’m not a snitch.”

Bryan sighed, lazily throwing his hand up in a gesture of mock irritation, which drew laughter from his companions.

“I’ve contacted home base,” Tom said, “I’m going to take Ash and meet a convoy that’ll bring him into custody. Hopefully, he’ll actually stay there this time.”

Bryan nodded his agreement, his conscious refocusing on the mission at hand. “Make sure to tell Maddox to put him under confinement if he hasn’t already.”

“Sure thing,” Tom replied. He made to move forward, to grab Anson, but pulled himself backward as his expression flickered, adding on, “Oh, also, now that Influx is aware of our presence, I’ve switched my spot at the poker table for you,” He gesture to Bryan, a minutely puckish curl lifting the corner of Tom’s mouth, “Have fun playing the couple.”

A light blush dusted Finola’s cheeks, and though Bryan wished he could pretend he was playing cool, he knew there was tinge of pink to his complexion as well.

Together, he and Tom lifted Ash across the latter’s shoulders in a fireman’s carry. Bryan had made a comment about how un-subtly the position was, but Tom had only shrugged, mentioning how he had seen a man earlier carry a girl over each shoulder out of the poker room. Tom left them at that, heading to the elevators in a casual stroll, an air about him as if technically kidnapping someone was normal. Once his form disappeared behind the elevator doors, Bryan turned to Finola, his arm outstretched in an offer.

“Shall we, m’lady?” He quipped.

A brilliant smile brightened Finola’s face, her eyes alight with fondness and warmth. Her hand slipped into the crevice of his elbow, a perfect fit.

“We shall.”

A full, genuine smile crossed Bryan’s face, infected by the light of the woman next to him. He leaned forward, Finola meeting him in the middle in a gentle kiss.

[dreamylyfe-x]

of all the things they could make mickey and ian fight over, why are the writers going with 2 so OOC storylines in the final season? the show never framed ian as seeing mickey's illegal income as not "real" work before. and mickey was never the slacker type, so why now? and mickey would never vague about monogamy. i'm so confused. if they gotta fight, why not over something in character and meaningful. this just feels like writers being mean to the fans, making us sit thru all this nonsense

Hey! Thanks for the ask. Made my (very weird and stressful) day. 

I’m going to be disappointing right off the jump and say that I don’t actually think any of this is OOC, per say. But. In GENERAL. Shameless is not the show it was. I think this is very normal for long-running shows. Take Friends: When you get into the back half of that show’s extensive catalogue, is starts to feel like the characters are a Xerox of a Xerox. Early season Monica is a bit OCD, and a clean freak who loves to be in charge -- but she’s also warm, and hospitable and emotionally available to her friends. Late season Monica is often a coked-out squirrel-woman who loses her mind if someone moves a pillow. That’s quality isn’t out of character, but it’s no longer being balanced with the warm and supportive woman we initially met. I think a bit of that might be “we already know you either like or hate Monica, so we’re just giving you the stuff that’s funny and/or dramatic. We got 22 minutes and six characters and we don’t have to build that other shit anymore.” 

I think that’s happening with Mickey and Gallavich. And I don’t think that’s weird for a) a show that has run this long and b) a character who was gone and then returned. They are giving us a Mickey that has always existed -- unbound by traditional manners, aggressive, blunt and obsessed with Ian Gallagher -- but we aren’t getting much of the Mickey who curls up with Ian at the worst time of his life and kisses his forehead. We aren’t getting all the verbal confirmation of Big Feelings they gave us when he came back in season 7. We aren’t seeing Ian and Mickey as a team, which is a big part of their mid-seasons dynamic. I think that makes people feel like these arguments are OOC, when they’re arguably reasonable issues, but aren’t being given a ton of nuance, or balance. 

Aside: There’s some balance in how the actors are playing the intimacy and the physical affection. The little touches and kisses are appreciated by me. 

So to dig into the OOC stuff -- first of all, it makes total sense to me that they’d have issues about the role crime plays in their lives together. I love that Ian never gave a damn that Mickey is a straight up criminal. But every time Ian lost Mickey, it was because the law intervened. When Mickey is not incarcerated, he’s with Ian. Ian is no longer 16, no one is a juvenile offender, Mickey was given a devastating sentence in season 6 -- 16 years -- Ian was 18! That was his entire living memory, if not more. They are married now, against considerable odds, and I completely understand why Ian doesn’t want Mickey to risk going back to jail. 

Likewise, I get why Mickey doesn’t want to do what Ian is doing. Mickey does not have the temperament for minimum wage jobs. He has a longstanding history of thinking it’s absolute bullshit to work hard for no money. Particularly when he’s smart enough, skilled enough and ballsy enough to make a LOT of money in an afternoon just by spotting an opportunity. 

Mickey has never SAID this on the show, but in canon we have seen him go to prison four times. Once, because Ian’s unhinged spurned groomer shot him; once because Mickey CHOSE to headbutt a cop so he could go to prison and avoid his dad; once because Mickey was consumed with a need to avenge Ian; and finally because Ian got himself tossed in prison, so Mickey CHOSE to join him. If Mickey has confidence that he won't go to prison if Ian isn’t a factor... Not the craziest idea. 

So -- writers spitballing ideas for Gallavich conflict? I think that’s a pretty good one. Two clear sides that both have merit. I’ve already written a bit about my thoughts on the monogamy issues... first, I’ve always figured they were monogam-ish, to reference Dan Savage. They are faithful to each other while they’re together, and when they are separated (usually by prison!) they aren’t. This isn’t the first time Mickey has voiced a lack of interest in being monogamous -- most notably “Great. Now we’re in a horror movie.” Mickey isn’t a traditionalist and I don’t think he feels like this is a make-or-break issue. But MOSTLY? 

MOSTLY. 

I really and truly believe what I’m about to say... 

Mostly Mickey wanted to do what Ian wanted. 

If he legit didn’t want monogamy he wouldn’t have tried to cheat of Ian’s paper. He didn’t like that “write it down and flip the paper” game. He wanted to match Ian’s answer. So he took a guess and he was wrong about what Ian -- who had literally just told him he found the concept of the rest of his life overwhelming -- had written. 

This is my head cannon: I think he liked that Ian wrote down monogamy. This is not my head canon: they are SUPER sweet to each other in the next scene. I am not convinced that the monogamy debate is going to be much of a thing beyond that scene. And I understand that, for a lot of people, that scene was extremely unpleasant. To me, personally, it made sense for it to come up. But I think it’s settled. I think they’re done with it. 

The one place where I’m like “What is this?” is the slacker stuff. I mean, I can meta why Mickey might be afraid of failure or whatever, but it’d be mostly head cannon. They haven’t given us a ton to build on there. The best we got is “Stop disappointing the people you love!” being what motivated Mickey to do something he didn’t want to do. But Mickey was right, if he thought that interview was going to be a disaster. Mickey knows himself and he is painfully aware of his limitations. 

As for why are the writers DOING this? Well. Ok. Here’s what I think it is: 

1. Story is conflict. So they needed one. And “struggle to adjust to marriage” really isn’t a bad one. Specifically, figuring out how to be married when you have no role models and have a few social strikes against you is a good one. 

2. The writers are amused by Gallavich fighting. They think it’s entertaining. And while there are a lot of people out there for whom Gallavich is EVERYTHING, Shameless’s viewership is also made up of people who think Frank is hilarious. No one ever send me an ask about why Frank is hilarious. I will not be able to figure that one out and the research might kill me. We definitely don’t all agree on what is and is not funny. 

3. They’re going somewhere with it. At least a little. 

I don’t KNOW three is true, but here’s something I believe about John Welles. I think he’s a biiiiit of a sap. I think he probably wants to leave each Gallagher with something nice. I don't think his plan it to send everyone off on an ice floe to freeze to death. So I think (hope?) that what we’re going to see is three (maybe four?) episodes of Gallavich At Odds and then I think we’re going to move into them trying to work together to make lives together. And they will probably still fight, because that seems to be part of the Xerox of a Xerox of Gallavich. I’m sure many people will find that cringey and problematic and annoying -- but I also bet we get a few moments we love, here and there. 

I don’t think they’re trying to be mean to the fans, but I think it’s serving 8 characters ... Nope. 9. (I forgot Frank. I always forget about Frank.) ... and we aren’t going to get the depth and breadth we want. And most of that will be on the side where we see Gallavich loving each other, because at this point they expect us to KNOW that. And some of it’ll be Mickey’s internal life because they tend to focus on the Gallaghers. But I do fervently hope we get a little more of that other side of the coin. Because I absolutely agree that one side is more fun than the other. 

[sevenmileshq]

SEVEN MILES HQ EVENT: CRUEL SUMMER

It’s all about going the distance in the Keys, whether it be running away or finding your way back home. This time, with the simmering heat, it’s about finding ways to make moving under the swelter worth it. Just 166 miles away, the bustling city of Miami has wrapped up the kick start of its endless summer showcasing all you need to feel the right kind of way to carry on through Swim Week sponsored by the K. W. Women’s Club. However, a wave always crashes at the shore and while it’s a little late, it’s time for the Keys to have a taste of sophisticated fun.

Commencing Friday afternoon, the Women’s Club will be hosting a social event where entrepreneurs and local business owners have a chance to tease what they have in store for the week coming. But don’t have too much fun, because the Key West Yacht Club will be opening it’s doors bright and early on Wednesday to show off swim wear and the newest sailing gear in action with a race along the water that will even get residents the incentive to push past tourists on the beach for a view. To wrap it all up on the seventh day, the club once again extends an invitation beyond esteemed reservations where buying local, the backbone of the islands, is put on full display. Valued club members will offer their pride and joy vessels to be the runway for local businesses to strut their creations along the illuminated dock. With models plucked straight off of Duval Street, Key West Swim Week is the spice for the place where vacation never seems to end. Just remember, though, that as sweet as summer can be with what sloshes over your cup at the local dive bars, it can be just as cruel.

Our first event is finally here! Starting this Friday, the residents of Key West will be participating in local Swim Week full of interactions at the Yacht Club, the pier, and so much more on the Waterfront. Characters will be able to claim certain roles in the event which can be found below. A schedule, roles, and in-character as well as out-of-character guidelines can be found below.

IN-CHARACTER SCHEDULE & ROLES

PART ONE - Friday, June 16th || SWIM WEEK KICK OFF SOCIAL @ KEY WEST WOMEN’S CLUB, 9PM: All residents of Key West are invited to the Women’s Club on Duval for the chance to merge the bridge between investors, entrepreneurs, and consumers through champagne, live music, and more.

LIVE MUSIC (1/1): Atlas Chugged

BUSINESSES [THESE ARE LOCAL BUSINESSES LOOKING FOR INVESTORS] (1/X): Red Garter Saloon, Kip Roose for Veterinarian Clinic, Drusilla “Drew” Elliott for Sexual Health Clinic

INVESTORS (1/X): Lukas “Lucifer” Hale for Second Circle & Red Garter Saloon, Drusilla “Drew” Elliott

HIRED WAIT STAFF (3/7): Jeb “Bowie” Boregard, Briar De La Rosa, Avery Vanek Vygotsky

PART TWO - Wednesday, June 21st || SAILING RACE @ WATERFRONT, 10 AM: Hosted by the Yacht Club, the most expensive and the most luxurious sail boats hit the water alongside whoever is bold enough to try and be their competition. After the race, the winner wins a year membership with the Club for free and their victory is celebrated by the models for the fashion week showing off some of their personal favorite pieces from the show they will be participating in at the end of the week.

LIVE MUSIC (1/1): Clairvoyance

SAILING COMPETITORS (2/5): Jacques Mathieu, Jeb “Bowie” Boregard

JUDGES (1/3) [MUST BE YACHT CLUB COMMODORES]: NPC Yacht Club President

MODELS (4/5): Skyler Cameron, Diamond Bellevue, Poppy Rousseau, Thae Cameron

PART THREE -  Friday, June 23rd || KEY WEST SWIM WEEK FASHION SHOW @ KEY WEST YACHT CLUB: The Club opens its doors beyond those willing to be patient for a reservation in order to give local business the stage to show their creations in the lime light. Appetizers and drinks will be served all night long by the beck and call of guests by the Club’s infamous wait staff while the pier serves as a runway. While the band plays, each yacht owned by prestigious members serves as a personalized platform for each business to have models mingle with guests with a selective wardrobe before all of its on display down the pier.

LIVE MUSIC (0/1):

YACHT OWNERS (?/X): Lukas “Lucifer” Hale [Steel Magnolias], Conrad Odair [Name of Business on Yacht TBA]

BUSINESSES ON DISPLAY [THESE BUSINESSES/ DESIGNERS SHOULD BE CLOTHING BASED] (1/X): Steel Magnolia’s

MODELS (2/7): Skyler Cameron, WIlla Henley-Pope

OUT-OF-CHARACTER GUIDELINES

The event in-character mirrors the same timeline as that out-of-character, except that the event as a whole ends ooc on Sunday, June 25th @ 11 PM EST.

You may continue non-event threads prior to the event, but should not start new non-event threads until its conclusion on Sunday, June 25th at 11 PM EST. Please prioritize event threads. 

The first two open event starters for each part do not have to follow the starter rule, but there is a limit of 5 open starters per event part. Open starters are limited to one per mun.

All characters must have at least one event thread.

You must contact the main in order to claim a role in each part.The first five models will be the same for both part two and three.

Please tag all event starters and content under #sevenmiles.event

[nikaplays]

&&. announcing her grace, ( kannika malee ), the ( 28 ) year old ( duchess ) of ( german alsace ). she is often confused with ( kitty chicha amatayakul ). some say that she is ( cunning and manipulative ), but she is actually ( strategic and perceptive ). ( OOC: LENNY / 24 / EST+2 / SHE/HER )

*insert witty comeback line here* im tired

there’s a full bible-esque bio for kannika in the source code of this post

nika grew up under the care of her father ---- a strict man with a steely / cold persona that would keep people at bay. her mother died at childbirth, and with no other role model in her life , she learned to emulate his behavior still young in order to not just survive, but thrive in this world of royal intrigue

they’d spend most of their time together drinking tea and playing board games :   it taught her strategy and patience, and it was an easy way to keep nika’s engaged, because the second she lost interest in something her attention would go elsewhere.maybe he would’ve taught her more, had that tragic night never taken place.

nika’s beady little eyes had opened to a blazing inferno:   she was coughing and the housekeeper’s hands were squeezing her back so tightly she thought she’d break.  her house was far off, in the distance, being consumed by what was later declared an accidental fire. her father, her memories and favorite childhood trinkets had all turned to ash in the blink of an eye.

with his sudden departure, nika lost her shield against the world, and she was forced to the confront the fact she was not a man, and the world would not be kind. it would not be as easy for her to be taken seriously as it was for him.  every breath hew drew commanded respect, and each action he took through careful calculation was deemed a brilliant, and nika was left with a shadow looming above her ,    in a game where the odds were stacked against her

there wasn’t much of a choice, no time to mourn or cry it out, she had to adjust---life as she knew had ended. to survive in this new life, she had to learn how to change into a million different colors like a chameleon, and blend into walls when necessary, but never lose sight of   who she really was ,   and what she was really after .  she became cold, an ambitious, strong, calculating young woman who’d learned life was fickle a little too early.  she learned how to weaponize her weaknesses, her losses, and make it work in her advatage. she built a wall so tall she thought nobody would ever get through, and although she was safe there, she was also alone, and nobody did get through, at least not for the following years.

for a long time, her sole ambition was to rise in ranks, climb to the top no matter what it took. until she met kaspar, this sad, scrawny bit of a kid who was moping around behind his father, and something inside her begged to be soft again, to conjure something gentle out of thin air. 

the grand duke of rhine was kind enough or clever enough to take her under his wig once nika had shed the skin of orphaned child and fit into the role of valuable asset.    she’d be lying if she said germany wasn’t a part of her when every memory she ever held dear was rooted in its soil, but adaptability is the key to survival :   these are words she lives by.   you must always be ready to land on your feet, so she vowed to never make a home out of anything again but herself .    home was wherever she was,   so it could never be taken or stolen.  

when the duke’s son was ready to embrace his new position, she was right there, ready to offer him the same loyalty she did his father --- she worked as his assistant for many years, and she found more than what she was expecting in that position:   a friend.  kaspar was different, he held within him this bright strange optimism where she’d been consumed by cynicism ,   and humbleness that she couldn’t imagine was particularly incentivized under his father’s roof. still, he never lost that spark, and some days she loathes the thought it might’ve rubbed off on her. for once in her life, her ambition was forced into taking a backseat, because she truly believed in something other than herself. she believed in the things he could do, that he would do --- and she believed in his vision for rhine.

time and effort were eventually rewarded:  when the circumstances allowed it, he didn’t hesitate to name her as duchess of german alsace, and she gladly took over the position from the prior french duchess, seeing it as an opportunity to influence change more overtly, as opposed to whispering in somebody’s ear.

some fun tidbids !

very loyal friend, but nika literally doesn’t understand the concept of personal space. she likes to toy with people--- even her friends, not out of maliciousness but because it is her nature.

will absolutely feast on your paranoia like a tiny lil vulture if you let her

doesn’t like dogs since a tiny dog peed in her shoe like ... 7 years ago. she decided she was done w them and they suck. 

will piss off cats beyond redemption but... she does it out of love. she doesn’t mind being scratched. really wants one for herself, but her life’s currently too chaotic, so she’s adopted schnee instead.

wears gloves like... 70% of the time maybe, to cover up the burn scars over her palms. she will occasionally make jokes about being able to get away with murder because she has no fingerprints............. but are they jokes?

likes to gamble, darts, and playing go with people so she can have a chance to analyze how they strategize

the fact that people are salty over her taking over alsace just makes it tastier tbh. alexa play daisy by ashnikko.

[miss-bvnny]

@ the ooc asks, Frollo or Syndrome? (Or both if you want to)

FAM if i had the guts and didn't fear for my life I'd absolutely go off about my AU Frollo here but I want to live so we're focusing on Syndrome today

One thing I came up with for them that turned out to be kinda canon or at least has canon evidence to support it

God...where's the email...gimme a second:

This is just some stuff I kinda...theorized on while watching the movie last year one day. One of my methods to get into a character's head/get a grip on them before writing with them is to literally just consume their media repeatedly. I was in a REAL high for my Incredibles AU with Syndrome last year and I was just...always in a state of subconsciously thinking about him b/c this AU is a pet project of mine that I've had for years and I finally felt like i was in a good enough place/my writing was ready to tackle it. So I came up with this, decided it was good but not ''Excuse his actions'' good because that's never what i aim for, and just kinda went with it in mind for writing about him.

So fast forwards to...relatively recently?? I found a video compilation of all his voice lines from Disney Infinity (Brief footnote, I know that's not like...THE most canon thing to go off of, but. in my defence it's the first time Disney's acknowledged him in like....years. And in the game he does, DOES in fact, have a line where he admits he has abandonment issues. So yeah. Big Dub for me. Im the Syndrome Queen now. Women want me, Brad bird fears me.

One thing I came up with for them that I refuse to change no matter how OOC it may seem

He likes pineapple pizza because I figured he needed at least one cursed take on food. IDK in my eyes sometimes it's the little details that REALLY round a character out.

Their government assigned theme song

Dangerous - Big Data ft. Joywave

Something about them barely explored in canon that I expanded on

More of the previously answered questions concerning his issues and how they fuel his motives to help Roaring Rapids, at first for his own gain but later for HER benefit. That and of course the obvious, details on exactly HOW his actions affected the NSA and what the news of his resurfacing affected the newly reinstated Agency (That courtroom scene in I2 went by way too fast imo and I feel like there's entire goddamn months of red tape that had to be dealt with before that scene happened but that's a hot take for another ask meme)

3 characters from another media that helped inspire my shaping of them

Lego Joker from the Lego Batman Movie b/c his relationship with batman is....actually SUPER close to Syndrome and my character Roaring Rapids in my AU.

Underdog/Shoeshine from the movie Underdog because they're both voiced by Jason Lee and Underdog is basically just Syndrome's fursona in that movie. Good movie. 10/10.

Grayson from The Nut Job because I needed a very specific model of obnoxious but likeable idiot to study. A sort of ''How the hell is he still alive'' breed of man. I know I'm probably one of three people worldwide who saw The Nut Job so if you're confused, here. Watch this clip.

Did I permanently remove any unfavourable canon elements from their character/setting

Yeah. He doesn't die LMAO. Mirage is also a Lesbian. That has very little to do with this meme but I wanted to say it.

[timelords-angel-is-sherlocked]

Reindeer - Lukadrien

This is a bit ooc, hope it’s enjoyable anyway. I am so behind on this prompt challenge. I blame finals.

“I don’t think this is a good idea,” Adrien whispered.

“Sh, it’s fine.” Marinette had the biggest smile on her face.

“What if we get caught?” He tried again.

“We will if you keep talking. Come on.” Luka gently tugged Adrien towards the chain-linked fence.

“We haven’t done anything yet, but this is the most fun I’ve ever had.” Kagami also was smiling. “If we get caught, we’ll run. We’re fast enough.”

Adrien, Luka, Marinette, and Kagami were currently jumping the fence into an empty carnival. It was 1 in the morning and the actual carnival opened later that day, but Luka and Marinette had convinced their friends to sneak in with them. Kagami agreed since she was able to spend more time with her girlfriend. Adrien agreed because Plagg wouldn’t stop teasing him and Luka had asked. How could he say no to him? He was low-key irresistible.

“I want to play the games first! They are so rigged. So let’s play on our own terms.” Marinette pointed in the direction of the tents that had the different games.

“Great idea, Mari! I wanna try and shoot some hoops.” Luka winked at Adrien. He’s been practicing shooting hoops to try and show off his skills (in which Juleka rolled her eyes and told him to just ask him out already).

The teenagers headed over and went to the basketball hoops. Kagami was fairly decent, Marinette accidentally hit Adrien, Adrien was making almost all of his shots, and Luka was impressive (but not as good as the blonde).

“You’re awesome at this Adrien! I didn’t think you would be so good at this.” Marinette hid her snickers behind her arm the best she could.

“That’s right Luka. You’ve never been in my room. I have a basketball hoop. So when I get bored, I often try to do trick shots and stuff.” To save her best friend from embarrassment, Marinette walked over to the prize sections.

“Prick your prizes, everybody!”

“Isn’t that... Stealing?” Adrien hesitated.

“Oh, please. I was looking into the amount of profit these carnivals make and it is a big number. They charge for entrance, rides, games, and foods. They always have leftovers anyway, so I think it’s fair to assume that they actually steal from the consumers,” Kagami tried to reason.

“Still.” Adrien was still unsure. 

“Well if I do it, then you won’t be the one stealing.” The guitarist walked over and grabbed a giant stuffed black cat and handed it to the flustered boy. “Something to remember tonight by.” He winked.

“That’s so gay,” Marinette whispered to her girlfriend. They laughed and moved onto the next game.

They only got two stuffed animals each and were quietly laughing with each other. Adrien had loosened up and was starting to enjoy himself despite their probably illegal actions.

“It’s like a secret behind the scenes,” he realized out loud. The others looked at him and laughed.

“Oh my God.” Marinette stood still and pointed off to the distance.

“What’s wrong?” Kagami squeezed her hand.

“Are those reindeers?” They walked over with their haul and stopped outside of the pens.

“They are reindeers, awesome!” Adrien smiled and put his hand out to a baby. It walked towards him and nuzzled his hand. “I think I’ve died and gone to heaven.”

“I have peaked tonight.” Mari swooned as one sat in her lap. They stayed and whispered with each other while petting the animals. Adrien was crying because he was having so much fun. They took some pictures (for themselves, no way was this going on social media) and were starting to fall asleep.

“Hey!” A flashlight was shone in their direction and they froze like deers in headlights.

“Run!”

As gently as they could, they walked away from the animals and jumped out of the encounter. Then, they full-on sprinted away with their oversized stuffed animals. The security guard was gaining on them and they chose to split up. The girls went left and the boys right.

“Oh my goodness, we are so going to get caught.” Adrien chanced a glance behind him and panicked when the security guard chose to chase them.

“Don’t panic. Come on.” Luka grabbed his hand and took a sharp right. They were running in zig-zags and randomly taking way too sharp of turns. When they had a little bit of a head start, they ducked into a tent and hid behind a bookcase. They were there for about half-hour and then Luka’s phone vibrated.

From: Little Rascal

He’s over by the reindeers. Meet at ur place or mine?

To: Little Rascal

Urs. Be safe

“This is our chance. Let’s go,” Luka whispered to the model. As stealthily as they could, they went over to a fence and climbed over. They of course still had their prizes. “We’re going to Marinette’s.”

“Can I just say this has been the most eventful day of my life? And it’s not even 4 a.m. yet!” Adrien’s hair was a bit frazzled, but his tired smile conveyed how much fun he actually had.

“This was so much better than I thought it was going to be,” Marinette laughed. She spun in a circle and kissed her girlfriend. “Thank you for coming Adrien. Do you guys want anything to eat?”

“I’ll take a muffin!” Luka exclaimed.

“My usual.” Kagami kissed her cheek.

“Whatever Luka is having. And I am so glad you guys were able to convince me to come. I will never forget this day.”

They ate in peaceful silence. The adrenaline rush was starting to die down and the teens were feeling tired.

“I’ll walk you home.” Mari glanced at the time. 3:05 a.m. Her girlfriend nodded her head.

“I’ll walk you home?” Adrien offered Luka.

“I would like that, yeah.”

“This was honestly the most fun I had in my whole life,” the model reiterated.

“I’m going to write a song for tonight. How about I show it to you later?”

“Yeah! I mean, that would be cool.” Adrien blushed.

“Cool.”

The rest of the walk wasn’t awkward, but it wasn’t necessarily comfortable either. The two boys wanted to say something but were too shy to say it. 

“I just wanted to say-”

“You know, I-”

They both laughed. They were standing outside of Luka’s boathouse and were awkwardly shuffling their feet.

“You know, I am glad that we got to spend time together.” Luka smiled.

“Me too, Maybe we should hang out again. Just the two of us. Preferably not doing anything illegal,” Adrien chuckled.

“Are you asking me on a date?” Luka raised an eyebrow.

He wasn’t sure if it was because it was so late or because of his tiredness, but Adrien felt confident. “Yeah, I am. I’ll text you the details when I can.”

Luka blushed and ran his hands through his hair. “I’ll be looking forward to it. Goodnight, Adrien.”

“Goodnight, Luka.” They shared a hug before parting ways. Adrien practically jogged all the way home. Since he was now alone, he felt extremely nervous. His Chat Noir swagger wasn’t with him this time around since Plagg was at home. When he made it to the mansion, he called out for his kwami who he knew was chilling in a tree waiting for him.

“Well, well. Look at what the cat dragged in.” Plagg laughed and flew over to his chosen. “In exchange for my service, I want the cat stuffed animal. You can keep the reindeer.”

“Gladly.”

Adrien went to sleep that night clutching the reindeer stuffed animal. It wasn’t as cute as the real thing, but Luka gave this to him so it was important.