#so everyone take a breath before you jump to conclusions or fucking start harassing the child they cast for Toph

[highfantasy-soul]

So as we're thinking about the casting of Toph in the Netflix adaptation, please please please remember that Toph isn't REALLY blind representation. Like so many other 'blind' characters, the narrative gives them superpowers that let them operate in the world in ways an irl blind person can't (Daredevil is a good example of this too). So let's not put those expectations on irl blind (or visually impaired) actresses and say "well, they're blind, so they'll actually move like Toph does!!" No. They won't. And to expect them to interact with the world like a fictional, superpowered blind person does is, in my opinion, pretty abelist.

It's a disability - shying away from the fact that blind people don't have perfect echolocation isn't putting them down. Refusing to acknowledge that they need aids to help them get around the world isn't helping anyone, it's dismissing what they deserve to have provided for them.

I'm not saying no visually impaired person could possibly play Toph well, what I'm saying is that I've been seeing a lot of posts claiming that a blind actress would be the only one able to accurately (and safely) portray the way Toph interacts with the world completely forgetting that Toph uses vibrations in the earth to see....pretty much everything - something irl blind people CANNOT DO.

We of course need to see more visually impaired representation on screen, but I think the best way to do that is to write characters that don't have superpowers that negate their disability. Have characters be strong and badass without declaring that 'well it they were REALLY blind, then they would be weak - they're strong because their superpower NEGATES their blindness to a large extent' or god forbid 'irl blind people develop superpowers, so if they need aids of any sort, they're just lazy and not working hard enough to compensate for their lack of sight'.

Just something to keep in mind when thinking about casting - if they don't cast a blind actress for Toph, unless I see otherwise, I'm not going to assume it's because they just don't like blind people. I'm going to assume they took into account the entirety of making the show and what was a realistic way to portray Toph and what was reasonable to expect the actress to do.

[whitesparrows97]

Cat’s Cradle – Part 2

Pairing: Cat Hybrid!Yoongi x Human!Reader/Min Yoongi x Reader (slight Namjoon x Reader)

Warnings: This whole series contains angst und explicit sexual content. Also I’m sorry but Namjoon is kind of a dick in this story. There’s harassment and even more guys who make snide comments in this chapter.

Word Count: 4.8K

Note: I would not have expected so much feedback at all! Thanks to everyone who reads this story and maybe even left a comment. I am happy about every feedback, no matter how small it is! I hope you enjoy this chapter as well. The third chapter will follow on Wednesday! Have a nice remaining weekend or a good start into the new week, depending on where you live!

Previous / Next

(gif by: btsofficial on giphy.com)

You were glad it had happened Friday because you spent the whole weekend in bed. You didn’t even go out to take a shower and knew that if Yoongi found out, he’d probably wrinkle his nose. But he probably didn’t even care anymore. You heard him and his girlfriend laughing in the living room a few times and cooking together, but you didn’t dare to go outside. The fear of running into one of them and having to justify your current state was too strong.

You looked at your current state in the small mirror next to your door and examined your sore eyes and dried lips, which had been chapped by the salty tears. If you did not know better, you would think you were sick. Even though you felt just as shitty as if you were. 

Every laugh of Seo-yeon only made you curl up more in your blanket and pull the pillow over your ears so you wouldn’t have to listen to the sound anymore. Because with every laugh you became a bit sadder. 

But that changed when almost a week later you sat at an important presentation for work. Work the past week had almost been torture, but you tried to look at it positively, that you didn’t have to bear Seo-yeon’s laughter anymore. Instead, you were pierced by Seokjin’s questions almost every day. You knew he meant well and was worried. However, his constant indirect reminders of Yoongi’s and your fight didn’t help you to forget it. So the fact that your boss gave you such an important task at that time was both a curse and a blessing. That’s why you found yourself in your bed on Thursday night.

Annoyed you looked at the screen of your laptop, which you balanced on your thighs. If it weren’t for the constant background noise you would probably have dozed off long ago. The warm blanket and the comfortable pillow in your back didn’t make it easier to keep your eyes open. But every time you closed your eyes for even a moment, the giggling in the room next to you brought you back to reality.

On the one hand, this was a good thing, so that you stayed awake and didn’t drift off into the land of dreams. On the other hand, the sounds also disturbed you from being productive. Still you had hardly written anything into the presentation slides, you noticed with an annoyed sigh. You had to finish the presentation by tomorrow morning and still be reasonably fit to survive the presentation itself. The client you would be presenting to was important and it was a big responsibility on your shoulders not to mess it up.

You took a deep breath to get enough oxygen back into your brain and tried to concentrate again. Okay, you thought to yourself when you focused on the monitor again, you could do this. You typed a word when you flinched because of a loud moan.

He couldn’t be serious.

Your eyes fell on the small clock in the corner of the monitor and you closed your eyes for a moment in despair. It was already after midnight. A short moment of panic overcame you that you would not be able to finish the presentation in time. You had already given up on the idea that you would show up well rested for the appointment. The only question was whether you would be able to show anything at all. So far you had put the introduction to the topic and the first sub-topic in the document for the presentation. You still had to think about the remaining five points and your conclusion. Not to mention your text itself.

You tried it with headphones and loud music to suppress the sounds from the room next door. But that didn’t really help either, because you couldn’t concentrate on your own thoughts anymore. Frustrated you ripped them off your head again and threw them to the end of the bed. 

“Ah, Yoongi–Ah!” the female voice reached you and you covered your ears for a moment.

That Yoongi was so cold to you was one thing. One thing you still couldn’t handle but had to get used to, eventually. But the fact that he apparently didn’t care at all that you were still living in the apartment, made your heart ache. Even if he didn’t know that you had an important presentation the next day, he knew very well that you had to get up early for work. His behaviour was disrespectful and he was probably more than aware of that.

It was no use, you had to do something. Otherwise you would go crazy. You took your hands off your ears and immediately his girlfriend’s moaning surrounded you again. But what was even worse and almost made you stumble when you jumped out of bed as fast as possible was Yoongi’s moaning, which mixed with hers now. You really didn’t need to hear that.

Your bare feet stumbled across the wooden floor and you had to suppress a shiver as your hand clasped the cold door handle. The hallway was dark and with quick steps you walked the few meters to Yoongi’s room door. For a moment you hesitated as you listened to the sounds from inside. You put yourself in their position and would not want to be disturbed during this act. On the other hand, you and Namjoon were always considerate of Yoongi, at least when it came to the late evening hours.

There was no such thing as consideration in this case. 

“Yoongi! Harder! Fuck me harder!” You had to suppress a momentary gag reflex when you gathered your courage and knocked on the door. You paused for a moment, but the two of them went on as before. Apparently, they hadn’t heard you. You knocked again, this time much louder.

“Yoongi!” you shouted, and this time the sounds stopped. You took advantage of the opportunity when they were quiet. “Can you keep it down? I have a presentation tom–” but you couldn’t even finish your sentence before you could hear Yoongi’s strained sounds again and how the bed crashed against the wall with every one of his thrusts.

For a moment, you just stood in the dark, cold hallway, stunned. In this moment you realized that as distant as Yoongi had been to you the last days, you had completely underestimated his behavior and feelings towards you. He wasn’t just a bit averse to you and was angry at you because of your argument; he apparently hated you. He didn’t care what happened to you at all. 

When you realized this, you felt as if your veins were freezing to ice. You felt your eyes start to burn and cleared your throat to loosen the lump in your throat. Your grief mixed with anger as you pushed the handle down and slammed the door against the wall with a loud bang. Somewhere along the way you heard Yoongi’s girlfriend scream and saw out of the corner of your eye as she tried to pull the blanket over her naked body. But your attention was elsewhere.

Yoongi lay over her between her legs and supported himself on the bed with his arms next to her head. He had paused in his movement and looked at you between his sweaty blond hair that hung in his face. For a moment no one said anything and you just looked at each other. Then you saw Yoongi raise an eyebrow and his neutral expression gave way to an inquiring, almost scornful expression. “Can’t you see we’re busy,” he asked and his voice sounded harsh and at the same time so indifferent that it took your breath away. 

For a moment you couldn’t utter a word when your mouth opened and only hot air came out. You had to pull yourself together not to let your gaze slip over his trained back, which was only illuminated by the moonlight coming in through the window. You also tried not to look at his bushy tail, which had wrapped around the thigh of his girlfriend, who had her legs firmly wrapped around his hips. You concentrated on the words that were trying to form in your head and closed your eyes briefly.

“So? Get out and close the door behind you,” Yoongi ordered you and you flinched at his tone of voice.

You looked at him and couldn’t hold back your despair and sadness any longer. “Can you please be a bit quieter? I have an important presentation to prepare for tomorrow and I can’t concentrate,” you said quietly, but you knew that at least he must have heard it with his sensitive ears, which turned in your direction when you spoke.

Yoongi was silent for a moment and you hoped that he would nod and maybe apologize. But the next words shattered your heart.

“I don’t care. It’s not my problem.” He looked at you for a moment before he started moving again. His girlfriend under him made moves to stop him. She was visibly uncomfortable with the whole situation. You had to suppress the sobbing that wanted to climb up your throat and without another word you turned around 180 degrees and quickly left the room. The door slammed shut with a loud bang.

On the way back to your room you could no longer hold back the sobbing. With tears running down your cheeks and a broken heart, you reached for your phone and dialed Namjoon’s number. But with every ringing your heart sank further. After a few seconds, the mailbox answered. Angry and hurt, you hung up and stood in your room with hanging shoulders. You brushed across your face once before swapping your sleeping shirt for black jeans and a white blouse. You grabbed your laptop, phone and keys and took a quick look in your mirror.

With watery eyes and shining cheeks your reflection stared back at you. Even you could see in your eyes how hurt you were. Yoongi and you had known each other for years and just because you had made a stupid comment, Yoongi threw that time away. But you weren’t just angry with Yoongi but also with yourself. Maybe you could have done more to save your friendship. But it always took two to tango.

You faltered once more at Yoongi’s door, but they seemed to continue right where you had interrupted them. With a heavy heart you left the apartment, got into your car and drove back to the office through the darkness. The lights of the city and the few cars coming towards you blurred behind the veil of tears to an indefinable mass. Now it wouldn’t be easier for you to prepare for the presentation if all you could think of were Yoongi’s hurtful words.

Eight hours later, you felt as if your eyes had shrunk to half from the light of the monitor. As you rubbed them and painfully squeezed them together to wet them again, you went over the course of the presentation once more in your mind. Greet them, introduce the topic, introduce the company and explain why they were the right partner for you, present the two possible strategies you had considered and then draw the conclusion. You talked yourself into believing that the presentation would not be too difficult. Within an hour you were probably out of the appointment and all the stress and the sleepless night would soon be forgotten.

“Good morning,” a voice tore you away from your thoughts when you prepared your laptop, a notepad and a pen as if remote-controlled. You looked up and saw Seokjin giving you an encouraging smile. “You look like you haven’t slept at all. Are you very nervous?”

You suppressed the sigh. You were hoping that the water you splashed in your face a few minutes ago would make you look more awake. You also tried to give him a smile, which probably looked more tortured and tired. “I’m fine. I’ll work it out.” But even you could tell from your voice you were anything but confident. The sleepless night slowly caught up with you, you had been ready to go to sleep hours ago.

“Did you stay up all night?” Seokjin asked anxiously, who had dropped himself on his seat next to you and turned on his computer. Slowly, your colleagues arrived and the silence that had surrounded you for the last hours gave way to a loud mix of murmuring, laughing and clicking of both mouse and keyboard.

You shrugged your shoulders hoping to appear nonchalant. “This had to be done, the presentation is more important than my eight hours of sleep.”

“Y/N,” he rebuked, looking at you with a sad look. “We all know how important the presentation is and that we get the client on our side.” You opened your mouth to say something, but Seokjin raised one hand and you closed your mouth again. “But that doesn’t justify putting your health at risk.”

You rolled your eyes and gave him a smile. “It was just this once.” Your head spun to the side when you saw your boss waving you over. Showtime. “Okay, I gotta go. Cross your fingers for me,” you threw over your shoulder to Seokjin before you disappeared around the corner and walked quickly towards the conference room. The door was open and you heard your boss making small talk with the customers.

Before you entered the room, you smoothed down your blouse once more and straightened up a bit. You entered the room with straight shoulders and looking forward. A bald, somewhat strongly built man, about in his fifties, was closest to you. With a smile, you walked up to him and bowed. “Mr. Choi? Pleased to meet you.” As you straightened up, you looked into the puzzled face of the man before you.

“I think you’re mistaking me,” he said, and his voice sounded cold, annoyed. Immediately you were reminded of someone else and the image from last night burned itself back into your head. “I am Mr. Kim.”

“I am Mr. Choi, Miss…” said the man sitting next to him, looking at his papers. “Y/L/N?”

You felt the heat rise to your cheeks and you had the desire to turn on your heels and walk right back out the door. “I’m so sorry!” you apologized directly and bowed again. 

“Well, as long as you’re not so forgetful in your presentation, everything’s fine,” replied Mr. Kim and turned his back on you. With wobbly knees you went forward and connected your laptop to the beamer. You felt the need to chew your thumbnail as you looked at the blue background projected onto the wall. A habit that you developed as a child and carried over into your college days. It had taken months to get rid of it and in stressful situations the desire came back. That must have been how alcoholics felt when they relapsed after years of abstinence.

With a beating heart you stared at the monitor and then threw a nervous glance at the beamer. “Is there a problem?” asked Mr. Kim and your head shot up. 

Quickly you shook your head. “No, not at all. The Beamer sometimes takes a little longer.” You tried to throw a smile at the two men, but you could see from the corners of your eyes how your boss looked at you disapprovingly. 

“You usually take care of everything before a presentation,” you heard one of the men murmuring. The subsequent laughter of all three men made you feel even more insecure and with shaking fingers you opened the settings of the computer. You breathed a sigh of relief when your presentation was finally projected onto the wall behind you. You grabbed your index cards on which you had made notes so that you didn’t forget anything. With an iron grip you clasped them while greeting the customers once again.

“Okay, let’s start with the subject right away,” you started and moved on to the next slide. Your heart dropped when you read the headline and realized that the order was not right. You pondered for a second which tactic to follow before you looked up with an apologetic look. “I’m sorry, I meant, of course, by introducing our company.”

With sweaty palms, you tried to find the right index card. “Our company… our company has years, uh, decades of experience. We are dedicated to the well-being of our clients…” Where was that stupid index card? You’d already gone over the little deck of cards twice. Ah! There it was! Relief mingled with horror as you lost your grip on the cards and one by one they slipped from your hands. 

Your cards lay on the floor, spread all over the place, and for a moment you looked at them in shame. You had the feeling that the room was starting to spin as you forced yourself to look at the monitor again.“W-We p-put the well-b-being of our c-customers first,” you stuttered, but while you were saying the beginning of the sentence, you knew you didn’t know what to say. Your mind went blank. Your head was empty and you didn’t even know how to breathe properly. Your breath seemed incredibly loud as you stood in the quiet room. And you were incredibly warm. You could already feel the sweat under your armpits pressing through your blouse. 

“I’m sorry,” you said quietly and turned your gaze to the floor. You didn’t dare to look at the men. “My mind just went completely blank.” After that sentence left your lips, your head suddenly got incredibly loud. Thoughts rushed in, calling you names and telling you everything you’d screwed up in the last few minutes. No one said a word as you just kept staring at the tabletop in front of you. 

“Is there something else coming or is that it?” asked one of the men. You didn’t even have the urge to look up and see who was asking the question. 

“And that’s exactly why we don’t let women lead important presentations,” said the other. “They’re just no good at anything more than secretaries.”

You knew you should be angry about such a sexist comment. But in that moment you really felt too incapable of being good for anything. Your chest tightened more and more every second and you felt the piercing looks of the three men in front of you. 

“Well, I can think of one other thing,” said the other one again and a dirty laugh followed. You felt your eyes begin to burn, but you did not want to give them this victory. For this reason you pulled yourself together and concentrated on holding back your tears. You noticed a movement from the corner of your eye and flinched when suddenly your boss stood next to you. 

“Into my office,” he mimicked soundlessly with his mouth before pushing you decisively aside towards the door. “I’d better take over before we stand here for hours,” he addressed the men. With your head hanging, you almost sprinted out of the room. When the door behind you fell into the lock, you took a deep breath. The barrier between you and the men lifted a weight off your shoulders. Yet you still felt the need to burst into tears.

You pulled yourself together and on the way to your boss’s office you ignored every look of your colleagues who stared at you. You saw in their faces the question why you were not at the meeting. If you were unlucky, the answer would have spread throughout the entire office by this afternoon after lunch. 

While you sat in your boss’s office in the uncomfortable chair waiting for him, all kinds of thoughts went through your head. You wished that you could call Yoongi at that moment. He would give you a pep talk and promise to make a movie tonight. Maybe he’d bring some food when he got home or you’d cook together. Your laughter when Yoongi made one or two sarcastic remarks would echo through the apartment and Yoongi would toss you the smile you loved so much about him. 

You almost had to sob as you leaned your head into your hands like a little pile of misery. You missed him. You could hardly put into words how much. Your feelings even pushed the shame you felt because of the messed up presentation into the back of your mind. You just wanted your little, bad-tempered hybrid back, who had a soft spot for you. Even though he would never admit that. You wiped the tears from your face when you thought that you would probably never laugh so carefree with Yoongi again. Or even laugh with him. You’d be satisfied if he even talked to you at all.

You flinched and could barely avoid a surprised outcry when suddenly the door behind you was pulled open. Your boss didn’t look at you when he slammed the door shut behind him and marched past you to his desk chair. Wordlessly he put your laptop on the desk, which you had already forgotten. Your boss typed on his keyboard a few times and you tried to figure out his facial expressions.

He was angry, that was no surprise. Still, you hoped that he had been able to turn the conversation around and convince the customers. More seconds passed and still your boss did not say a word. Nervously you folded your hands together and looked at him waiting. Your gaze fell impatiently on the big clock behind him and you wondered how long he was going to keep on doing this.

So you cleared your throat carefully. “I’m incredibly sorry–“

“Save it,” your boss interrupted you coldly and turned his gaze towards you for the first time. There was no empathy in his eyes, not a trace of compassion. “Haven’t you prepared yourself at all?”

You straightened up in your chair, now that he seemed ready to talk. “Yes, I did!” you justified yourself. “I worked through the night so that I could–“ Again you were interrupted.

“I don’t care if you worked through the whole night and didn’t get your beauty sleep, princess,” he said and became louder with every word. “If sleep is so important to you, maybe you should get a job in a horizontal position. After all, that’s where you get paid for doing nothing.” 

Your eyes widened at his remark, but you couldn’t get a word out. The feeling of a few minutes ago spread to your chest again as you stared at him with eyes wide open. “Your behavior was completely unprofessional, from beginning to end. I have never been so ashamed of any of my employees in my life! And I’ve been working in this position for thirty years, I’ve met some stupid and incompetent people, let me tell you!” He literally screamed now and you wanted to merge with your chair. Your boss stared at you breathlessly for a moment as he organized his thoughts. The next sentence was worryingly quiet and almost spoken with indifference. “Pack your bags, I’ll give you an hour, then you’re out of the building.”

It took you a moment to understand his words. Yet they didn’t make much sense in your confused mind. “Does this mean I’m…”

“Fired, yes,” confirmed your boss and turned his attention back to his screen. For him the subject was over.

“But I can explain it all,” you brought up between clenched teeth. “I-I really tried hard to get the p-presentation done in time. B-But my roommate was incredibly loud…” The rest of the sentence got stuck in your throat when you saw the look on your boss’s face.

You felt like prey, just before the predator took the lethal leap, so intense was the short silence between you. “Out.” A word so softly spoken you could barely hear it. You didn’t react quickly enough when you slowly rose from your seat. “Out!” he shouted this time and you had the feeling that the room was shaking from the volume. 

You grabbed your laptop and left the office as quickly as possible. On the way to your workplace, or rather your former workplace, you turned your eyes to the floor. The piercing looks of the others told you that the cat was already out of the bag and everyone knew what had happened in the last minutes. The muttering in the open-plan office died down and you felt the look of every employee on you as you went to your desk and started to clear your desk. 

Seokjin, who had jumped up directly from his seat at your sight, stood next to you struggling for words. You reached for one of the small boxes in which you had collected unimportant documents and thought for a moment before you poured the contents into the trash can. “Y/N,” Seokjin said at that moment when he noticed your rigorous manner. “What happened?”

“As if you don’t already know that, Seokjin,” you answered him and he flinched at the cold tone of your voice. For a short moment you felt guilty, but you had other problems and thoughts right now. Your eyes fell across your desk and you threw everything that belonged to you into the box. You grabbed the photo that was right next to your monitor and a little wistfully stroked your finger over the glass of the picture frame. 

The photo was from college and was taken at a party in your first year. Yoongi had visited you on campus for a few days and talked you into going to a party. He had always emphasized how important it was for you to make friends. You had just laughed and said that he was more than enough for you as a friend. Just a few months later, he’d left his college and transferred to yours. Even though this one didn’t have the best program and he would have had much more fun at his other college, it was more important to him to spend the three years with you than to go to a good college. 

The two people in the photo looked at you smiling and you remembered with a little smile that you were already very drunk at that time. Not even an hour later Yoongi had to carry you back to your room because you were too drunk to stand upright. But he had to drag you to the party so it was his own fault.

“What happened between you two?” Seokjin pulled you out of your thoughts and your smile faded. 

You stayed still for a moment and stared at the photo. “I’m stupid and he hates me now.” 

Seokjin shook his head in protest. “You’re neither stupid nor does he hate you. I can’t imagine that.”

You laughed for a moment. “Yes, he does. And I can’t even blame him. He does everything for me and I treated him like a piece of shit. Well, that’s life,” you said the last part almost whispering, before you dropped the frame in the box and without thinking about it, you shoved the whole box in the trash can as well. You didn’t even flinch when the contents fell out of it and joined the papers, handkerchiefs and old food leftovers. You would never need those things again anyway.

Seokjin beside you drew in the air sharply. “Y/N! You can’t just throw it all away!”

But you ignored him, put on your jacket and slung your bag over your shoulder. You looked at the man in front of you with an encouraging smile. “It was very nice to meet and work with you, Seokjin,” you started and held your hand out to him as a farewell gesture. “I am very grateful for the job and hope you are not angry with me for messing up. I’m sure I’ll see you again when I visit Ellie.”

Seokjin stared incredulously at your outstretched hand for a moment before he hesitantly grabbed it. “Take care,” you said finally and left the open-plan office. As you stood in the elevator, you fished your phone out of your jacket pocket. Namjoon still hadn’t called back. You were almost disappointed if it would have been the first time you had needed him and he had been unreachable. You dialed his number as you walked across the parking lot of the office building, but he still didn’t pick up. Then you had to see for yourself what was going on, you thought, and started your car.

[highonchocolate]

Take Two: The Guardian in Gotham Chapter 15

First   Previous   Next   Ao3

“Spots off.” She muttered, face mashed into the soft mattress. Maybe if I just stay like this, I'll eventually sink low enough to become one with my bed. She thought, steadfastly ignoring the disapproval she felt radiating from her Kwami. 

Stretching, her fingers fumbled for the switch on the lamp before she flicked it, filling the room with soft light. 

Adrien's words looped through her mind. 

Your leaving made Lila that much more comfortable with hanging off me! 

Your leaving made Lila that much more comfortable with hanging off me!

Your leav一 

Shut! Up! Shut up! It's not true. It's not my fault. It's not. It's not! She screamed, trying to drown out the dark voice in her mind repeating Adrien's words back to her again and again.

“Ugh, Tikki.” She groaned, words muffled by her pillow. “That was a disaster!” 

She rolled into her back and stared at the dark ceiling, brain not comprehending her surroundings. Her mind was whirling with her body white一hot with embarrassment and anger. 

“Ugh! I don't know why一He never hinted一I didn't know that he was feeling this way!” She waved her arms angrily above her face, trying to explain as she stumbled over her words. 

“I don't know, Tikki,” she sighed, running a hand down her face. 

“I guess I never realized exactly how much he's been through.” She looked down guiltily at the quiet, shameful admission. Becoming one with the bed sounds pretty appealing right now.

“I always assumed he was fine, he was always so happy, always joking around, how did I not see it?”

“Marinette, I think the both of you need to talk some things out.” Tikki told her, not bothering to mince their words. “You'd both been dancing around the deeper implications of your reveal ever since it happened last year, and it was bound to blow up in your faces after a while.”

“Honestly,” they confide, “I was expecting it to happen much sooner.”

“Tikki!” Marinette snapped, pushing herself into a sitting position and crossing her legs. 

“Right, sorry.” They sobered up, flying forward to hover in front of her face. She locked eyes with them, her sad blue stare rising to meet that wise, ancient gaze. 

“This lack of communication, and the unspoken words that lie between you will only serve to push you two farther apart. You are two halves of one whole, yin and yang, balance incarnate. As soulmates, it is your duty to support each other. The weaker your bond, the weaker you are inside.” Their eyes burned with intensity, asking her, begging her, to understand.

Marinette dropped her head into her palms, looking through her fingers at the soft red duvet beneath her.  Her eyes burned with unshed tears. A white hot ball of anger tightened on her chest at the words of the Kwami. God, she was just so tired. 

“Tired of what, Marinette?” Tikki asked. She must have spoken out loud, then. 

At the question, she felt the tightly compressed ball of anger squeeze tighter, and tighter, and tighter, until一

She snapped.

“I'm so fucking tired of everything!” She lifted her head to glare at the ceiling, voice breaking as she struggled to reign in her tears. 

“Tired of all the responsibility, the pressure, from everyone! From you! All anyone expects from me is perfection! God forbid I screw up, or I'll have all of you on my case! And let's not forget that I never asked for any of this in the first place!”  She wiped furiously at her damp cheeks, batting away the warm paws reaching out to brush her cheeks.

“Don't touch me!” 

She stood up in anger, face twisted with fury and sadness. “The only reason I'm here is because some old man decided that since I pulled him out of the middle of the road, I had to be a hero!”

She suddenly collapsed onto the floor as though the fight had been drained out of her, pressing her forehead to the smooth wood as her body shook with quiet sobs.

“I can't deal with all this pressure, Tikki,” she whispered, her hushed confession loud in the silent room. “All the一all the expectations...I just can't.” 

“Oh Marinette…” Tikki cuddled close, humming comfortingly. “I'm sorry if I made it seem like a pressure or an expectation. But you do need to talk. And you both need to apologize. You said a lot of hurtful things一”

“Me?!” She interrupted, bolting upright onto her knees to stare incredulously at the Kwami. “Tikki! Why me?! You heard what he said! He said that since I left, Lila decided to feel him up more! How is that my fault?!” 

“一to each other.” They finished, fixing her with an unimpressed look. “Wait to hear what I have to say before you jump to conclusions.”

She sat back on her heels, feeling chastised.

“And that isn't your fault. He was angry, you both were, so you lashed out at each other. Anger can make you especially cruel and vicious. Boo一hoo the poor rich baby didn't get some hugs from Daddy? Marinette, that was too far. Just like how him blaming you for Lila's actions was also uncalled for. He’s been through a lot, as have you. You both need to work this out.”

“I know.” She felt tears prick at her eyes again. Her anger had vanished, leaving a knot of guilt and shame in its wake. It was an ugly feeling, and she hated her situation so much in that moment.  

Oh Adrien, what have we become? 

“I know,” she repeated, glancing over at her friend. “We need to fix this, fix our relationship.” 

Sighing, she flopped back into her bed. “But I hate being the bigger person.” 

Tikki laughed quietly, flying over to her nightstand and coming back with her phone clutched in their paws. Marinette let out a small oof as they dropped it on her stomach. 

“Text him.” They told her sternly, crossing their paws. 

“I'm getting to it!” She retorted, opening up her phone. As she clicked on her messaging app, a notification popped up. 

Adrien 

Message [Now]

She clicked on it with some trepidation, opening up their chat.

Adrien

Hey [Sent 6:56 AM]

Hesitating, she glanced at Tikki, who nodded encouragingly. Her phone pinged again, and she turned her gaze to the screen.

You

Hey [Sent 6:56 AM]

Adrien 

Im sorry for what I said [Sent 6:57 AM]

You

Im sorry for what I said too [Sent 6:57 AM]

She paused, considering the best way to word her thoughts.

You

Tikki thinks we should talk [Sent 6:57 AM]

(Adrien is typing…)

Adrien

Do you? [Sent 6:57 AM]

She inhaled sharply at the question, mulling it over in her head. Did she really want to talk about it?

Nodding to herself, she typed out her reply.

You

Yes [Sent 6:58 AM]

Adrien

Over the phone or in person? [Sent 6:58 AM]

She tapped out a reply, deleted it, and then retyped it.

You

Phone is easiest [Sent 6:58 AM]

Adrien

Okay [Sent 6:58 AM]

When? [Sent 6:58 AM]

You

Not right now [Sent 6:58 AM]

It's pretty early over here [Sent 6:59 AM]

Maybe in a few hours? [Sent 6:59AM]

Adrien

Okay [Sent 7:00 AM]

As if on cue, her alarm started blaring. With a sigh, she turned it off, pushing herself off the bed and making her way into the bathroom on tired limbs to start the day.

一一一

After the portal had closed in a flare of blue, Adrien had swore loudly and kicked the wall in front of him. Cursing at the new pain flaring from his foot, he transformed and returned to the Agreste Mansion, immediately turning and collapsing onto his bed. Staring at the ceiling, he’d let their argument from earlier loop through his head. 

一don't have time to deal with your little temper tantrums!一

一stop acting like you're a saint一

一pull-down chart of my schedule一

一count on one hand一

一get over yourself!一

一you left一

一take all the hits for you!一

一can't deal with this right now一

His ears had felt like they had been stuffed with cotton; he heard nothing but static. He saw his vision blur, felt something warm trail down both cheeks. He vaguely registered that his chest was heaving as he gasped for breath, but it all seemed insignificant compared to what he had done barely thirty minutes ago.

 What have you done What have you done What have you done一

He heard a faint, panicked voice calling his name, sounding as though it came from far, far away. He latched onto the sound, using it to pull himself back to full consciousness.

“一Kid? Kid? Adrien!” Plagg hovered in front of him, whiskers twitching agitatedly. 

“Plagg?” He had rasped, fresh tears rolling down his cheeks.

“Yeah kid, what’s wrong?” 

“I think I messed up, Plagg,” his voice broke on another sob, and he brought his shaking palms to his face to wipe away the tears staining his face.

“Kid…” The Kwami had looked pained, flying over at his admission to rub their head against his in comfort. 

“Adrien…” 

They paused, trying to phrase their words properly.

“What happened back there wasn’t just your fault. Both you and Pigtails were angry at each other, and at what has been happening, and it all erupted. Like Mount Vesuvius, way back when.”

It was a lame joke, and a terrible analogy, but it coaxed a hoarse laugh out of the teenager’s hunched form.

“I just...I feel really bad Plagg, but I also don’t regret telling her some of that stuff.” He confessed, looking down at his lap.

“Okay…” They said slowly, “You said you don’t regret telling Pigtails some things. What do you regret telling her?”

At the question, leaf green eyes had once again filled with sparkling tears, rolling down his cheeks with trails of silver. “I一I said that Lila harassing me was her fault! But it’s not! It’s nobody’s fault but Lila’s! How could I have just said that to her, Plagg?” He asked desperately, looking sadly up at the Kwami.

“Aw, kid, sometimes when you’re mad, you say things you don’t mean just so that you can hurt the other person. You feel ugly and mean, and you take it out on them.” Plagg gazed at him solemnly, trying to convey their thoughts.

“...When did you get so wise, Plagg?” Adrien had asked, a sad smile playing across his face.

“Kid, I was always wise,” they retorted, smirking at him. “My wisdom just chooses to show itself  every century or so.”

‘Well, what does your infinitely wise self think I should do, then?” Adrien asked, falling backwards onto the bed with a sigh.

“Apologize.” Plagg said bluntly, nodding towards his phone where it lay on his desk. “She said a lot of cruel things to you, but sometimes it’s best to forgive.”

“I guess.” He had sighed, sliding off the bed to grab his phone. Unlocking it, he smiled down at his wallpaper, a selfie of the five of them in the park, before opening up his messaging app. He clicked on Marinette’s contact and then froze, fingers stilling over the lit screen. What do I say?

Plagg curled up on his shoulder in silent support, nuzzling him softly. 

You

Hey [Sent 12:56 PM]

He looked over at Plagg, eyes wide. “I just sent it. And it was the stupidest text ever.” 

“Did you apologize?” They asked, looking at his phone screen.

“No!” He had yelled, sounding panicked.

“Quick, say you’re sorry!” The Kwami urged, nudging him insistently.

As he began typing, his phone vibrated with a notification.

Marinette

Hey [Sent 12:56 PM]

“Apologize!’ They hissed as he fumbled for the send button.

“I’m trying to send it!”

“Let me proofread it!”

“Get off, Plagg!”

You

I'm sorry for what I said [Sent 12:57 PM]

Marinette

I'm sorry for what I said too [Sent 12:57 PM]

(Marinette is typing…)

She said she’s sorry too!”

“I’m right here kid, I can see it myself.” The Kwami had responded drily. “Now ask her about that conversation.”

“Calm down, I will!” He said, typing out a question. 

“Oh wait hold on, she already asked.”

Marinette

Tikki thinks we should talk [Sent 12:57 PM]

He read the text, feeling his doubt rising.  He didn’t care if Tikki wanted to talk he did, he wanted to know what she thought! Did she not want to? Is that why she said only Tikki wanted them to talk?!

You

Do you? [Sent 12:57 PM]

(Marinette is typing…)

Marinette

Yes [Sent 12:58 PM]

He exhaled in relief, his shoulders loosening.

You

Okay [Sent 12:58 PM]

When? [Sent 12:58 PM]

Marinette

Not right now [Sent 12:58 PM]

It's pretty early over here [Sent 12:59 PM]

Maybe in a few hours? [Sent 12:59 PM]

You

Okay [Sent 1:00 PM]

Adrien sighed and shut off his phone, glancing at the time as he plugged it into the charger. 12:17 AM. It had been eleven hours since their conversation, and Marinette still hadn’t called. Logically, he knew that there was a time difference, and that it was around six in the evening for Marinette, but that didn’t keep him from getting antsy. With another glance at the clock, he clicked play on the next episode of Avatar, settling in to watch as Zuko and Sokka infiltrated the Boiling Rock.

[whentheynameyoujoy]

Women in SPN—Is it Really That Bad?

TL;DR: Somewhat, yeah, it kinda is.

This is going to be a series of long ones, people.

Before I jump head first into this giant vat of weird toxic shit, let me say something:

The thing about most of the female characters is that on their own? They’re perfectly fine, ranging from serviceable to the occasional flash of thematic brilliance. Barely any of them qualify as “this is hateful on its face and incompetent regardless of context and the writers should feel bad for ever conceiving of it”, i.e. the normie benchmark for justified criticism. It’s only when you put these characters next to each other that a worrying pattern emerges;

Although discussions about sexism in the media were very much a thing in the mid-2000s, as well as shows with characters whose primary role wasn’t to serve a man’s needs, I can’t honestly claim that the flaws of SPN are out of the norm for its time; and

The first few seasons could really do with a PSA at the start of each episode, something along the lines of “A part of the reason why female characters are killed off or written out with such regularity is rabid superfans who couldn’t abide anything with tits brushing against J2, srsly, the writing team and the 2000s’ fan base were a match made in hell, except it wasn’t the writers who couldn’t do with bitching on their LiveJournals about the gall of women to exist in the show, choosing instead to harass the creators and actresses and wives and call them every sexist insult under the sun AND I MEAN WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE HAS THERE EVER BEEN A CESSPIT AS DISGUSTING AND NUKEWORTHY AS THE SPN FANDO—“

Anyway.

SPN has a legacy (as a posterchild for not knowing when to bow out gracefully, but legacy nonetheless) and isn’t watched in 2005 but in the year of our Lord Today. Meaning that as time goes by, the issues surrounding the show’s production retreat into the background and only what’s on the screen remains, to be judged on its own merits.

So let’s run down a list of the more noteworthy and relevant female characters of the first arc, focusing on their characterization, role in the narrative, and end. In the conclusion to this series of posts, the sum of characters will be analyzed as a whole to see if there are any unique tendencies in the show’s handling of women as opposed to that of men. I’ll do this for the original five seasons as the recent finale went out of its way to say that nothing after season 5 was strictly speaking necessary so why bother.

(Also because I died of frustration in season 8 and vowed not to subject myself to any more of the post-apocalypse fanfic era)

Angels, while strictly speaking genderless clouds of energy, will be classified as men or women depending on the apparent gender of the vessel they spend most of the time riding. The same goes for demons where I also take into account their stated gender while they were alive. That’s because although beings like Meg, Ruby, Anna, or Lilith can’t technically be considered women in the show’s present day, their consistent preference for conventionally attractive and/or female vessels throughout the original arc makes claims of genderlessness essentially meaningless. For all intents and purposes, we’re watching girls and women on screen.

Baby—the only true NB of the first run

All right, time to jump.

Say hi to our ladies!

Mary Winchester

Killed in the very first scene to give the story a reason to exist, she remains an active presence throughout the first arc where she has a wide-reaching influence on the plot and characters, driving the conflict on several levels. Fleshed-out more and more with each appearance to be more than just “the dead mom”, she’s portrayed as protective, pro-active, capable, and assertive, mirroring the duo’s desire for normal life and their inability to have it. Her story comes full-circle in season 5 when the personal tragedy of her fate is embedded in the wider tragedy of the Winchester family curse and the overall theme of destiny.

Status: Dead as of s5

Importance: Major

On her own: Textbook example of fridging… and that tropes aren’t bad in and of themselves.

Jessica Moore

Comparatively, if anyone doubts fridging can evolve into something meaningful, Jess drives the point home by having no personality and no point but to prop up her boyfriend before she ends up pinned to the ceiling, the reveal of which is the most interesting thing about her entire existence. At best she’s a symbol of Sam’s civilian life, at worst an obstacle to be removed for the story to happen.

Status: Dead as of s5

Importance: Major in terms of manpain, non-existent otherwise

On her own: A cardboard cut-out, barely qualifies as a character

Missouri Moseley

A psychic and the primary reason why John Winchester even knows to wipe his ass. Appears once over the course of the first arc yet everyone wants her to come back years later—that’s how awesome she is. Has this fantastic trait of being compassionate and empathetic while not taking a single speck of shit from anyone, especially when it comes from the two main dumbos who might just as well have been raised in a barn. Is very particular about the pristine state of her coffee table.

Status: Alive as of s5, killed in s13 (wait, what?)

Importance: Major…ly wasted potential

On her own: As strong a character as Bobby Singer, and as worthy of being elevated to the main cast.

Lori Sorensen

The writers can’t figure out why anyone in the universe would care about Jess either so they insert an intentionally awkward romance subplot to convince people the time’s not yet ripe for Sam to stop grieving and start slaying. The result’s… erm… well, awkward. Lori’s naïve, sheltered, devout though accepting of her non-repressed friend, and sort of on a religious crossroads because of her hypocritical preacher father. I guess the virginal power of her virginal virginity does… something in the plot? Primarily a vehicle for Sam to mark the stages of his moving on.

Status: Alive as of s5

Importance: Minor

On her own: A bit done. Like a bit lot. Like a “could be a trope namer” bit lot.

Meg

Boom, baby!

Arguably the chief antagonist of season 1 and one of the best things about it. The first one to point out the pervasive toxicity of the Winchester family business, so props for perceptiveness. Possesses the standard qualities of a lower-level henchman—manipulative, no-nonsense, and quietly sinister which, while not exactly groundbreaking, sets her apart from the other bad guys in the season as they tend to have no distinguishing characteristics at all. Plus Nicki Aycox makes the role seem more unique and “lived-in” by projecting a sense of understated amusement at the two main chucklefucks. Is one of S1’s turning points in blurring the lines between monsters and humanity. Has a face transplant twice—once to have revenge (good on her) and the other time to pursue someone else’s goals again before getting stomped into the ground like a mook.

Status: Alive as of s5 (?), killed in s8

Importance: Major

On her own: The actresses do most of the heavy lifting. Which doesn’t mean I don’t love watching the character burst onto the scene and announcing the end of the Winchester brand of bullshit.

Layla Rourke

A terminal cancer patient in a religious cult, she’s a more mature take on a Lori-type character and the themes of faith and doubt. Serves as a conduit for Dean’s budding survivor guilt, self-loathing, and sense of worthlessness. Is kind and cheerful, with strong hints that she’s relying on forced optimism to get through the days; also understanding of the circumstances of others while realistically freaked about the possibility of death. Weirdly, she enters the episode already in a state of acceptance and leaves it just as accepting when it’s confirmed that yeah, she’ll die soon. All expressions of anger at the injustice and senselessness are left to her mother which somewhat undermines the “struggling” portion of Layla’s character and renders the final scene where she makes peace with her fate a bit hollow.

Status: Implied dead

Importance: Minor in the overall narrative, major in the episode and Dean’s development

On her own: I want to like her, I really do, just… if only she were allowed to get pissed, once.

Cassie Robinson

Dean’s ex and that’s pretty much all there is to her. I struggle to pinpoint a single personality trait of hers—the 2000s idea of a “strong woman” and “not like other girls”, perhaps? Undermined as a love interest because TPTB don’t show the happy or any parts of her relationship with Dean so really, why should anyone care if two sniping assholes with little to no chemistry get back together? Memorable for being in a horribly scored softcore scene which YouTube tries to convince me lasts for shy over a minute, not the week I remember it to. Involved in the show’s first and last attempt at incorporating the issue of anti-black racism.

Status: Alive as of s5

Importance: Minor

On her own: She’s in the racist truck episode. ‘Nuff said.

Sarah Blake

A sophisticated people-person conversationalist with a love of high art and a deep sense of introspection. Ascends to the state of godhood by being able to pull off pigtails while adult. Bonds with Sam over responding to loss by crawling into a shell but deciding to move on. Doesn’t care for your fancy schmancy fine dining, Romeo. Isn’t ashamed to openly talk feelings which includes her explicitly asking Sam if they have a thing going on (honestly, this is such a breath of fresh air for a normcore romance). Despite being scared out of her wits, she refuses to be shoved into the helpless civilian box after learning about the existence of the supernatural; Dean creates a Pinterest wedding board in response.

Status: Alive as of s5, pointlessly dragged back to be murdered in s8

Importance: Minor in the overall narrative, major in the episode and Sam’s development

On her own: A great love interest that has enough writing behind her to fool you into thinking she’s something more.

Up next, whenever I feel like it, seasons 2 and 3!

[toothpastecanyon]

Noie’s Brother, Chapter 10

Thanks to @feferipeixes for helping to beta read this chapter :D

Fate sometimes rhymed, but Alcor felt like this one was a little on the nose. A newborn Mizar fading away in the hospital and a loving father pleading to him from behind a circle of candles.

Fate sometimes rhymed, but Naomi Argenta just wants this stupid vampire to stop harassing her brother. It's making him go... weird.

See most updated version on Archive of Our Own.

________________________________________________________________

                               “I need your help.”

               Noie stood there for a moment, staring up at the towering figure of the angel before her. This thing... needed her help? Seriously?  Before she could put her questions into words, the angel spoke again.

                               “I see you are bound.”

               “Huh?” Noie frowned as she watched an officer start to fiddle with her handcuffs. “Oh, yeah… you did that.”

                               “I did not bind you.”

               “What? You did - you know, with the whole possessing two dudes to drag us up here?”

                               “Possession?” There was a gentle laugh. “No, no, you misunderstand my methods. A demon possesses; an angel merely guides.”

               ‘Guides’? Really? Noie fought to keep the skepticism off her face, but the angel seemed to pick up on it; both the officers cleared their throats and swiftly continued:

                               “It is much better. It is not a subjugation of will; it is a request, one they can simply deny if they are not willing. I guide them towards a goal, but I do not puppeteer their bodies like demons do - why would I, when humans are reasonably capable of performing my tasks under their own volition?”

               Noie heard the angel chuckle again. There was a click, and the cuffs around her wrists came loose.

                               “Yes, sometimes they perform it in a less than optimal way, but possession is so unnecessary, so crude, so… controlling, and I do not like to use it on my chosen people.” The officer drew back from Noie, absently fiddling with the cuffs in their hand. “I prefer you to be free.”

               With that, the angel fell silent. She rubbed her wrists, still frowning, still feeling like something was terribly, terribly off… but where to even start?

               Dipper was still sagging in the other officer’s grip; she shuffled closer to him, and cast her eyes around the whole classroom.

               “Where’s… where’s everyone in my class?”

                               “I evacuated everyone in the building for this discussion. They will return when it is concluded.”

               Noie made a face. “Why’d you do that?”

                               “For their own safety. I wanted to minimise any potential human casualties that could occur.”

               “Um, what?” A startled laugh came out of her. “What on earth do you think I’m gonna do to you, dude?”

               Both the officers snorted at that.

                               “No, no, you are not capable of posing such an existential threat. Obviously I was not referring to you.”

               One pointed to the other, at the drooping figure of Dipper Argenta held firmly in his grasp.

                               “I was referring to that.”

               There was an edge to the Angel’s voice, there, a coldness that sent shivers down Noie’s spine. She watched Dipper groan, watched his head loll to the side, and she couldn’t help but notice how tightly the officer was gripping his arms.  Her heart sank at the sight of white knuckles, and kept on sinking as the angel continued.

                               “If your concerns have been sufficiently assuaged, I would like to enlist your help with a demon I have unexpectedly encountered while-”

               “He’s not a demon!” Noie snapped. The officers’ eyebrows shot up; the angel was clearly taken by surprise.

                               “Not a demon? Tell me what you mean when you say that.”

               “I mean he’s not!” She glared right at its true form. “He’s not! I don’t know what’s going on right now with everyone trying to tell me he’s some kind of demon - he’s just not, he’s a normal human guy! He’s my brother, my twin brother! How the fuck could he be a demon i-if- well, it just doesn’t make sense, okay!”

               Noie paused for breath, and noticed both the officers had started to smile. Her glare darkened.

               “What? What’s so funny?”

                               “The vampire.” As one, they chuckled and shook their heads. “I was confused about why you were jumping to such an unexpected conclusion, but now I see where you were mislead.”

               “Huh?”

                               “It would be patently ridiculous to suggest that your mortal brother is a demon in disguise. Of course he would be a normal human child.”

               Noie blinked. “But what-”

                               “Unfortunately - and this is why your family has gained some unwanted attention - his body is being possessed by an ancient and powerful demon.” The officers’ faces twisted into a grimace. “His name is Alcor the Dreambender, and he loves nothing more than to twist humans into his playthings.”

               “But… but he’s not-”

                               “I already told you, your brother is not Alcor. Your brother is not who I am referring to here. Your brother is normal; the Dreambender is a monster.”

               Noie just shook her head. She could hardly form words. “No, no, that’s… he’s not-”

                               “You mean to say his body is not possessed?” The officers crossed their arms. “I forgive you for denying me, but why do you deny your own truth?”

               “N-no?” She stepped back. “What? I’m not-”

                               “Then why do you deny what your eyes have seen, what your ears have heard? You are a smart young human, in possession of all your mortal senses; tell me, what do they say of Alcor the Dreambender?”

                               The yellow eyes. The magic headaches. Mabel Pines, all those wikipedia articles, and everything Lucy Ann said-

               No, wait! Stop it! Stop it!

                               All these thoughts were careening nonstop across her mind and Noie tried to block them out, tried to think of something else, anything else, but her mind was fixed on Dipper and her eyes wouldn’t stop staring at Dipper and her foot caught on the leg of a chair and she stumbled and the angel...

               The angel was there. Quick as a flash, an officer reached out and caught her before she fell. She yelped, pushed off his hands and backed away.

               He remained perfectly still, and Noie could see his expression had turned strangely solemn. When the angel spoke again, it was just through the one man, and it was quiet.

                               “I did not want to put you through that.” He said. “You must forgive me if this conversation causes you distress; this is not a situation any human would want to find themselves in… especially one already shouldering burdens she finds hard to bear.”

               He looked up at Noie, and her breath caught in her throat.

                               “You are young, child. But I see how old this life has forced you to become.” His face creased with sympathy, and he sighed. “The adults in your life, they have turned their eyes to the screen and not to their responsibilities, and you have stepped up in their absence. Because you needed to. Because your brother needed you to.”

               Noie didn’t know what to say; she managed a faint, “What?” and stared at the officer as he began to walk forwards.

                               “I see that all. I see how deeply it’s hurt you, and how wholly it’s blinded you to the problems you cannot fix: you have learned to ignore them, for if you cannot fix them, nobody will fix them for you, will they?” He stepped right up to her. “And a demon? A child like you cannot hope to stand against such a catastrophic force of evil. What is there for you to do but to simply put it out of mind, to deny the reality and thus the terror, to focus on the issues that are in your power to change?”

               With wide eyes, she watched him reach out, and put a hand on her shoulder.

                               “I can see all of this. I can see you, child, and… I am sorry. This is not the path you were meant to walk.” He shook his head, his brow furrowing. “No, I see this is not the first time the Dreambender has played his games with the ones you love.”

               Noie’s breath caught in her throat. Not the first time? What did he mean? She’d barely even heard of this demon guy up until now; when was this ‘other time’ he… oh.

               Oh, right.

               Oh, she did know what he was referring to.

                               “You don’t remember the first time, it seems.” His words dropped like stones in her gut. “You were too young.”

               “You’re talking about what happened with… w-with my father, right?” Her heart was pounding at her throat; she swallowed hard. “So Dipper was right, it was Alcor? O-or he had something to do with it? What happened!”

               He just gave a sad smile, and patted her shoulder.

               “Do you know what happened?” She watched him turn away from her. “Hello?”

               The officer walked up to Dipper, hands clasped behind his back. His boots were loud on the carpet.

                               “What happened in the past...” he started, and then paused. He stopped in front of her brother. He squared his heels. He cleared his throat, and spoke again: “...is not good for humans to dwell on.”

               With two fingers, he lifted Dipper’s chin, and turned his face from side to side as if examining it.

                               “I came here to set my people free from the past, to rid their world of evils that have plagued them since time immemorial… And I will free you, too.”

               “Free me?”

                               “Yes.” Dipper groaned; the officer took his hand away. “I will free you and all of humanity from the whims of this demon. His games of possession are twisted indeed, but they present an opportunity to bring about his downfall. I am already making the necessary arrangements; it should only take a couple of days before everything is in place.” His eyes flitted up to her. “But in the meantime, I do need your help.”

               Noie’s frown had been deepening as he spoke, and now she took a step back.

                               “It is nothing major, but it is important. The Dreambender is a powerful being, and were he to break out of his construct and uncover our plans, he would be… upset with us.”

               She made a face. “Okay? What am I supposed to do about that?”

                               “As I am sure you have noticed, I have a particular effect on victims of possession.” The officer paced around Dipper, but she found her eyes sliding over to the angel’s true form, standing motionless in the front of the classroom. “My presence stirs the demon within them; it invokes from their possessor such a primal surge of rage that they cannot help but distrust me. You can see, I am sure, how this would make it difficult for me to protect your brother from any threats that may arise before I am able to return him to a normal state of mind.”

               “Threats? Someone’s gonna attack him?”

                               “No, no, nothing quite so physical. But the mind here is… complicated. How would I best describe it to you?” For a moment, he seemed to grapple for an analogy. “It is as if the mind stands on thin ice. A vast darkness lurks beneath, and any reminders of that darkness would be like cracks beneath his feet. If it thinks too much of magic, of demons, of Alcor, your brother will fall through and be consumed.”

               Noie remembered the headaches he’d been getting over the past few days, the ever-present forehead rubbing he’d do whenever Alcor came up. She gulped, hard.

               “Consumed? So wait, he’d be-”

                               “And remember this.”

               Abruptly, he turned and fixed her with a look that sent shivers down her spine.

                               “Anything that calls itself a friend of Alcor is trying to destroy your brother. Think of that before you make any regrettable decisions.”

               At that he fell silent, just watching Noie. That expression he was wearing… nothing about it looked unpleasant, but there was something so inexplicably off-putting that it made her want to melt into the floor. She nodded, hoping it was an answer he was waiting on, and in the moments afterwards all she could think about was

                               An empty bunk bed. A lonely bus ride. A world without Dipper beside her.

                               Could you imagine that world?

                               Could you imagine what her days would look like? Who would she even talk to if she didn’t have her brother? Who would she have to rely on?

                               Could you imagine if she had to climb past his empty bed every night to go to sleep? Staring up at the ceiling, with nothing but her thoughts and the deathly silence where she used to hear him snoring… Imagine how long she’d lie there, missing him so much it would ache, torturing herself with all the scenarios where he’d still be with her, if only she’d just done something a little differently…

                               Could you imagine how that would feel if it was all her fault?

               Could you imagine!

Could you imagine.

               Noie didn’t notice she was being hugged until she blinked and found herself wrapped up in someone’s embrace. It wasn’t the officer - it was her teacher, her math teacher she barely knew the name of, and she realised she was crying when she felt her gasp catch on the lump in her throat. She was full blown sobbing and long past the point of holding it in and when the teacher squeezed her tight she wrapped her arms around the lady and buried her face in her shoulder and for a moment she didn’t even care how embarrassing this was, she wanted to stay hidden away here forever…

                               “Shhh, child, don’t cry.” Spoke her teacher in that same, dreamy tone. “I am here now.”

               Noie froze up.

                               “Do not worry yourself about this demon any longer. Let me fix what you cannot. Let me take care of this.”

               “I-I…” Her voice shook too hard to talk. The teacher gave another squeeze.

                               “In a few days, everything will be back to normal. I will send for you then. In the meantime,” she let go and stepped back. “You may carry on as if it already is.”

               Noie squinted her eyes at the light, then opened them wide at the sight of her classmates filing into the room. In an orderly line, they took their chairs, picked up their pens, and started scribbling down notes on their homework. She looked for Dipper, and found he’d been placed in his assigned seat; he was slumped over the desk like he’d merely fallen asleep.

                               “Take your seat, please.” The teacher flashed her a smile as she took her place by the whiteboard. “I thank you for agreeing to help me, and again, I apologise for this abrupt interruption to your schedule. I have taken steps to mitigate its effects - unfortunately, I cannot erase your brother’s memories, but I hope this is otherwise a seamless transition.” She waved. “Good luck with your studies, child.”

               With that, she uncapped a marker and turned to finish the problem left half solved on the board. The tall, glowing figure of the angel pulsed once, then winked out of existence. Noie stood there, staring at the space it had occupied, still frozen in shock.

               What… just happened?

               “Now x is- what is x?” The teacher’s voice - it sounded normal now - made her jump. “Can anyone raise their hand and… Naomi, why are you out of your seat?”

               Noie saw the whole class turn to her. She blinked.

               “Is everything okay?”

               “Everything…? Um, I- um...” She shook herself. “No, nevermind! Sorry!”

               Then she scuttled over to her desk. The teacher frowned.

               “Alright, then. Well, who can tell me what x is? Somebody else other than Audrey, please.”

               “No, wait, excuse me?” Audrey was sitting in the front row, nervously fluttering her wings. “Can I, um, can I go to the nurse, please? I don’t feel well…”

               Noie frowned at her textbook, already open on her desk. Her math book had today’s problems filled out in a handwriting so neat it looked like a font. She glanced over at Dipper and saw he was lying on a similarly arranged spread of pages, with his backpack zipped up and stashed under his chair.

               She wrinkled her nose. When’d he have the time to set up all that? Weird.

               This whole thing was just… just weird.

               Before she could think on that much more, the bell rang and startled her. Dipper jumped too; he clenched up tight, then spread back out with a long, painful groan.

               “Already?” Noie’s teacher made a ‘huh’ sound as she stood up. “Time flies. Well, everyone make sure you’ve turned your homework in at the basket - with your names on it, please! Tomorrow we’ll be going over…”

               Noie tiptoed over to her brother. He looked normal enough - clearly in the middle of a bad headache, yes, but still normal. Not a demon, not doing anything weird, just Dipper. His face was down on the desk while one hand rooted around his chair for a backpack, and she’d meant to ask if he was okay but the words didn’t come when she opened her mouth; she just stood there, staring at him, taking in this one moment of normality.

               After everything that had just happened, everything she’d been told… she could feel a lump rising back up in her throat.

               And that was when Dipper spoke. He muttered something she didn’t quite catch, so Noie blinked back a blurriness in her eyes and leaned forwards.

               “Hey, Di- ugh.” Her voice came out hoarse; she cleared it. “Hey Dipper! Morning, sleepyhead, um… how’s that book pillow feeling?”

               “I can’t believe you.”

               Noie heard that, and her blood ran cold. Her smile froze on her face.

               Oh… wow. He did not sound very happy, did he.

               “What do you mean, bro br-”

               “You know exactly what I mean!��� He sat up, shooting her a furious look - and did his eyes flicker for a second there? “I told you we were gonna get in trouble taking that ‘shortcut’, I told you!”

               She backed away. “I-”

               “But you didn’t listen to me - no, it’s worse, you had to go and rope me into this and I…” Dipper paused. “Wait, are you crying?”

               “What? No!” She abruptly turned and started shoving textbooks into her bag. “We gotta go to history, Dipper. We’ll be late.”

               “History? Wait, we’re in… math class?”

               He sounded confused now; Noie glanced back and saw him looking around the classroom like he’d just noticed where he was.

               “But wait, we were… I thought we were getting arrested? How did we get back here? What happened while I was out?”

               Noie opened her mouth, then closed it and just shrugged. She tensed up at a hand on her shoulder.

               “No, seriously, what happened?” Dipper was frowning at her; she could see it from the corner of her eye. “Noie? Are you okay?”

               The concern in his voice made her cringe, even more than when he was shouting at her. “I…” She gripped her bag until her knuckles went white, then cleared her throat again. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

               Then she zipped it up and slung it over her back, ignoring Dipper’s startled “Huh?”

               “We off to history class yet?” Keeping her head firmly turned away from him, Noie tried for a weak smile. “I think we’re gonna have to run again. Boo. I’ll, uh, I’ll race you.”

               “Noie?”

               She started walking. “What’s that?”

               “Hey, wait, Noie!” Papers shuffled, and Dipper caught up to her with his bag half-open and his arms full of textbooks. “I just-”

               She opened the door for him. “After you.”

               “Oh, uh, thanks? Noie-”

               “I bet these would make nice drums.” Noie banged out the Nario theme on a row of passing lockers. “Dun dun dun dun-dun-dun, dun!”

               “Noie, can you stop for a second?” Dipper rubbed his shoulder. “What did you mean by… you don’t know what I’m talking about? You don’t remember - you know, there was a whole thing where you wanted to take a shortcut for some reason…?”

               He was looking to her face for an answer; she kept it blank.

               “No?” Dipper frowned. “Are you sure?”

               “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she repeated, then: “Hey, do you wanna watch me do a cartwheel?”

               “But if you don’t remember… and I just woke up in math class - so was that all a dream, o-or something?” He was so lost in thought, he didn’t notice Noie pull off a cartwheel right next to him. “It didn’t feel like a dream…? But yeah, why would we randomly go off on a shortcut and then… get arrested? That doesn’t make sense…”

               He trailed off, and Noie just watched him think it over, watched his expression sink further into an annoyed confusion - he could tell he was missing something, she knew, and that made her stomach twist a little.

               “Um,” she started. “Maybe it’s like that vampire dream you had?”

               “Huh, I mean, that… that might be it. It didn’t have her in it, though.”

               Noie could only shrug at that. They kept on walking, out the door and through the grassy courtyard, and finally, Dipper broke the silence with a sigh.

               “Noie?”

               “Yyyyyes?”

               “Um, I think that must’ve been a dream, then.” He grimaced. “I’m really sorry for shouting at you over it.”

               Noie blinked, then shook her head. “No, no, you don’t need to say sorry-”

               “Yeah, I do, I was all yelling at you about stuff that… well, didn’t happen, I guess.” Dipper tried to laugh, but it came out as a groan. “Um… that’s embarrassing, I’m sorry. This has been a really, really weird week for me.”

               She didn’t trust herself to say anything to that. After a moment of looking down at his shoes, he continued.

               “I just… I haven’t really been getting anywhere with the vampire thing, Noie. And new, random stuff like this keeps cropping up - it feels like it’s getting worse.” He rubbed his head. “I’ve been getting headaches for days now, but they don’t even seem to be related to magic anymore, they just… happen. Stuff’s just been happening lately, and I don’t know what to do about it.”

               Noie watched him out of the corner of her eye. She watched him yawn, watched him rub his reddened eyes and the bags, deep and purple, under them. She hadn’t really noticed how exhausted he’d been looking lately, but now it was all too apparent.

               “I just…” Dipper started, hesitated, and then sighed. “I don’t know. I don’t know, Noie.”

               He went quiet, and for a time their footsteps were the only sound to be heard. Noie ran through a million little words of comfort in her head, but they all seemed to come up so short, and came off so shallow in her head. Maybe it was because she already knew what she wanted to say to him; no other words fit so precisely than the ones she wasn’t allowed to say.

               After a time, she put a hand on Dipper’s shoulder, and tried out a pale imitation.

               “Um, Dipper?”

               “Yeah?”

               “I’m sure… I’m sure we’ll get to the bottom of this.” Noie gave him a thin smile. “Don’t worry too much about it, okay? I’m sure we’ll find a way to get you back to normal real soon.”

               He didn’t look entirely convinced. “Yeah, I hope that’s what happens. What if we don’t, though?”

               “Oh, I’ve got a feeling we will.”

               “You’re being… awfully optimistic about this. Even more than usual.”

               “Yeah, cause you’re being even more of a downer than usual - I gotta balance you out!” She ruffled his hair. “C’mon, everything’ll work itself, bro. Mystery Twins are on the case!”

               “Hah…” Dipper’s laugh cut short as she leaned on him. “Wait, Noie- Ow, ow, ow, Noie!”

               “What? Are you okay?”

               “Yeah, yeah, sorry, it’s just… my shoulder.” He rubbed it, frowning. “Did I sleep on it wrong, or something? Ow… ”

               Noie’s heart caught in her throat. Oh, right, his shoulder… Oh, shit, his shoulder, he was going to put it together any second now, shit shit shit-

               Fortunately for her, however, there came a noise from the building up ahead. Dipper looked up, and his eyes went wide.

               “Wait, is that the late bell?”

               “Yeah, sounds like it.”

               “Oh, shoot, Noie! We’re late!” He took off sprinting for the classroom, waving at her frantically with his good arm. “Come on! We gotta run!”

               Noie blinked. Then she followed after him, yelling, “Wait up, Dipper!” and thanking the stars for that little stroke of luck with the bell.

               Maybe she could keep this up for a few days. Maybe everything would turn out okay after all.

               Thoughts like those didn’t make the pit in her stomach go away, no, but it was nice to finally have something to hold onto.

[ilovemygaydad]

Little Talks

from the friends in dark places au

pairing: remile, background logince, background moxiety

summary: remy andersen may be a stubborn, rude, leather-jacket wearing prick, but... nope, that’s it. that’s all he is.

WARNINGS: angsty mutual pining, teasing, flirting with someone else’s boyfriend (in a teasing manner), self hate, internalized enbyphobia, internalized transphobia, internalized queerphobia, doubting one’s sexuality, anxiety, trying to change for a crush, physical violence, transphobic slur, fighting, broken/bloody nose, small fight scene, doubtfulness, lots of swearing, mentions of wanting to die, manhandling, harassment, making out, kissing, flirting, being flustered, bets, possibly something else

tag list: @hufflepuffgirl01 @cocobearthe4th @cas-is-a-hunter @band-be-boss-blog @theunoriginaldaisy and, by request for remile, @notalwaysthevillian

a/n: jsyk, it’s totally okay to ask for a modified chapter if you need it or if i need to add tags! i get it, and it’s no problem for me to quick edit a chapter or whatever :) also, feel free to send requests or questions that you have!

first of main plot - companions

consider buying me a coffee (please)

-

Remy dramatically flopped onto the bench at Logan’s table with an equally dramatic huff.

“Remus, why have you suddenly decided to… grace us with your presence?” Logan deadpanned.

“Lo, sweetheart, can’t I just sit with my cousin and his lovely friends every once in a while?”

“No,” Logan said. “You cannot because there is never a time that you interact with me if it isn’t for a favor or to insult me.”

Remy gasped, glancing at the other patrons of the table. The emo one looked confused and borderline terrified, and Remy would feel bad if his problems weren’t more important. “Can y’all believe what he’s saying? I’m hurt, truly.”

“Just say whatever it is that you want to so that we may go back to eating our meals in peace.”

“Fine. I need help wooin’ this absolute doll of a girl, and--”

“Hold up,” Roman interrupted. “I thought you were gay.”

If Remy had rolled his eyes any harder, he might have strained a muscle. “Ro, honey, I’d have to be deader’n dirt if I wasn’t attracted to Emile freaking Picani. Ain’t no sexuality that can trump utter beauty.”

or maybe he wasn't gay maybe he was straight or pan or maybe he only liked emile because sometimes she wanted to use he/him pronouns--

“Okay, fair.”

“So,” Logan started, tilting his head the tiniest bit. “Why’d you come to me for romance advice, of all people?”

“Because you caught yourself a cutie--” Remy winked at Roman over his sunglasses-- “so you’ve obviously got some sort of game.”

Logan blushed slightly. “You do know about the whole fight thing, right?”

Remy rolled his eyes again. “Sugar, I’m not as much of a dumbass as you. I can navigate around any dumb advice you give me.”

“Rem—“

“Please, Logan,” Remy pleaded, gripping his cousin’s shoulders. He hated to have to stoop to begging, but he felt so desperate. “You can’t imagine how badly I want Emile to see me as a worthy partner.”

“Remy, kiddo, you’ve gotta breathe, okay?” Patton coaxed from across the table. “You’re going to work yourself into a panic if you don’t take it easy.”

And Remy knew that it wasn’t a big deal, but he couldn’t shake his doubts.

“I just… Emile is a livin’ blessing, and I’m the equivalent of milk left out on a hot, sunny day. I ain’t got a chance with ‘er if I can’t get a fairy godmother to bippity-boppity-boo me into a respectable young man.”

The emo kid slightly raised his hand, making eye contact with his lunch. “Uh, who’s Emile?”

“Oh my goodness gracious!” Remy exclaimed. “I can’t believe you don’t know who Emile Picani is. She is just the sweetest; let me tell you. She absolutely adores cartoons, and she loves helping others--I swear, that girl is gonna fix the whole world someday. She--oops, they must’ve changed headbands during lunch. They’re right over there. The cutie with the gorgeous brown hair and blue headband.” A dreamy sigh escaped him as he pushed his sunglasses into his hair. “They look good in every outfit they wear, on my honor! They’re wearin’ this Steven Universe skater skirt today, and it shows off their legs in a way that’s got me half a step away from fainting. Honest to god, I can’t believe that they’re still single. They’re absolute perfection.”

“I don’t… You just…” The emo boy trailed off, unable to find his words. “You seem really in love with them. I just don’t see why you think that you don’t have a chance.”

Remy frowned, turning to face the others. “Well, every time they see me walking in their general direction, they turn tail and run the opposite direction like I’m some sorta demon that’s comin’ to reap their soul. On the off chance that they hadn’t fled by the time I can get a word in, they always seem like they’d rather be eatin’ soap. It became real obvious, real fast that they ain’t into me in any way, shape, or form.”

“Well,” Patton said, staring somewhere behind Remy. “They’re coming over right now.”

“What? Shit--”

“Hey, guys!” Emile greeted in their sweet, gentle voice as they walked up to the table. Everyone turned to look at them, save for Remy. “Can I borrow Remy for a bit?”

Remy put on his sweetest, fakest smile and finally looked at Emile. “‘Course, hon. You wanna go somewhere else?”

“Yeah, that’d be great, thanks.” Emile began to walk toward the hall, and Remy quickly got up to follow. He took one last glance toward the table and caught Roman winking at him. God bless that boy’s soul.

They ended up just outside the cafeteria. Remy leaned against the wall, sliding his sunglasses back over his face in the hopes that he’d be less of an idiot with them on, and Emile stood a couple of feet away. They were nervously picking at a loose thread on their sweater, so Remy patiently waited for them to speak. There was no reason for him to make a fool of himself if he didn’t need to.

“Did I do something to upset you?”

Remy was so stunned by the question that he couldn’t even get a word in.

“‘Cause, like, you were staring at me earlier, and I’m probably jumping to conclusions like always, but I’d hate it if I hurt you. That would be a really shi--”

“You’re kiddin’ me, right?”

Emile’s face twisted in confusion. “What? No, of course not.”

“Darlin’, there’s just about nothin’ that you could do to make me mad at you. I was just--” Staring creepily at you because I think you’re the finest thing under the sun. Yeah, Remy. That’d be real cool of you to say-- “I was just starin’ off into space.”

“Oh. Okay.” There was an awkward pause before Emile blurted out, “Cool, well, I’m gonna go now. Bye!”

They were gone in a flash, leaving Remy staring at the space that they’d previously occupied. With a heavy sigh, he exited the school. Lucky him, having a free period after lunch anyway. He could cry in the comfort of his own home.

---

If you had told Remy Andersen a week ago that he’d be wearing a sweatshirt to school, he would have told you, “I’d rather be dead than wear a sweatshirt, sugar.”

Well.

The point still stood because Remy really fucking wanted to die.

And, yes, it was his own choice to completely disregard all of the times that his friends had told him not to change just to impress some boy, but heaven be damned if Remy wasn’t thirsty as hell. There was a cute boy, and Remy was ready and willing to try just about anything to gain the ability to kiss that pretty face.

Read: almost anything.

Remy wanted his leather jacket back, and he wanted his ripped skinny jeans, not the plain blue ones that he’d pulled from the darkest recesses of his wardrobe. He’d had to borrow this baby blue hoodie from Patton because, of course, he owned zero hoodies.

And everything was fucking great because Emile was totally paying attention to him trying to be more approachable.

This was fine. Everything was fucking fine.

---

Remy wore sweatshirts for a whole two days before he caved and went back to his leather jacket. There was exactly zero change in the way that Emile acted, and it fucking sucked. It was pretty obvious that he had no chance in getting Emile’s attention, and there was even less of a chance of actually being able to date them. Or even of being Emile’s friend because the fact still stood that Emile disliked Remy so much that they physically ran away every time he was nearby.

Thus, it was Dramatic Bitch Hours, and Dramatic Bitch Hours meant spending the entirety of lunch outside, brooding in the student courtyard.

Although it was nearing the end of May, it was a rather chilly day, and very few students wanted to be outside in the cold. One might suspect that Remy wouldn’t like the cooler days with him being from the south and all, but he found them rather pleasant for this very reason. Fewer people made it easier to relax and brood in peace. He was the only one in the courtyard, which made everything so nice and peaceful.

Well…

It was peaceful for a few minutes before some idiotic jocks decided to barge in.

“Don’t run away from us you fucking tranny!”

“You can’t waltz around and pretend to be something you aren’t,” a second voice snarled. “We saw you using the men’s bathroom earlier.”

“I’m surprised, seeing as your heads are so far up your asses!” a smaller voice shot back.

A smaller voice that belonged to the one and only Emile Picani.

Shit.

“Don’t fucking talk to us like that!” The group rounded the corner, and Remy could see that it was two jocks (one tall and the other muscular) harassing Emile. It felt like slow motion as he saw Emile’s small body stumble after being pushed by the taller jock.

“Hey!” Remy shouted, launching up from his table and storming over to the group. “Y’all had better knock it off real fast and leave them alone!”

The taller one sneered. “Or what? You’ll hit us with your precious sunglasses?” He took a step forward, and the other jock grabbed Emile from the ground in a tight grip.

“Remy, stop,” they pleaded. “Please, just leave.”

“Yeah, Remy,” mocked the muscular boy, gripping Emile even tighter. “Run away like the coward you are.”

Remy glared at the jock looming over him. “Sorry, doll. I don’t back down so easy.”

There was about a half second of angry silence before the tall one pounced at him. With the grace of many years of training, Remy took advantage of the momentum and threw the jock over his shoulder. The boy let out a heavy wheeze as the air was knocked clean out of his lungs, and Remy turned to face the other bully just in time to see Emile thrown to the ground again. The boy who had been holding them growled, stalking up to Remy and reeling back for a punch.

In a fraction of a second, Remy’s knee jerked up to catch the jock in the stomach. He took advantage of the moment of shock and ran his elbow into his nose. The boy stumbled back, clutching his face. The taller jock, who had recovered from being thrown, ran over to his friend with a gasp.

Remy casually straightened out his jacket, not even slightly winded. “I think it’d be the best for both of y’all if you went to the nurse’s office. That broken nose sure ain’t gonna heal itself, hon.”

The boys began to rush out of the courtyard, but Remy called out to them, “Oh, and I wouldn’t tell anyone what really happened out here.” He smirked. “Wouldn’t want everyone to know that y’all got beat up by the queer kid, now would we?”

Both jocks had the fear of god in their eyes as they nodded and ran into the building. As soon as they were gone, Remy was at Emile’s side.

“Sugar, are you okay?”

Emile nodded slightly as Remy sat down next to them. “Yeah, just startled. Also, how the hell did you do that?”

“I’m a black belt in taekwondo. Ma thought it’d be a good way to get out my destructive energy as a kid, so I ended up getting real invested.” Remy shrugged. He didn’t find it a very interesting part of his history, but it was useful at times.

“Holy shmokes…”

Remy smiled slightly, leaning back on his hands. “Y’know, I’d reckon that this is the longest conversation that we’ve had without you runnin’ off.”

A bright pink blush spread across Emile’s cheeks. “I’m so sorry.”

“‘S all right,” Remy said, waving his hand dismissively. “Ain’t your fault that you don’t like bein’ ‘round me, hon. I don’t really blame ya; I’d prob’ly hate me, too, if I were you.”

“You think I hate you?” Emile’s voice sounded sad and hurt, which didn’t make any goddamn sense.

“Yeah? Sure made it seem like you did.”

“Oh my god,” Emile said. They buried their face in their hands. “God, no, Remy. I don’t hate you at all!”

Remy stared at Emile for a hot second. “If that’s some kind of practical joke, it sure as hell ain’t funny.”

“No, no! It’s for real; I swear. I don’t hate you in the slightest.” Emile peeked out from behind their fingers. “I actually kinda have a crush on you.”

“Holy shit. This can’t possibly be real.” Remy shook his head.

“Trust me, Rem. It definitely is,” Emile said as they slowly crawled into Remy’s lap. It was as if they’d been doing it their whole life. “Is this okay?”

Remy’s mind went haywire at the close proximity to his crush. “Yeah. It’s very much okay, Emile.”

“I don’t think that I’ve ever heard you call me by my real name.” Emile leaned in closer to Remy. Their eyes met, and it was easy to see the flirtatious fire in Emile’s eyes. “I wouldn’t mind hearing you say it again.”

“Gurl, you can’t--it isn’t fair for you to say that kinda stuff and expect me to think properly.”

“Maybe I don’t want you to,” Emile whispered as they finally closed the minuscule gap between their lips.

And wow. Remy had imagined being able to kiss Emile in many daydream sessions, but the real thing was something else entirely. It was soft, and he could taste brown sugar and cinnamon on Emile’s lips, but a warmth had bloomed in his chest unlike anything that he had ever felt before. It took him a second to realize in his romantic haze that he had Emile’s skirt clutched tightly in his hand, but he couldn’t really bring himself to care. Not while he was kissing a literal angel.

All too soon, Emile leaned back from the kiss. Remy pouted, but he wasn’t able to get a complaint out before Emile said, “You look absolutely wrecked right now.”

Suddenly, the heat wasn’t just in his chest. “That… I swear to god, that ain’t fair.”

Emile cocked their head the tiniest bit. “What isn’t fair?”

“No human bein’ should be so perfect. You’ve got the looks--” Remy placed a kiss on their cheek-- “and the personality--” Another kiss to their nose-- “and you’re an amazing flirt.” He pressed a final, quick kiss to Emile’s lips, which made them giggle.

“Shut up! You’ve been my boyfriend for a whole two minutes; let me get used to it before you do sappy stuff!”

Remy’s eyes widened. “I-I’m your boyfriend?”

“Yeah! I mean, unless you don’t want to! I’m not going to force you or anything—“

Emile was cut off by Remy engulfing them in a hug. “Sugar, you’ve got no idea how much I wanna be your boyfriend. I’m just surprised that you wanna court me.”

“What? Why wouldn’t I?”

“Have you not heard a single word I’ve said this whole time? You’re, like, the most incredible person on this planet. It’d be an honor just to be able to call you my friend.”

Emile laughed, leaning their head on their boyfriend’s shoulder. “Since we’re letting out our dirty laundry, I suppose that I should confess that I was worried that you weren’t going to want to date me because you’re gay, and I’m not a guy.”

“Sexuality is fluid. I can like you and still call myself gay, right?” Remy’s voice almost sounded scared—like he was afraid to say something wrong.

“That’s fair.” They felt Remy shift a bit, smiling. “Is it too early to say that I love you?”

“Nah. I love you, too.”

---

“That’ll be ten bucks, Virgil,” Logan said, holding his hand out for the money as he stared out the doors to the courtyard. They had been planning to eat outside to work on a project together, but Virgil had seen their friends sitting on the sidewalk and stopped them before they intruded.

“We don’t even know what happened! This is stupid,” Virgil grumbled as he slammed the money into Logan’s hand.

A wicked smirk spread on Logan’s face. “All’s fair in love and war.”

“I’m gonna fucking tattle on you to Patton, and he’ll kick your ass to next week.”

Terror overshadowed the smugness in Logan’s expression, and he moved to chase after his best friend. “Wait, hold on! We can talk about this!”

[kurtty-drabbles]

Hostile au

N/A: I never meet a Brian that wrong me. So, fuck canon and throw it to the sun.

@djinmer4 @sailorstar9 @dannybagpipesarecalling @discordsworld @look-ma-no-hands336 @bamfoftheundead

Brian Braddock is using his power to rebuild the lighting house, while is true the lighting house is cover with magic, the structure still may suffer damages as any other lighting house would.

Using his super strength makes the job of caring heavy logs easier, however, it does make Brian sweet thanks to that. One flying and shining Meggan shows up. Giggling just like she does.

Brian can feel her hands ghostly touching the top of his mask. An amused grin born into his face. " Meggan, are you flying around?"

"That joke is lame, but, is ok, I still love you," she said brightly "you know, me, Kitty and Ray were talking about your mask right now!"

"Oh no, when you girls talk about my outfits it means trouble" Brian jokes putting the logs down and looking at Meggan.

"Don´t be like that, it was one time things, anyway, they were wondering if your mask is indeed a mask or is attached to the outfit," Meggan said looking at Brian who is looking at his right where one Kitty Pryde and one Ray Grey are giggling and waving at him.

"And? What´s the result?" Brian eagerly asked.

"As your girlfriend I said I know the mystery of your mask and as I know you, I didn´t reveal the secret"

"My dear Meggan, I´m very much thankful," he says in a mock of pompous thanks and makes Meggan laughs, now, his tone is more genuine "Have I told you I love you?"

"For keeping your secret mask as a secret? No, not really"

"Then can I show you?"

This is due to Brian and Meggan start to kiss. Kitty and Ray make jokes about the level of hetero in the Excalibur as no one looks at Nightcrawler. Who is supposed to help Alistaire but is looking envious to where Brian is.

____________________________________________

One stormy night, Excalibur can hear Meggan and Brian arguing strongly about the current subject, thanks to Rachel´s power, she captures a signal of Psylocke or is what Brian wants to believe, Rachel does not know for sure if is really her and Meggan wants to be cautious.

"Is my sister, Meggan, I know is she," Brian said with urgency in his voice.

"You said the same thing last time and ended up being a trap, Brian, you often jump to conclusions, what if this is another trap?" and then she asks "why can´t you accept that Betsy may be gone for good?"

"Because, unlike you, I have a sister, Meggan...she is my only family and I refuse to believe she is dead...If you won´t help me, I´ll do it myself" and Brian flies away leaving one angry and sad Meggan behinds.

She looks the man she loves to fly in the vain hope to finally be reunited with his sister.

_______________________________________

Meggan has no news of Brian, Rachel, once again using her powers, said he is fine, well, no one is going to say that Brian won´t find his beloved sister today.

Meggan is only waiting and thinking. She has no sister, that´s true, but, Brian is too stubborn to believe Betsy is dead and gone? (Well, Kitty said the X-men don´t die easily and if they die, they just ressurect...should she blame Kitty? or maybe Betsy will really come back?)

"Meggan?" Kurt said and the woman takes long breathing to pretend to be nice with her least favourite person in the team. "I just want to say that Brian is an idiot for leaving you"

Meggan has her eyes closed and fists too.

"You´re beautiful and no man should ever take that for grant" Kurt reaches her and Meggan can feel lust and envy and she almost throws up, almost.

"Are you fucking serious?" she opens her eyes and Kurt is no longer seeing beautiful Meggan but a downright monster that is not happy with him. "My boyfriend leaves to find his sister and sure enough won´t find her and you are trying to hit on me? How low of man are you?"

Meggan grows in size and stalks Kurt who is no longer feeling lust. "What? thought I would be blue and melting into your arms? Please, take a hard look at yourself before, Nightcrawler" and she adds "you´re ugly"

Kurt is taken back by this and Meggan can sense he is thinking she has a problem with his looks as if everything else Kurt just did was completely fine.

Meggan takes him by his collar and is ready to throw him out of the window. " No, Kurt Wagner, your looks are never the problem, and let me rectify, a monster has more class than you...you´re just a boring straight sexist, chauvinist man" and throws him out of the window.

Of course, that didn´t kill him. And after this Kurt notices how Meggan is being openly hostile with him.

"Very brave of you to wear this not being in the circus anymore"

"Good, you´re wearing pants for once, congratulations"

She only stops when Brian comes back saying that his sister is alive but lost in the dimension along with the other X-men. Rachel uses her powers and Kitty uses her gadgets and now, for once in his life since he lost his sister, there´s a concrete chance of really saving her.

No one bothers to check what Kurt is doing or thinking.

"Leave him be if he wants to act like an entitled white man, let him be," Meggan said as Kitty is working to locate the X-men, only she is worried for his well being and wonders why he is not here, after all, they have a chance of saving the X-men. ____________________________________________

Thanks to Kitty, Rachel, Meggan, Brian and even Nightcrawler. All the X-men are back. Brian finally sees his sister again and hugs her and introduces her to Meggan. Kitty hugs Ororo("Is really you, Ororo?" "Should I ask this? Kitten you are older now") and Rachel is with her parents ("Mom?" "I...will take a while to get used to this, but, is good to see you again, Rachel")

Rogue is there with Nightcrawler and as being the best sister in the world, she asked. "Are you alright?"

"You asked me this? You were the one lost in a different dimension"

"I was fine, I´m Rogue, but you´re Kurt and I can sense you and your new Teammates aren´t getting along...you didn´t do the manslut thing again, right?"

Kurt said nothing and Rogue shake her head at this. " Kurt, what I have to say for you to start to respect a woman?"

"I do respect woman"

"You think you, but, in reality, you are just an intitled white man"

Everyone else is having a great reunion but Kurt.

___________________________________________________________

Excalibur continues with Meggan being hostile with Kurt or ignoring his existence, in one moment, she used Kurt as an improvised weapon against the enemy, well, it was a great tactic that Kurt is not fond.

Kurt can see he is not going to get any friendship with Meggan, who is openly hostile with him, however, why he thought Rachel, of all people, would be more friendly is beyond logic(only the Outer Gods can understand)

"Don´t touch me!" Rachel said as Kurt put his hands on her shoulder far too intimate, in his defence, maybe it was harmless ...for him, but, to Rachel, it wasn´t.

"I was trying to be friendly, you know, you would be prettier if you smile more," he said thinking that is a compliment.

In fact, this really makes the red hair seething. And she calls Meggan to have a chat about one certain Nightcrawler.

"He needs to be taught a lesson!" Rachel said and Meggan agrees. They are a woman and deserve respect.

_______________________________________________

Kurt opens his eyes and all he sees is darkness. Except, he knows he is not alone as voices start to talk with him. "Why don´t you smile? You would be so pretty smiling!"

And suddenly, Kurt is among a huge crowd of people, men, leering at him. Kurt is dressed but the eyes are practically undressing him. "Hey, cutie, where is your boyfriend?" "He does not deserve you, you are too pretty" "Hey, sexy lady, you need a real man in your life"

And Kurt is scared as the eyes, the voices are coming closer and he can only cover himself. Saying to the voices leaving him alone. "Why? this is a compliment, you are so beautiful Kurt Wagner" and Kurt recognizes this voice.

Is Margalia´s voice.

"Think of this way, you are the most handsome man out there, no need to ever want a real personality or flaws, you are pretty, now, come on, smile for me and ...give me a kiss"

"Stop!"

"Now...is not so fun being on the receiving end of your ''flirt''"  Rachel asked lighting the place.

"What is this?"

"Your mind and a lesson we give to you," Meggan said appearing in full power "we are not toys for you to seek validation"

And now Kurt takes control of himself and see he is on the centre of the room. Brian and Alistaire are there looking at him and the women, Kurt realizes they aren´t really friends if they let them torture him.

Alysande Stuart and her brother look at the scene and Kitty is there as well.

"You felt uncomfortable there?" Meggan said and Kurt confirms not using nice words.

"Guess what, fuzzy, that´s how you made us feel every time the flirtzilla strikes, we are not objects, we are heroes and we deserve as much respect as you do"

"But..." he wants to say he is a gentleman and that he truly respects a woman when that villain mistreated Meggan he hush to her defence(even though Meggan could defeat the villain herself and his words didn´t hurt her in the slightest, in the end, Kurt just wanted to be a hero and this lead to them being captured)

He looks at Kitty and asks. "Do you think I don´t respect a woman?"

Kitty looks at him for a long and silent minute, until, she takes Alysande´s hand saying she wants to try that sushi now. Kurt watches Katzchen, of all people, leave him.

This really makes him think about his past actions.

Does Kurt want to be the mediocre sexist white man?

Meanwhile, Alysande asks if Kitty is alright. "No, not really, the only thing worse than being harassed by Flirtzila is to like flirtzilla and he never notices it"

Alysande is understanding as she changes the subject of the conversation.

Kurt Wagner is now realizing the problem was never his looks, but, what is inside.

[firegrilled]

Mommas’ Boys - Part 3

@erejeanweek2k19 Prompt: Danger

Part 1 | Part 4

Summary: Jean takes it upon himself to show his whole school that he’s turned a new leaf, but he didn’t expect his and Eren’s moms to bear witness to the rather embarrassing moment.

 Glancing at her watch, Celine smiled.

“Thirty minutes to spare,” she mumbled to herself as she walked around the corner of the city block, her heels clacking with each step. Her eyes honed in on the cozy little café at the end of the block. “Carla should be proud of me this week.”

Celine was barely inside the building before she noticed her lunch date already sitting in a corner, typing furiously at a computer. Her mouth fell into a frown when she noticed Carla’s frazzled appearance. While Mrs. Jaeger was hardly the picture of business, a wrinkled shirt and barely combed hair were unusual even for her.

Rather than order a coffee she walked over to her friend, pulling up a chair.

“Someone is here early,” Celine commented, spooking Carla.

Her friend jumped in her seat, placing a hand over her chest. “Celine! I wasn’t expecting you for another hour… Wait, you’re early today!”

“Perks of managing one of the smaller branches. Same pay but much less hours and work.”

Celine rested her purse on the table as she took a seat.

“Oh I’m so glad to hear. I’m sure Jean must love that,” Carla smiled. “After being away for so long…”

Dark bags drooped under Carla’s eyes but Celine remained silent.

“Yeah, a summer turned into a year abroad but it did him a lot of good. My maman always had a firm hand. Can you believe Jean actually does the dishes and is so incredibly polite? And I haven’t heard from Erwin at all this first semester.”

“Really?” Astonishment evident in Carla’s voice. “Eren has mentioned he’s better behaved even if he’s still hanging with those same hooligans from middle school.”

Sighing, Celine nodded. “I’d heard that but he doesn’t see them after school anymore. I pick him up straight from track. He might’ve been way out of line but he was right, I wasn’t there for him so now I’m going to make sure I am.”

Carla placed her hand over Celine’s, grasping it.

“I’m so proud of you, both of you.”

“Thanks, dear. But that doesn’t explain why you’re here so early, and on a laptop no less. What’s going on?”

At that question the light behind Carla’s eyes faded. She pulled her hand back and reached into her pocket to pull out a tissue. Water formed at the edges of her eyes but she dabbed them away before they fell.

“I suppose it was only a matter of time before you found out, but Grisha… the world learned he faked the results of some of his papers. He’s lost all credibility in the scientific world and the hospital fired him for academic dishonesty. He left home a week ago and never returned,” Carla answered in a hushed tone, sorrow hanging over her words.

“Oh honey, that was his lab in the news?”

“Yes. I thought he just needed some time to clear his head but today he reached out to me. He doesn’t know when he’s coming back and he withdrew most of our savings, his savings. Now we need to move before the end of the month and I need to find a job to provide for Eren and Mikasa.”

A sob escaped Carla causing her to hunch over. She wiped away the tears as they came but she kept her voice steady.

Déjà vu hit Celine like a ton of bricks, unearthing long repressed memories. She trembled thinking about Carla’s situation but soon regained her composure. Placing a firm hand on Carla’s shoulder, she looked her right in the eyes.

“You will get through this, Carla. It’ll be long and it won’t be easy but you’ll do this. Even though it feels like your entire world was wrenched away from you, you’re gonna pull it right back and continue being the best damn mom to those kids. I’ve been in your shoes before and I’ll help you as best I can.”

Sniffing, Carla tilted her head in confusion. “You have?”

“Yes, many years ago. Jean’s dad passed away when he was just a baby and he left me with the most wonderful child to raise by myself. I know it hurts so much and you feel defeated but it’s temporary. The world won’t stop turning because he’s gone. And Eren and Mikasa won’t stop needing you. Just focus on one step at a time and everything will slowly come back into place.”

“One step at a time… I need to find a home. We at least have enough for that and a little while longer,” Carla tried to clear her mind. She took long and deep breaths until she regained her composure.

“Right, and then we can work on finding a date for you to start your new job.”

Carla snorted gracelessly at that remark.

“Start my new job? I need to find a place that’ll take a resume of ‘housewife and mother – sixteen years’.”

“Not a problem, we have an opening at my branch that I’ll hold for you,” Celine offered.

Carla’s jaw dropped.

“R-really? You’d do that for me?”

“Of course! Just focus on the other important things like your kids. They need you.”

For the first time during their conversation, Carla’s expression relaxed and the life returned to her eyes.

“Thank you so much!”

As if on cue, Celine’s phone rang. The two women glanced down to see Erwin’s picture flash across the screen, wearing his usual stern expression.

“I think I might’ve jinxed myself,” Celine sighed, ignoring her friend’s chuckling. She swiped a finger across the screen and took the call. “Hello Erwin.”

“Hi, Celine-”

“Jean again?”

“-yes. We’ve had a rather awkward situation develop and I’d like you to come down.”

Rolling her eyes, Celine gave Carla a dull stare. “Should I bring Carla? We’re currently having lunch together.”

“Ah, give her my regards. Yes, please bring her too.”

Carla cocked an eyebrow until Celina nodded at her, causing her to hang her head. “Oh, Eren…”

“Alright, we’ll be right over,” Celine confirmed. Hanging the phone up, she gestured to the door. “I’ll drive.”

The two women paid the bill and left in a rush. Much to Celine’s surprise, Carla pointed out a quicker route to the school that she was unaware of and beat her personal best time. As they pulled up to park, they saw Erwin waiting at the doors to the school.

“I hope they didn’t get in a fight again,” Celine sighed. Her son was so close to making it one semester without trouble. So damn close.

“Here’s to hoping,” Carla shook her head, unbuckling her belt.

They carefully shut the doors to the Honda Civic before joining Erwin on the sidewalk.

“Carla, Celine, I hope today has treated you well… Or at least as best as the circumstances allow,” Erwin greeted, his eyes focusing on Carla for the latter part of his statement.

“It was,” Celine said. “What happened? What did they fight about this time?”

Erwin frowned, shaking his head. “I’m afraid it’s not that simple. Good news is that the boys didn’t fight each other for once.”

Celine flinched at those words. “Come again?”

“From what I’ve gathered the boys didn’t fight each other. In fact, Jean defended Eren this morning from his friends.”

“Jean defended Eren? From what?” Celine interrogated the man, disbelief in her voice.

Eren wasn’t a boy that needed defending.

“Mr. Wagner and his little group were harassing Eren about his father,” Erwin started, pausing when Carla’s mood instantly soured. “Jean took exception to this and verbally lambasted them.”

“Oh he didn’t throw a punch, thank goodness,” Celine released a held breath, wiping her forehead she smiled.

“Correct, but he might as well have. His so-called friends saw fit to tape these to every locker in the building.”

Erwin pulled a neatly folded paper from his breast pocket, extending it to Celine. She quickly unfurled it, nearly dropping it when she saw the contents: a grainy picture of her son with large words underneath it.

“’Jean Kirschtein is a faggot’?” Celine read aloud, her blood freezing in her veins. “His friends did this?”

“Yes, we have them on camera. We currently have Jean in the office to shield him from harassment. Eren is also present since he took it upon himself to avenge Jean’s honor,” Erwin informed the mothers. He gestured to the building, “If you’d follow me we can go see them.”

Carla shook her head at the news.

Just as the three stepped towards the building, the doors swung open to reveal Levi dressed in a custodial outfit. “Erwin, get to the office. Now!”

“What?” Erwin tilted his head in confusion as they walked to the building. He quickly realized something was off when he heard the school’s PA echoing in the halls.

“…and the time we thought Connie shat himself on the bus to DC? That was Mina after she ate Taco Bell for the first time. Totally just blamed him and everyone bought it. Oh and she cheated on you Connie with Thomas. And then cheated on him with Franz who then cheated on her with Hannah,” Jean’s distinct voice announced.

Celine placed a hand over her mouth as the color drained from her face. While she listened to her son’s speech she noticed the posters lining the halls. Every locker with a picture of her son’s face with those nasty words underneath them.

“Let’s go, now,” Erwin stated, immediately power-walking for the office. He didn’t miss the smirk on Levi’s face as the janitor listened to the juicy gossip.

“But Thomas, you hypocrite, you’re the one that made out with Franz when you were both tipsy. And I just love how you told everyone you lost your virginity already. News flash, you fucked your stuffed bear Mr. Tinkles and pretended it was a big deal,” Jean continued. Repeated dull thuds could be heard in the background but Jean seemingly ignored it.

Celine kept her mouth bolted shut as she heard her son using such brazen language.

“And what about Franz? You really haven’t done too much. Besides the fact you like to pick your nose and eat the boogers. And that you wet your bed until like three years ago.”

The three adults were almost at a jogging pace when they could faintly hear someone shout, “Liar!”

“Call me what you want but I’m not a pants shitter, a toy fucker, or a cheater. Or a toy fucker. Poor Mr. Tinkles. In conclusion, fuck you three.”

Erwin and the mothers arrived at the principal’s office in time to see Hanji shoulder-checking the door. Each attempt was in vain as the wood held strong.

“Hanji, where are the keys?” Erwin asked, leading Carla and Celine inside.

Turning to reveal crooked glasses, Hanji raised a finger and opened their mouth but no words came out.

“Oh, right. Those,” Hanji eventually spoke.

Quickly retrieving the keys from their pants pocket, Hanji unlocked the door to reveal Jean sitting in Erwin’s chair facing the window with a sorrowful look while Eren was on the floor wheezing. Eren grabbed his sides while laughter wracked his body.

“Jean Alexandre Kirschtein, what have you done?” Celine asked, catching the attention of both the boys.

Jean spun around in the chair, his expression now akin to a deer in the headlights.

“Maman-!”

Carla’s eyes fell to her son who struggled to regain his composure. With a concerted effort Eren managed to stifle his laughter.

“He just straight up murdered Thomas Wagner, Mina Carolina, and Franz Kefka. Good riddance,” Eren explained, wiping a tear from his eyes. “Oh this is the best day of my life.”

Carla covered her mouth with her hand at her son’s reaction. It wasn’t disappointment or anger that kept her silent, but awe. Jean managed to bring a wide smile to her son’s face.

Erwin crossed his arms as he stepped into the room, clearing his throat. “My chair?”

Not needing to be told twice, Jean scampered away from the leather chair and into one of the plush chairs on the side. “Sorry, sir.”

“Why, Jean? They would’ve been disciplined and punished accordingly,” Erwin wondered as he pulled a pink sheet from his desk. He started scribbling on it, looking at the calendar on his desk for the date.

“No offense, sir, but they wouldn’t have learned their lesson. I know them. They’ve never known what lines shouldn’t be crossed and a suspension wouldn’t do anything. Now they know what happens when you go after low hanging fruit.”

Celine pursed her lips, processing her son’s explanation. While she didn’t know what to make of her son’s very public stunt, she was moderately impressed by his reasoning. Not that she’d ever tell him that.

“Ms. Kirschtein, you know the drill. Please sign here that you understand the reason for his detention,” Erwin said as he slipped the pink paper across the desk.

“Only a detention?” She asked.

Even Jean perked up at that news.

“Yes, he’ll be in detention Monday morning for using the intercom inappropriately and slandering students. He’ll be joined by his friends of course but this is no reason for suspension,” Erwin explained.

“Of course, thank you,” Celine nodded as she signed the line.

“You may take him home early today, I don’t wish for any further disturbances to our educational environment.”

“Okay, thank you.” Celine turned for the door when she noticed Carla. Before she could respond Carla held up her hand.

“It’s ok, I’ll get a ride with Levi. His shift should be ending soon and he was due to clean our house today. Go home Celine.”

Smiling, Celine replied. “Okay. We’ll talk about the other thing later. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you need anything else. Now, come along Jean.”

Carla nodded.

Jean got to his feet, shoving his hands in his pocket and keeping his eyes to the ground. Before he got too far, Eren called out to him.

“Hey, Jean. Thanks,” Eren grinned at him.

Jean returned a tiny smile and shrugged. “No problem.”

Celine almost tripped upon hearing those words but thankfully caught herself. Today was really full of surprises.

To Be Continued

[aureumjeon]

For all that it’s worth || PJM

♡One shot (maybe?) ♡Long distance relationship!AU ♡Idol!Jimin x Reader ♡Fluff and angst if you squint ♡Words: 4.7K

a/n: This is so fucking cheesy I might become lactose intolerant but I still enjoyed writing this so much. i = flashback except the lyrics to a bts song.  [Inspiration]

“I told you I’d make it up to you.”

"I'm really sorry, Y/N. I need to go now. I'll make it up to you, I promise." Jimin sweet voice tickled your ears but a small frown still made its way onto your lips. "Okay." You sighed through the phone call. "I'll call you later. I love you."

"I love you too, Y/N." Jimin managed to reply before ending the call, his hyungs' voices clear in the back ground. That was the end of the 5-minute talk you had with your boyfriend for the first time in three weeks. Sometimes, when you were lucky, those 5 minutes would become 10. Text messages were no different either, he would only get the chance to send a few texts a day, good morning and goodnight texts included due to their busy schedules. Being caught up between endless promotions, interviews, and their world tour, as much as it pained you that you barely had any stable communication with him, you were more worried about if he was eating right or getting enough sleep. No matter how big the void in heart was, you promised yourself that you would never leave and go, regardless of the situation the both of you were in. You will never let go of him, of what you have. Jimin felt the same, too. He felt the same longing and loneliness you felt. He always wondered during the idle hours, if you were okay or if you were missing him as much as he misses you. Whenever he looked at his phone, a picture of you together holding sparklers on a cold new year's eve would show on the screen, making him more emotional. No matter how far apart, no matter how long the days run without you by his side, he knows that there will always be a part of him inside of you and a part of you inside of him, living on with every heartbeat.

You felt the already dim lights of your room grow darker, fading to black. Tears started to form at the corner of your eyes, making your vision blurry as you stared at the picture of you and Jimin hanging on your wall. You tried to hold them back as best as you could, you can feel your heart shudder with every breath you took. The hope you had in you was still there, shaking but surviving 'I'm here holding on' it said and sleep crept its way underneath your eyelids. Your relationship with Jimin has never been this dry, and you've been with him for 5 years now. Even before they debuted as BTS, the both of you were already madly in love. The two of you were well aware that being in a long distance relationship wasn't going to be easy as day, however, the love you felt for him was greater than the distance that stood between you and Jimin. You knew that your patience and understanding needed to be boundless when dating an Idol and you must always be the bigger person if you truly wanted to support your partner's passion and dreams. The first time you saw Jimin was on stage, for a presentation. He was selected as the center of an interpretative dance group and he immediately caught your attention. The fluidity of his movements, the emotions his face was clearly portraying with every step he made and the way his body was perfectly in tune with the music, not missing a single beat as if they were one and the same. Your mother was the designated organizer for the event, which granted you back-stage passes with your best friend only if you promise to help out with the entire show. You thank your best friend, Sana, for harassing you non-stop until you caved in and decided to attend.  Because if it wasn't for her, you wouldn't have met the guy you were destined to be with. You were handing out water bottles to the dancers who were already finished with their turn, there you met eyes with the raven-haired boy. He walked towards you, masculine but graceful.

 Time seemed to move slower with each step he took. Everyone else around you merged with the background, their voices turned into white noise the moment he was standing in front of you.

"Hey." He voiced out, so soft and so fragile. "A-ah." You were completely flustered at the gorgeous lad. 

"H-here.." You handed him the water bottle, bowing your head. "Thanks."He chuckled, noticing how cute you were. 

"I'm Jimin." Your cheeks flushed bright red in surprise. "I'm... I'm Y/N. Your performance was great, by the way." You shyly stated, still avoiding eye contact cause you swore you would melt like ice on a hot summer's day right then and there.

"This is the first time I've seen you here, and I dance here a lot." He stated, taking a gulp of water from the water bottle you just gave him. His neck was glistening, coated in a sheer film of sweat. Adam's apple bobbing up and with each swallow of the liquid. You were in awe, mouth slightly agape while staring at him. He legitimately looked like a Disney prince.  

"Hmm?" He added, snapping you back from whatever world you traveled to "Ah. Yeah." You tuck the piece of hair that dangled in front of your face behind your ear. "This is my first time being here. My mom's the organizer for this event." You gave a slight smile, still embarrassed. "Oh! Mrs. Y/L/N  is your mom?" His face lit up at how you guys had something more to talk about rather than just the normal 'hi, hello and how are you doing?'. "She's one of my mentors! She really is a great dancer." He concluded. You felt your face burn once again. "Yeah, she is. Unfortunately, I didn't inherit her good dancing skills." You nervously replied, pointing at your feet. "I have to left feet." You giggled. "It's okay." Jimin assured you "I'm sure you are great at something else!" He chimed and scratched the back of his head. "So... Y/N" His voice was quite hesitant. "Yes?" You blinked twice wondering was he was going to say. "You seem pretty cool and..." At the moment you felt your body tense up at his words. You held your breath, anticipating what's about to come next. "Maybe we could hang out sometime?" Before you could reply to his question, you were interrupted by a very very familiar voice. "Honey!" Your mother excitedly hugged you. "The show was a success." Her gazed then met with the boy's who was standing before the both of you. She playfully quirked an eyebrow and continued "So Jimin... I see that you have met my beautiful daughter.." She smirked. "Mom! Stop it!" You pinched her arm and whispered, "You’re embarrassing me..." 

"Yes, Mrs. Y/L/N. Y/N is indeed very beautiful." Jimin the gave the cutest smile you have ever seen. His eyes became thin lines, cheek puffed up like mochi and his smile deemed worthy to be called the brightest of them all. "Sly, sly fox." Your mother thought to her self. "Well. I leave my beautiful daughter in your care." And ended it with a wink before walking away. You buried your face in the palm of your hands and said "I. Am. So. Sorry." Your voice was laced with utter defeat at the tactics of your mother. Jimin can't help but laugh at everything that had happened. "No, no... It's totally fine." He managed to reply through smiling teeth. "So how 'bout our date?" He hummed. "Date?" A confused look took over your entire face. "If it's okay with you," Jimin added with a wide grin on his face. The rest was history. Readers POV; The ray of light from the sun seeped through the thin material of your bedroom curtain, causing you to rub your eyes. "Hnnn--" You stretched out your arms and grabbed your phone that was tucked under your pillow. "4 new messages and 6 missed calls" it read, all from Sana. "Wonder what's up?" You thought to yourself." Another call from your best friend popped up before you could even read the messages she sent you. "Sana?" You question, voice still hoarse. "What's up?" Sana voice was quiet and quivering "Babe.. Have you checked twitter lately?" You shook your head and replied, "No.. Why?" The tone of your voice changed "What's going on, Sana?" Your palms started to get sweaty. "You should see for yourself. I'll be there in 10. I love you, babe." Before you know is, she already hung up.   You fingers were shaking uncontrollably while you were searching for the twitter icon on your phone. You immediately went to the trending page, #JiminAndGFinLA was number one. Your eyes were affixed on the small device in your hand and it felt like all the blood in your body suddenly dried up.

 You felt chills run down your spine, thousands of goosebumps emerging from your skin. You hadn't prepared yourself for any of this. The Jimin you knew would never cheat on you. It took a while but you finally gathered up the courage to click the hashtag and it directed you to the many tweets about it. The most popular one sat at the top of the screen.

 "Is this BTS' Jimin non-celebrity girlfriend?!" Your heart sank at the sight of the picture uploaded along with the tasteless caption. 

Jimin was sitting in what seemed like a European themed restaurant and in front of him, a girl long hair and a face mask which covered 70% of her face sat. You can see the look on his face, he was smiling from ear to ear. A sight you had not seen in a long while and you miss it so bad.

 Seeing some other girl make the love of your life smile like that made you inside churn with jealousy. You did not want to jump into any conclusion without consulting Jimin first. But the fact that he rarely called or texted you made your knees grow even weaker. Was he really busy with work? Or busy with this girl? Your breathing became more unstable, chest rapidly moving up and down.

 You pressed one, and called Jimin the first time, he did not answer. You tried again for the second time, still no answer. After several tries, you lost count at 14, he did not answer. You also tried to text him, not one of you many texts have been marked as read.

 You threw your phone as hard as you can and aimed it at the picture hanging on the wall, the impact broke the glass and the picture frame flew off. Your arms and legs felt limp and lifeless. You curled up in the middle of your bed and watched all the things you built for 5 fucking years fall apart in an instant. You screamed at the top of your lungs while tears continuously streamed down your face. Your door swung open and it was Sana. "Y/N.." She stormed inside and pulled you in a big hug. " Sorry I took so long." She hummed while patting your back, trying to calm you down. "I bought drinks, ice cream, and snacks!" she cheerfully said. "And a pair of my pajamas which means I'll  be staying over tonight!" She added. You couldn't help but smile at your best friend simple but kind gesture. She always knew how to cheer you up. Apart from Jimin, Sana also meant the world to you. And having her as a best friend was absolutely a god given gift. 

 Jimin POV;

The moment Jimin walked back into the shared hotel room, he was bombarded with questions. "Hyung, Where have you been??" Their maknae asked. "I had lunch at a restaurant nearby. Why'd you ask?" He furrowed his brows and gave his junior a concerned look. The youngest did not answer back, instead, he showed his phone, the picture of him and the mystery girl on screen. "What?" He exclaimed. "I swear, these goddamn papzz always take it too far with fake news and rumors." Jimin combed his fingers through his hair. 

"Your phone has been ringing non-stop, too" The blonde haired guy sitting on the bed interrupted. "I think it was Y/N-noona calling."  Jimin's eye exploded and he walked toward his phone that was plugged in. He unlocked the screen and saw 28 missed call and 32 messages all from you. "Fuck!!" He yelled, startling the two boys who were also inside the room. "Fuck fuck fuck." He muttered, walking back and forth with his phone against his ear, desperately trying to contact you. "Shit!!" He grunted in frustration.  "Jiminie Hyung, are you okay?" The blonde hair lad asked. 

"I'm fine, Tae. It's Y/N I'm worried about." He heavily sighed "I think she might have misunderstood the whole Twitter situation... I shouldn't have left my phone here."   "Don't worry, hyung." The maknae of the group threw his arm around Jimin's shoulder.  "It's Y/N-noona we're talking about." His voice was smooth and had a calming effect on Jimin. "I'm sure she was just shocked at the shit that trended on Twitter, we all were. But noona, I know she knows better." Jimin released a sigh of relief at the comforting words of his dongsae.

He ruffled Jungkook's hair and said "Thanks. I never thought words like that would ever come out of your mouth. "   "Pffft." The younger boy replied snickering. "I know, I surprise myself, too." The three of them laughed at the boy's antics. "Guess I’ll try to contact Y/N... Thanks, Tae and Kook." Jimin walked to the balcony and dialed your name religiously until his phone ran out of battery.  

Reader’s POV;

 "Babe... That's your fifth bottle of beer, I know you are upset but that's too much..." Sana pleaded you to stop chugging beer like it was water. "Please... Just this once." You whined, your words sounded gibberish to the next person, luckily Sana understood your drunken lingo. "I love him, Sana. I love him with all my heart!" You sobbed while stuffing chips in your mouth like there was no tomorrow. "I know, babe. I know." She replied while drawing circles on your back. You can no longer control your emotions, the alcohol in your system kicked in and completely took over. 

 "We promised each other that whatever push and pull life may bring us, I will always be his and he will always be mine forever.." The was a sudden pause, you felt your throat go dry and added: " and more." You mumbled, mouth still full of chips. Sana knew better than to interrupt your onslaught of emotion, she knew that it was better for you to cry it out rather than keep it inside. "If my love was a sea, he'd be fucking drowning in it right now.." Your voice cracked as a hiccup escaped your throat "After all that I've-hic done for him, is it-hic ever enough?" you hiccuped the words out. 

 "Calm down, babe." She hummed, pulling you to rest your head on her lap. "I'm sure Jimin loves you a lot." She brushed her finger through your hair. "You haven't even heard his side yet." She added. "I know this is a lot to handle but at least have a little in faith Jimin, Okay? I know he loves you, and you love him too." Sana sang to you with her gentle voice, coaxing you to shut your eyes and finally go to sleep.

 Jimin's POV;

 Jimin felt discouraged with you not answering his calls. His mind was all over the place, he could no longer think straight. His head was filled with you. He could not stop thinking about the state you were in right now with all the rumors floating about. He knows you better than anyone else, he knows that you're probably sitting in the corner of your room in a fetal position, crying yourself to sleep. He felt so bad that he could be there to clear things up and comfort you and he felt terrible knowing that he was the one who made you feel this way, If he could beat himself up he would do it no questions asked.

Jimin pulled himself together and went back inside the room. "How'd it go, hyung?" Jungkook asked. He simply shook his head and pursed his lips into a thin line. "I'll ask Namjoon hyung for advice.." Jimin said, making his way through to the door and exiting the room.

 Three knock was all it took for Namjoon to open the door. "Oh, Jimin." He had a surprised look on his face. "What's up?" Namjoon added while guiding Jimin by the shoulder and leading him inside. "Hey, Jimin." The pastel green haired boy greeted. 

"Hey, Yoongi hyung." Jimin replied back and sat beside him. "I think I know why you're here." the older guy next to him stated. "Twitter?" Yoongi blandly asked and Jimin sighed, accompanied with a slight nod. "Cheer up, Kid." The elder guy massaged his neck and shoulders to loosen the tension in his muscles. "And Y/N?" The silver-haired hyung asked the restless lad. "That's the problem." Jimin’s voice was cracked, he sounded like he was on the verge of bursting into tears. "She hasn't returned any of my calls and text messages." He paused, trying to hold back the tears. "How am I supposed to clear things up with Y/N if she isn't answering my call and replying to my messages?" He swiftly brought his hands up to his eyes and wiped the wetness away with the sleeve of his sweater. 

"Give her some time, Jimin. If I were in Y/N's shoes, I would be overwhelmed with the situation too." RM tried to comfort Jimin. "And I think I have an Idea, but we still need to consult with Bang PD-nim and get his permission to be able to pull it off." Their leader held out his hand in front of the boy. "We'll help you, Jimin." His smile was sincere, dimples on both sides of his cheek showing. "That's what brother's do." And he then pulled Jimin in for a tight hug. 

Fast forward to the day of their concert in LA, you still had no intention of contacting Jimin because you were truly heartbroken. You spent your time unproductively, wasting it by watching anime season after season and binge-eating whatever junk food you found in you unkempt fridge. Sana, your best friend, kept you company the whole time. Only leaving your house when she needed to fetch a few things from her own. Without her, you'd probably be dead by now, with flies circling around you. 

It always great having someone you can rely on near you, unlike a certain someone you thought to yourself. "Babe." Sana tugged on the sleeve of your shirt. "Jimin sent me a link." She added. "With a message attached 'Please tell Y/N I love her and I miss her.' " 

 With wide eyes, you took the tablet from her hand and asked awkwardly "Should I open it?" Sana playfully pinched your arm and replied "Well duh, what do you want to do with it? Stare at it for an hour?" She giggled. With fast hands, she clicked the link Jimin sent you and it opened to a private live stream of their concert in LA.

Both of you gasped in confusion while looking at each other. "W--what's this all about?" You questioned, voice weary. "I don’t know but let's just watch." Your eyes were focused on the screen. You saw the seven boys in a straight line formation with Jimin in the center. "Hey, Army.." His voice sounded exhausted. "This wasn't part of the original set but I asked Bang PD-nim's permission and he said, It was alright." Before continued, he released a heavy sigh. "You, our dear Army, brought us to where we are today. Without you, we wouldn't have been the BTS that we are today." 

You were clueless to what was about to happen so you kept your eyes glued to the screen. "I love our ARMY and like I've said plenty of times before, I want to be completely honest with you guys all the time." He stopped and bowed his head for a second while Jin was patting him on the back. He lifted up his head and went on with his speech

"As you guys may have seen on twitter and to answer all of your questions.. Yes, I do have a girlfriend." The whole stadium went silent, and your reaction was no different from theirs. Your jaw dropped to the ground while you squeezed the life out of Sana's poor hand. "But it isn't the girl in the picture, that was my cousin. I wanted to clear this issue myself and stop things from getting out of hand. And what better way than to announce it here. I know our Armys love us, I hope you love Y/N as much as I love her."

 A picture of you and Jimin flashed on the big LED screen behind them, the audience burst a synchronized 'awwwww.’ at his sweet gesture. Your hands went ice cold, trembling. This is it, Jimin was publicly announcing his relationship with you, and during a concert too. After more than 5 years of keeping a low profile, long-distance relationship and uncertainties of what the future holds for the two of you, you felt that knot in your chest unravel with his outspoken words. You were now free to express your love for him and vice versa. You can feel your heart ready to jump out our chest at any given moment. 

"Y/N.." Jimin looked straight at the camera, knowing that you were watching him. "I'm sorry for everything. I know that both of us are hanging on the line, needing more than ifs and maybes. Sometimes we feel as though we're on top of the world, and other times we feel ourselves come down from the highest high still searching for the reason why we keep on holding on.. Trust me, I know how you feel."

 He cleared his throat before he continued."I know what it's like reaching from the other side. Trying so hard to hold onto the things that I know is impossible from where I am currently standing but all that I've done for you, I would do it again in a heartbeat and more. I promised you Y/N... I will always be yours, forever. I love you." His speech ended with the beginning of their older song "Hold me tight." 

You listened to the song with your heart open, taking in every word like your life depended on it. 

I can only see is you I can only see is you alone Look, I'm fair with everyone else but you Now I can't live a day without you.

You remembered all the times that Jimin would sing those words to you. He would go on and on about it being his favorite song from their previous album because it reminded him of how much he misses you whenever he was on tour. 

Hold me tight, hug me Can you trust me, can you trust me can you trust me Pull me in tight 

The camera pans to Jimin, his eyes were glistening. The effect of the stage’s light made this moment more magical, ethereal even. Jimin looked like an angel that descended from the heavens that were destined to be your guardian.

Hold me tight, hug me Can you trust, can you trust me Please, please, please pull me in and hug me 

 All those sweet memories came down like an avalanche, drowning you in the sweet sensation you have come to love. Now it was clear to you why you always made it work and why you kept on hanging on. Whatever the pain and loneliness you felt; whatever life threw at you; no matter how many time you tripped and fall; You would always get back up and shake it off. 

Without you, I can't breath I'm nothing without you Open my closed heart, drench my heart So I can feel you hold me The way Jimin sang his part pulled on your heart strings causing goosebumps to rise all over your body. You knew that he wasn't singing for anyone else but you. His voice was sincere, filled with emotions and even with the distance between you, you felt it. You felt all of it. Every single word that came out of his mouth went straight through you. The holes that manifested in your heart was patched up in an instant. 

Now trust me, hold me once again  So I can feel you, hold me. 

After days of sulking and despair, a smile appeared on your face. Even if your cheeks were stained with tears, you felt genuinely happy. All the worries that clouded your heart and mind were lifted off with just one song. You felt a sigh of relief climb up your throat and escape your lips. 

Your best friend, who was also crying, hugged you. "See." She whimpered through her tears. "I told you Jimin loves you." You nodded and hugged her back.

The next couple of days went by fast. The 10-minute talk with your boyfriend was enough to remind you everything was perfectly mended back together. You think of ways on how to make you 6th Anniversary more special even if your boyfriend was miles away. 

 You had planned on making dinner at your home while face timing with Jimin. "Y/N.." Sana called out to you from the living room. "Yes?" You answered back while washing the vegetables on the kitchen sink. "Help me pick out a dress." You best friend stated. You walked out of the kitchen drying your hands with a small towel. "For what occasion?" You questioned. "For you, babe." She said, looking at her phone. "Since It's your 6th Anniversary with Jimin, I want to gift you a little something something..." She smiled. 

"You know you don't have too." You replied with a smile on your face, shaking your head slightly. Sana stood up from where she standing and headed to your direction. She held out her hands out, reaching for your wrist. "There's a nice shop just a few blocks away. Please Please.." She pouted, puppy dog eyes and all. "Let me treat you on your special day." 

You can never say no to that face. "Alright alright." You chuckled. "Let me change first. She pumped her fist in the air in excitement "Yeah!" 

The car ride to the shop was pleasant, filled with small talk between best friends. “Here!” Sana exclaimed. You pulled the car over and looked at the shop through the window. A large high-end boutique shop stood stall. “This looks expensive..” you nervously stressed. “Can we afford this?”

“You don’t have to worry about anything, Y/N. I got you covered.” She winked while stepping out of the car. You simply followed her, taking small steps behind her back. 

It took both of you at least 20 minutes of trying on and taking off dresses until you found the perfect one. You looked at the price tag and was flabbergasted. You tugged at Sana shirt and pointed “Are you sure? This is expensive.” Scratching your arm. 

“I told you. I got you!” She beamed. “And you look great.” 

Sana paid for your dress, she insisted that you keep it on for ‘Part 2′ of your surprise. “This time, I’m driving.” She firmly stated and you did not argue as you were feeling thrilled like a little child going to Disney land. 

You arrived at a fancy 5-star hotel, Sana held your hand the entire time, guiding you inside. You were awestruck at the interior of the building. The both of you stood before two closed doors. “What are you waiting for? Go inside!” your best friend insisted. You were quite reluctant at first but you trust Sana with whatever the hell she was plotting. 

You knocked on the door, grabbed the handle and slowly pushed it open. There, right before you, standing beautiful and fair holding a huge bouquet in his arms was your one and only boyfriend, Jimin. The room was filled with flowers of a different kind, candle lights that were too many to count, A live band playing “Hold me tight.” elegantly. You did not have to think twice and ran towards him, meeting him with a warm embraced. “I told you I’d make it up to you.” He then leaned closer and placed a kiss on your forehead.

End. uwu

Every comment, heart, reblog is very very much appreciated. I love u and i love bts

[just-an-anxious-mess]

Looking Back (Part2)

Part 1

Trigger Warnings: mentions of blood, character death (this one is more angsty than the first part so beware)

Deceit was walking down the corridor, planning on grabbing something to eat, when he came to a stop because he could smell something strange. He looked around to make sure no one was around before sticking his tongue out which went from normal to forked in a matter of seconds. He used his now forked tongue to taste the air and reeled backwards as his senses were assaulted by the metallic tang of blood.

He followed the smell until he came to Logans door where he stopped wide eyed, not sure if he wanted to open it or not. He gulped and reached a shaky hand out to open the door but was stopped by a voice behind him.

"Deceit? What are you doing? You know Logan said he didn't want anyone to bother him today. He was rather insistent."

Deceit looked round and grimaced slightly as Roman fixed him with a suspicious look.

Deciet had been accepted into the group but Roman still held the view that he was up to something so things were usually awkward and tense between the two of them. Because of that Deceit didn't dare speak while facing him or his forked tongue would be on show and Roman would jump to the wrong conclusion. Instead he turned back to the door and spoke carefully, trying not to say too many words with an s in them.

"I wanted to check on Logan. Find out if he'ssss OK."

Roman frowned "Why wouldn't he be?"

"I don't know." Deceit muttered, gritting his teeth as he felt the accusing look on his back.

"What did you do?" Roman demanded, a suspicious glare on his face as he eyed Deceit.

"I haven't done anything! I jussst want to ssssssee if he'sssssss OK becausssssse I ssssssmelt sssssssomething that wasssss ssssssimilar to blood!" Deceit spun round and hissed, losing his patience with Roman who took an alarmed step back when confronted by Deceits angry hissing.

Roman eventually got over his initial shock and glared at Deceit. "looks as if you've been hiding stuff from us, when were you going to tell us that you have a forked tongue and are those fangs?"

Deceit put a hand over his mouth to try and cover the fangs that were starting to poke out but it was too late, Roman had seen them.

"You're just luring us all into a false sense of security so you can bite us and kill us!" Roman yelled and Deceit flinched slightly at his loud voice.

"That'sssss not true!" he hissed back, but Roman took a step closer, scoffing. "you expect me to believe you? You're Deceit! Lying is what you do."

"Roman! What the fuck are you doing?" a voice said from further down the corridor.

Roman turned his head and saw Virgil with his arms crossed and a frown on his face.

"Deceits been hiding stuff from us, he's planning on biting us all in our sleep. Look at him."

Virgil looked at Deceit but he didn't see a vicious snake intent on murder, all he saw was a slightly scared snake that had been backed into the corner, just wanted to be left alone and would probably only bite in self defence.

"Leave him alone Roman. He is not going to bite any of us, although if you keep giving him such a hard time I'll bite you. He's done nothing wrong." Virgil had walked closer now, not even phased as he noticed Deceits tongue and fangs.

Roman didn't seem to be listening so Virgil rolled his eyes and did the only thing that he knew would stop Roman continuing his harassment of Deceit.

"Patton! Roman's doing it again!"

Romans eyes went wide and he groaned as Patton came bounding down the corridor.

"Roman, what have I told you about bothering Deceit?"

Roman huffed "It isn't right for a Prince or Knight to pick on those they are meant to protect. Even if they are slimy snakes." he muttered the last bit under his breath as he sent a sulky glare over at Deceit.

"How did this all start anyway?" Patton asked and Deceit gulped as he once again smelt the blood like scent.

"I... I sssssmelt ssssssomething coming from Logansssss room and wanted to check on him."

"Awwwww look at your little tongue and are those fangs?" Patton gasped and squealed slightly, making Deceit blush and hide his mouth behind a gloved hand.

Virgil had a frown on his face as he thought over what Deceit had said "Wait, what did you smell coming from Logans room?"

Deceit stopped covering his mouth and flicked his tongue out, shuddering as he once again smelt blood. "blood, I think."

There was a few seconds of silence before Patton stepped forward and grabbed the door handle.

"Wait! Logan said he was going to be busy today! He didn't want to be disturbed remember? He's just going to get really angry at you." Roman said.

Patton looked around at everyone and shrugged. "He can't stay angry at me for long, plus if he's hurt I want to help him. He's stubborn enough that he could break a leg and still attempt to walk around just because he doesn't want help"

With that Patton swing the door open and was greeted by a dark room and a waft of something metallic. He fumbled for the light switch and inhaled sharply at what he saw when the light flickered to life.

Slumped against the far wall was Logan, his glasses askew and blood pooled around him.

"N... No." Patton said in a quiet voice, his entire body frozen at the sight.

"Patton? What is... Holy shit!"

Virgil had peered into the room and spotted Logan.

Roman looked inside at Virgils exclamation and his jaw dropped in horror. He wasn't frozen in shock for long as he quickly pushed past Patton and checked Logans pulse.

Nothing.

He bowed his head, tears slipping down his face as he realised the logical trait was dead. No longer would he chastise him for his less than logical thinking, no longer would he destroy him in a rap battle, no longer would he help come up with a solution when no one else could.

"he's.... He's dead." Roman whispered and that was all it took for Patton to collapse.

Virgil rushed forward to hold Patton, tears falling down his own face, causing his eyeshadow to run but he didn't care.

Deceit was frozen in the doorway, still in shock and wondering if there was something he could have done. Maybe if he'd been less hesitant to open the door? Maybe he could have gotten here in time and stopped it from happening?

Roman looked at Logans body, shaking his head in disbelief but then caught sight of something that made him gasp.

"W... What is it?" Virgil asked.

Roman pointed at the pool of blood around Logan and Virgil suddenly noticed the petals.

Deceit took a step into the room and noticed the flower petals also but neither he nor Virgil understood the significance so Roman explained through surpressed sobs. "He had the h... Hanahaki disease. It's one of the most terrifying things in the world and unless certain steps are taken it can be fatal."

"What.... What steps? W... Why didn't he take them?" Virgil asked.

"well the d... Disease starts off with the person coughing up flower petals and it becomes more frequent and painful as time passes and it can last for months until.... Until it reaches the final stage where the lungs just start to g... Give up. The only cures are surgery and.... "

Roman trailed off, wiping away the tears that were still rolling down his cheeks.

"And what?" Deceit asked in a quiet voice.

"And having the rare situation where your love is returned."

"W...wait what?" Virgil asked with wide teary eyes.

"the Hanahaki Disease is caused by unrequited love and if the person suffering from it can't get the one they love to love them back then they die." Roman explained and the whole room fell silent as all eyes drifted to Patton who was unresponsive, his eyes fixed onto Logans body.

"What about the surgery? You said that cured it"

Roman sighed "it does but it removes the feelings too and sometimes depending on how well the surgery goes the ability to love is completely removed as well."

There was another moment of silence before Patton eventually pushed himself to his feet and ran from the room, his sobs the only sound in the mindspace as the other three looked at each other with tear streaked faces.

"I... I don't undersssstand." Deceit said eventually, sniffing slightly.

Roman looked at him and gestured for him to continue.

"We... We all know Patton lovesssss...L... Loved.... Logan. Sssso why did he... Why did he d... Die?"

Deceits shock had finally worn off and his words were mixed with sobs that made it slightly difficult to understand him.

"He probably didn't know about Pattons feelings for him. We all know he isn't.... W...wasn't the best when it came to emotions." Roman stumbled slightly at having to use the past tense, he wasn't sure he'd ever get used to it.

"This is all my fault!" Virgil whispered, eyes wide in horror.

"what? Why is it...?"

"He came to me for help with figuring out his feelings. He said he kept getting warm feelings in his chest which was obviously his feelings about Patton but I told him I thought it was heartburn or something. I... I should have known, I could have helped stop this!" Virgils voice rose in volume and pitch as he spoke, getting more hysterical with each word.

Roman put a hand on each of Virgils shoulders and looked him directly in the eyes. "None of this is your fault."

"no Roman, it'ssss everyone'ssss fault, including Loganssss." Deceit said, in almost a whisper.

"Wait what?" Roman said, a confused expression on his face.

Deceit had a bitter smile on his face. "We're all to blame. We shhhhhould have known ssssomething wasssss wrong but we were all too bussssy."

"I... I understand why it's my fault but why you or Roman or Patton?" Virgil asked in a shaky voice.

"I shhhhould have known he wasssss lying, I shhhhould have picked up on Logan hiding ssssomething yet I didn't. Roman knew what the disssseasssse wassss, probably knew the ssssymptomssss and what to look for but he didn't onccce ssseem to noticccce ssssomething wasssss wrong with Logan." Deceits voice was harsh and rising to shouting level by the end of his last sentence.

"W... What about Patton? "Roman asked, reeling slightly from Deceits words.

"He'ssss the one perssson out of all of usss who definitely shhhhould have noticccced sssomething wassss wrong. He paid more attention to Logan than anyone and knew all of hissss little habitssss and everything. He clearly loved Logan ssso how did he misssss ssssomething like this? He shhhhould have been able to tell ssssomething wassss wrong or had changed! Yessss Logan is mossstly at fault for keeping it a fucking ssssecret but damn it Patton shhhhould have picked up on it way before any of ussss! We all shhhhould have known! We're awful awful excusssessss for friendsss!" Deceit was screaming slightly hysterically by the end, tears rolling down his cheeks.

Virgil and Roman stared at Deceit in shock but, before either of them could try to comfort him, the scaled trait turned and fled the room.

Roman looked around the room, trying to ignore how painful but true Deceits words had been. He should have noticed. He knew the symptoms of the hanahaki disease yet he didn't pick up on Logan having it. He could have confronted Logan about it and helped him express his feelings to Patton. Then the disease would have been cured because anyone could tell how much Patton loved Logan, except for Logan himself.

Romans eyes settled on Logans body again and he felt even more tears slip down his face.

Virgil seemed to have found his ability to move again because he left the room quickly, a small sob indicating he wanted to go break down in private.

Roman was left on his own in Logans room, just looking at his body in despair. "If only you'd just said something." he whispered "Patton loves you so much, you two could have been so happy together."

He sighed and closed his eyes, drying his face on his sleeve. He then turned around and walked out, flicking the switch off and closing the door with a loud click. As Roman walked back to his room he mumbled "Goodbye Logan."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Patton was laying on his bed, staring up at the ceiling with tears running down his face. He hadn't even bothered to turn on his light so he was laying in the dark.

He was devastated by the knowledge of Logans death, he absolutely adored the logical trait and seeing him in such a state was utterly heartbreaking.

Patton wasn't just heartbroken though, he was terrified. Logans death wasn't just painful emotionally, it was painful physically too. What exactly happens when the person someone with the Hanahaki disease loves dies unexpectedly? Are they magically cured?

Patton coughed and winced as he felt the familiar flutter of a petal in his mouth. He was usually someone who looked at the positives in everything but there was no positive in this situation. He had the Hanahaki disease and the person he loved was incapable of loving him back so he would either have to have the surgery or let the flowers kill him slowly.

He'd been planning to confess to Logan in the next couple of days but obviously that was no longer an option.

Patton shut his eyes. There was no way he was going to have the surgery, his love for Logan was all he had left of him. He didn't like the idea of slowly dying either though. Plus all the work he'd have to do to keep it hidden because if anyone found out they'd try and convince him to have the surgery. He really only had one option.

With an enormous amount of effort he pushed himself out of the bed and shuffled out of his dark room, squinting as the sudden light from the hall almost blinded him.

He walked towards where Logan's door still was and let out a relieved sigh.

He walked inside, not even bothering to turn the light on. He felt his way across the room until he reached the place where Logans body was.

He slid down the wall not caring that he was sitting in a pool of congealed blood.

"I love you so much Logan." he whispered leaning against the wall and staring into the darkness of the room.

The room shuddered slightly and Patton managed a weak smile. "at least this will be less painful than going through what you did."

His quiet comment seemed to be the trigger as the whole room shuddered and everything began to fade away.

All the books, posters and furniture were slowly disappearing and Patton grabbed Logans cold hand in his own as they too began to slowly fade.

"Goodbye everyone, I'm sorry." Patton said before disappearing completely, happy he would be reunited with Logan once more.

Tags:@amethystdarkwolf @mcfreakin-childproof-caps @patchworkofstars @kitkat-doodles @unikornavenger @dolphin-squirrel @sympathetic-deceit-trash @starryfirefliesbloggo @cakercanart @neonb-fly @kaymischief25 @punsterterry @aprilthevene @theoddkidnextdoor @fuckingemoace @i-sold-my-soul-to-thefandom @im-so-infinitesimal @sea-blue-child @thecatchat @iris-sanders-athena @saphael-malec102 @smedenn @corkeecoderyt @sopi-montezzz @illogicaldeath @deadpanstar @ibelievewhatsontv @amazable01

[castcharmperson]

Speed Trap: Part VI

[Start]

Our thrilling conclusion!

The ride to the station was longer than Taako remembered it being and terrifyingly quiet. Neither of the real officers said anything and Taako was certainly not about to start talking. Unless, shoot, he was supposed to state that he was enacting his fifth amendment right, right? He opened his mouth to do so but sighed instead, slumping in the back seat. What was the point? Lup was never going to forgive him for this. Prison might actually be better.

She parked the squad car and muttered something to her coworker, before taking Taako out herself. She was surprisingly gentle, but the distance between them was painful as she led him by the elbow past the lobby. They went into a side room, sat in opposite chairs across a metal table, and she started filling out paperwork.

“So.” She finally looked at him. Her eyes were still rimmed red.

“Lulu-”

She shook her head, lips pursed with barely contained fury that melted away into something so much worse. “None of that,” she said with a forced calm that hurt to hear.

“Okay.” He tried to get comfortable in the metal chair with the metal cuffs behind his back but it was hopeless.

“How-” Lup’s voice cracked and she started again. “How long has this been going on?”

“A while.”

“Taako.”

“Started back in September, I think.”

She sucked in a breath through her teeth and scribbled down his answer. She looked at him again and it was like there was smoke in his lungs. “Since you got the promotion.”

Taako was the first to break eye contact. “I, uh, didn’t get promoted.”

She didn’t respond, just waited him out. She probably already knew the answer, just what he’d said was enough of a confession, but she wanted to hear it.

“I got fired.”

The bark of laughter startled him. “So you get fired and, what? Join a fucking gang? What is wrong with you!” She stood suddenly, but he leaned forward, trying to match her as she paced around the small room.

“Why the fuck does everyone think I’m working with the crazy twins? No, I’m not in a gang! I literally only ran into them last night. I’ve just been committing a little fraud.”

“A little? Taako, this isn’t- Fuck, you just confessed. You can’t keep a job and you can’t even run a con right!”

“I was fucking amazing at running a con for half a year and I-” He wasn’t sure how they started shouting at each other, but he was the first to stop. “Lup. Please, I’ll give back all the money if that’s what this is about.”

She sat back down, slumped over with her head in her hands. “Taako,” she sighed and looked at him again. He forced himself to keep looking at her. “If it were up to me, I’d let you off easy. Community service, fines, that kind of thing. But it is literally so not up to me, it’s laughable. There’s probably going to be a trial, you’ll have to convince a lot of people who aren’t your goddamn sister who loves you, you fucking idiot. I would have helped you if you needed money, you know that.”

“Lulu-”

“No!” She slammed her hands on the table and he jumped. She looked guilty, but pushed on, voice soft again. “I can’t help you anymore. I’m a suspect, Taako. You took my uniform, learned the police codes from me while I was studying, lived in the same damn house with me while you did all this and I had no fucking clue!” Her voice was breaking again and Taako had to look away.

She took a deep breath and stood. Taako heard retreating footsteps and the door opening. “I’ll put in a good word,” Lup whispered, before closing the door and leaving him alone.

“Go easy on him, please.” He heard her say as the door opened again. “He’s all I have.”

He had a moment to smile to himself. How mad could she be, if she’d still consider him family? The two of them had cut people out of their lives for less. They were always a duo, no matter how much trouble they dragged each other into. Maybe a few years away, doing the proper time for his crimes, and Taako could come back and everything would be fine.

“Well, you really didn’t want to follow any of the laws, did you? What, officers still weren’t attractive enough?”

“Oh my god, no. No, you do not get to decide my fate, are you kidding me?” Taako scowled as Kravitz closed the door behind himself and strolled into the room.

“Well, I don’t decide it. A jury of your peers will. You know, through the legal system. The system you basically spat on for the last six months.”

“You can cut the accent, Kravitz.”

“You should really be calling me Officer Queen.” At least he dropped the fake Cockney. “Or sir, if you’re feeling cheeky.”

Kravitz sat across from him, spinning the chair Lup had just been in to straddle his legs around the back. Taako had to laugh, at a loss for any other kind of reaction. “God, you think you’re so cool right now, don’t you? Don’t even try, my guy. I know you. You’re a flustered pretty boy, with stupid accents and a weakness for sugar cookies. Don’t act like you’re in control right now.”

“Oh, but I am.” Kravitz leaned forward, absolutely leering. “You know, with that nice little confession you just gave, they might let you off easy. It’s a ten year minimum for impersonating an officer in this district. If you want to go to trial, well, I might have to bring up arson, bribing an officer, money laundering, sexual harassment-”

“Woah, okay, the arson was not my fault. And we both know that was not harassment, Officer Queen. I may be an idiot criminal but I have eyes. I’ve seen how you look at me.”

Kravitz rolled his eyes, but Taako could see a blush creeping across his cheeks. “If you go to trial, you will lose. That’s a fifteen year minimum and a fine that will put you even further in debt than you were before this whole con act started. You can kiss your bakery goodbye.”

“It’s a cafe,” Taako grumbled. He’d already sort of accepted that fate. Lup wouldn’t be able to run it, not with her job, if she was even able to keep that after all Taako had ruined. And everyone else he knew would burn down the kitchen before being able to make anything edible. Still stung to be reminded of all he was going to lose, though.

“However,” Kravitz’s playful tone throughout all of this had bordered on cruel in Taako’s opinion, but now there was a shift. Some conspiratal about it. “You really should thank Ms. Mol’Diira. You think my accent is bad? She noticed pretty early on that there was a similarity in the very fake voices you were using every time you called, so she started keeping track of what you called in. In fact, she’s credited you with more successful dangerous driving arrests than any other officer in the district.”

“Really?” Taako’s face scrunched up even as his shoulders lost some of the tension they were holding. “You guys suck at your job.”

Kravitz laughed. “Well, most of our officers are focused on bigger cases. Such as that kidnapping you got entangled with. We got a statement from a, uh, Cameron Sorcera. Sound familiar? He described someone who matches your description. Says you saved his life. Taako, for a fake cop, you’ve got almost as much potential as Lup did when she joined the force.”

Taako barked out a short laugh, his smile like a knife. “Don’t insult my sister like that.”

Kravitz’s brows knitted together for only a moment. “I’m serious. What you did last night was nothing short of heroic.”

The silence that settled over the interrogation room was unsettling, but Kravitz seemed comfortable in it. Taako supposed it was his job after all. He wished he could enjoy the irony about this man; at ease against dangerous criminals but flustered by a flirting pastry chef.

“Look, I’m not a hero.” The word tasted sour in Taako’s mouth. “But I’m not a monster. I couldn’t just stand by while people got away with all the shit they did.”

Kravitz nodded, like he’d been expecting that answer. How? He hardly knew Taako and what he did know was not worthy of whatever that thoughtful look was on that handsome face. “I’m sure you know your sister is taking leave for the next two months.”

“Yeah.” Fuck, she and Barold had been planning that trip for months. Courthouse marriage and then all the ‘sorry we can’t attend the wedding’ gift money from distant relatives was going to be dumped into the most epic honeymoon imaginable. With all the trouble Taako had stirred up, there’s no way she’d be able to go.

“I’ll be down my best officer. And the Wendor case, which has been cold for months, finally has a lead. Plus, she’s taking Civilian Officer Bluejeans and he does more paperwork here than everyone else combined- we’ll be swamped while they’re gone.”

“Wait,” Taako tilted his head. Something didn't add up. “Lup said she was a suspect. They’re not going to let her out of the state.”

Kravitz returned to that playful grin, too handsome to possibly be legal no matter which side of the law he was on. “‘They’ who? The only person of authority who knows about your little stunt is me.”

Taako wished he could say he was distracted. Wished he had some kind of reason for his confusion. He wasn’t even lost staring at those perfectly plush lips smiling at him. No, he had heard every word, but still didn’t understand. He just sat there, slack jawed and staring at Kravitz, who leaned across the table, giving a stage whisper.

“Here’s my offer. If you can pass the written officer’s exam, manage all of Bluejean’s paperwork, and cease any and all criminal activity, I will allow you to serve your sentence for the next two months as a probationary officer instead of the next ten years behind bars.”

“You… You can’t do that? What happened to a jury of my peers? To the respect for the legal system? You can’t just play the law however you want. You’re one guy. And you’re not even a judge.”

Kravitz gave a dark chuckle, leaning back and seeming to lounge in the rigid metal chair. “That’s funny. What exactly have you been doing the past six months?”

Taako gave a reluctant nod.

“So, you want to take this to court? Or do we have a deal?”

“You’re really serious.”

“Not for long, though.” Kravitz looked to his wrist, but he wasn’t even wearing a watch. “I’ve got a meeting with the district supervisor in ten minutes, so make your decision.”

“Is there a catch?”

“It’s a lot of paperwork.”

“And only two months?”

“I might consider an extended position if you follow the rules.”

“Why me?”

Again, Kravitz’s eyebrows creased towards each other, confusion and concern mixed in a beautiful twist, though he willed the expression away as fast as it came. “Well, I can’t exactly get my free drink if you never open your cafe.”

Whatever Taako felt at those flippant words didn’t feel real. Nothing about any of this felt real. It was like something fantastical and fictional was bubbling up inside him like a colorful, magical glow. Distantly, he thought the feeling might be hysteria. This whole situation, the entire last six months and certainly the last twenty-four hours, were too impossible to really get a grip on. Laughter tumbled out of him and Taako mirrored Kravitz’s lounged pose, as much as the handcuffs twisting his arms behind him would allow.

“Huh, so mister high and mighty law man is willing to let crime slide by for a pretty face. Bet I really could have gotten out of that ticket if you let me suck your--” The sound of Kravitz’s chair screeching across the tile was enough to stop him, so the finger pressed against his mouth seemed unnecessary. Especially with Kravitz half lunged across the table to place it there.

Despite the deep flush across his face, Officer Queen managed to keep his voice forceful. “If you make a single sexual remark towards me again, if you so much as look at my ass once I’m out of this room, I will end this entire thing and you will go to jail.”

He should be concerned. Taako should pay attention to Kravitz’s warning, should take this strange, hail Mary deal and keep on the straight and narrow for the rest of eternity. But he was neither straight nor narrow, and all of this still seemed like a fever dream.

It was too easy to stick his tongue out and lick upwards along Kravitz’s finger. The officer jolted his hand back at the slick sensation, but didn’t unsprawl himself from over the table. It was a cute look on him, horrified at the situation and horrified at his own interest all at once.

“What?” Taako grinned. “You said we started once you were out of the room.”

[Part Five]

So yeah, I imagine this fic sort of like a pilot episode. Throughout the season, they chase criminals, wrap up this case with the Wonderland twins, and fall in love with each other. Maybe in season two, Lup and Barry come back and it’s the full on reaper squad. Idk.

Thanks so much for reading! If you liked it, drop by my askbox and let me know!

[caddeter]

Hey, Knight, I have a serious question for you:  Are you fucking illiterate or something?

Okay, looking through the notes, I can’t let this go.

Soku, You JUST described what you do.

Soku made a grand total of two posts in this chain.  You can find both of them here.  One of them is an actual explanation on why Savage’s post is stupid, the other is him simply saying ‘eh’ in reply to Xenodweeb.

“Instead of making the White Fang this way, do it this way that justifies my political beliefs because I deserve validation. 

1.  That had never come up in that chain at all, Soku pointed to utilizing the school setting as an example.

2.  It has nothing to do with his political believes, it has everything to do with putting fucking effort into a point of your show!  How is pointing out that a show displaying an extremely black and white stance on a real world issue that is excessively grey a political stance?

3.  If your talking about what Xenodweeb said, allow me to simplify it for you:  They hyped up a character, only to kill her off not five minutes later.  Even if we ignore her skin color, that’s still incredibly stupid.  And it’s made worse with her skin color.  Even then, there’s a grand total of twelve named dark skin characters in a cast of over 70 characters.  Five of them are villains, the rest are unimportant.  Seriously, what does any black character, who isn’t Emerald, Ilia, or the fox brothers contribute to the plot?  And aside from the guy based off an Achievement Hunter joke and the guy from the team they only remembered half the members of, I bet you and the rest of the fandom don’t even remember they exist.

Also: Listen to me and only people like me because I deserve to be solely pandered to while you don’t deserve a say in your own show.”

First of all, is Savage a member of CRWBY?  Is Savage one of the lead writers?  Is Savage even a Rooster Teeth employee?  You and your little posse constantly remind us that RWBY isn’t our show, yet whenever it’s convenient, it’s your show.

Secondly, that’s your argument, not ours.  You constantly pride your opinions above everyone else’s, from people with experience with the subject they’re talking about, to people who have researched the subject their talking about, to scene analysis, to fucking shit posts.  And you’ve done this over on Deviantart, where there is no RWDE tag, and was just people criticizing your precious little show.  The RWDE tag was made so that the main RWBY tag wouldn’t need to read through all of our posts.  We’re trying to keep our opinions away from you jack asses, and this is the thanks we get?  You know what, screw it, this is going in the main tag.

I just boiled down your entire collection of RWDE posts down into this because THIS is how you act each time:

And I’m a dragon who breaths Popsicle, living on top of the Eiffel Tower making reviews of late night talk shows.  How many times have you said that, and how many times have we proven you wrong?

Only your worldview (even if it’s blatantly wrong and fucking stupid) deserves to be seen and only YOUR iteration) deserves to eb seen and only people like you get to have media in their tastes.

Mirrors are a rare thing in your house, aren’t they?

Okay, that was a little too fast, let me slow it down for you:  Mirrors are pieces of shiny glass you look at to see yourself.

Even then, what are you judging this on?  The fact that people complained about plot holes, unfortunate implications, terrible execution, wasted potential, a side character steeling the spotlight?  That’s not a matter of taste, that’s a matter of desiring quality.  People would be complaining about RWBY’s flaws even if RWDE never existed, just look at how the anime reviewing community treated Sword Art Online.

Everything about RWBY must conform to what you think you deserve, regardless of fucking quality or what the Writer’s want to do or why other people like RWBY.

Yes, because a consistent plot, stable world building, and an understanding of what it’s doing is completely subjective.

RWBY’s quality is objectively terrible; it’s full of plot holes, we get more development for the side characters than we do the main characters, and the world building is excessively muddled.  It also has a bad habit of flat out lying to its audience and constantly ignores the easier solutions.  And with how many details are missed between the writers and animators, I’m left with the impression that the production of this show is a big game of telephone.

Calling RT sexist, racist and homophobic is not criticism.

Jaune gets away with, and is rewarded for something that Yang is demonized for.  That is sexism and criticism.

RT constantly portrays the White Fang, who were left with little other option than to become a violent group like many real world minorities, are treated as completely evil with no redeeming qualities.  And then there’s the count of black characters in the show an their importance to it.  That’s racist and criticism.

It took RT five years to reveal an LGBT character, after years of excuses that for some reason never applied to straight pairings.  That’s homophobic and criticism.

Do you read selectively or something?  We’ve explained several times over how one could get these impressions.  Just because you plug your ears and shout, ‘LALALALALA I’M NOT LISTENING!’ doesn’t mean the evidence stops existing.

Lying about the show is not criticism.

Knight, the only people who have ever lied about RWBY is you.  We have backed up our claims with explanations, comparisons, examples.  You have changed evidence to work with your conclusion instead of changing your conclusion to work with evidence.  You’ve flat out admitted to doing that, yet you still act like we’re in the wrong.  Why can you get away with something like that, but we constantly get demonized for you’re lies?!

Spreading controversy like a manwhore with STD is not criticism.

You really don’t understand how criticism works, especially for a show this popular, do you?

Okay, even ignoring the fact that that’s a load of bull, that’s all you do.  Every time there’s a new RWDE post, you jump to the front lines to start a flame war.

You do not criticize, you complain.

My god, it’s almost as if that was the basis for the RWDE tag in the first place!..  How do you breath?  You can’t wrap your head around this simple concept, yet you still haven’t suffocated yet?  How does that work?

People HAVE refuted you:

Yeah, badly.  And then they got refuted right back.

I’ve had to have done it at least fifty times.

First of all, you’ve had way more chats with people in the RWDE tag than just fifty.  If your track record is so bad, why is your ego so huge?

Second of all, where exactly?  Was it here, where Delvin asks you for evidence of what you’re accusing him of, and then you ran off?  Was it here, where Delvin throws every one of your notions back at you in the end?  Was it here, where Dudeblade explains why you think it’s wrong to compare RWBY to other shows based on IMDB scores, before doing just that with shows with lower scores than RWBY?  Was it here, where Lycanheiress took everything you said and utterly destroyed it?  Was it this one here, where a transgender lesbian explains homophobia to you, and why people accuse you of being homophobic?  Or was it here, where Xenodweeb boiled all of your stupid notions down to the basic level to show why they’re wrong?

Thirdly, you’ve had to do it?  Did we make you?  Is Rooster Teeth paying you to paint their fanbase in a negative light?  Are they holding a gun to your head as you type this out?  Are they threatening your family?  Is the RWDE tag doing that?  Did anyone even ask?  I’ve already explained this to you, KKKoB, no one but you is making you write these.  You chose to do this.

Fourthly, for every one time you’ve attempted to debunk us, we’ve debunked you ten time over.

You just ignore them, block them or throw variations of the word “bigot” at them so you can disregard it

You mean like you did with Delvin?

You’re like that child who keeps changing the rules to make himself invincible because they suck at the game.

You mean like you did with Lycanheiress when you guys were arguing the shows focus on Jaune.  Also, when did we change the rules?  I’m pretty sure we’ve kept things pretty damn consistent in all of our debates with you.

And as for YOU, Xenodweeb,

I don’t wanna hear YOU try to talk about nuances when, looking at your entire conversation on this post (https://savageoppressme.tumblr.com/post/169718979263/xenodweeb-savageoppressme-xenodweeb), you look at everything in Black and White.

“>Racism is a non-issue>Civil rights movements=extremists”

Knight, cursory glances tell us why you’re full of bull.  Also, who do you think I’m going to believe, the guy who admitted to stalking and harassing people who blocked him, constantly acts as the exception to all of the rules he lays out, and almost drove someone on Deviantart to suicide, for Xenodweeb, who has, at worst, criticized RWBY.

Also, you’re one to talk about seeing things in black and white:  You view the RWDE tag as an irredeemable evil that must be purged no matter what each individual blog has done and yourself as the one true fan of RWBY.  What you’re asking for isn’t that we try to look past RWBY’s flaws, your asking for blind devotion to the all mighty Rooster Teeth.

Skipping a bit, because I’ve already established why the next few lines are bunk a few paragraphs back.

To you, “Nuance” does not mean “subtle differences in meaning or expression.” No, it means “my fucking view” without even taking the time to consider that maybe, just maybe, you are wrong and your blind.

How can someone be so in love with the sound of their own voice yet never hear what they’re saying?  Knight, you almost drove someone to suicide because you couldn’t handle the idea that they had a different view then you did.  You aren’t one to talk.

Fuck, there is a reason why I blacklisted the RWDE tag:

Wait...

!?!?!?!?!?!WHAT!?!?!?!?!?!

So you actually did that thing the RWDE tag was meant for?  Why are you still here then?!  Why are you still bitching about the tag you no longer need to look at!?  Why are you so dedicated to proven Darwinism wrong?!  There-there are no words to describe the level of stupid you are!  It doesn’t matter what insult I throw at you, it will always only ever be an insult to the people I’m grouping you with and a complement to you.  I feel sorry that people call you a Nazi now, at least those guys have some brains.  Retards, homophobes, racist, sexists, pedophiles, none of them deserve to be compared to you.  The FNDM would be disgusted if they saw you, hell, Rooster Teeth would be disgusted.  It’s a good thing Monty’s dead, because if he saw you, he’d jump right back into his grave!  You deplorable, inconsiderate, obnoxious, cruel, immature, cruel, judgemental piece of shit!  If the human race died tomorrow, we’d all die happy, because you would have finally have been removed from the gene pool!  I’ve seen super-villains more likable than you.

You know what, screw it, I don’t care what the rest of the post says.  I’ve made my point, I’m done here.

[mirajens]

sandbox bullies

paring: laxus/mirajane rating: k chapter 2 of the rockabye series found on ff.n

Laxus teaches kindergarten. lms if u agree

Jesus, kids were cruel. It wasn’t the first time the thought had crossed Laxus’ mind. Maybe before his surprising career in early childhood education took off, he’d never given much of a shit about the mannerism or general existence of anyone under 10 years old but now, with an almost regular exposure to them, he could say a lot of them were a nasty bunch. They were kids, he knew, and they might outgrow being bullies but it didn’t make tolerating any injustice in his class any easier.

Yukino Strauss was a girl that was tiny in every sense of the word: a small child with a small voice and a small self-esteem.  There were kids in every faction of his kindergarten that especially liked to pick on her and make her do their share of classroom chores.

Minerva, a chief in her austerity, was particularly troublesome in this regard. She had a rich father and thought she could do as she pleased and there would be no consequences. Minerva’s unkindness ran the gamut from breaking Yukino’s pencils to putting dead squirrels into Yukino’s lunch box. Mean, mean, mean kid. More than Laxus cared for, he’d caught Minerva making young Strauss do all the cleanup work by herself as the assigned group just watched. Laxus spent a good fifteen minutes of his lunch with his ulcer simmering as he told them off and sent them to do their work.

“Yukino, come here,” Laxus called from the nap corner just as everyone was vacating the class room. Yukino was always the last to go, always terrified of the shit she’d have to deal with in the playground. Laxus was just about at his wits end trying to figure out to put a stop to it without making more trouble for the girl.

Yukino approached, her steps short and quiet, about as unimposing as a gentle breeze. “Sorry, Mister Dreyar.”

Laxus sighed. He hated the sad look in her eyes and couldn’t bear to look at it. He sat on the ground with his legs crossed instead of crouching or bending because deny it as he might, his neck had kinks on top of kinks. He hated it much like he hated how he had to wear reading glasses orhow he had to take baby aspirin now. “You have to say no to them, okay? I know they’re making you do it and they’re being mean about it. I’m going to do my best to put a stop to that but you gotta help me, okay? You have to tell the mean kids no. You have to say no when you want to.”

He’d sent her off and left the matter alone for now. He could see Yukino being joined by Sting from the other class, a sulking Rogue in tow. She’d be safe until the bell rang.

Mirajane tried to make things work. Sometimes, she told herself, that was the absolute best you could do. Maybe before she got pregnant and had to raise a child all by herself, she had time to do her hair or do more than wash her face for skincare or use fabric conditioner on her sheets. Maybe before she gave the boot to her scumbag of an ex, their combined incomes would allow them to hire some help. Maybe if she didn’t insist on moving to the other side of town away from her family, she’d have a better support system. It was a lot of maybes. A lot of could’ve beens, too.

So far, Mirajane doesn’t mind all those maybes and could’ve beens. She liked her new life here. God knew she needed this job paying an associate salary since having a child was only bound to get more expensive as the days passed. Working on a standard auditor’s schedule was better, too. It was eight hours and you clocked out. No overtime, no fixed schedules. She made her rounds when she wanted to, as long as she clocked those eight hours in. Mira worked like a dog, but not enough to complain. She never gave herself the indulgence of self-pity, since she had bills on top of bills to pay.

She knew Yukino, too, struggled to adjust and it damn near broke Mirajane’s heart to see her so, but she was confident they would find their footing. No great things happened when people stayed in their comfort zones, anyway. This was going to be a good move for them. No more drama, no more of just barely scraping by.

Mirajane watched Yukino finishing her dinner in breakfast nook. Did other parents just look at their child all the time and never get sick of it? Mira thought she could watch Yukino sleep a whole 8 hours, and then the rest of the day seeing every frown, every tentative smile, every glossy-eyed yawn and not tire of it. Yukino was a peach. Even from birth, she never gave her mommy much trouble. Now Mira only worried because Yukino wasn’t making any friends in her class and the other kids were bullying her. Just today, Mirajane got an email from Yukino’s teacher to meet at any convenient time tomorrow so they could discuss it. She’d make time for it, and they’d work on a solution for it. Her child was there for an education, not harassment.

“Sweetie, will you finish your beans so we can clear the table and do the dishes? You need to be in bed soon.”

“I don’t like beans, mama.”

You and every other child in the planet, Mirajane wanted to say, but she shook her head instead. Yukino knew she couldn’t get up until she cleared her plate. “Finish your vegetables or you’re not leaving the table.”

Mira could see Yukino’s lower lip tremble.  She was always so quick to cry when she thought her mother was upset with her. “I don’t want to.” Yukino said in a voice so quiet, Mirajane almost missed it.

“Well, you have to. I don’t want to argue, baby. You know you need to eat your veggies.”

For a while, Yukino didn’t open her mouth again, and Mirajane thought that was that. But after a moment of what looked to be contemplation, Yukino spoke again. “No.”

“What do you mean ‘no’?”

“NO!”

Mirajane’s eyes widened. She couldn’t say she heard that word much from Yukino, who always did as she was told, despite not liking it. “Oh no. You’re not going to sass me over veggies, missy.”

“No! Mister Dreyar said I have to say no when I want to.”

There was a time when Mirajane Strauss was called a demon for the expression of cold rage her face made when she was angry. Mister Dreyar was Yukino’s teacher. She’d meet him tomorrow and give him a piece of her mind. Right now, she was too tired for any arguments. “I don’t want you to yell at me again Yukino. That’s not nice. Eat your beans and then get ready for bed.” Mira rose from the table, collecting dishes for the wash and food for the tupperwares. By the sink, she could see from periphery Yukino stuff the beans into her mouth, chew ruefully, and chase it down with some water before leaving the table with a grimace.

She’d scheduled the parent/teacher meeting for after class so she could pick Yukino up and take her to the supermarket in one go. She’d met Mr Dreyar before, but not long enough to have a personal conversation like this. He always did look out of place among toys, alphabet posters and toddler-sized tables and chairs and that opinion didn’t change now, as he let her into the classroom, to his desk smartly facing the floor to ceiling window that gave them a view of the playground where Yukino played with the two boys from the other class.

“Right, I know you’re busy Mrs Strauss, so thanks for coming down.” Laxus said the moment they were seated.

Mirajane appreciated the no-nonsense tone. “I’m not busy enough for this. You said you had progress on the bullying?”

“Yes.” Laxus took a form out of his desk drawer, a carbon copy from the registrar’s office. “I want to move Yukino to the other class. She has friends there, and they’re good boys. They stick up for her and make her laugh. It won’t be very awkward for her to transition into the new class with friends like that. The other teachers and I are on the same curriculum so she won’t be behind or ahead. We’ve discussed it, and they’re willing to take her in and keep an eye on her just in case.”

Not quite expecting such an efficient solution so quick, Mirajane could admit that this was a pleasant surprise. “And the bullies?”

“I have more meetings with their parents this week to discuss punishment. Believe me when I say I won’t stand to see the kids undisciplined, Mrs Strauss. I will update you on what actions have been taken as soon as the parents sign off on it.”

Nodding, Mira stowed the reg form into her purse, ready to move on to another topic. “Last night, Yukino yelled at me. She’s never done it before, so it surprised me. She didn’t want to eat her vegetables and yelled ‘no’ and said that you told her to say no.”

Professional enough not to say the ‘what the fuck’ that was on the tip of his tongue but not enough to keep the frown off his face, Laxus replied, “I never told your daughter to not eat her vegetables or yell at her mother, Mrs Strauss. I told her to start saying no to kids who toy with her.”

All the fight just bubbling up in Mira’s throat died down. That’s what she got for being strung out and jumping to conclusions. “Oh. I suppose I didn't get the context...”

Laxus rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m sorry if she misunderstood. I just didn’t want her to let the other kids push her around, Mrs Strauss. I don’t teach my kids to disrespect their parents.”

“It’s miss.”

Laxus barely heard the small admission. In that moment, she reminded him so much of her daughter, how they spoke low when abashed. “I’m sorry?”

“It’s miss Strauss. You keep saying missus.” Mirajane waited a breath to see the realization in his eyes. “I’m not married.”

“My apologies.” Damn it. Keep up, Laxus. He squashed down the nervous impulse to scratch at the back of his neck again. “I didn’t mean anything by it.”

Mirajane nodded. A momentary silence passed before she spoke. “If you don’t mind me saying so, you don’t really look like a teacher.” Much less a kindergarten teacher.

“I get that a lot. I have a good background in education. I used to think I wanted to teach Ukranian lit like my mom did. I guess the wind just blows you places and you have to ride along with what it has planned for you.” Laxus shrugged, not particularly bothered about it anymore. “It’s not like it was a very tough decision anyway. I like kids.”

It made Mirajane smile, how easily he admitted to that. She disliked men who hesitated when proclaiming their fondness for children. “So do I. Do you have any?”

“No. My grandfather keeps reminding me how he wants to spend all his retirement money spoiling babies before he dies, but I think it’s not my time yet.” The memory made Laxus grin. Makarov just started being wheelchair bound three months ago and already he was making noise about how he was going to die without any great grandchildren.

“I think you’ll be great at raising children.”

“You’d think that, seeing as I teach them. But I go home every day feeling more out of my league trying to teach kids the basic concepts of human socialization through papier mache group projects than I did writing my dissertation on the Bukovyna Women’s Movement.” Struck by immediate relief and a sense of security, Laxus decided to end the meeting before he could say something stupid. “In any case, thank you for coming down today, Ms Strauss.” He offered his hand as both of them rose. She shook it in a firm grip.

“Mirajane, please.” She brushed wrinkles off her slacks and hefted her handbag. “I do appreciate all the help. I hope you’ll keep me apprised of any progress?”

Mirajane. It rang so lovely, even in his mind. “Of course. We can also integrate Yukino into the other class as soon as the paperwork gets done. The principal’s administrator will be calling you about that.”

When she smiled at him, he could feel his expression mirror hers. He felt too old to be experiencing this kind of pulse-raising when a pretty girl smiled at him. Get it together.

Thankfully, he showed her out without opening his big mouth and embarrassing himself. But one of these days, he’d have to figure out a way to ask miss Strauss out.

[weirdie-beardie]

Please feel free to clarify how Ryan literally saying he "forced himself" on a college student and "sexually assaulted" them despite their active refusal isn't rape.

Did you know that people are allowed to look back upon previous actions, acknowledge those actions were unacceptable, and move forward and become a better and redeemable person? Cause that’s how people actually fucking work, kiddo. 

Because this is pretty sensitive and off-topic for my blog I’m putting it under a cut for courtesy. I just...can’t not engage this.

I feel combative tonight so let’s break this down. I know based on his age his time in college was several years ago, before I knew him personally at all. He made clear he didn’t really know about how being ace/aro works (hey, when I started college I didn’t really know that was a thing either) and was still seeing and acting from the perspective of an average cis het person. We also see that he had been in an abusive relationship previously, probably one that was very formative (hell, it look me a long time to figure out some of the stuff from my first couple relationships was pretty bad, or at least suboptimal--we’re talking years later once I’m in a much healthier relationship). So we have a young person, who is questioning themself and the world around them and isn’t up to your standard of Gender Culture Enlightenment, and they do so

Also, the phrase “sexual assault” is taken out of context here, while being used as a broad term for a trigger warning. Despite what modern callout culture would have you believe, rape is still legally defined by a penetrative act, and while the “forcing upon” was sexual in nature, we don’t have any of the intimate details (and shouldn’t need them). Rape falls under the net of sexual assault, but not all sexual assault is rape. Therefore jumping straight to the extreme conclusion of “rapist” is unfounded. 

But let’s get to the meat of the issue: People. Are allowed. To look back on their actions. And realize. They were wrong. And they can still. Be. Good. People. 

This is why I fucking hate callout culture. One bad act doesn’t necessarily tarnish a person forever. People can move forward, grow personally, and become better and learn from their mistakes. In this instance he looks back and probably feels goddamn horrible about what happened. He admits it straight up. Hell, even posting about this was pretty soul-bearing (and clearly a mistake since you morons lack basic critical thinking skills because you’re too busy virtue-signaling). In my book, people who admit their mistakes or problematic (there’s your buzzword, ugh) actions head on deserve a lot more respect than people who either deny them or refuse to acknowledge them. Everyone fucks up. Everyone has lapses in judgement. Everyone does things that, had they been better informed, they wouldn’t have done. That’s part of being a goddamn sentient human being and anyone who says otherwise is lying, both to you and themself. 

So yeah, I’m standing with Ryan on this one mostly because this attitude of “no one can change ever, once you’ve done a bad thing you’re horrible forever sorry i don’t make the rules uwu” is sickening and toxic and stunted. Forgiveness is a thing y’all need to get through your thick skulls. ffs stop wasting so much energy on this when there’s so much literal actual unredeemable evil in the world. Instead of harassing someone online, go out and help in a local election so we can strengthen our government against the Racist Cheeto Menace. Go to an animal shelter and volunteer a couple hours of your time. Hell, go outside and practice some damn self care by taking a deep breath and not giving such a damn about everyone else’s personal lives. Grow some chill. 

And for fuck’s sake come off of anon you goddamn cowards. I leave anon on mostly as a test and you are failing it so hard. 

[cinnamon-muffins]

Mail-Order Mello (Part 2)

Summary: Growing tired of his father harassing him about marriage, Near decides to play the ultimate joke by ordering a Russian bride. Little does he know, he ends up with more than he bargained for. | MelloxNear, LightxL | Alternate Universe

--

:*watches as he sets the large tip on the table but doesn’t comment on it, but he does wonder if this is something Near just always does* *continues towards the exit alongside him, throwing his hood up and over his head* You’re done already?:

--

:*does the same as Mello, even if he dislikes the way the fur-covered rim tickles against his cheek* It’s getting late, I don’t like to be out at dark. You should be glad I came out to begin with.:

--

:Hm. Suit yourself. *pushes open the door, a bell dinging above them as they leave - but the rain is a bit heavier now, the temperature having dropped since they first arrived* дерьмо.. *shoves his hands in his coat pockets, looking over towards Near to see how he’s handling it*:

 (‘Shit..’)

--

:*as soon as they step out into the rain, his face grows into an uncomfortable grimace* *crosses his arms across his chest, his torso already racked with hard shivering* It’s-- cold...:

--

:We’ll be back soon. It’s not that bad. *begins along the wet sidewalk, maneuvering around the people there* In Russia, where I lived, it hardly ever rose above 30.:

--

:This isn’t normal f- for me... *his walking begins to slow down as his limbs grow affected by the cold, trying to burrow into his hood, suddenly thankful it’s there*:

--

:I assume you didn’t grow up somewhere cold then. *sees the towering building of Near’s a couple blocks away, and he grows suddenly curious, and while it’s a question that should be asked in private, he realizes no one is even listening* *speaks through the rain, leaning so Near can hear him better* .. I’m sure large building like yours draws attention. What do you say it is?:

--

:-- Software. *says as loud as he can, which isn’t that loud* You should have seen the logo- as you came in. It’s a multi-million dollar company in itself.:

--

:Ah. Does anyone ever try to apply for ‘job’? *glances towards him again, and once he notices his subtle shivering, he has half a mind to help him out - but he decides against it, figuring he’d also feel uncomfortable in the first place*:

--

:*too focused on trying to keep himself from freezing and hitting oncoming strangers to notice his grammar, his fingers tightening their grip on his jacket* It happens, but our receptionist knows wh- what to do then-- *suddenly gets hit on the shoulder but a rapidly walking business man, it temporarily knocking him off balance* --!:

--

: - ! *before he can process what’s happening, he reaches out to catch Near before he can fall, grasping him with an arm wrapped around his shoulder, drawing him away from the strangers around them* *turns to throw the man who hit his shoulder a dirty glare, yelling in his direction* Watch where the fuck you’re going-!!:

--

:*stares up at him with wide eyes, not expecting to be caught by the other, much less for him to get angry at a passer-by* Mello-- *carefully draws his attention, using his arm for leverage to get back on his feet* --It’s okay, I’m fine.:

--

:*the businessman ignores him - either that or he’s already too far off to have heard him, to which he frowns distastefully* Fucking idiot... *allows Near to use him to stand up, having half of a mind to go track that man down and demand an apology*:

--

:*can see the contemplation in his eyes, so he gently nudges him in the opposite direction, wanting him to keep going* Let’s keep going, we’re almost home and out of the rain. *even as they start moving he doesn’t mind being close to him, rationalizing it as better protection from that same situation happening again* -- Thank you, it was very kind of you to stand up for me.:

--

:People are assholes. *mutters as they continue on their way as his version of accepting the thanks, Near’s words somehow convincing him to leave it be, and he keeps his arm around him, now wary of everyone that passes them*:

--

:You’re very correct. *agrees with a nod of his head, but despite the setback, Mello’s added warmth is at least an advantage for him* But it’s best not to- make a scene. You’re my spouse, what involves you will involve me.:

--

:So we’re supposed to act married now? *crosses the crosswalk with him before turning the corner, the entrance of Near’s building now in view through the blurry rain*:

--

:That isn’t what I said. *seeing the view of his building gives him an unusual burst of energy, his legs carrying him faster than before to make it there* I just can’t have you getting in trouble, or else it will cause me problems.:

--

:How? *looks towards him with a frown, wondering why he’d be so against it* If I went after that guy, you wouldn’t have to do anything. I’d make sure that asshole would apologize to you - and that’s it.:

--

:The authorities could have been around, and a whole new set or problems could be brought on with a public disturbance. *realizes the likelihood of that is rare, but he’s mainly trying to save face on actually admiring that he’d do something like that for him at all*:

--

:*rolls his eyes* You really never have been out, have you? *with their pace, they quickly make it to the glass entrance doors, and he already anticipates the warmth as the doors open automatically for that* Maybe I know more about New York than you do.:

--

:*the doors slide open and Near basks in the warm, never feeling happier to have a controlled temperature in his life* *starts to ditch his now wet jacket, exposing his dewy face and semi-flat hair* It’d be normal for a gangster to know street behaviour, hm?:

--

:Is that what you think of me? *can’t help a subtle smile, taking off his own jacket and throwing it carelessly to the side, knowing from past experience that doing so eventually leads to it being cleaned and delivered to his room* Besides, you don’t know who I was or what I did before this. Don’t jump to conclusions. *despite his words, his tone is somewhat playful*:

--

:*can’t help the smile that happens in return, deciding to follow his lead and simply drop his jacket on top of the other* Of course, мужа. *walks a short distance before he’s back at the elevators, pressing the button and getting in as soon as the doors allow him*:

 (‘Husband.’)

--

:*mocks* Жена. *now that he’s away from the rain, he stretches his arms above his head, following alongside Near to the elevators* *as he enters the elevators, he’s about to say something humorous, but suddenly, the sight of the other catches him off guard, and he stalls in the elevator, watching him for a brief moment, a strange, foreign feeling overcoming him* *immediately, he goes silent, moving from the awkward position to stand next to him* ...:

 (‘Wife.’)

--

:*keys the floor they both dwell in with no problem, not registering anything wrong with Mello before he glances up at him* *his expression is innocuous and benign past his damp bangs, actually seeming concerned to the best of his abilities* Are you alright?:

--

: - *a little startled, quickly turning to look at him* - Yeah, I’m fine. *leans back against the back wall of the elevator, watching as the floors steadily move upwards, remaining quiet as he faces forward, trying to dissect the strange comfort he felt just now* ..:

--

:*doesn’t say anything more about it, turning his head back to stare at the metal doors before they open at the correct floor* *he walks out, waiting for Mello to accompany him until they head toward the door and inside the comfort of his home* --I know it doesn’t entertain you very much, but would you like to build a puzzle with me? After my work is complete, of course.:

--

: - No, I’m going to sleep. *his voice is cold, not bothering to make eye contact - somehow that makes it more difficult to say no* *immediately sets for his room, a bit dazed out in thought over this situation, not yet able to describe it or how he’s feeling* ... I’ll see you later.:

--

:..? *suddenly stills, watching him go without the slightest idea of why he suddenly acts like when they just met* *realizes that he shouldn’t care about this, but still a pang of hurt fills his chest* *his stoic voice returns as he goes over to his seat, his back turned to Mello* .. Yes, have a good night.:

--

:*pauses for a moment as he says that, stalling in his steps* ... *only a moment passes before he wonders why he’s even caring in the first place, a thought which propels him forward into motion and towards his room, set on doing whatever it takes to forget it*:

--

**around 11:00pm that night**

--

:*much later that evening, after dressing himself into a clean outfit and readying himself for the night, he eventually winds up at the grand opening of the new club just a few blocks down* *the atmosphere of the place certainly lives up to its hype, loud music reverberating throughout every corner played by a DJ set up at the front, people dancing and packed inside to the brim, neon lights flashing and moving to the rhythm, and alcoholic drinks being served all around, coming from the extravagant bar set up on the side*

 *finds himself moving through the crowd until he ends up sitting at the bar area, looking around the room in search of someone worthwhile of his attention* *to help the time pass quicker, he orders a drink, and it’s not long until he’s sipping slowly from the glass, continuing to watch the crowd, his head beginning to feel dizzy from the atmosphere* ...:

--

;*after almost an hour of nonstop dancing, he finally breaks free from the crowd on the dance floor, not wanting to break a sweat, lest he look unpresentable* *takes a deep breath in, smiling at a few people as he walks his way to the bar, bending over the counter* Hey, can I get a sex on the beach, please? *gives the bartender a wink, grinning when he ignores the other orders he has to work on his*;

--

:*watches the redhead approach the bar with mild disinterest, though once he orders, he does grow amused that he has such an affect on others* *observes him through the corner of his vision, realizing quite suddenly the male’s outfit, hair, and overall persona seems to contrast starkly with someone like Near, and while that's a passing thought, he can't help but realize there might be some advantage to this* *turns in his seat, facing the bar as he takes a long drink from his glass, speaking purposefully to the male next to him* Sex on the beach? Why not something stronger? *gestures his own glass, a daring look in his expression*:

--

;*as he carelessly waits for his drink to be made, he notices the male beside him trying to get his attention, to which he of course engages in* *glances down at his drink and back up to its owner, a relatively healthy-looking blond with a thick accent he finds intriguing, and so he grins* Not my thing. A little goes a long way. *simply puts, just as the bartender is sliding him his drink, to which he easily catches in his hand, taking a sip from the straw with a grin* *sticks out his hand, offering it to the other* I’m Matt, light drinker, heavy dancer~;

--

:*smiles, though it’s mostly out of amusement over how he decides to introduce himself, and he extends his hand out, shaking Matt’s hand once before retracting it* Mello. *offers nothing more than the name for a moment, tilting his glass to his lips and taking a long sip, enjoying the way it stings his throat* You like it here?:

--

;*as another song blared on the speakers his foot taps his the best, generously drinking his beverage as the other speaks to him* It’s awesome, we haven't had a nice club on this side of the city. It’s mainly just a bunch of stiff wall-street buffs. *gives him another look with a playful grin* But you’re certainly not one of those, hm?;

 ((ya’ll both just thirsty hoes, wtf))

--

:*swivels his chair slightly in his direction, leaning against the back of his hand with an equally playful expression* I’d like to think not. *as he observes him, he almost contemplates backing out of the conversation, but he presses onwards, there being no logical reason to leave just yet, and so he offers half a smile* I was worried this place would just be another ‘The Underground’, but.. This place isn’t so bad. *makes it obvious he’s directly referring to him*:

 ((lol rite))

--

((GAGS. REAL CANON MATT GAGS AS WELL.))

 ;*his brow goes up at the small hint of flirting, and he can’t help but chuckle under his breath before taking another drink* *normally his type is a little different, those of the heavy muscle variety, but the blond’s appearance isn’t bad, so he indulges the other* *moves a little closer to him, propping his head up on his hand with a sly look* Don’t let my outfit fool you, ‘mister Mello’, I am a guy. Hope that doesn���t cramp your style.;

--

:That’s perfect, actually. *finishes off the last bit of his drink, pushing his glass to the side decisively, standing and offering his hand for the other to help him off* C’mon. Let’s dance.:

--

;* sees the other and immediately does the same, not wanting to waste it, but as soon as it's done he accepts the other's hand hopping off the stool with a grin* *its his turn to take the lead as he grabs his wrist, tugging him towards the dance floor where the music vibrates their surroundings, to which he easily starts to flow with* You sure you can dance? I heard Russian’s are pretty stiff~;

--

:Find out for yourself. *smirks, following him towards the dance floor, in amongst the sweaty, dancing bodies all around them* *once they've picked a spot, his body begins to move along with the rhythm, and he moves his hands to Matt’s waist, drawing him closer* Music here’s not shit either.:

--

;They hired one of the best dj’s in New York for the grand opening, so it's not just pop remixes. *easily adjusts to the new position, smiling as he lazily rests an arm on his shoulder, rolling his hips to the music* So are you new here?

 ((WOW I HONESTLY DIDN’T EXPECT TO BE SO UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THIS

 ALSO I KINDA WANT MATT TO HAVE A FRENCH ACCENT TOO????? ))

--

((YES I WAS GONNA HAVE MELLO MENTION THAT BUT I DIDNT KNOW IF YOU WOULD LIKE IT))

 :Fairly new. New enough that I haven't seen you yet. *draws him closer with arms wrapped around his waist, their bodies nearly touching as they continue to move to the rhythm* I'm assuming you are too. *referring to the accent in Matt’s voice*:

--

;*gives him a snarky grin as he nods* Bordeaux. I moved to New York a few years ago for school, but I don’t think my accent will ever disappear. *laughs a little, but as the song slowly delves into something more sensual, he has no fear to get up close on Mello’s body, his eyes sparkling with mischief* And why are you here, mon chéri?;

 (#Triggered)

--

:Well, I like it. *smiles, doing his absolute best to focus on the male in front of him, and chase away other thoughts insisting on consuming his attention* *knows enough French to understand the small bit Matt offers, and simultaneously he allows the other to come closer, their hips swaying together* I wanted to live exciting life in big city. I wanted its experience. *leans forward, pressing their foreheads together, speaking with a hint of sensuality - but somehow, this situation still isn’t yielding the desired, mind-numbing results* .. I think I’m doing alright so far.:

--

;*didn’t expect the sudden intimate touch, his eyes wide, only able to murmur* Whoa... *without any warning he puts some separation between them before he’s suddenly taking his hand, leading him in a different direction away from the crowd, toward a dimly lit hallway* *he doesn’t make it far before he’s willingly pressing himself against a wall while pulling the other in with arms draped around his neck*  I can’t resist a smooth talker.. Wanna make out?;

--

:*follows him, idly moving his arms around him to push their bodies flush together, consciously making the effort to make his motions appear desperate* *though, as soon as Matt speaks, he’s suddenly reminded of just earlier today, when he’d been instead kissing Near, and heat rises to his face, replaying the memory in his head - and it’s almost frightening just how affected he is, not ever having been so before* *his hesitation is somewhat obvious, remembering the promise he made Near, but not just that, somehow following through with Matt just won’t yield the same results as it would with Near, a realization that’s even more frightening* .. Matt. *slowly pulls away* .. I’m sorry. *says simply for the moment, before feeling the need to explain further, but vaguely so in a way that might make sense to Matt* ... I think I like someone.:

--

;*the moment he sees hesitation in Mello’s eyes, and his voice say his name softly, he knows exactly what’s about to happen* *his hands slowly drift to his side, looking somewhat confused as to why he’d even start this, but as he explains, it makes complete sense* *relaxes against the wall, giving him a small, sympathetic smile* Hey, it’s okay. We all get- what is the term- cold feet. I’ve been eyeing a hot redhead all night, but I’ve been too afraid to even say hello~ *laughs a little, bringing his hand back up to caress his cheek, following it with a small pinch* Don’t be afraid of your feelings, they are there for a reason.;

--

:Hmph. *grows flustered, feeling absolutely ridiculous over all this, and he has half a mind to just continue what they started anyway* .. I’ve never liked someone. I’ve never - felt this way about someone. *takes a step away, shoving his hands in his pockets and looking out towards the crowd - as he does, he immediately notices a tall, muscular redhead* .. Is that him?:

--

;? *looks in the direction he’s pointing in, seeing that it in fact is him, and his eyes quickly turn away, as if he’s not worthy, and he goes more bashful than the confident, vixen-like state he’s been showing all night* You caught me.. ;

--

:Either you talk to him, or I’ll tell him to. *sounds very firm, giving Matt no other option than to approach him, but he’s also doing this because he wants an easier way to end this conversation and quietly leave*:

 ;*currently walking towards the bar before sitting down in the much-too-small seat, mouthing something in a calm, polite manner to the bartender, who then begins mixing a drink for him*;

--

;*looks rather astonished, not used to such direct demands, but he slowly begins to agree, looking at his target while taking a deep breath* -! *he’s about to move, but just then he thinks of something, turning to Mello and diving into the pocket of his jeans to pull out a cell phone he knew was there* *sees the phone is of course locked, so he goes to the phone screen to tap in a number* *once he’s finished he hands the phone to him with a bright smile* Let’s still be friends, okay? I want to know all about this love situation.;

--

:*frowns, this being a little forward from a stranger, but something about Matt seems trustworthy - and beyond that, not annoying like most people he meets* *nods after a moment, stuffing his phone back in his pocket, and he offers a brief smile* Whatever. Go get your lover boy.:

--

;*with a new sense of optimism he nods, starting to walk out, but as a final goodbye for the evening he turns over his shoulder to look at him one last time* Always practice what you preach, blondie. *gives him a small wink before he sets out of the hallway, going directly toward the hulking red male with a saunter, sliding gracefully beside him, nonchalant as he comments beside him* A cocktail? Why not something a little stronger?;

--

;*turns to the redhead speaking to him, and immediately he smiles, most certainly liking what he sees, the cocktail remaining untouched in his hand* Oh? What do you suggest?;

 :*once he ensures Matt is completely distracted, he sets off for the exit - but not before taking his phone out once more and typing a quick text to Matt so that he has his number, then stuffing it back in his pocket* *doesn’t turn back as he leaves, exiting into the comparatively quiet, but still bustling street, immediately walking towards Near’s headquarters with purpose*:

--

**

--

:*just after a few hours of slumber, he unfortunately begins to toss in his sleep, rousing awake just enough to comprehend* *frowns, upset to been awoken, not because of losing sleep, but because of the bitter way he and Mello had left each other, even after what he considered a pleasant evening* ... *stares up at the ceiling, wondering what he could have done differently to keep his attention, and why that matters to him* ...:

--

:*it doesn’t take long until he winds up back at the building, into the elevator, and up to the floor his room is on - and Near’s is on* *somehow, he finds himself directly in front of Near’s door, simply standing there in the dark, not even remembering having approached it, the silence and lack of distraction allowing all these feelings to resurface* ...:

--

:*rolls on his side, trying to convince himself that sleep is more important than the useless thoughts he’s having, about someone he paid to be here no less,  but even still, he can’t help their position on the forefront of his mind* *sighs out quietly, his hand clutching the pillow, his voice quiet but filled with confusion and longing* Mello...:

--

((this is so dramatic))

 : .. *his hand reaches out towards the doorknob, as though it has a will of its own, and he gently grasps the metal piece, impulsively twisting it and pushing the door open, exposing another dark room* *this being his first time ever being in Near’s room, he looks around, his eyes already adjusted, and he soon finds the bed and a lump beneath the blankets to one side, indicating a person beneath* *his breath catches, and for some strange reason, he feels nervous for once* ...:

 ((one day they gon have kids and kids gon ask how they met))

--

((well you see......))

 :*nearly jumps when he hears his door come open, not expecting that in the slightest, silently wondering if the other actually heard him call his name* *stays perfectly still though, not wanting to make any indication that he’s awake, wondering why the other has brought himself here* ..:

--

:*approaches the bed, and for a moment he thinks the other is sleeping, but the rise and fall of his chest indicates that he’s not quite there yet* ... *moves to the side he’s resting on, leaning to reach down, swiping the back of his now ungloved fingers against his hair, pushing the white locks from his face* ..:

--

:*the sudden touch takes him off guard, simply staring up at him, only seeing minor details due to the increased darkness* *since he knows the other is aware that he’s okay, he slowly mumbles, unsure of his words* .. You didn't want to be around me.:

--

:What? *murmurs without thinking first, retracting his hand and simply standing there, watching him through the dark* .. It’s not that. *decides against admitting the full truth, whatever the hell that is, and a short silence passes before he continues* ... I went out tonight.:

--

:*slowly sits up in his bed, wanting to be comfortable with speaking to the other, even if what he says leaves a bad tastes in his mouth* *looks down in his lap, unconsciously fiddling with his hands, his voice coming out a little hollow and analytical* ... Were you safe at the very least?:

--

:.. *quietly analyzes him as the moment passes, searching for a hint of what Near’s feeling, almost wondering if he feels betrayed* ... *once he speaks, his voice grows quiet, eyes averting* .. I didn’t sleep with anyone. It was boring, so I left.:

--

:..? *that certainly wasn’t the answer he expected, as made obvious by his eyes coming up to the other, trying to search for any notion of a lie in the other* *when he can’t find anything, he can’t suppress the feeling of relief, so much that his body relaxes, but he keeps the same voice* Why did you go in the first place? You promised.:

--

: ... *the question renders him speechless, and he finally looks at him, all the while trying to figure out a way to answer him that doesn’t accidentally convey anything too - unwanted* ... *takes the moment to sit down on the bedding, next to him, and once he speaks, he knows his answer is vague* .. I thought it would be fine.:

--

:You thought it would be fine to betray my trust? *his brows furrow together, the answer not satisfying whatever* *for some reason, it hurts him more than he expected to know he didn’t care about his feelings* .. I told you explicitly I didn’t want you to go, I-- tried, so you wouldn’t go.:

--

:You tried so I wouldn’t fuck someone. *responds bluntly, suddenly irritated* You only didn’t want me to go because of that. All I did was listen to music and have drink. *doesn’t understand why he’s bothering to explain himself, but the guilt inside him continues to fester* - I won’t go back. It’s fucking boring anyway. *adds on, internally cringing as he knows it’s a lame excuse*:

-- :*stares at him for a moment, slightly surprised that he would try such a pathetic excuse with intentions of making him feel better* ... Okay. *says simply, slowly sinking his way back in bed, turning on his opposite side* Feel free to rest, I’m sure you’re tired.:

--

:... *contemplates leaving that moment, but something has him cemented to the spot* .. *impulsively, he reaches down, untying his shoes and tossing them to the side, shrugging his jacket off and letting it join the floor* *grateful that he wore somewhat comfortable clothing, besides the leather pants, but that’s the last thing on his mind as he yanks the covers up, climbing under them and resting his head against the pillow*:

 ((i wanna find a picture of near’s room))

--

:-? *as he feels the bed dip beside him he turns around, and his eyes open just slightly at the sight of Mello in his bed* - What are you doing?:

--

:You said, ‘Feel free to rest’. *comments as though it were obvious, but there’s also an underlying tone daring him to suggest there’s more to it than that* *as Near turns to face him and he can see him much clearer, more closely, and he almost regrets doing something as ridiculous as this, especially with these ridiculous feelings*:

--

:*speechless, only able to focus on the other’s eyes as he wonders if this is a ploy to rid the guilt he must be feeling, or even an apology* .. *once again feelings open inside him that he pushes deep down inside, too afraid to begin to try and understand them* ... *decides it doesn’t hurt to let this happen, just this once, so he keeps quiet, getting situated in a more permanent position* .. Don’t ruffle up my pillows too much.:

--

:Fuck off. *frowns, and he responds by grabbing at the pillow beneath him, ruffling it up before leaning his head back against it* *somehow, the humor deflates the situation, and he can’t help but smile, unable to repress the short, quiet laugh that follows*:

--

:*a little in awe at hearing the other laugh, that not being something he’s heard since his arrival, and somehow it makes him want to smile* *feels strange with another person in his bed after going so many years alone, but as he examines the other, he doesn’t find it as much of a problem as he assumed* ... To make up for your misbehaviour, you’ll take me to the tourist attractions tomorrow as a proper spouse should.:

--

:*the conversation is a nice distraction, he muses* I was already going to. *truthfully, he had been, finding it ridiculous that someone can live in New York City without ever having traveled farther than a quarter mile radius* Where first?:

--

:*isn’t sure what’s considered a tourist attraction other than the obvious, which he says* The Statue of Liberty. *yawns a little, his eyes settling lower as he grows tired once again* ... Я боюсь, что мне может быть одиноко, когда ты уйдешь.:

 ((‘I’m worried that I may be lonely when you leave’))

--

:*it takes a moment to realize he's not speaking English, and what he says catches him off guard, making him pause* … Так почему ты привел меня сюда?:

 (‘So the reason you brought me here was true?’)

--

:*immediately shakes his head, even if he can’t see it* До сих пор я не чувствовал себя одиноким. Я не думал, что когда- *the remainder of his sentence is abnormally quiet* Растите, как вы.:

 (‘I didn’t feel lonely until now. I didn’t think I’d ever- Grow to like you’)

((The grow to like you has a more serious translation than he thinks))

--

:*eyes widen, and his breath catches in his throat, coughing a little* - Sorry. *offers quickly in English, simultaneously wondering if Near even knows what he said or even meant it* .. *responds, quiet* .. Тогда, возможно, вам следовало быть более осторожным, когда вы решили купить меня. Могла бы получить девушку, так как ты только в мужчинах. Тогда они не будут тебе нравиться.:

 (‘Then maybe you should have been more careful when you decided to purchase me. Could've gotten a girl, since you're only into men. Then they're be no chance you'd like her.’)

--

:*glares at him for a moment* Я не просто люблю мужчин, я же вам говорил. *after that his face softens again, too tired to think about being irritated* Я купил тебя, чтобы быть противоположным тому, чего хотели мои родители. Я не думал, что мы поладим.:

 (‘I don't exclusively like men, I told you that.’

‘I purchased you in order to be the opposite of what my parent’s wanted. I didn't expect us to get along.’)

--

:*his eyes sharpen into a glare, but it only lasts a moment before his expression softens just slightly* Я тоже не ожидал, что ты мне понравишься. *suddenly realizes what he initially says, backtracking to it, unable to help the curiosity* Итак, вы были с девушкой раньше?:

 (‘I didn't expect to like you either.’

‘So, you've been with a girl before?’)

--

:.. Никогда. *doesn't want to deal with his mockery, so he turns his head into the pillow, mumbling* Вы не должны быть в отношениях, как пол.:

 (‘Never’

‘You don't have to be in a relationship to like a certain gender.’)

--

:Hm. *a moment passes before he reaches over, pushing against the side of his head, wondering why he's suddenly facing away* .. Ты прячешься.:

 (‘You’re hiding.’)

--

:*looks at him without any chance to not as he’s holding his head up, having to stare into the other’s eyes with a bashful look mixed with irritation that very few could translate* - You’ll make fun of me. You mock me because of my lack of experience.:

--

:Я - I don't fucking care. *responds truthfully, wondering why he's making a big deal out of it, and he rests his hand beneath his head to prevent him from looking away again, despite it being a childish maneuver* I’m just curious. That's all.:

--

:... *surrenders to the other, simply relaxing his head against his hand, too tired to try and struggle past it* I don’t know that gender matters to my feelings. It just so happens that those who I enjoy the company of have been men.:

--

:’Men’? *notices the plurality of the word, though he's only picking* ... Where are you from, anyway? *realizes the entire time he's been there, he's never asked, and at this point he decides to not bother wondering why his curiosity has grown this much, steadily growing tired*:

--

:*thinks about the question, and if it’s really alright to trust someone with that intimate information* ... Japan. We also lived in the United Kingdom for a few years, but the majority of my life was lived in the Asia.:

--

:.. You don’t look Japanese. *scrutinizes him, though the more he looks, the more he can somewhat see it, but it’s definitely not obvious*:

--

:I took more after my mother. *says bluntly, though even he has some Japanese descent* He was born and raised in England, hence why we lived there for a short time.:

 --

:He? *points the word out, knowing he didn't mistranslate, simultaneously adjusting himself in the bed to get more comfortable, tugging the blankets up* Your parents are both men?:

--

:*all he does is give a simple nod, wondering if the other has an issue with such- which, wouldn't be a problem considering why he’s here* Does that make you uncomfortable? Russia still prohibits same-sex pregnancy, I realize.:

 ((Get topical))

--

:For all I know, my parents were both men. *rationalizes that, but it does remind him of the many horror stories he's heard whilst growing up, but he never thought about it much beyond that* .. No. I've told you; romance is distraction, whether it's between man and woman or man and man. I don't particularly care either way. And I assume you weren't actually born in Russia.:

--

:You are correct. *admires Mello’s open-mindedness, it being a rare trait in an area where everyone is forced fed the same information* *smiles slightly, deciding to tease him* -Is that why you so easily accepted to bear my child?:

--

: - What? *frowns, pulling his hand away, a short huff immediately following* I never said I'd get pregnant - Or pregnant you. Obviously I wouldn't have allowed earlier to happen without some means of protection.:

 ((he means impregnate))

--

:Impregnate. *smiles a little wider, amused by his slip-ups and frustration* Are you saying you’d like to have sex with me?:

--

:*the correction falls deaf on his ears at Near’s next statement, and once again, his breath catching* - I didn’t imply that. All I said was if such thing were to happen, we wouldn’t be stupid about it.:

--

:*only gives him a small hum in agreement, but he can’t help but be satisfied by just his thought over the matter, no matter how intimidating sex is* *thinks about that as he stares at the other, and without thinking he reaches out to him* -- Maybe we could start with being close. Just for now.:

--

:*hesitates, wondering if this is Near’s way of making an excuse to indulge in his feelings - whatever those might be* ... *moves closer, drawing him closer, and wrapping an arm around his middle* .. Close enough?:

--

:*doesn’t know what he expects when Mello wraps an arm around him, but to his surprise he doesn’t dislike the feeling like he thought he would, it in fact feels warm, almost inviting* *gives a small nod, resting his arms between them* You’re not uncomfortable, are you?:

--

:I wouldn’t have laid down with you if I was. .. Idiot. *adds on with a mumble, resting his cheek against Near’s forehead, looking out into the dark* Besides.. *a yawn makes its way out, and he closes his eyes, feeling rather exhausted, as well as strangely at peace* ... You’re lonely.:

--

:I’m not- *the yawn is contagious, and he easily settles in the position, forgetting about battling his accusation, even if he doesn't believe it* .. Let’s sleep. I’ll need all of my energy for tomorrow.:

--

:What’s tomorrow? *mumbles tiredly, slowly being lulled to sleep by the other’s warmth* - Tourism. *offers simply, realizing what he means* .. Yeah, whatever. Let’s sleep.:

--

:*all the thoughts are easily dulled by his exhaustion, and he simply enjoys the pleasant feeling of the other’s hold as he closes his eyes* Goodnight then, Mello.:

--

:.. Good night. *responds, his voice quiet and void of his bite, not even a subtle trace to be found* *the moment he speaks, he feels himself drift off, consciousness fading* ...:

--

**

--

:*after another two weeks have gone by, seemingly in a blink of an eye, Near find himself in the place where he normally is, with his blocks* *the past two weeks have brought Mello and himself closer than what he assumed would ever be possible for him. Their arguing was cut down dramatically, and one way or another they always ended up in the same bed, just like a routine. Things were content, and he was truly beginning to enjoy Mello’s company* *he stares at legos, barely able to focus as he thinks over how, after this day, things will go back to normal, and the blond will be out of his life for good* ... *internally he battles against his feelings, telling himself that this will be for the best, and after the plans and instructions he gave Mello, he remember how harsh the other can be, and it will make this ordeal easier for him to let go* *every so often he checks up at the clock, making sure the time doesn’t get away from him until his parents arrive* ---Are you almost ready?:

((The plan he’s mentioning is how Mello is going to act really rude and stuff))

--

:*currently residing in a comfortable chair, one leg crossed over the other as he has a book propped up on his knee, idly reading it* *secretly though, he has to refrain from allowing his apathetic expression to slip, growing more amused over his idea as the time draws nearer* *looks over towards Near, before noting the clock* Been ready.:

--

:Are you sure? *looks up at him with complete seriousness* I don't want you to do anything too crude, these are my parents after all.:

--

:I’m going to act ‘normal’, just like you asked me to. *raises an eyebrow, feeling almost offended* What the hell could I do that would be considered ‘crude’?:

--

:I’m not sure, like put a gun in my father’s face? *mumbles as he goes back to his blocks, trying to distract himself from all of these thoughts running through his head* Just behave, but not too much. And--:

 *a few knocks sound off the front door*

 :--! They’re here. *looks at Mello quickly as he stands up* Go back to your room until I call for you.:

--

:*rolls his eyes, closing the book and standing up, beginning towards the door exiting into the hallway* Whatever. Let me know. *disappears into the hallway and towards his room, shutting the door behind him*:

--

:*once Mello is out of the way, he takes a deep breath and moves towards the door, opening it wide to expose both of his parents* Mother, Father. Welcome back.:

 “*looks down at his son with warm eyes, his hand swiftly going to swoop down and pat Near’s head* Thank you very much, Near. We’re happy to see you again.”

--

“*as he enters, he sees nothing has changed except for perhaps a few more piles of books in the room than usual, but his focus immediately goes to Near, but he doesn’t offer to embrace him, knowing if he did he’d be pushed away* It’s good to see you, Nate. How has it been going?”

--

:Fine. *answers simply, not needing to give anything away so quickly* *goes back to where he was before the others showed up, starting up once more* How was your meeting with the commissioner?:

 “Unnecessary, as always. *mumbles as he sits on the couch nearby, legs pulled up to his chest* Things were much easier when I could handle meetings over a computer screen.”

--

“At least it wasn’t that long of a meeting. We handled it rather quickly - Mostly, they wanted to confirm information we’d already discussed over email. *decides to move the subject matter towards Near, curious* How’s work?”

--

:Nothing of true importance to speak about. *says with a small shrug, that being at least true on the business half of his life* Everything has been relatively calm.:

 “Good to hear. *responds simply, knowing Near would handle things either way* And you’re doing well? Personally?”

 :*gives his mother a small nod, but he sees this as a way to get their attention* Better than normal. I’ve decided to take father’s advice, after all.:

--

“ - *that certainly catches his attention, and he wonders what advice he’s referring to* - Oh? And what’s that? *laughs a little* Surely not that you’d go out and start dating. Are you thinking about moving with us to Japan?”

--

:No, father. *a little perturbed that he’s still bringing that up, but he ignores it to get the satisfaction in the end* I did listen to your advice on wanting me to find a relationship.:

 “*eyes widen at that, certainly not expecting something so completely abnormal for Near to happen in just a short time since they’ve been gone* You’re- dating? When did you meet this person?”

 :Shortly after you went back to Japan. I took father’s advice to heart, since it was so important to you. But we aren’t dating. *looks right at Light now, a certain smug look in his eyes* I’m married.:

--

“ - *his breath catches, that word being the last he expected to hear* - What? *wonders if Near’s just pulling his leg, or if this is some sort of scheme to convince him that somehow he’s married, because the other alternative is impossible, especially considering the time restraint* - Married? It's only been a couple of months. Who could you have met and fallen in love with in just that short amount of time?”

 ((do they all speak English or Japanese))

--

:*the expression that his father gives is exactly what he wanted, but he easily hides the smile he wants to show off* Why don't you meet him yourself? He’s here, after all. His primary language is Russian, but he’s proficient in English so I would prefer you speak as such.:

 “*still in a state of shock to hear such news from his son, of all people* *has a bad feeling about this, knowing who he is, and knowing his primarily goal is to clash with his father, so he can’t imagine the person to be savory* .. Let’s meet him then.”

 :*stands up at that, walking to the hallway, only stopping at the edge before he calls out* Mello, my parents are here. You can come out. *turns back to the living room, his eyes mainly on his father* Don’t panic, he’s slightly- rough around the edges.:

--

“*at the mention that his husband is here, something he doubted would actually be true, his surprise grows - but at Near’s description, he grows concerned, wondering what exactly that constitutes* *turns to L, wondering if he's thinking the same thing* ..”

 :*disguises his crude smile as a gentle, inviting one, flattening out the sweater he’s donning and straightening the collar around his neck* *does one last check in the mirror for his hair, which is perfectly in place, hanging freely, but it's been pushed away from his face, one side tucked behind his ear, a careful amount of hairspray holding it in place to look put together* *honestly, as he observes himself in the mirror, he can hardly recognize his appearance, but that's all for the better, and so once he's satisfied, he turns away and heads into the hallway, reaching the large doors entering into Near’s office, eyes first going to the males who must be his parents* *easily detects which one is Near’s father, based on his dress and stuck up expression, offering his hand out with a smile* Hello, it’s nice to finally meet you. How are you?:

 “*at the male’s presence, he’s surprised - but certainly pleased - by the picture perfect appearance to which he considers fine, and so he smiles brightly, reaching out to shake his hand, obviously happy in how this situation is turning out so far* I’m well. It's nice to meet you too; why is it we haven't heard about you yet?”

 ((‘Dress’ referring to his manner of dressing, not like an actual dress btw))

--

((I know Haley xD))

 :*instead of the person expression of mortification, he sees his father is actually pleased, and immediately the smug look in his eyes dies* *immediately looks to see why he’d ever give Mello a look like that, but his eyes widen as he realizes that ‘Mello’ did not walk out of the bedroom* *actually speechless as he stares at him, not even knowing he had such an outfit* This- is Mihael.. *knows he has to say something, hoping that this is just an addition to the real plan* -- I wanted you to be surprised and be able to meet him in person.:

 “*just like Light he is pleasantly surprised to see the person who walks out of the hallway, it not at all what he was dreading to see* *relaxes slightly, but naturally he still keeps his reservations until he can know the other well enough to make a decision* It’s nice to meet you, Mihael. My name is L, and my husband is Light.”

--

:*has to hide his smirk from seeing Near’s reaction out of the corner of his eye, and he moves to L now, offering his hand to shake* Your son has told me much about you.:

 “Has he? I assume good things. *smiles, giving L a look that suggests he’s pleased, but also not yet making a decision over whether he likes him or not, especially considering what Near said in warning* How about we continue this conversation over lunch? We could eat here, if you'd like. *looks to Near, considering his feelings*”

 :Anything is fine by me. Though, I have been trying to convince Near to go out more - Which has surprisingly been successful. *smiles, looking towards Near and reaching out to take hold of his hand* We've been visiting tourist destinations around New York recently.:

--

:*slightly frigid as he looks toward Mello, not able to get over this new persona, and more so how he’s ruining what he had intended for this day* *feelings trapped by this, knowing he has to go along with it or else he’ll make himself the fool, so he takes the other’s hand, mumbling* ... Going out with fine.:

 “*his eyes go up, impressed, as they’ve tried several times and never convinced their son to go out* Well then, I suppose that’s what we’ll do. Light, you did mention a restaurant on our way here that you wanted to attend.”

--

“You’re right. *nods, recalling the restaurant seemed rather nice, and a perfect setting to have their first dinner with the new husband* I think it's Italian cuisine. How does that sound?”

 :*smiles and offers a short nod, simultaneously linking his fingers with Near’s and offering a short squeeze, though rather than out of affection, it's out of amusement, enjoying playing this little game he's created* That sounds perfect.:

--

“*with everyone in agreeance, he stands up, nudging Light with his foot to get up and moving towards the door* Let’s get going, I suddenly have a large appetite.”

 :*reluctantly agrees, and he’s about to follow before he sits back, holding Mello in place also* Mihael, will you go with me to m-- our room? I left my shoes in there. *doesn’t wait to get an answer before he pulls him along through the hallway, not even bothering to go into the room as he just turns around toward him, looking none too pleased* What do you think you’re doing? You’re supposed to make them hate you.:

--

:*as he’s dragged into the hallway, he finally allows the façade to drop* *smirks, looking down at him with utter amusement* I thought it would be - more fun this way. *gestures to their link fingers, holding their hands up* Consider it revenge.:

--

:*gives him an incredulous look, fearing everything that he’s doing will only make things worse for him when he leaves* You can’t- We had an agreement, Mello. Do you truly want to risk your freedom for revenge?:

--

:*raises an eyebrow, though his threat for some reason doesn’t strike the same chord of anger as it usually does* Do you honestly want me sticking around anyway? However I act today doesn’t make difference.:

--

:... *no matter how he rationalizes it in his head, the nagging decision to tell the truth sets priority in his mind, but thankfully he has enough sense to ignore it* ... Fine. Do what you want, but you’ll slip up at some point today. I’ll get what I want.:

--

:We’ll see about that. *offers another smile, one that suggests he knows he’ll win this, and he brings Near’s hand up to his lips, pressing a kiss to the back of his knuckles* C’mon, spouse. Let’s go out to eat, like a normal family.:

 “*having been wandering around Near’s office, taking a look at things, he decides to head into the hallway to see what’s taking so long* *once he sees the two in the hallway, he smiles, comfortably leaning against the door as he gets their attention* Nate, are you almost ready?”

 :*at the name, the corner of his lip curls up in amusement, giving Near a look* - Yes, Nate, do you want me to get your shoes for you?:

--

:-? *suddenly grows embarrassed and irritated, both from having his father see them in a seemingly intimate setting and having his real name exposed so easily* *retracts his hand from Mello, but trying to keep the kind facade, wanting Mello to be the only cause of his mess up* Please. I wouldn’t want to keep mother waiting any more.:

--

:Of course. *offers him a sweet look, one that he ensures Near’s father will see, before disappearing into Near’s room, smile immediately vanishing as he looks around, not having a clue where Near keeps his things* *finds a closet door, sliding it open and finding a neat collection of extra clothing and shoes, and it’s not much, but he hasn’t seen Near wearing any of it* *grabs the only pair of tennis shoes he sees, before heading back towards the hallway*:

 “*before Mello returns, he offers a knowing smile to Near, waiting a moment before speaking* .. He seems like a decent man. How did you find someone like that?”

 ((internet))

--

:-- Halle introduced me to him after I told her of your advice. *mumbles the only logical excuse he could muster, watching the door to wait until the other arrives with his shoes* .. You’re clearly happy about this.:

--

“Well, I’m happy you took my advice. *steps closer to him, reaching out to gently hold his arm* I’m proud of you for going out of your comfort zone. Don’t you think it’s worth it?”

 :*returns with the shoes in hand and a fake, gentle expression* Here, would you like me to put them on for you? *gestures the shoes for Near to see*:

--

:*doesn’t answer his father right away, it actually forcing him to think about his real-life situation* ... I suppose it was. *gives Mello a dazed look, but he quickly comes to, realizing he might as well use the other while he has no reason to deny him* Yes, thank you.:

 “*comes stalking back to the hallway, angrily chewing on his thumb as he tugs Light on the collar* I went all the way to the entrance before I realized you weren’t following me.”

--

“ - *raises an eyebrow, frowning* Do you not actually look to see if I’m there? *takes a few steps closer to L, before pulling his phone from his pocket* I’ll call the car and let them know we’re ready to leave again.”

 :*as Light and L aren’t looking, he shoots Near a quiet, dirty look, leaning down on his knee and forcing his foot up and off the ground, pushing it into the correct shoe, before doing the same with the other* - Perfect. *despite the sweet tone, his expression is still laced with annoyance* Ready?:

 ((light’s referring to a private car))

--

:*sees the look that Mello gives him, and that suddenly sparks a plan in his mind* *doesn’t give an ounce to Mello, only responding in a nice tone back while taking his hand again* Of course, dear.:

 “*temporarily distracted by the two in the corner, specifically his son, as he’s never seen him like this before, but he only smiles* Let’s go then. -And hopefully everyone will follow me this time.”

--

**

--

“*as they step into one of the large, living rooms on the same floor as Near’s main area of living, he relaxes into one of the love seats, allowing room for L to sit next to him if he desires* Well, that was actually pretty good. I’m glad we went there.”

 :*nods in agreement, despite the fact the food was less than enjoyable - and he had to actually eat all his food before getting dessert* *sits on the love seat opposite of Light, facing him, going against the instinct to sit improperly and instead sitting up straight with one leg crossed simply over the other, and he gestures for Near to follow him* Yes, I’ve always been fan of Italian cuisine. It was wonderful suggestion on your part.:

--

:*wants to roll his eyes at Mello’s formal way of speaking, assuming he took lessons from a textbook or television* It was fine. *sits down beside him nonetheless, contemplating how exactly he should enact his plan, but for now, he goes with the flow of conversation * -- Father, Mother, you should tell Mihael what you do. He’s certainly a fan of the line of work:

 “Oh? *muses as he sits in his normal position on the couch, intrigued* I am surprised that would request that, Near. I would assume it would scare anyone away.”

--

:*as Near sits, he places an arm around his shoulders* Scared? *smiles, looking curious, though he does have an idea as to what it is, considering Near’s line of work* Well, what is it?:

 “*looks to L, and he knows he can trust Near, but even so, he won’t release too much detail* L and I are in the same line of work. I’m the head chief of the Japanese police, and L is a private detective. Though, we work together on many cases.”

 : - Interesting. That sounds fascinating. *reaches forward, picking up one of the cookies on a tray resting on the table between them, a small set up of snacks and tea prepared for them when they first arrived* So, very similar to Nate’s work. *at the name, he offers a quick glance to Near through his peripherals, having full intentions of discussing it later*:

--

:*amused by the reaction, that is until he calls him by his first name* Near, Mihael. You know I prefer that--:

 “*pipes in, knowing how to settle Near before he gets upset, having plenty of experience with him and Light* Near, of course, is my successor. I’m rather good at what I do, so I would have needed to find one either way. But luckily Light found me first so that I didn’t need to look so far. *finds his own humor rather hilarious, but sees only pity smiles, so he continues* For now, Near controls everything in select countries as a primary, and also helps with cases I have no time for.”

 :*gives a small nod in acknowledgement, turning a strand of hair around his finger* Russia in particular is my mother’s dominion, so hopefully you were clean of any incriminating charges before you left or it would mean trouble for you- *gives Mello a small smile, seemingly to be a joke to his parents, but the other should see the truth in it* hm, Mihael?:

--

: - Right. *chuckles in response, jokingly adding on* You got me. *secretly, he feels almost nervous, the presence of especially L a bit intimidating, but so far it looks like he’s easily fooled both of them*:

 “*laughs shortly, the idea that Mello of all people could be truly a criminal borderline hilarious, especially considering after the entire afternoon, he’s deemed him to be perfectly suitable for Near* Though, L, didn’t you say the mafia there has been causing trouble for you?”

--

“I wouldn’t go as far to say they’ve been troubling me. *mumbles, rubbing his thumb over his bottom lip, his expression growing a little annoyed* But they certainly have gotten unruly as of late. I’m suspecting their leader has been MIA for a while now, and they’re just now beginning to really feel the affects of it.”

 :Really, mother? *seems interested, even if he already knows all of this- after all, he does have the former boss under his roof* Then it should be easy for you to break it apart while it’s weak. *gives a small glance to Mello* Or perhaps the boss was the cause of the decline in the first place.:

--

:*looks to Near with only the slightest hint of surprise, not wanting to give any indication that something’s wrong to the others, but he’s wondering how on earth he found out about his connections with the mafia, or if he’s just a hell of a good guesser* *laughs it off, taking a bite from the cookie in his hand* I don’t know much about these things.:

 “Well, you’re an author, right? You don’t keep up with these things, nor do you even have the ability to access that information. *looks to L, responding to his suggestion* - You know, I think you’re right. From what you’ve shown me, it’s almost exactly like what happened in Italy.”

--

“Ah, yes, that was quite a fortunate situation for me. *smiles, happy to recall that case for him* It was only a short time before their entire base was revealed.”

 :*doesn’t respond to Mello’s look, only focusing on his parents to keep from giving him any answers* The old boss should be thankful if he isn’t already dead, your wrath is particularly strong, mother. I would hate to be on the receiving end of it.:

--

:*reaches over to take hold of Near’s hand, disguising the movement as gentle, but almost unnoticeably squeezing it tightly, obviously none-too-pleased* Right. It’s hard to believe that sort of thing actually exists.:

 “Crime lurks everywhere. *reaches forward, grabbing one of the glasses of water set out for them, and he also takes one of the pastries, instinctively offering it to L* Even in places it doesn’t seem like it. People are very good at hiding it, but not good enough.”

--

“*is ready to roll his eyes at Light’s dramatic speech, but the sweets dangled in front of him distract any thought from that, taking it and effortlessly stuffing it into his mouth while still talking* Enough of this talk, surely Mihael isn’t interested in our work. This is about catching up with our son.”

 :*wants to frown at the sudden pressure on his hand, but he keeps a solid face, not wanting to give off like something is wrong* *squeezes his hand back as hard as he can, all the while thinking of anything that may set the other off* -- We’re talking of having a child.:

--

“ - Already? *frowns, setting down the glass after taking a sip, looking concernedly towards Near* Isn’t it a little too soon? I wouldn’t want you to rush into anything.”

 : - He’s right. *continues, as though further explaining what Near means* It’s something we both want, but you’re right, it’s something that won’t happen for a while. *turns to Near, smiling, but there’s hidden anger behind his expression* - Right, Na - I mean, Near?:

--

:Right. *agrees with a cool tone, making no stands against the other, but his glance goes back to his parent’s, knowing exactly how to hit the other* We would prefer to wait until Mihael’s ready to bear the child.:

 “Oh? *seems slightly surprised by that, noticing the type of man Mihael seems to be, but he isn’t too quick to judge* Good for you then. As long as you two are sure, the right time will come.”

--

:*his grip on Near’s hand tightens, anger steadily consuming him that he would make such an assumption* - Is there something wrong with you bearing child?:

 “*the somewhat harsh tone from Mello surprises him, but since it was only one statement, he easily excuses it, figuring it must be a touchy subject* *interrupts, before Near can respond* Well, you have all the time in the world to think about this. You’re both still very young.”

--

:*easily ignores his father, seeing that he’s struck the chord in Mello that he expected, so he goes along with it* I’ve already discussed this with you. I need to focus on my career, but beings that your an author, you’re able to take the necessary time to properly rest. You’re my wife, after all.:

 “-? *a little surprised at that, as he thankfully can say he’s never assumed anything from his son, but he never expected the bold decisions* *speaks up, noticing that both of them are getting more animated than what he’s seen over the afternoon* -Perhaps you shouldn’t concern yourself over this now.”

--

:*scoffs, that igniting an immediate fire in him, and he snaps back, as though having no control over his words* Ну, в зависимости от того, как ты, бля, шумешь и действуешь, когда ты под мной, кажется, черт возьми, ты предпочитаешь быть трахнутым, чем я.:

 “*doesn’t understand enough Russian to properly decipher the lingo, and while he does catch a few words, he’s mostly worried over the tone he exhibits* - Alright, I think you need to calm down. - Why don’t we move onto something else to talk about?”

 (‘Well, based on how you fucking sound and act when you're under me, it sure as hell seems you'd much prefer being fucked than me.’)

--

“*unlike Light he is proficient in the other’s language, it immediately putting a dark expression on his face, straightening his figure as he calls out quickly* Mihael, that isn’t at all appropriate to say in front of his parents.”

 :Ой? *speaks as if he isn’t phased whatsoever by his words, so much that he leans in to whisper in his ear, not wanting his parent’s, moreso his mother, to hear* Я владею тобой, ты будешь делать все, что я скажу.:

 (‘I own you, you will do everything I say.’)

--

:*looks in almost panic towards Light and L once L speaks, having forgotten they were even there* *returns to Near, sneering at the pathetic attempt to enrage him further (though, it does work)* *responds quietly, threateningly* Вы бы предпочли рассказать своим родителям, как мы на самом деле встретились?:

 “*looks towards L, concerned, demanding answers* What’s going on? What did he say?”

 (‘Would you prefer tell your parents how we actually met?’)

 ((I just rly don’t think Light knows Russian btw, he’s never had a reason to like L))

--

“*looks confused himself, not understanding because they’re speaking to themselves, so he shakes his head* Don’t concern yourself with it. Perhaps they’re just having a argument. Near, Mihael, please take a moment to calm down.”

 :*eyes widen, genuinely afraid for him to say something like that to his parents, lest this entire event be something he’ll be put down for* Я сделаю так, чтобы тебя арестовали за твою неудачу.:

 (‘I’ll have you arrested for the failure you are.’)

--

:*physically feels rage filling him, and at that, he immediately stands, storming away from Near* Fuck off. *murmurs, before leaving the room in an instant*:

 “ ... *watches as Mello leaves, growing further confused, various possibilities going through his head over what could have possibility caused this dispute* .. - Nate, whatever this issue is, you need to either tell us so we can help, or talk to him.”

--

:-? *didn’t expect Mello to leave without anymore fight, and immediately he’s compelled to follow him* -- I’m sorry Mother, Father. I’ll go speak to him.:

 “*before Near to leave the room he catches him, gently asking* Do you want one of us to come with you?”

 :.. *shakes his head, appreciating the concern, but his mind is only focused on finding the other* Please make yourselves comfortable, we’ll be back shortly. *starts into the hallway at that, quickly making his way to Mello’s room, where the other has yet to lock the door* *comes in, only making his way in enough to shut the door* What are you doing? I thought you were so sure about making them love you.:

--

((mello is so defensive about his masculinity lol))

 :*had just been about the slide the lock in place when Near walks in, and he steps back, more so out of surprise he actually immediately followed him rather than purposefully allowing him in the room* Who cares? I only did it to piss you off.:

--

:*frowns, forgetting that his attempts were solely to make him upset, and while that makes him feel less guilty, he presses further* Then why storm out of the room? You knew I had to stop whatever you were doing.:

--

: - You’re fucking annoying. That’s why. *crosses his arms, turning around and walking to sit on the edge of his bed, facing away from him and towards the window, not at all in the mood to be around him right now* You were purposefully - instigating me. And you know it.:

--

:Obviously. *mumbles, walking only a few steps further, casually twirling his hair* Your whole purpose for being here was to make a bad impression. I had no other choice.:

--

:And you decided the way to piss me off was to say I’d have your children? *glances behind him, scoffing* You’re ridiculous. You could have at least thought of something better to say.:

--

:*simply rolls his eyes* Out of everything we’ve argued about, your masculinity has always brought on the biggest outburst. It was the obvious way to go. *grows tired of standing, so he sits beside him, not caring if he has an issue with it* Let’s go back out there so we can finish this once and for all.:

--

: - Whatever. *decides to drop the issue, not wanting Near to go into further detail, and he turns his body away, resting a bent leg on the bed* .. Why did you follow me, anyway? You could have finished this on your own.:

--

:*wasn’t expecting the question, and he would rather go without it for his own sake, but he sits there, silent until he manages a response* --At first I felt wrong for upsetting you. Maybe I was feeding too much in the delusion that our marriage was real.:

--

:Is it? *asks rhetorically as a small smile appears on his face, but it’s not seen by Near since he’s facing away* *the smile fades, quickly recalling his anger* Well, do you not feel wrong now?:

--

:I think it was only fair considering you’re making things difficult very difficult for me. *mumbles, crossing his arms over his legs* *pauses, his tone growing slightly more solemn as he thinks over the situation* I don’t know what I’m going to tell my parents when you’re suddenly out of my life, considering how ‘happy’ we’ve been this entire time.:

--

:*turns his head slightly towards him, a little surprised he’s already concerning himself with it* ... It’s not all that uncommon for couples to get divorced. Besides, doesn’t every couple go through some sort of ‘honeymoon’ phase, or whatever?:

--

:*shakes his head, not accepting what the other has to say* There’s no chance that I would marry someone without an absolute certainty of the other person. *looks around the room, distracting himself as he considers his choices* -My other option is to have it look like a unforeseen death. Perhaps a car accident- or an illness. That would be less documented.:

--

:*turns sharply towards him, perplexed* What - You’re not going to kill me off. That’s pathetic. What’s so wrong with you just divorcing me without having to make up some stupid story of my death?:

--

:I told you, that would make it seem like I made a bad decision. *gives him a small look, frustrated by his questions* Why does it even matter to you? This isn’t your life. You’ll be long gone.:

--

:*frowns, averting his eyes towards the window facing out as he realizes he’s right, that he has no true reason to be upset over Near’s plan* ... Well, an illness seems like hassle. If you’re so fucking rich, you’d do everything in your power to get me best medical care. Pick something else.:

--

:Being rich has nothing to do with it. *says with a somewhat harsh tone, quickly turning away from him* No matter how much money one has, it can’t always change the outcome. You’re going to die, and I’m going to be alone, like it was meant to be in the beginning.:

--

((sounds familiar))

 :*looks towards him, wondering where this is coming from, as the last time they’ve discussed this a month prior, he was sure he was only speaking out of tiredness, as he didn’t show any indication he still felt that way afterwards* .. You act as though I’m actually going to die.:

 ((light and l be like, ‘hurry the fuck up’))

--

:-Perhaps it’ll be easier to think that way. *whispers, hurriedly standing from the bed, wanting to leave before he lets his emotions get the better of him* Come on then, my parents are waiting.:

--

:*wonders over his sudden rush, and he stands, immediately following after him* Right, remain completely unattached from everyone around you. Why not just think same for your parents?:

--

:*the comment has him pausing, his hand just barely at the door knob before he catches him* I’m unattached from you for a reason. I don’t want my feelings to grow for someone who wants nothing more from me than a ticket to freedom. *his hand drops to his side, actually managing to calm down as he filters his words* ..Please understand that this is already hard on me.:

--

:*guilt washes over him, and he moves closer, standing just a few feet behind him as he chooses his next words carefully* ... You aren’t unattached from me.:

--

:... *doesn’t respond initially, internally trying to deny the accusation, to try and find anything to say other than the truth, but he fails* ..I don’t know why. I’ve thought over it countless times, so much that it’s kept me awake at night, but- I am:

--

: ... *the confession is startling, if not a little unsettling, especially considering it describes exactly what he’s been going through* .. *without saying that aloud, he instead steps forward, moving his arms around Near into an embrace* *a moment passes before he speaks* .. You realize if I leave, that doesn’t mean we can’t still - talk, or whatever.

 ((if))

--

:*the hold comes as a shock, almost causing him to flinch at the sudden touch, but once he understands what he’s doing, the warmth comforts him, despite it being such a difficult topic* I- don’t think I’ll be happy knowing you’re out there, possibly finding other people’s company.:

--

:*rests his chin atop his head, inhaling the subtle scent of his hair, and he rationalizes the personal touch as feeling sorry for the other* Are you jealous?:

--

:No. *he says quickly, immediately flustered whenever he brings up such a topic* .. You’re my spouse, no matter where you go.:

--

:It’s okay if you actually like me. Or are attracted to me, whichever. *slides one of his arms around his waist, pulling him against his chest, the position and change of conversation directing at Near making him feel more in control, less aware of his own feelings* Though, you have to realize you have bias. You’re not around anyone else all time.:

--

:*reluctantly has no retort to Mello’s statement, though he allows him to pull him closer, even holding his arms around him loosely* I don’t deny that there is some bias. *looks up at him, his eyebrows going up* - but what is your excuse? You have plenty of experience with society, and yet you’re here holding me.:

--

: - We’re married. *retracts his arms, moving past him to open the door* Let’s just pretend we've made up and deal with your parents.:

--

:*can’t help but smile at his reaction, knowing what it means without him having to say it directly* *gives him a small nod, moving forward, but not without taking his hand to lead him out* Let’s go. *walks out and into the hallway, coming back with a much more calm expression*:

 “*leaning against Light with his attention on another pastry, but he suddenly gets up once he sees them, eyeing particularly Mihael* Is everything alright now?”

--

:*puts on a sweet smile, squeezing Near’s hand and glancing towards him, before offering an explanation to them as they walk towards the seating area* We have fights all the time, but we always make up.:

 “*the explanation makes sense, especially considering Near definitely takes after L, and he and L have quite the few spats - but even so, he feels somewhat wary* .. Are you sure that everything’s alright? *leans forward, idly pushing the tray of pastries away to make sure L doesn’t take anymore* If there’s something wrong, you know you can tell us.”

--

:It’s nothing wrong, father. *responds in a quiet tone, wanting to be as confident as possible* It was a foolish argument, but we’ve talked, and everything is fine. *gives Mello a small smile, though he isn’t sure if it’s just for show, or genuine after their talk* Our marriage still stands.:

 “*frowns at the sweets being taken away from him, but he catches the site of Mihael and Near, and it instantly calms him* *something still feels off with their relationship, but he can’t help but think that things will be alright with his son, so he simply nods* I’m happy to hear it.”

--

:*sits down, bringing Near to follow him with his arm around his shoulders* But - maybe we should avoid talking about having family. For now, of course. *smiles, laughing the situation off*:

 “*begins to feel better about this, taking a sip of his tea, all the while keeping an eye on L’s actions to make sure he doesn’t make a lunge for the sweets* I’m sure the day will come where you’ll agree, anyway.”

--

:We’ll see. *keeps a light-hearted tone, not wanting to bring up the fact that it of course won’t be happening* How long will you and father be staying in America, mother?:

 “For now your father’s business with the government is complete. We’ll leave tomorrow, and we shouldn’t have to return for quite some time. *speaks honestly, though, he knows they still will come back, if only to see their son*”

--

:Your work is - ‘mobile’, right? Why don’t you move here, to New York? *asks despite knowing well enough that’s a ridiculous proposition, one that he doesn’t even want occurring if he gets free*:

 “*laughs shortly* Well, we own a home in Japan already, so we couldn’t possibly move to a whole new country. *looks towards Near* In fact, we’ve been hoping Near will move to Japan at some point.”

--

:*rolls his eyes, ignoring his look* Father, we aren’t moving to Japan. Mihael just managed to settle in a new country, and he doesn’t know Japanese.:

 “Oh, he doesn’t? *decides to tease Mihael a little, switching his tongue to the language to he can’t understand as a bit of revenge for earlier* *turns to Light* If we get rid of him, Near won’t have any excuses left. Our little boy will have to return with us.”

 :*eyes widen slightly, less to the morbid joke and more to the embarrassing name* Mother--:

 ((I feel too weebish when i use kanji but he spoke in japanese for that))

--

((i gotchu))

 :*as L switches to the new language, he frowns, absolutely hating when people speak in a language he doesn’t know around him, but he holds his tongue* *once Near speaks, he grows even more confused* - What’s going on?:

 “Oh - Nothing. L just wants Near to move back with us. *switches to Japanese, responding to L with a smile* Though, it’s not a bad idea.”

--

“What a dastardly thought, commissioner. *grins wide, leaning into Light with full intentions of kissing him*”

 :-! *disgusted by his parent’s show of affection, looking away immediately* They’re two of the most powerful men in the world, but they-- are still normal parents. *mumbles grimly, not wanting to tell him what they actually said*:

--

“*accepts the kiss, bringing him closer with an arm wrapped around his waist* *once they release the kiss after a moment, he leans back against the couch cushions, taking another sip from his tea as he gives L a warm smile* Maybe one day.”

 :*looks to Near with a curious, but annoyed frown* Aren’t you in the exact same position? You’re powerful, and you’re in a relationship.:

--

:But we aren’t like- them. *points to his parent’s still not wanting to look at them in case they aren’t done*:

 “*gives Light another grin before he turns over to his son’s conversation, amused* Near is different in many ways, but the same as every other child when it comes to being embarrassed by his parents. One day you’ll know what it’s like.”

--

:We could be. *leans forward, pressing a kiss against his forehead in defiance, but internally, his own words sound a little bit too realistic, even though he knows if he were ever to be in a relationship, it wouldn’t be so romantic*:

 “*as they talk, he nods in agreement, idly offering L a sip of his (unsweetened) drink, expecting him to deny it* Near’s very normal in a lot of ways, whether he thinks so or not. *an idea comes to him suddenly, which he decides to voice aloud* You know, since we’re leaving tomorrow, maybe we should all do something together before we leave. As a family.”

--

:*nearly flinches away from the overly sweet gesture, not liking it even if he is still pretending with the other, his cheeks growing warm involuntarily* We did do something as a family. We went to lunch.:

 “*raises his hand up to Light’s gesture, of course rejecting the drink, but his attention focuses on the conversation* What kind of activity would we do?”

--

“Maybe... *thinks for a moment, wondering if there’s something that they’d all enjoy* *tilts the cup against his lips, taking a sip as he thinks* ... We could visit a museum. Have you two gone to any?”

 :Few art and science museums, but not many. *leans back against his seat, but secretly, he’s growing annoyed he’s going to have to keep this façade up for an entire day*:

--

:*seems to sense Mello’s agitation, so he easily thinks of something to use as an excuse* Mihael has a busy workload tomorrow. His next transcript is due, and we can’t take him away from work.:

 “Hm, that’s unfortunate, but we understand. *doesn’t harbor any bad feelings, knowing how it can be with time-sensitive work* Surely we’ll have to plan something for our next visit.”

--

“*nods in agreement, taking the final sip of his tea before setting it down with a small clank* Maybe next time we can plan to stay longer - At least a week, maybe. We’ll have to see how our schedules work.”

 :*grateful for Near’s intervention, to which he relaxes, already growing tired of this, but considering these are Near’s parents, he’s a little lenient* Yeah, maybe for - Christmas, whatever is you celebrate.:

--

“None of us are religious, but we’ve always celebrated for Near’s sake. *likes the idea of spending a holiday with Near, as he’s insisted to not for several years now* Christmas it is.”

 :*as everyone makes plans around him, he can’t help but frown, it once again reminding him of how the situation will vary much different from what they’re seeing now* ... *squeezes Mello’s hand without thinking, it subconsciously giving him strength* Father, Mother, I’m sure you’re tired from traveling. Would you prefer to stay here or do you have somewhere else?:

--

“Well, we were planning on staying at the hotel a few blocks down, but if you wouldn’t mind us staying here, I think it’d be a nice way to spend a little bit of time together before we go.”

 :*wonders over the small action of Near’s hand, but he doesn’t comment on it, figuring it’s subconscious* *looks towards him, speaking to him, figuring he has no reason to go against the idea* .. You have million rooms here.:

--

:Of course. *feels at ease with Mello guiding with him in the conversation, growing more secure* You’ve stayed before, feel free to take whatever area you’d like.:

 “*seems to sense the vibe coming from Near, and instantly he nudges the one beside him, starting to get out* Let’s go and settle ourselves in, Light. We can come back after we’re finished and perhaps think over what to have for dinner.”

--

“Right - I wouldn’t mind cooking for dinner, also. *stands up, offering a hand for L to use to get up, looking over towards Near* We’ll stay in the same room as last time, so you know where to find us.”

 :*as they begin to stand, he starts to feel relieved* .. *looks towards Near, a sudden question in mind, and he mumbles just loud enough for him to hear* .. I’m assuming not same room as mine.:

--

:*shakes his head, responding back* They normally stay on the floor below mine. *goes back to his parents, offering them a small wave* Take your take, we’ll see you when you return.:

 “*gives them a nod, examining the two with interest before opening the front door* Behave while we’re away, you two. *leaves without another word, pulling Light along with him*”

 :*rolls his eyes at his mother’s comment, but lets out a small sigh of relief, this entire day being a difficult endeavour* -- Are you regretting your attempt at revenge yet?:

--

:It’s - surprisingly annoying. *pulls at the top few buttons of his collar, opening at least three before he feels like he can breath, before grabbing the hem of the sweater over top and pulling it over his head, throwing it carelessly to the side* How do people stand to wear this shit? It’s constricting. *runs a hand through his hair, messing up the perfectly in place strands*:

 ((r u sure it’s constricting))

--

:I wear a button-up shirt nearly every day, I don't find it constricting in the slightest. *casually adds as the other removes the uncomfortable clothes, his eyes leisurely following down to his chest* Though, this outfit did look particularly nice on your figure.:

--

:And my others don't? *arches an eyebrow, obviously offended by the comment* *with sudden decision, he kicks off his shoes, glad to be rid of the uncomfortable, yet to be broken in shoes*:

--

:Well, I also think the leather fits you, but this gives you a different look entirely. It makes you seem- bigger, while the leather makes you seem more tough. *reaches out to skim the cloth covering his torso, marveling in its softness* - both are appealing.:

--

:*at the touch, he's surprised, but he supposes it's just another example of Near’s oddity and how he can do something socially unacceptable without realizing it* ... *manages to speak, after a moment* .. Well, good, because I don't plan to change.:

--

:*retracts his hand after a moment more, having his fill without any reason* I would never ask for such. I like Mello the way he is- subtracting some of the attitude, of course.:

--

:*watches as Near pulls away, wondering what caused the sudden movement* *frowns at what he says, though he doesn't deny it, knowing his attitude is especially evident around Near - but he figures it's his fault anyway* Well, I’ll change when you do.:

--

:*his eyebrow goes up, wondering what he could mean by something like that, as he’s never had an attitude with the other* Would you have me act like a loving spouse? Would you be not as angry then?:

--

:Maybe. Depends on what that includes. *as a final attempt of comfort, he kicks his feet up and on the coffee table in front of them, making sure to avoid hitting the leftover pastries and tea* *relaxes, content now that he’s had his fun with messing up Near’s plans for the day, even if it ended somewhat badly, but also glad it’s (mostly) over with*:

--

:*looks over at him, seeing how relaxed he is, a little perturbed that he’s so satisfied with himself* .. *a small idea forms in his mind, and he decides he can manage to go out of his comfort zone to get his own revenge* *without any warning he creeps up on him, swinging his leg over and effecting straddling the other, eyes direct on his* *his voice comes out soft, but it has emotional unlike his normal apathy* Ты такой замечательный муж, то почти сводит меня с ума..:

 (‘You’re such a wonderful husband, it almost drives me mad.’)

--

:*having closed his eyes to relax just a moment prior, they suddenly shoot open the moment he feels Near shift, him closing in happening before he can even process it* *once he realizes he’s effectively trapped, he doesn’t attempt to immediately shove him off despite being capable of doing so, feeling frozen in place as he speaks, the words sending a hot, twisting feeling straight to his gut* *not one to be outdone, he counters back, voice thick with challenge* Ой? Что тебе так обо мне нравится?:

 (‘Oh? What do you like so much abnout me then?’)

--

:*knew Mello wouldn’t immediately curb at that, so he’s prepared to play along, reaching forward to gently curl a strand of his hair around his finger* А что нет? Каждый раз, когда я смотрю на тебя, я таю. *mumbles, resting his free hand against his shoulder* Ты такой сильный..:

 (‘What doesn’t? When I look at you I want to melt.’ ‘You’re so superior..’)

 ((Gotta get that that inferior complex))

--

((U right))

 :*his last statement strikes a chord in him, fingers twisting into a half-closed grip against both his calves resting on either side of him* … *wonders for a moment what he’s getting at by doing this, but strangely, the mystery of it makes the situation even more enticing, deciding to continue playing along* Итак, значит ли это, что теперь ты хочешь быть моей маленькой домохозяйкой, Золотце?:

 (‘So, does this mean you’re willing to be my little housewife, my dear?’)

 ((The Золотце part is basically the equivalent of ‘my dear’ in english and ‘mon cheri’ in french btw))

 ((Btw I really wanna do a high school light and l au, we could give them their own outfits and everything))

--

:Домохозяйка? Это то, что вы хотите? *quietly responds, genuinely curious if Mello truly wants something like that or if he’s trying to make this difficult for him* *leans down a little, his hand drifting down to his chest* Я мог бы, если вы позаботитесь обо мне.:

 (‘Housewife? Is that what you want?’ ‘I could, as long as you take care of me.’)

--

--

:*unable to restrain himself, his head swimming, he leans forward, pressing a kiss to his jawline, before offering a single sharp nip just beneath* Hm.. Хорошо. По рукам.:

 (‘Hm.. Alright. Deal.’)

 ((Хорошо is the “Korosho” Eli always says, I think xD))

--

:--! *flinches at the sudden bite, reflexes telling him to move away, but he stays only to be pleasantly rewarded by a warm sensation creeping down his neck* Грязный трюк.. *looks at him with distracted eyes, the hand twirling that strand of hair now going full against his scalp, barely scraping against it* Мудак.:

 (‘Dirty Trick.. Asshole.’)

--

:*the vulgar language catches him off guard, and part of him wonders where he learned it from, but mostly, he’s too distracted to care* *a soft groan escapes him at the touch to his hair, surprising even himself, and he focuses on moving his hands up his sides, digging his fingers into his waist, subconsciously pulling him closer* .. Сделай это снова.:

 (‘.. Says you.’)

--

:*his breath quickly catches as he feels the nails pull him in like a hook, his fingers twitch, and all he can think to do is pull harder, liking the reaction before* --? *but as he moves against him, he can’t ignore the ‘growth’ he feels underneath, to which he can't help but feel satisfied* Hm. *without any warning he starts to removes himself from Mello’s lap, fully intending on leaving him to suffer*:

--

:-? *as soon as he feels the other’s disappearing body heat, he grows confused, rational long gone as he doesn't bother to contemplate his next move, using his hands against his waist to impulsively jerk him back into place, flush against his body* Кусок дерьма - *the words barely make it out of his mouth before he forces their lips together, kissing him hard and without thought*:

 (‘Little shit -’)

 ((We should include a matt scene again, pick up that subplot again))

--

:--? *just as he think he’s gotten his victory, he’s caught off guard as he’s suddenly pulled back against Mello’s body* *doesn’t have time to think before his lips meet with the other’s, his eyes closing out of response* Gn-- *despite the surprise, he can’t ignore how good it feels almost immediately, and having some experience now, he’s able to get into the flow before he grows frustrated by its heaviness* *pulls away quickly, looking down at him, flustered* -- don’t be so rough so quickly. I- don't like it:

--

:*frowns as he pulls away, immediately attempting to tug him closer before he speaks, and he pauses once he understands* - *grows somewhat embarrassed amongst his otherwise deluded feelings, subconsciously keeping him in place, twisting his fingers in the cloth of his shirt* You started it. You asked me to satisfy you.:

--

:*looks at him with a small hint of amusement, not able to stay angry at him as he notices the embarrassment on his face* If you want to satisfy me, then- Be more gentle. *speaks softly as he closes in, hand creeping to the back of his head to keep him interested* .. Тогда вы можете стать все труднее.:

 (‘.. Then you can get rough.’)

--

:And .. how do you know what you want? *his voice doesn't come out as intimidating as he’d like, much more distracted by the touch to his hair and sound of his voice, and he idly realizes it seems to take hardly anything to rile him up, a fact that settles strangely in his mind* Вот?:

 (‘Here?’)

_

:*intrigued by Mello’s somewhat passive responses, but he’s caught off guard by the question, contemplating it’s meaning* *grows a little more quiet, shrugging his shoulders* It’s- only kissing, and it’s my home. I can do what I want when I want.:

--

:Are you - what do you call it - exhibitionist? *smirks, but he doesn't bother waiting for an explanation, instead drawing him into a kiss, this time making an effort to be more gentle, but the feeling is strange, almost overwhelming* ..:

 ((He's not really using the term correctly xD))

--

:*rolls his eyes even into the kiss, but Mello’s lack of understanding English isn’t nearly as amusing as the kiss easily begins to affect it, it something unlike he’s felt before* *moves closer to him, idly grazing his fingertips against his chest, wanting to feel him as much as possible* Mm..:

--

:*refrains from digging his fingers into his sides again, settling at tracing them along his thighs, lightly* *leans into the kiss, beginning to feel dizzy as he carefully, slowly deepens it, the action oddly intimate* ...:

--

:*easily manages to progress along with him, his attention solely on the other and how the kiss feels, it sending pleasant shivers down his spine* Nn.. *can’t think about how any bad implications could come from this, fully immersed with his hands gently roaming to explore whatever they come across*:

--

:*the kiss is surprisingly pleasant, somehow making the promise of what’s to come even more anticipating, even if it is just this, but he feels content, despite having trouble keeping his touch soft* *once again, he feels the urge to grow rougher, for a moment pressing harder into it, one hand digging into the side of his hips, but it only lasts a moment before he remembers what they agreed on*..:

 ((so r we gon do ur idea))

--

:-! *at the sudden grip his flinches his hips, but the pain easily morphs into pleasure, it spurring on a sudden sense of eagerness to the kiss, moving closer to Mello with fingers digging in his shoulders* ..:

 “*doesn’t bother knocking, quickly allowing himself in as he continues speaking to Light behind him* I think he’ll approve of that. You still enjoy gyudon don’t you, Ne-- *looks in front of him to see Mello and Near on the couch in a- compromising position* ?”

 :-?! *didn’t even notice the door opening, it being too late to separate before he already hears L’s voice* *rapidly pulls himself away from Mello, his breath still heavy as he looks at them with wide eyes* Mother-!:

 “*his brows raises, a grin on his face* .. Perhaps you’d prefer Russian cuisine.”

--

:*grows confused the moment Near rapidly pulls away from him, attempting to grasp him again, but he stills the instant he realizes exactly why he moved in the first place, seeing both Light and L in the doorway*:

 “*upon seeing the two on the couch, shock freezing him in place, not ever having expected to see this from his son, even if he knows it’s only expected* *figures he’s feeling this way only because he’s his father, but even so, it wasn’t what he was expecting to see upon first walking in, and it’s even more incriminating considering Mello seems somewhat undressed* - Nate?”

 : - *starts to button his shirt back up, realizing how it may look, but he realizes the overall amusement of this situation, having cost Near so much embarrassment* *turns to Near, speaking to him* See, Near? I told you we should have waited.:

--

:Mihael. *practically grits his name through his teeth, and if he were any other person he would be tempted to hit him, but for now he settles for quickly removing himself from the other’s lap* -- I’m sorry, Father. We didn’t expect you back so quickly.:

 “Now now, don’t be such a prude, Light. *says with amusement, having more fun with Light’s reaction than anything* They’re married after all, and you can’t say we weren’t doing the exact same thing.”

 :*eyes widen, completely in awe at his mother’s lenience- and disgusting conversation* Are you punishing me?:

--

“You’re right. I’m sorry. *offers the apology with a smile, but it doesn’t sound entirely genuine* Anyway, this is where you live.”

 :*reaches over to take hold of Near’s hand once more, squeezing him gently, mumbling quietly for him to hear* Seems you can’t control yourself, Домохозяйка.:

 “*not having heard them, instead deciding to continue the conversation they initially meant to have, figuring it’s the easiest way to diffuse any tension* So, Nate - gyudon? What do you two think?”

 (‘Housewife.’)

--

:*gives Mello another mean look, though his face does get red at such a comment* *moves away easily, focusing on his father, giving him a small nod* That’s fine- as long as you and mother stay five feet apart.:

 “*smiles, taking his own seat on the loveseat across from Mello, just like they were a short while ago* No promises.”

--

“*sits next to L, moving an arm around his shoulders and effectively already going against Near’s wishes* Mihael? Have you ever tried it?”

 :*looks towards Light once he speaks directly to him, having been distracted by the subtle redness of Near’s face* - No, I haven’t. But I’m not very picky.:

--

:*looks at his parents grimly, annoyed that they won’t listen to him, but he guess that’s their own revenge, so he keeps quiet* - I’ll help you if you get up now, father.:

 “Oh, what a charming negotiation. *muses to Light, getting intentionally close to his face just to tease their son* You may want to take that offer before it never happens again.”

 (those parents)

--

“*leans in to press a kiss to his lips, letting it last a moment before finally retracting himself, offering L a gentle look before standing up, gesturing for Near to follow him* Alright, let’s go. It’s been a while since you’ve cooked with me.”

 :You’ve actually cooked before? *doesn’t actually want to get up, deciding he’d rather wait until they leave so he can finally - take care of other matters* Without burning the place down?:

 ((y dont i just @me next time))

--

:*rolls his eyes at his parents, crossing his arms at their overly-affectionate display, but thankfully he’s distracted by Mello’s question* I don’t go near the stove, I just help him with the minor things for the sake of ‘bonding’.:

 “*smiling softly at the warm kiss, easily letting him move away for him and his son to have their time together* *decides to lock eyes on Mello, deciding he needs a little discipline as well* I think Mello and I will sit here and have a conversation while you two make dinner. We need bonding time as well.”

 ((haha mello has to suffer through a boner))

--

((lol))

 :*his eyes dart towards L once he addresses him, wondering what the hell he’s planning* - Sure, that’s fine with me. *forces out in the nicest manner possible*:

 “You sure? *asks out of habit, before heading towards the door* Alright, well, we’ll be in the kitchen. C’mon, Nate.”

--

**

--

:*after a long afternoon and an admittedly pleasant dinner, his parents returned to their temporary home and he ended up showered and exchanged in a new set of pajamas, lazily drying his hair with a towel on the edge of his bed* *glances over at his bathroom, somewhat hesitant to speak up* -- There’s no reason to sleep in the same bedroom, they’re on an entirely different floor:

--

:*after having finally washed the sticky hairspray from his hair that’s kept it in place all day, he dries his head swiftly with a towel before tossing it on the sink’s counter* I’m using your shower, not sleeping in your bed. *adjusts the robe covering his body and lazily tied around his waist, deciding he’s finally finished, and so he exits the room, combing his hands through his hair* Not that you’ve ever minded.:

--

:*glances at him twice before he realizes what he’s wearing, his eyes wander for a moment before he suddenly turns away, pretending to be distracted with his hair* Maybe we should. *mumbles, before adding quickly* -just in case they came here in the middle of the night. They’re known to do that.:

--

:- Really? *believes him, surprised for a moment before he realizes it does sound like something his parents would do, after getting to know them throughout the day* That’s fucking weird. *mumbles offhandedly, moving to the small table where his phone is sitting, checking the messages and seeing he has quite a few from Matt talking about his latest date, and he begins to type a response, distracted from the conversation* .. Or are you just finding excuse to sleep with me?:

 ((he means that like literally sleeping))

--

((yes I know haley))

 :I am not. *speaks in a serious tone, tossing the towel on the floor after he’s done with it* Don’t act as if you’re not jumping at the opportunity to stay in here without the usual excuse at two in the morning.:

--

:*the sudden comment hits a little too close to home, and he can only look towards him with a mixture of irritation and bewilderment that he can be so direct* ... Fuck off. *drops his phone, allowing it fall onto the table without care, a bad mood developing* Don’t act like you don’t look forward to it.:

--

:*doesn’t have to look at Mello to understand he’s set him off, wondering when he became so in tune with the other’s emotions, but he quickly ignores that, appeasing him instead* I do look forward to it. *simultaneously patting the other side of the bed as he comments playfully* You’re rather thin for your height, but you’re still warm.:

--

:*rolls his eyes, not wanting to sit down out of spite, but he doesn’t feel like standing any longer* You’re lucky I’m tired. *sits on the mattress, kicking the comforters away as he leans back against the pillows* Is that all I’m good for? Heat?:

--

:And the occasional conversation. *repeats the same process Mello does, bringing his feet up to his chest for added comfort* What’s wrong with enjoying the company of my husband for one more night?:

--

:Nothing, I guess. *responds casually, crossing his arms behind his head to rest against* You could just hire someone to do this for you, since I’m not here every night. And you seem so obviously desperate for - what, warmth? Conversation? *glances towards him, the hint of a smile on his face*:

--

:Hmph. *doesn’t respond beyond a small huff at first, defiantly shaking his head* It took me weeks to be able to comfortably have you in my room for more than a minute, much less lay in my bed. It’s too much of a hassle to train another spouse.:

--

:I feel honored. *responds sarcastically, then decides to continue once he realizes what he said* - I’m not trained. You haven't taught me how to do shit.:

--

:*”looks at him, but not before he rolls his eyes* You are too sensitive. I never said anything about training you. After the first night, you understood things. *adds quietly, a little reluctant to add this* .. I meant so that I would like them.:

--

:I haven't done anything intentionally to please you. *says simply, it being true - despite the instances he remembers being patient, such as letting him go at his own pace when they were traveling to tourist destinations* .. You seem like you’re uncaring anyway.:

--

:I do care about some things. *defiantly mumbles, not like the assumption, even if he does act that way quite often* I cared enough to go in public with you. I allowed you your privacy by taking the tracker off your phone. *lays his head against his hand to relax* I even tried to cook for you, remember?:

--

:And how did that turn out? *chuckles, recalling the incident, the food having somehow been both undercooked and burnt* Maybe you’re not a good housewife.:

--

:*looks at him as if that’s an obvious statement, flicking him on his shoulder* The point is, I tried many new things to make your stay here pleasant. Things I wouldn’t do with just anyone.:

--

:.. I never said I didn't appreciate it. *mumbles, fidgeting for a moment before distracting himself by grabbing a book he left here a few nights before, opening it to where he left off, worried over the direction of this conversation* .. So? This makes us friends, then?:

--

:*the question strikes him as strange, to which he doesn't have an answer for at first, only offering a small shrug* *plays with his hair idly as he watches him read* Do friends kiss like we do? And sleep together?:

 (He’s genuinely asking if that's a thing)

--

:*is about to respond ‘no’, but he realizes that it is actually something that occurs* .. Sometimes. Not usually. *keeps the answer simple after realizing Near is likely genuinely asking the question, keeping his eyes on the book in front of him* .. We’ve only kissed twice anyway.:

--

:I suppose you’re right. *takes his word to heart, thinking maybe it truly is something just between friends, to which he suddenly feels conflicted in his feelings* Then we’re friends.:

--

:... Is there something wrong with that? *looks towards him, wondering what's going through his mind, momentarily forgetting about his book*:

--

:No. *responds simply, trying to ignore the confusion he has for their new label* *lays himself down on the pillow again, closing his eyes to relax* I’m happy you want to be my friend.:

--

:*the sentimentality is too much, heat rising to his face out of embarrassment, but he hopes the other doesn't notice his discomfort over the foreign situation, mulling the label over as well* ... Well, it's unavoidable, right?:

--

:Technically not. *peeks an eye open, ignorant to the blush on Mello’s face, lucky for him* Things could have been very different for us. You could have left, we could have never spoken and been parted after a month without a second thought.:

--

:... *turns the page, realizing he's right, though he didn't expect him to voice it aloud and so directly* .. Should I?:

--

:-? *becomes more alert now, almost concerned that was what he wanted to hear the entire time* .. *swallows softly, remaining as passive as possible* Do you want to?:

--

: ... *doesn’t answer at first, his initial gut answer unsettling, as he's never been in a situation before where he couldn't easily leave due to emotions* .. *sighs heavily, setting the book face down in his lap* ... Come here.:

--

:... *doesn’t respond to him initially, but slowly he considers it, scooting his body over to get closer to his side, still keeping his hands close to his chest* Is this your way of telling me goodbye? I know you aren’t one for words.:

--

:*as he comes closer, he brings an arm around his shoulders and drawing him against him* ... *remains silent for the moment, weighing the options heavily* .. No. You’d know if I was leaving.:

--

:*the decline does take him by surprise, but he doesn’t anticipate anything from the other, only deciding to enjoy whatever this is while it lasts* - Will you tell me what happened to you in Russia? I’ve gone through many possibilities, but can’t pinpoint why you would leave the mafia, or why they’re searching for you.:

--