#so honestly it just gave me a bit of nostalgia it was nice to see the characters i really cared abt once again yk….

[lesbianlenas]

Good for you! BTW - I’m not mocking you - I’m being sincere. I never watched “Teen Wolf” but I’ve seen everyone else complain and basically stew in a never ending pot of hate and negativity and it’s nice to see someone else being above that (seriously if you don’t like you don’t have to watch it)

lol i think the reason i don’t feel so negative abt it is that i was expecting it to be a lot worse than it was so when i watched it i was like. oh ok it’s just like teen wolf bad lol. the narrative was p awful but the characters made it for me so i had a good time. also they brought back one of my favorite tv characters whose death scarred me at age 14 or w/e so at the end of the day what do i have to complain abt genuinely. trying to see the best in things these days 🤩 also i don’t even like stiles so i had an advantage going in ngl!

[leilani-lily]

~Oh Deer~ (Chapter 9)

A thousand apologies my dearest does and bucks ｡°(°.◜ᯅ◝°)°｡

This took much longer than anticipated; I hit a bit of a wall, and time escaped from me. But we're here! We trekkin' on! The story continues \( ᐖ)/

.... And we're actually splitting this into 3 rather than 2 because over 6k later and we're still not done yet so ahaha! Whoopsies~ (´∀｀);

｡°⚠︎°｡ Final note. This is a WARNING that this chapter includes mention of VIOLENCE, GORE, and SEXUAL ASSAULT so please read with caution if this is a trigger for you!! ｡°⚠︎°｡

Thank you all for your love and support, honestly ꨄ I've been feeling down lately and re-reading comments has really helped to boost my spirits and push me to keep going! I love y'all dearly ( •̯́ v •̯̀)♡

OK! Without further ado~ SYNOPSIS: AroAce! Alastor x Chef!Singer! Reader. You venture off on your own to grab Alastor's gift, unaware of the dangers to follow... Word Count: 6.2k Chapter under the cut! ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Your feet pounded on the pavement below you and you jogged towards the coffee stall. Your eyes were sharp and alert and your grip on Alastor’s microphone tight. You knew you had to be quick and extra careful now being on your own. But surprisingly enough, you weren’t afraid. Your blood was pumping with adrenaline, and with Alastor’s staff, you felt more powerful than you ever had in your entire life. It was exhilarating, to say the least.

Dodging in between sinners and recognizing landmarks, you were able to find the vendor in question without any problems. You breathed a sigh of relief, coming to a stop in front of the display table and taking a moment to catch your breath. A large, older imp with a white goatee raised an eyebrow at you questioningly from behind the counter. Finally, you stand up straight and give him a quick smile before your eyes flickered over everything he had to offer. 

As much as you enjoyed some of the quirky mugs on display, you knew in your heart what you really wanted. The problem is, you only knew the bare basics about coffee; you had no idea what made a good machine or not. You glanced around at all of the modern tech and felt your shoulders sag. Alastor would hate all of these; you needed something from his time; something more classical. 

“Somethin’ ya looking fer in pa’ticular dollface?”

You lifted your head to the imp across from you. He was leaning against the table with his other hand on his hip, his eyes tired and dull. You gave him a sheepish grin, clearing your throat quickly. 

“Ah, yes please…” you start, “This might sound weird. I’m looking for something from the 30’s that helps to brew coffee.” a thought crossed your mind, and you could feel yourself beginning to sweat, “I… uh. Actually. I don’t even know what they used back then… A kettle? Or some sort of special press…?” Your eyes drifted down awkwardly. Satan’s Ass, you have no idea what the Hell you’re looking for. This guy’s gonna think you’re an idiot. 

To your relief the imp said nothing, but you could tell he was judging you hard. He looked you up and down before simply shrugging off the table and turning on the spot. He began to shuffle through the shelving unit behind him, tea kettles and mugs clattering as he searched. The imp spoke to you over his shoulder.

“Ehhh, I don’ know girlie. I know I had somethin’ a while ago, but might’ve been snatched already.” he shuffled some more, “Antiques like dat are hard ta find, n’ when ya do, dey sell pretty quickly. Humans n’ nostalgia n’ all ‘at.” 

You could feel your fingers fidgeting nervously; you really hoped you didn’t just risk your safety for nothing. The excitement from earlier was beginning to fizzle out with the thought of not being successful. Maybe you could get him a nice mug instead? Or maybe one of those cute, little stirring spoons…

“Well I’ll be blessed th’n damned again…”

You looked up to the seller to see him turn around, a crooked smile on his face as he held what looked like two glass pots connected like an hour-glass. Your eyes widened in amazement at the strange looking contraption. 

“Called a ‘Silex Vacuum Siphon’. D’know what year it’s from, but ya ain't gonna find something more vintage den dis, I can guarantee.”

You tucked Alastor’s mike under your arm as you carefully took the glass contraption in your hands. It was definitely used, and could use a good cleaning. But there were no cracks or chips to be seen, no major damage that could affect its ability to brew. Given it was nearly a century old, it was in fairly good condition.

“It’s perfect.” you breathed, thumb grazing over the glass tenderly as your heart pittered excitedly. Alastor would absolutely love this, you just knew it. You had to get it for him, it was like it was destiny. Your head whipped up to the seller.

“How much?”

Said imp looked you up and down for a moment before his eyes landed near your arm. A sly smile crept up his mouth as his pupils flicked back up to your face.

“How ‘bout that fancy lookin’ cane o’ yours?”

Immediately you placed the siphon back down and clutched the microphone close to your chest, shooting daggers at the creature in front of you. “Absolutely not.”

To your relief, the imp just smiled and shrugged his shoulders, “Eh. Was woith a shot.” he chuckled, helping your tense shoulders to slowly relax. His eyes darted between you and the siphon, clearly deep in thought before crossing his arms.

“400”

You felt your breath catch in your throat. For fuck sakes, you figured it would be expensive, but this was highway robbery. And you knew very well that he knew that too; he was totally upping the price knowing how desperate you are. And as much as you needed it, you didn’t have enough on you. A thought crossed your mind, something you had observed when you explored the market. With as much confidence as you could muster, you laid your hands flat on the table and leaned in, giving him a very serious look.

“200”

The imp’s smile creaked up to his ears. “375”

You had to stop yourself from smiling and breaking the facade. It was working. Thank God, he seemed like the type who enjoyed a little haggling. If you could just get him down a little more, maybe you could actually pull this off.

“250”

“350”

“300” You finally declare, before quickly adding, “And! you wrap it up nicely for me.” you stare him down, leaning back up and crossing your arms in front of you. “That’s my final offer.”

The background noise of the market droned on as you both glared at each other across the booth. Eventually, the imp’s lips curled up devilishly before giving a sigh and shaking his head.

“Ya drive a hard bargain toots. Deal.” He cocked an eyebrow and reached a clawed hand out. You shook his hand coolly, but it was so hard to contain the excitement bouncing around in your chest. There was something exhilarating about negotiating prices; you could see why some demons got such a high off of coming to markets like these. Of course, this purchase was still going to drain you of all your cash, but it was well worth it. 

While he got to work bubble wrapping the siphon, you basically dumped your purse out and gave him every cent you had. He made sure to cushion the glass carefully and even found an empty box to place it in for double security. You honestly didn’t know how this interaction would've gone; you were initially worried he would’ve robbed you blind or threatened you. But as he handed you the bag with the goods and gave a final nod, you were beyond relieved to find that he actually seemed to be a decent guy. Maybe this market wasn’t completely full of thieves and swindlers like you had thought. 

You were practically skipping down the alley, one hand tight around Alastor’s microphone and the other holding your precious gift (but careful not to swing it around too much). You couldn’t wait to give this to him. You could feel your whole body tingling with anticipation. You really hoped that it did make a good cup of coffee; it would be a shame if it didn’t. Even so, it was such a funky looking thing, at the very least it could make for a cool decoration and hopefully bring back fond memories… You wondered how much of a difference there was between drinking coffee from a coffee machine or a siphon. You’d have to brew a pot with him tomorrow morning and-!

Your daydreaming was instantly snatched away as you were quickly dragged into the darkness of the ally beside you.

You went to scream but a large paw had clamped around your mouth before you could utter a sound. The bag slipped from your grasp and fell to the ground with a clatter, but thankfully you kept your grip on the staff tight. You immediately went to swing your arms, but both your wrists were grabbed, looking like mere toothpicks in the claws of the Hell Hounds that pulled you in. You kicked your feet up in protest as your yells were muffled, but you were no match for the sheer strength these creatures had as they dragged you further into the darkness and away from the crowds. They hauled you backwards until you felt your heels no longer dragged, indicating you had stopped, but you were barely aware of your surroundings. You continue to thrash your shoulders around and kick your feet up, desperately trying to escape like a caged wild animal. 

“Now now, there’s no reason to cause such a ruckus.”

Your eyes flash open and whip to the deep voice ahead of you. Your eyes fall onto a large silhouette leaning against the wall to your right, the brightness of the market ahead of you shading your captor’s full appearance. But as he pushed off and stepped closer, your eyes adjusted and were finally able to take in the finer details. Dripped in a rugged leather jacket and ripped jeans, the wolf looking Hell Hound sauntered towards you. His grin was fierce, and neon-yellow eyes practically glowed in the darkness. You could feel your mouth go dry and your legs turn to jelly. 

Your initial frenzied shock subsiding, you took a moment to look up at your two captors holding you back, One seemed to be a tall, muscular Mastiff with a slobbery snarl, his paws holding your right wrist and shoulder. The other was a Doberman type with cropped ears and sharp eyes, gripping tightly to your mouth and other wrist. You mumble out a pathetic plea and shimmy your shoulders again, trying to get their attention and hope that they take pity, but they pay you no mind, focusing instead on their alpha. 

“Don’t even bother chickie,” the silver dog snarked, making you turn your attention back to him, “We Hounds are very loyal to our pack; they’ll only listen to me.” Your eyes narrowed into angry slits, shooting daggers at the alpha. He merely snickered in reply. 

“You’re probably wondering who we are,” he mused, putting his hands behind his back and calmly pacing in front of you.  “Wondering what we want, why you’re here, ‘yadda yadda ya…” the dog babbled, making a yapping motion with his claws. He turned to you and gave you a cocky grin. “You should know that we don’t usually do this kind of thing… we’re actually nice guys once you get to know us!”

The two dogs behind you chuckle darkly, not at all making you feel reassured. 

“We’re nothing but humble thieves,” the wolf continued, sauntering back over to you, “Steal enough to make a humble living. Only take what we need. Provide for the pack. Today was supposed to be like any other…” 

The alpha’s yellow eyes suddenly grew dull, his smug smile slowly falling to a sneer as he stopped in front of you. The look on his face made a nervous shudder crawl down your spine. 

“... Until that ugly ass, bob-cut bastard stepped in.”

Bob-cut…? What in the Hell is he-

“Tyrion was so sneaky about it too, I was sure the wallet was as good as ours.” the wolf continued, his voice a mix of sorrow and venom. “But then that red-clad fucker saw him and…” you noticed his paws clench into tight fists, his eyes narrowing angrily. 

Red-clad… Oh god… could he mean?

“I saw it with my own eyes. That mad-man butchered him like a pig. Didn’t even give him a chance to apologize or make amends.” His nose was scrunched up in rage before it softened, his eyes holding the tiniest bit of horror, “But I think what was the most haunting was the way that creep smiled the entire time. Almost as if he was enjoying it.”

… God fucking damnit Alastor. 

“You seemed like such an easy target too.” the alpha’s neon eyes flicked up to you. “We didn’t realize what kind of monster you had on a leash.”

You felt your heart sink into your stomach as you recalled that wild look in Alastor's eyes earlier, the way his smile seemed sharper... Damnit, you felt so stupid now. How did you not notice? Dear God, how many others had died today by Alastor’s hands? It was clear that this ‘Tyrian’ was trying to steal from you, but did that really warrant death? You felt a twinge of guilt settling in your stomach. 

“So when my boy’s noticed you gallivanting on your own, I couldn’t believe our luck.” the wolf chuckled, leaning in closer until you were face to face, “You seriously made our job so much easier.”

Your cast-down gaze immediately scrunched into one of distrust, feeling your body become on-edge as you focused back on your captor. The wolf smirked at your helplessness, eyeing you up and down before his gaze fell to your left hand. His eyebrows shot up in interest.

“And look at this!” He taunted, leaning back up and reaching for Alastor’s staff, “You even brought us an apology gift! What a nice little girl~”

Your eyes widened in horror, trying to jerk your hand away from the wolf’s grasp. But the Doberman held your wrist tight, making it near impossible for you to do anything as the alpha grabbed hold of the microphone and ripped it from your grasp. You let out a whimper of despair as it left your hand, to which the silver dog’s ears perked, and turned to give you a hungry look.

“Hmmm, what a pretty sound. Almost makes me want to hear it again~”

You could feel your blood boiling at his words, and in a fit of rage, you kick your feet up aggressively. To your dismay, the leader jumped out of the way in time, a joyous laugh escaping his muzzle as he hopped to the side. The two dogs holding you immediately tightened their grip on you, pulling you back and holding you more securely. You huffed through your nose like an angry bull, shooting the wolf a venomous glare as he howled and dusted off his jacket. 

“Wooh! And feisty too. Gotta admit, that just turns me on more~” he grinned, showcasing his sharp fangs and blackened gums. His pupils flicked between his friends, “Do me a favor boys, secure those legs of hers so she doesn’t do that again.” 

Almost immediately, the two henchmen each step on your feet with their large paws, pinning your feet underneath theirs. You try to lift your legs up and away to test your mobility, but sure enough, your feet were locked in place. Panic started to settle now realizing just how much trouble you were in, and instinctively, you jut your shoulders out aggressively to try and once again escape. The wolf snickered at your struggles, slowly moving closer to you. 

“Now originally, we were just going to kill you and leave it at that.” the alpha hummed, eyes slowly grazing your body, “But hey, why stop there? Why waste a perfectly good meal without getting the chance to have a bite~”

Faster than lightning, his free paw came up and slashed at your chest, making you cry out in pure agony underneath the Doberman's paw. White specs blotted your sight as your mind froze in shock. You didn’t have to look to know; you could feel what he had done. Your body felt both cold and hot, from where your dress was torn and your body exposed to the air, and from where you could feel your blood begin to soak into what remained of your dress. You tried so hard to not make too many noises after the wolf's disgusting words, but the way your skin was burning, it was hard not to. Your eyes were beginning to water as you focused your attention back on the leader. Guilt be damned, you didn’t feel a thing for these bastards anymore. You wanted to make them hurt the way they hurt you. 

Outrage helped you find the strength to thrash around again, desperately trying to free your limbs so you could land a punch, a kick, anything. The Hell Hound took a step back to avoid your violent thrashing, chuckling at your display and licking his lips.

“Calm down now Sheila, don’t make this harder than it needs to be. It will be over before you know it…” He began his advance again, and you could feel your skin begin to prickle with panic. You continue your thrashing, lifting your legs and pulling at your arms, hoping that something would give way before it was too late.

And by the grace of God above, you felt your left shoe loosen under the paw of the Doberman.

An opportunity.

You spring into action, giving your left knee one final thrust upwards, making your foot pop out of your shoe and free from its confinement. Without even thinking, you slam it down hard into the Doberman’s bottom foot, making sure to dig your heel in deep. The skinny dog howled in agony, his grip on your arm and mouth loosened, giving you the chance you needed to act. As he bends over to grab at his tender paw, you bring your left arm across your chest and swiftly ram your elbow right into his muzzle. The force, along with his now injured foot, is enough to send him toppling over and slamming onto the ground, clutching his now bloodied nose.

Not wasting a precious second, you take the momentum from your left elbow and swing it over to your right, turning your body and socking the Mastif right in the face. He too yelps in pain, letting go of your right arm and freeing your other foot. As he steps back, distracted by the punch you landed, you grab him by the shoulders and lunge your left knee square into his groin. The Hell Hound let out a pathetic squeak as he immediately crumpled to the ground, curling into fetal position as he cradled his tenders.

Two down. One to go.

“Oh you BITCH!”

Right as you turn to face the wolf, his arm was already raised and ready to strike, swiftly bringing it down and backhanding your cheek. You cry out in pain, the sheer strength knocking you off your feet and making you fall harshly on your backside, cracking your head on the pavement. Your bun had come undone, your hair curtaining your glassy gaze as you watched the alpha throw the microphone to the side and stomp towards you. Too dazed by the blow, you felt him come down on you and straddle your hips, bringing his paws down over your throat.

“You think you’re tough shit girlie?” he snarled, his grip on your neck tightening, “Let’s see how tough you are once you beg for mercy.” 

You gasped for air desperately, your hands clawing at his paws and legs kicking out behind him. Your heart was racing anxiously, eyes darting all around you to see if there was anything around that could help you. A shimmer of light catches your eye, and you're just able to turn your head ever so slightly to your right. Your silver hair pin glistened in the light beside you, like a gift from God himself. 

You turn your attention back to the wolf, not wanting to reveal your plan to him. You could feel your vision begin to spot from lack of oxygen, but you stretch out your right arm, desperately trying to reach the pin without making it obvious. You felt the cool metal suddenly come in contact with your fingertips, rolling it closer to you into it finally was tight in your fist. With as much strength as you could muster, you swing your arm up and over, stabbing your assaulter right where his shoulders met his neck.

The wolf immediately howled in pain, rolling to his side and off you to grasp at the makeshift weapon lodged in his neck. You gasped for breath, feeling your blurry vision slowly speckle back as you choked in air. Exhaustion was taking over at this point; your head felt heavy from all the blows, and you could feel your body becoming numb from the blood-loss. Your eyes lazily scanned the area until they locked on Alastor’s mike, and you knew this would be your last chance if you wanted to survive this. 

You force your weak body to move, crawling on the ground as quick as you could towards the staff, scratching your arms and stomach as you went. You whimpered in agony, wishing to just give up and let sleep take over. But Alastor was waiting for you. Your friends back at the hotel were waiting. You couldn’t give up, not after coming this far.

Finally, you manage to stretch out and grab the mike, pulling it close to your mouth and taking a big breath.

“ALAS-!”

A fuzzy hand gripped your ankle and yanked you whole body away, making you cry out in fear as your plea was cut off. Your body scrapped painfully on the ground, dirt and tiny rocks grating against your open wounds. You whip your body around, cane still tight in hand and flinging it over to strike your opponent. But the wolf caught it skillfully in his paw, his pupils constricted and baring his fangs, the fur on his neck now sticky and tainted red. 

“Enough of this shit.”

The hound threw the staff out of your grasp and to the side, straddling you once again, but this time pinning both your arms over your head with one arm and leaning over you dangerously. You sobbed out in agony, your mind desperately telling your body to fight, but too exhausted to react. The alpha sneered down at you, panting and eyes wild with fury.

“Believe me when I say I find no pleasure in killing.” he growled, his hot breath hitting your face and making you whine out in dread. “But now…” The dog began to raise his free arm high in the air, his claws extracting with a sharp sound. 

“I’m gonna enjoy watching you bleed out.” 

A sob escaped your throat, tears streaming down your face in thick streams. This was it. This was going to be how you died. You had never actually died in Hell yet, and a part of you was scared. How long until you came back to life? Would you remember any of this… Fuck, would you remember anything at all? You couldn’t imagine a life outside of the hotel, not now. Not without the friends you've made. Certainly not without Alastor. The thought was unbearable. 

His arm came down swiftly, and you cried out in terror, shutting your eyes tight and turning your head, trying to block out the nightmare in front of you. You heard a slash of skin being torn and felt your whole body tense at the sound. You waited for the searing pain, for the blood to gush out from you until you became numb. 

But oddly enough, you didn’t feel anything.

You dared to peek up at the wolf on top of you, a peculiar look on his face as he was frozen in mid swing. His eyelid twitched, mouth partially open before his top half suddenly began to … slide?

“Funny you should say that, I was thinking ₮ⱧɆ ɆӾ₳₵₮ ₴₳₥Ɇ ₮Ⱨł₦₲.” 

Before you could comprehend where the voice came from, the wolf's upper body slid clean off his waist, toppling to the side and beside you on the ground. You slowly sat up, unable to speak as blood began to pool around you, both from his severed chest and his hips and legs. A large black tentacle came up from behind you and grabbed onto one of the wolf's ankles, picking up the severed lower section and flinging it off of your body. You blink in recognition, feeling your  initial shock subside and your chest tighten with hope. You turned around towards your saviour, but had to hold in your gasp at the creature behind you.

Microphone once again tight in his grasp, this demon was as tall as the buildings surrounding you; body barely able to fit between the narrow alleyway as he bent over you. Horns tripled in size and much more resembled deer antlers, black tentacles splayed from his back and writhing around, huge hands and talons sharp, eyes black as night and scarlet pupils in the shape of  dials, and a red ‘x’ on his forehead burning brightly. 

You had never seen Alastor in this state; in his true demonic form. You almost didn’t believe it was him. But his characteristic smile was ever present, your skin feeling that familiar buzz of electricity from his sound waves. You knew just how powerful he was, but to witness him at his full potential, it truly was a sight to behold. 

The giant form was watching you this whole time, dials flickering over your tiny body below him. From your face, to your torn chest and dress, to your bloodied legs, and back up to you. You felt a chill crawl down your spine as you locked eyes, your breath catching in your throat. Any other person would have been terrified looking up at such a creature, but oddly enough, you felt the safest you had ever been. Though you could feel the outrage that was emanating from his very body, you could sense the recognition in his eyes, the kindness deep within those haunting eyes.

The clatter of a loose can snapped you both out of your gaze, Alastor whipping his giant head up and forward, once again sharp and on alert. You heard a whimper of fright and manage to notice the Mastiff tumble out from the shadows and begin to run, yelling like a child and scrambling to get as far away as possible. There was a sudden buzz in the air, the Radio Demon’s smile curling up on his face and drooling blood. A chilling laugh escaped his throat, his jaw practically unhinging like a snake. 

“Well that was not a wise decision on your part…” Alastor growled, his voice deeper and booming as the sound practically shook the ground beneath you. His large body began to move forward, crawling like an animal and the screeching of static ringing out in the air.

“Don’t you know a hunter ⱤɆⱠł₴ⱧɆ₴ ł₦ ₳ ₲ØØĐ ₵Ⱨ₳₴Ɇ??”

The Overlord pounds forward, surprisingly fast for his size as the Hell Hound screeches in horror, sprinting further into the darkness of the alleyway ahead. You sat in the pool of the alpha’s blood, still stunned at the events of this afternoon and unable to do anything other than sit and stare. You numbly look over to the severed wolf beside you, his eyes already glossy and deprived of any life.

One.

You look back up to the large lanky demon stomping forward, laughing maniacally as whimpered screams of the Mastiff could be heard bouncing off the brick walls.

Two.

You blinked for a moment, your brain slow to process, but eventually catching up to the current events and what seemed wrong about this picture.

Fuck. 

Where was the Doberman. 

You heard some shuffling from behind a dumpster and whip your head over, your previous question instantly being answered. The skinny dog limped forward, eyes locked on Alastor and unaware of you watching him. He limped forward, his right paw still sore from you stomping on it. But his arm was tucked into his jacket suspiciously, and you felt your eyes narrow dubiously. A soft click snapped from inside the cloth, and the Doberman pulled out what appeared to be a gun, pointing it right at Alastor’s back. 

But there was something about this weapon that made you feel uneasy. The silver finishes that swirled around it, the way it practically radiated light in the darkness. There was something about this weapon that felt unnatural; like it didn’t belong in this world.

It seemed almost… Holy… 

You felt your blood run cold. 

It was all a blur. Rage and fear had taken full control of your body. Whatever exhaustion you had felt earlier was forgotten, whatever aches and pains slowing you down were no longer a hindrance. Completely fuelled with adrenaline and desperation, you scramble forward, bending over and grabbing your hair pin splayed on the ground. You sprint at a speed in which you never had before, screeching out Alastor’s name in warning before leaping onto the hound from behind.

The Doberman shouted in protest, raising his arms in defense and misfiring. The sound ricocheted off the walls, causing the Radio Demon to whip his head around, mouth half full of the Mastiff to a sight truly unbeheld. 

Your legs tight around the Dobermans waist, your one hand gripped at his head while the other continuously stabbed him in the neck. The dog clawed away at your arms desperately, howling out in pain as blood began to gush from his throat. But his screams were nothing compared to yours. Like a wild animal, you shrieked in fury, holding him tight and eyes feral as you punctured his neck again and again. The Doberman’s eyes eventually rolled to the back of his head, falling to his knees and landing face first on the ground. But as you went down with him, you continued your assault, kneeling over him with both arms overhead and slamming the hair pin into his back again and again and again.

Alastor watched from afar, jaw hanging open and the Mastiff’s carcass falling out from between his razor teeth. Never had he imagined he would see a spectacle such as this, certainly not from the likes of you. Not the girl who sang jazz in the kitchen, laughed at his horrendous puns, and slept so peacefully in his presence. He was convinced you were an angel in disguise, too pure for this damned world. 

And yet.

Here you were, stabbing and slashing and drenched in another's blood.

And he got to witness it.

Your furious screams started sputtering into sobs, and Alastor immediately snapped out of his thoughts. He immediately shifted into the shadows, slithering to you at lightning speed and emerging beside you, back to his regular appearance and hesitating a moment before gently placing both his hands on your shoulders.

“Y/n,” he spoke tenderly, “Y/n, darling. It’s ok. He’s gone. You’re safe.”

The sound of his voice made you whip your head up to him, snapping you out of your daze. Your eyes were wide with horror making Alastor flinch, unsure how you were going to react. Immediately, you turn your upper body to him, grabbing onto his cheeks with bloodied hands and inspecting his face all over.

“Are you ok??” you sob, eyes panicked and looking all over his body, “you didn’t get hit, did you?? God please tell me you’re ok!”

Alastor blinked back his confusion, his eyebrows furrowing at your words. “Of course I’m alright my dear, whatever do you-!”

A glimmer of light caught his eye, and his gaze was momentarily pulled away from your frantic face. Upon laying eyes over the peculiar weapon, he felt his eyes widen in recognition. There was no mistaking the silver swirls decorating the gun. He had heard rumours of such weapons, not yet having the pleasure of seeing anything of the like in real life. 

He had heard the gunshot earlier, and was worried you were on the other end of the rifle which had triggered him to turn. But he hadn’t considered that the bullet was intended for him. Of course, a regular bullet wound was of no concern to him, he had survived much worse. 

But a bullet from an angelic weapon? 

As he formed the picture in his head, you calling out his name desperately and your sudden panic for his well being, it didn’t take him long to put the pieces together. 

You didn’t kill out of self defense.

You had killed to protect him.

You had killed for him. 

His mind was tumbling with this new wave of information and emotions, something that he didn’t often struggle with. But he felt your hands slip away from his face, causing him to focus back on you. Your head was bent down, hair draping over and covering your face, and soon your shoulders began to tremble. The distinct sound of you crying caused a jolt to shoot up Alastor’s spine, and immediately he lowered a hand under your chin to tilt your head up towards him. Sure enough, big salty tears were streaming down your face. But what caught him the most off guard was the weepy smile spread across your face. 

“Thank God.” you wept, your voice so soft he almost didn’t hear it, “I-I was so worried… I couldn’t live with myself if…” your lip trembled as you burst into tears. Whether they were tears of relief or fear, he wasn’t sure, but one thing was for certain.

Alastor had never seen someone so shaken at the thought of him dying.

And that made him feel… something. 

But he didn’t have time to delve into that. Not right now. He had to address this situation before he could dissect his thoughts. He knelt beside you, truly taking in your state of dress and being. Your dress was torn to shreds and blood-soaked, your chest bearing deep claw marks, the side of your head had dried blood spilling from your hairline, cheek swollen, scrapped stomach and legs, and bruises scattered all over your body. 

Rage swelled up in his body. Furious at the hounds who did this to you. Bitter at you for thinking that going off on your own was a good idea. And most of all, outraged at himself for allowing this to have happened in the first place. And when that last thought trickled into his brain, he felt something else slither in his mind to replace that anger. An ancient feeling he hadn’t felt in a very long time; ever since he was alive. 

Guilt.

What a terrible emotion. He hated it with every fiber of his being. He never felt regret or sorrow for the actions he took since descending to Hell. Why would he when dealing with demons and creatures alike that he saw as mere obstacles in his way? But as he looked down at your crumpled form, his usual sunny sparrow clipped of her wings and trembling before him. Knowing that he had broken his promise of protecting you… 

His eyebrows furrowed, ears falling flat on his head as his jaw clenched tightly. 

Of course, you weren’t at all aware of the torment currently happening in Alastor’s mind. You were just so damn relieved he was ok, and that you were alive to tell the tale. Your choked sobs were slowly lessening, trying to focus on your breathing and just so freaking grateful to still have oxygen in your lungs. As you took deep breaths to calm your racing heart, you could feel your eyes growing tired, body slowly relaxing finally knowing the horror was over. The aches and pains were coming back to life, your chest especially burning painfully and your dress sticky with blood. Whatever adrenaline that was pumping through your veins was fastly subsiding, blood loss making your head heavy and limbs numb. 

You didn’t even realize you were falling over until you felt long arms catch you, holding you up so you didn’t hit the ground. You could hear the familiar buzz of Alastor’s radio-like voice speaking to you, but your head was swimming, and your ears weren’t able to pick up what he was saying. You tried to look up at him, but your vision was so blurred, he was just a red fuzz in your eyes. You were so tired; you just wanted to sleep. And Alastor’s body was so warm and familiar, it was like a comforting blanket. You leaned in closer to his body, desperate for that feeling after such a harrowing event.  

You could feel yourself fading fast, and a single thought emerged that made you panic a moment. The bag. The present. You can’t leave that damned thing behind. You reached out a hand and lazily padded at Alastor’s chest, mumbling out a string of words that you prayed made sense. The red blob tilted to the side, and you knew he was confused, but you couldn’t fully explain yourself. He was smart, you knew he would figure it out. And you knew he would take care of you; you were in safe hands now. 

You could finally allow yourself to sleep. 

Your vision was quickly dimming, darkness beginning to surround you until eventually your eyelids fell shut and you blacked out completely.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

FIRST PREVIOUS NEXT

My beautiful does and bucks: @saccharine-nectarine @doowopshewop @mysterypotatoink @wendds @crispybelieverworld @raicomme ((WE GOT MORE BEAUTIFUL SINNERS YAY ꨄ ))

[lumosandnoxwriting]

you wanting me tonight feels impossible || George Weasley

Title: you wanting me tonight feels impossible Pairing: George x Reader Summary: running into an old friend just might be the thing you need Warnings: mentions of cheating but it does not take place between George and the reader!  A/N: here she is, the next part! Honestly writing this fic gave me major nostalgia vibes, to me it feels like a fic I would have written back when i first started on tumblr and honestly im not mad about it.

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

“Y/N?”

She turns at the sound of her name, eyes widening in surprise at who she finds standing behind her. 

“Oh no way. George, hi,” Y/N greets. Her stomach flutters at the grin that spreads across his face, her mouth running dry at how good he looks. 

The last time she’d seen George they were seventeen, and he was flying away from Hogwarts with Fred by his side. Most people had been laughing, overfilled with joy at watching the twins get one last prank over on old Umbridge before they disappeared into the night. And Y/N had been happy too, but she also found herself a bit mournful. 

Her and George weren’t exactly friends she’d say, but acquainted in the way people from other houses were with each other after being in the same classes for seven years. They were friendly with each other in the halls and in classes, and the few times they’d been paired up for projects George had always been nice, and stuck around to talk with her about things unrelated to school or their coursework. 

And like most girls in their school, she had a massive crush on him. Y/N had spent countless hours pining after the Weasley boy, doodling hearts around his name and imagining what it would be like to run her hands through his soft ginger hair. 

So watching him fly away left her sad and mourning any chance she may have had with him. 

To see him here now, older and more refined but still as handsome as ever, has her heart pounding, mind already going places she never thought it would go again. 

“I thought that was you. How’ve you been?” George asks, holding his arms out for a hug. When she steps into his embrace he continues, arms wrapping around her middle. “It’s been ages, I never really see you around here.”

Y/N tries to keep her breathing even as George hugs her, not wanting to give away how much his casual touch is affecting her. She very much feels like that shy school girl she once was, no matter how many times she tries to remind herself that she is an adult now, and it’s perfectly normal for two acquaintances who haven’t seen each other in a while to hug. 

“I moved abroad after graduation,” she explains as they pull away, hoping the blush on her cheeks isn’t obvious. “I was doing some work with magical creatures in Australia, but I started to miss home.”

Y/N decides to leave out the fact that what really prompted her arrival back to England was the discovery of her fiance in bed with a woman she considered to be her best friend, figuring that’s more of a conversation the second or third time they see each other. If they see each other again. She doesn’t want to get her hopes up. 

“Don’t tell me you’re the new professor at Hogwarts?” George asks, a twinkle in his eye. When Y/N nods in affirmation, he laughs. “No way, that’s bloody brilliant. Fred and I are opening a branch of Wheezes up in Hogsmeade, I’m moving up there next week to run it. Looks like we’re going to be neighbors,” he finishes, nudging Y/N and giving her a wink. 

“Guess so,” Y/N laughs, trying to dampen the butterflies in her stomach. “It’s actually quite a relief to hear that, I was a bit nervous about being up there with no company besides my old professors. I’m glad to have a familiar face around.”

George’s grin widens. “I’ve gotta run, but it was really nice to see you again, Y/N. I’ll see you again soon.”

Just as quickly as he was there he’s gone again, just like all of those years ago. But Y/N doesn’t feel sad. There’s just one thing she’s feeling, really:

Hope.

-

“Fancy seeing you here.”

The grin that spreads across her face is automatic at the sound of George’s voice, and Y/N has to take a few deep breaths to center herself before turning around to greet him. She’s excited to see a matching smile on George’s face, and it only fuels the butterflies that have started to flutter in her lower belly. 

“George,” she greets, motioning to the empty seat next to her in invitation. “It’s nice to see you again.”

“I was hoping I’d run into you,” George starts as he takes a seat, shoulder nudging Y/N’s. “I was starting to think you were just a figment of my imagination.”

She can’t help the flush that takes over her cheeks, hoping it can be chalked up to the heat in the room from the crowded bar. Y/N has been up at Hogwarts for almost a week now, and while getting ready for classes and settling into her new suite at the castle has been time consuming, she’s been avoiding heading into Hogsmeade. It’s not that she hasn’t been dying to run into George again, because that is definitely something she has thought about nonstop since their last chance encounter. 

It’s more like she’s been scared to see him again, scared that whatever old feelings their chance encounter dragged back to the surface aren’t returned. That she has been dying to see him again while George was off living his life, not giving Y/N and their brief reunion another thought. 

But even in just these few short moments since he sat down, Y/N feels all those fears fading away. George is the one who sought her out, the bar is crowded enough that she’d have been none the wiser if he snuck in and took a seat somewhere else to try and avoid her. And yet he is the one who came over, the one who took a seat and decided to settle in at her side. 

Y/N can’t help but hope that this isn’t one sided after all. 

“Things have been busy up at the castle,” she explains, not totally lying. With only one week left until students arrive for the start of the year, even Filch has been on edge - constantly mumbling to Mrs. Norris as he mops the Great Hall for the fourth time. “This is the first night I haven’t been so exhausted that I fell asleep right after dinner.”

George chuckles, taking a sip of the firewhiskey Rosmerta has just placed on the bar in front of him. “I know the feeling. We did a bit of a soft launch this week for the new store, thinking it would be less busy without all the students around so I would have a chance to work out all the hiccups and get my new staff trained, but it was crazier than anticipated. So now I’ve spent the last few evenings working overtime to get everything sorted for our actual grand opening next weekend.”

“Look at you,” Y/N teases, bumping their shoulders together in a playful gesture. “Never thought I’d see the day George Weasley was putting in overtime. You sure you’re the same George who used to sleep through transfiguration?”

“Ha ha, very funny,” he drawls, giving Y/N a wink that makes her heart flutter. “I’ll have you know that I retained more information by sleeping through McGonagall’s lessons instead of daydreaming during it.” He pauses then, a more serious look taking over his features. “But in all honesty, it’s so different when it’s something you’re passionate about - ya know?”

Y/N nods when George looks to her for confirmation, prompting him to continue. 

“You’re right, in school I couldn’t be arsed to do more than what was required of me to not get kicked out. Though I guess it doesn’t really matter on account of the fact that Fred and I never finished anyway,” he pauses to chuckle and take another drag from his glass. “But doing everything for Wheezes, it doesn’t really feel like work. Like obviously at the end of the day I’m bloody exhausted and some days my whole body aches, but in the moment when I’m doing it, or when I stop to think about everything Fred and I have managed to achieve, I don’t really mind it at all.”

Hearing George speak so passionately about his work makes Y/N fall just a little bit more in love with him, and at the end of his speech she has to take a sip from her own glass to give her some time to think of something to say that’s not some kind of love confession. 

“I’m really happy for you, George. You’re clearly passionate about what you do, and I’m glad that you found that for yourself.”

George’s cheeks flush, and he takes another sip to try and hide it. “What about you, Y/N? Have you found your passion?”

The way he mutters passion makes Y/N’s toes curl, and she prays to Godric that the shiver that runs down her spine isn’t noticeable. 

“I thought I did,” she starts, shifting uncomfortably. She figured this conversation would come up eventually, but Y/N had been hoping she’d have more time to reconnect with George before airing out all of her dirty laundry. “The work I was doing in Australia was incredible. I could swear some of the creatures out there were straight out of a muggle fantasy novel, they were nothing like we’d ever learned about at Hogwarts.”

“So then why move back here?” George prompts when she hesitates to continue. 

“I came home early from work one day, one of our dragon’s eggs had hatched, and my boss let everyone go home to celebrate. And when I walked in I couldn’t find my fiance anywhere, until I went into our bedroom to change and he was there. In bed. Railing my best friend.”

The noise George makes causes her to pause, and Y/N gives him a sad smile before continuing. “I loved Australia, but suddenly I just really needed to get the fuck out of there, you know? Like it’s a huge continent and yet the only way I felt like I could put enough space between myself and that situation was to leave. So when McGonagall reached out about the position at Hogwarts I said yes and didn’t look back.”

“Holy fuck,” George breathes after a moment of silence, draining the rest of the liquid in his cup. “I’m not gonna lie, Y/N, that was the last possible thing I thought you might say. But holy fuck.” He gives her a look, motioning for Rosmerta to refill their glasses. 

“I’m sorry those dickwads did that to you, cheating is probably one of the worst things someone could do to you,” he continues once their cups are full again. “I’m sorry about Australia too, I can’t imagine having to leave Wheezes behind, it takes a special person to walk away from that.”

Y/N shrugs, desperately trying to trample down the butterflies in her stomach at George’s casual compliments. No matter how many times she tries to remind herself that George is just being a good friend, her brain can’t help but interpret his actions as something more. 

“I mourned the loss of my relationship and Australia for a bit, but I don’t know. Something about being back home at Hogwarts just feels right.”Something about being here with you too, her brain adds unhelpfully. “I mean, if I had stayed in Australia I never would have ran into you that day,” she chides, playfully bumping their shoulders together. 

The grin that spreads across George’s face is earth shattering, and he lets out a laugh as he raises his glass. “I’ll drink to that. Cheers, Y/N, to old friends and new beginnings!”

As their glasses clink together Y/N can only hope that her new job at Hogwarts isn’t the only new beginning they’re toasting. 

-

“Well I must say your workplace looks much more fun than mine,” Y/N jokes as she comes up behind George, giving him a grin as he twirls around to see her. “And miraculously it seems much louder as well,” she continues following a roar of laughter. 

“Y/N!” George greets excitedly, his smile stretching across his entire face. “I was hoping I might see you here today.”

She can feel her cheeks flush, and takes a deep breath in to try and quell the butterflies in her stomach. “Of course, there’s no place I’d rather be on my first day of freedom.”

Since the day students arrived at Hogwarts, Y/N has barely had time to breathe - let alone sneak down to Hogsmeade. Between planning her lessons, actually giving those lessons, grading assignments and fielding student questions and visits to her office, the only thing Y/N has managed to do once she retires to her quarters in the evening is pass out face first into bed. And while her and George have exchanged a few owls here and there since their last encounter, nothing beats actually seeing him in person.

So when McGonagall asked for staff volunteers to chaperone the first Hogsmeade trip of the term, Y/N’s hand was first in the air. She’d much rather spend her Saturday meandering through the little village than facilitating weekend detention. And if she happened to wander into the new shop along main street that’s run by a familiar ginger boy - then so be it.

“I’m honored,” George responds. He gestures wildly with his hand, taking a step closer to Y/N so he can lean in closer. “Let me give you the grand tour.”

George leads Y/N around the shop then, pointing out different products and explaining what they do. He keeps a hand pressed to the small of her back to keep her close, and the heat of his palm sends tingles radiating through her body. She’s mesmerized by the way he talks about his work, and Y/N is almost too focused on watching his eyes twinkle that she’s not even sure what he’s actually saying most of the time. At one point he even leans in to whisper in her ear so she can hear him over the noise of the store, and the feeling of his breath brushing her cheek sends a wave of shivers down her spine. 

It seems like only a matter of minutes before Y/N and George end up back where they started, and much to her surprise and joy, George doesn’t make a move to pull away. His hand stays firmly pressed against Y/N’s back, and she takes the liberty to lean in even closer to the ginger man. 

“So,” George murmurs, lips barely brushing against her hair. “What do you think of the place?”

“It’s great, George,” she answers honestly, still in awe of everything Fred and George have managed to build over the last few years. “You can tell how much you really care about what you do, and the creativity George, your mind is incredible.”

A light blush coats George’s cheeks as he waves away Y/N’s praise. “Oh stop, it’s not like I’m a professor or anything,” he teases, giving her a nudge. “I’m just a silly guy with a brother and a dream - that’s all.”

“George,” Y/N admonishes, nudging him right back. “You really are brilliant, and anyone who’s ever made you doubt that is a git. What you and Fred have done is amazing, you’ve taken your passion for something and turned it into this empire that does nothing but bring joy to people. That took a lot of hard work, dedication and skill. It’s incredible George - truly.”

Neither one says anything, just letting Y/N’s words hang heavy between them. The noise of the shop has faded into the background, electricity so heavy in the air Y/N can feel it tingle on the tip of her tongue. George starts to slowly lean down just as she starts to tip her head back, their bodies moving closer of their own accord. 

Eyelids fluttering closed, Y/N can feel George’s breath ghost across her lips - the only thought in her head a quietly whispered “finally.” 

Just as suddenly as they came together, Y/N and George separate as a worried voice calls out. “Professor! Professor, come quick! John and Thomas are fighting again!”

“Duty calls,” George sighs, tucking a stray piece of hair behind Y/N’s ear. He lets his thumb drag down across her jaw, pausing momentarily to lightly grapes her chin. “See you soon?”

All she can manage in response is a nod. Taking one more moment to mourn what could have been, she rushes away from George, cursing those damn kids to hell.

-

“Excuse me professor - do you have a moment?”

Y/N’s hand pauses mid scribble, fingers practically snapping the quill she’s holding in half as she looks up to find none other than George Weasley standing in the doorway to her office. The smile that spreads across her mouth matches the one George is wearing and she pushes the papers she’d been grading, gesturing for him to come in. 

“I think I may be able to spare a moment just for you,” she teases. Y/N stands up from behind her desk, watching George closely as she comes around to stand in front of him. “How in the hell did you get in here?”

George chuckles, stuffing his hands into his packers as he gives Y/N a shrug. “Turns out the secret passages Fred and I used to sneak out of the castle are just as helpful when trying to sneak in to it.”

Y/N tuts, shaking her head as if in shame. “George Weasley sneaking into Hogwarts. What would Fred have to say about that?”

“Fred snuck out plenty of times to go and see a cute girl, I reckon he’d understand me sneaking in to do the same.”

George’s boldness surprises Y/N, and she suddenly can’t make eye contact as her cheeks flush pink. A single finger comes to rest on the underside of her chin, slowly tilting Y/N’s face up so she and George are looking at each other once again. Her body feels electric as their eyes meet and a shiver runs down her spine. 

“Hi,” George greets breathily after a moment of silence. The smile he gets in response causes a torrent of butterflies to erupt in his stomach and he can feel his heart pounding against his rib cage. 

“Hi,” Y/N responds, voice barely above a whisper. 

If you had told her all those years ago that someday she’d be standing here right now with George Weasley with his hand pressed against the side of her neck as his thumb skates across her jaw line she would have called you crazy. It seemed impossible that George would even give Y/N a second thought, let alone sneak back into the castle for just a moment with her. All of her dreams are coming true - and Y/N is too tempted to pinch herself to make sure it’s all real. 

“I haven’t stopped thinking about you,” George starts. The words move quickly out of his mouth, as if he’s trying to get them all out before he loses the confidence he has managed to scrounge up. “Like since that moment I saw you at the potion shop all those months ago. My one regret from our school days was that I never got the nerve to ask you out. And then when I never saw you in the shop or around Diagon Alley I figured I’d missed my chance. So when I saw you that day, standing in the middle of a shop I’d gone to hundreds of times over the years it felt like, I dunno it felt like.”

“A second chance,” Y/N finishes for him, voice lit with disbelief. 

George grins, giving a small nod. “Yes, exactly like that. And suddenly you were every thought that occupied my mind. I couldn’t stop thinking about running into you again, and the interactions we had in school, what might happen between us now that we’d be living ten minutes from each other. You were just on a loop in my thoughts.”

“It was probably stupid of me,” George continues, eyes never leaving Y/N’s. “We’d had one conversation after years of not speaking and we were never really friends at school but I couldn’t help but feel-.”

“Hope,” she finished again. “And it wasn’t stupid of you, George. Because I felt the exact same way. Seeing you that day made me truly believe that taking that job at Hogwarts was my opportunity for a second chance. A second chance at finding my dream job, of finding my true home, of finding true love. You made me feel that George and I-.”

Except whatever Y/N was about to say disappears from her mind, as George takes the opportunity to interrupt her this time. Without a second thought he finally closes the distance between them, their mouths slotting together so perfectly it was like they were made for each other. Her hands find his shoulders as his find her neck, angling them so he can kiss her deeper. 

And there’s still so many things they need to talk about and figure out. But in this moment the only thing Y/N can think about is George, and this weird but beautiful thing they’re about to discover. 

[applejuicefruit]

Can you write something with neymar where reader is from LA and is visiting ney. Then reader gets homesick and becomes a bit distant, but then ney realizes that she is homesick and comforsts reader.

I really loved your other writings so i had to request this one❤️❤️ 

Hii! Thank you for requesting this! I didn’t know if you wanted Neymar to be in Brazil or in Paris in this story 🥲 I hope you don’t mind reader’s visiting him Paris.

I really hope you like this ❤️

ps: i remember when i went to london all by myself when i was 16 and i stayed there for a month and i remember telling my friends i was missing home in italy and they just ignored me :) nostalgia is real people !!!

City of Angels

Los Angeles. Your safe place. Your safe heaven. Your home.

You thought no place on Earth could ever compete with your hometown. You had the hills, the beaches, museums and millions of people visiting every year. It was your home.

You lived in a nice cozy apartment on the Hills. It was small but it was everything you ever dreamed of. Every morning you woke up with the beautiful Los Angeles sun coming through your window, the Hollywood sign in background. It was perfect. Your life was perfect.

Also because you were dating famous football player Neymar. Honestly you had no idea of who he was before you googled him. Being a Los Angeles Dodgers fan meant that you knew nothing about football or soccer as you call it to make Neymar mad.

You met in LA, that’s why you are so thankful for this city. You were both attending the same party and the moment your eyes met you knew it was game over. He introduced himself to you and waited for your surprised reaction that never came. It took you a whole week before finding out who he really was. He always loved this side of you. He dated so many people who wanted him only for fame and money, but with you things were different, you were so pure and kind and not affected by fame or popularity. Probably because that was the normality in LA.

You were getting ready for going to the airport, ready to leave the City of Angeles behind and spend the next two months in Paris with your boyfriend Neymar. You were so excited to see him again but honestly you couldn’t stop but feeling a little sad leaving this city behind. You let a few tears fall while watching the Hollywood sign from your bedroom. Then you closed all the suitcases and left for for the airport.

Almost 9 hours of flight after and you landed in Paris. Neymar couldn’t come and get you because he was practicing that day so he sent one of drivers to come and get you.

The moment you left the airport shock hit you. The sky was so grey you couldn’t even see the clouds, it was raining and it was freezing cold. You weren’t ready for this.

You smiled at his driver and got into the car while you were watching the view from your passenger side.

“Why everything seems so boring?” you asked yourself hoping Ney’s driver didn’t hear you. But he was too focused on the road to even pay attention to you.

Once you’ve arrived, the driver helped you into Ney’s apartment and then left. Neymar gave you his spare keys when he was in Los Angeles visiting you.

His apartment was huge.

Literally huge. It took you almost 20 minutes to visit every room. His apartment included an indoor pool and gym, five bedrooms and 5 bathrooms, a theatre room, a playroom, a large kitchen and a living room with the amazing view of the eiffel tower.

“Maybe it won’t be so bad” you hoped.

You were sitting on the couch watching some weird french movie that you couldn’t even understand when Neymar appeared in the living room.

“You already got yourself comfortable I see” he said coming behind you and kissing your head

“Ney!!” you jumped on his arms the moment you saw him

“Did you miss me angel?” he asked kissing you while he hold you by your ass

“Very much” you replied between kisses

“There are so many things I want to show you” he told you. And so it was. For he first two days he didn’t have practice so he showed you around Paris. It was nice actually. A bit cold but it was good. You loved the museums, the architecture, the churches.

But after the first week passed nostalgia hit you hard. You started missing the sun and the warm of your beautiful city.

One morning depression hit you really bad. You woke up and it was raining so much you couldn’t even go outside and get breakfast. So you stayed at home, sat on the couch with a fluffy blanked around your body watching the rain coming down from the window.

You couldn’t help but let a few tears fall. You’ve never been so nostalgic, but here you are.

You were so stressed that you didn’t even hear Neymar coming out from the bathroom, freshly showered. He was wearing a black t-shirt and some sport pants.

“Meu amor?” he gently approached you, slightly worried when he saw you crying “are you okay?”

“Yes…” you said wiping a few tears from your face

“Sure…” he sat next to you “care to tell me what’s going on?”

“It’s silly…”

“If you’re crying it’s not silly”

“I just-I miss home…” you said letting more tears fall

“What-what you mean?” he asked you a bit worried “you don’t like it here?”

“It’s not that…it’s just-it’s just that I miss Los Angeles so much…I’ve never been this nostalgic I don’t know what has gotten into me, I’m sorry”

“No baby, don’t be sorry, it’s completely normal” he said hugging you “you’ve never been away from home this much, it’s normal feeling a bit sad”

“I know I just wished I didn’t cry…”

“You can cry all you want with me” he said kissing your forehead

“Thank you babe…I really needed it”

“Of course meu amor…you know what? I don’t have any match next week…what if we go back to Los Angeles for a couple of days? Ah? You can show me that crazy fast food you can’t stop talking about!”

“You mean In N Out?” you asked while your eyes were completely shining

“Yes that one”

“Are you sure? I know you love Paris…and it’s your free week…”

“I’m happy as long as you are. And clearly you’re feeling a little bit distressed now…nothing would make me happy than to go back in Los Angeles with you amor”

“I love you so much Ney!” you said wrapping your arms around his neck and kissing him while he held your hips

“I love you too baby, so fucking much…” he whispered while you kept kissing.

You couldn’t ask for more. In the end, your life was really perfect.

[boxofthings]

Hello! I have a question I want to ask but you don't have to answer if you don't want to.

I'm recently found out about Ghost x Roach ship and looked it up along with others ghostroach fics you and other recommended.

What I'm curious is, what made you ship it? What moments of them made you ship them? What hints have you seen from them? Or was it "I think it's a neat ship"? And I don't play cod nor likely would play it in the future. But I did watch the walkthrough of the og cod mw and still trying to finish it.

If you can answer this, thank you very much!

Hi! Completely happy to answer this and it's nice to see new people getting into ghostroach haha :)

I'll admit, there honestly isn't much in terms of hints in the games/in canon that prove these two would be a good couple/in love, and it's mostly due to the early fandom efforts that helped elevate the likability of ghostroach.

That being said I'm sure me and other ghostroach shippers can agree that a large reason why this ship is so appealing is more or less the "they died together" and the "doomed love/lovers" trope that makes room for so much angst (which we all know fandoms EAT UP) <-- This is the reason why I personally ship them I just love tragic couples

The og MW games came out when I was pretty young and yk how kids tend to hyperfixate on the most random things. Mine just happened to be og Ghost, and since we play as Roach I suppose me getting into GhostRoach was a bit like self insert?

But at the same time I thought of Roach as his own character and the fact that he didn't have a backstory (or really any info), that gave people the opportunity to give Roach any personality/quirks that they desired lol.

He was like a blank canvas for writers/artists to just throw their ideas on, and it's pretty common for people to ship their OCs with the most popular character, who, for MW2, would've been Ghost.

It's harder now to find the older content, but back then I remember GhostRoach being pretty popular (or as popular as a ship from COD back then could be) and I did notice people liked to make Roach out to be Ghost's perfect dichotomy, which seems to have stuck, as a lot of GR writers/artists nowadays, including myself, like to portray these two as two opposites that attract.

And with Ghost having a hella angsty backstory combined with him being a bit of a closed off, cold, soldier, it kinda seemed inevitable that ghostroach would become a thing, with people back them headcanoning Roach as a more optimistic, wide-eyed, type of person (and we all know people LOVE the brooding, hardassed, broken character falling in love with the caring, more lively and human character)

Even tho canon doesn't really offer much, there are still small moments that people love to bring up when justifying this ship. Like when Ghost specifically requests to be teamed with Roach on the op to raid Makarov's safehouse, as well as near the end of the Loose Ends mission where Ghost is the one dragging Roach's injured body to safety whilst reassuring Roach that he's got his back. And of course, when Shepherd betrays them, Ghost screams when Roach gets shot and immediately tries to apprehend Shepherd (him screaming "No!" just sounded so shocked and pained). All these moments made it seem like Ghost really cared about Roach.

The way these two died was pretty jarring, if I remember correctly I think even news articles were talking about this plot twist and their deaths. So these two are pretty well-cemented in video game history.

At the end of the day, though, GhostRoach is a pretty "I think this is neat" kind of ship. It's definitely enhanced by the nostalgia of the old games and the factor of being able to project onto Roach as a blank character lmao, but yeah you can't deny that people are gonna hyperfixate the hell outta the pairing that's always doomed to end tragically.

I feel like I could go on and on about them but I don't want to subject y'all to my messy rambles haha but if anyone wants to add their own thoughts I'd love to see it!

[madlyn5ever]

Okay here’s my Prom Dates (Hulu) thoughts:

I’ll try not to include spoilers

Nine out of ten, again mostly cause of the vomit and the more not my thing moments (there were only two so not terrible but I’m asexual and they’re not for me) and also that b!ood scene which was actually fantastic (as a whole) I just, that specific moment if you know you know.

I liked the ending because it really felt genuine (well, as genuine as that whole thing could be but I really think it was) it wasn’t pushing for one specific type of happy ending that you assume they’re gonna do or everyone should have, but you also feel a sense of completeness.

Like, the story rounded itself out okay I think. I kind of had an idea of specific key things cause of the trailer but it was still a sort of nice surprise.

(It did kind of stop to load at one specific point and every time I rewound it did it right there so, I don’t think I missed anything but there could be a ten second section I missed which is fine cause the moment was a transition anyway)

Second Cousin. Just- second cousin.

One of my favorite lines -out of context for spoilers sake- was “here’s the hundred dollar bill my Bubbie gave me for my graduation”

(I just watched it and I can’t even remember if that’s the line but it’s was basically that)

It obviously had a Julia Lester so that’s a win on its own, there’s not much out there to watch of her except binging HSMTMTS for the seventh time (which is lovely but I have adhd and that’s not always a practical choice), and even the random guest appearances of Nick shows and the one Netflix show (I get bored and look through IMDB of random actors sometimes to find jems, and my sisters two credit page cause it still boggles my mind that they named a goat after her)

are fifty/fifty on finding if you’re specifically looking for her (and unrelated to this movie but saylor too whats up with Netflix only having two random seasons for each Nick show on there? I do have paramount but my nostalgia trip childhood tv show rabbit hole is not for the shared family account)

Honestly I need her to be in more things because this was great. Unfortunately it’ll probably take a while considering things are just getting up and running again after the strike, but I’ll gladly wait for more of her.

Also the Ginny and Georgia girl was in it?? I only watched a bit of that show cause my sister said to so I only know that Sav from Degrassi is in it but I’ve heard things about Ginny from tik tok doom scrolls and it’s kind of crazy to see her here.

It’s like “Rihanna, what are you doing here?”

I liked the dog? She looked fluffy like my bunny Rocky.

I especially liked that one scene (again the one with the kind of horrendous b!ood moment) just, -sort of spoiler- all those frat guys and she just happens to be there.

I particularly liked the song. It was a ten out of ten fake medium okay performance from an actual broadway musical tony nominee actress and I loved every second of it.

All in all, I loved it. Even the Italian guy.

[sammytheotakunerd]

𝑴𝑪 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒐𝒐 𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒔𝒘𝒂𝒑?

Chapter 1: Part 2: "A long way of shopping"

A/N: This is what happens when I'm not motivated for WEEKS then suddenly, I'm literally on a writing spree lol

Summary: What if MC from MC is too kind and MC from the original universe swap souls? Would it be a blessing in disguise? Or would it be just blatant disaster?

TW: Swearing and just lots of sarcasm

๑ ⋆˚₊⋆────ʚ˚ɞ────⋆˚₊⋆ ๑ [~start of chapter 1: part 2 "A long way of shopping"~]

After dropping by HOL and changing in more comfortable clothes. The outfit looks nice and was comfortable in all.

Now where could Asmo be? He's probably at... You have a hunch, but you would still need to confirm it.

You're ready to go to your hunch. You've been trying to call Asmo again, but he didn't pick up. You don't really know why.

While walking, you've been preoccupied with your thoughts. You've been highly respected in the Devildom not because of your pacts. But because of your magic as well.

So, imagine your surprise when you've been instantly humiliated just like that. They truly are demons. But nothing that you can't fix.

You didn't notice that you were already standing at your destination.

Majolish.

It was either this or nothing. You KNOW that this is where Asmo is. He's always here too. And judging from the jiggling of bells that you know because you did some part time job there.

You pulled the door to hear the familiar bells ringing. Its refreshing at least in this situation. It's Nostalgia.

You begin to look for Asmo. You were focused on seeing that pinkish hair of his that you didn't notice a white haired one. The white-haired boy continued to just look at you instead of saying anything to you.

It seems like he's enjoying your confusion.

It took you a while, but you jumped in shock when you saw who it was.

"Solomon! Gosh, you almost gave me a heart attack.." You were calming your heart. It was hammering against your ribcage a bit painfully from the initial shock.

Solomon just hummed. "Asmo was waiting for you. You really need to be faster next time." Yea, faster my ass. you were seriously done with everything.

Despite you wanting nothing more than to shout at Solomon, you calmed yourself down. It was no use if you shouted at Solomon who was and you think is hostile to you.

"Oh, I'm so sorry about that Solomon. I was just having a hard time that's all." Solomon looked at you like you should've dealt with it. He didn't say anything but damn. What the fuck Solomon? Why is he an asshole so much?

If only you can give a gold medal to yourself here, you would. You honestly don't know how you in this alternate world handle Assholes like him.

But you love this Assholes back at your universe. They were your family. You love them. Well, loved. All of this Assholery from them is giving you second guesses if you really love them now that you've seen this kind of version of them.

You've only seen Solomons version, but you had a gut feeling just know that he isn't the only one who's an asshole. You bet right on the dot that there would be someone that would even top Solomon at this competition.

When you look around, snapped out of thoughts, Solomon was nowhere to be seen.

Now you really had to say:

What. The. Actual. Fuck.

First of all, that was rude as fuck, second, what the fuck. That was Asshole Solomon for you. You didn't know why you were angry. Maybe it was just the fact that:

Solomon ditched you.

Solomon's an Asshole.

Probably everyone is an Asshole too (Except for the angels).

And your reputation here was just as good as Solomon's attitude.

Safe to say that you just left. No words. You left there as fast as Diavolo's dad dipped when he was born.

・ ─ ・ ⋯ ・ ─ ⊹ ♡₊˚๑

You're now back in HOL, in your room. It was just so quiet. But you can't do anything about it. You're in another alternate universe. There's just no way everything is going to be that same.

You sighed and opened your D.D.D. it was still the old password until you changed it to "Mamslabmaneymordanme". It was long and silly, but he was your best friend. The demon that made you comfortable best, but that exact demon was ignoring you.

It broke your heart. You spend a lot of time with him. You got to know him while he got to know you.

There was nothing of interest in your D.D.D. so you chose to do your homework. Doing it was easy. It was still the first semester, so it was just an easy topic.

When you were done with the tasks today, your mind wandered off to what happened at RAD earlier. The demons mocked you, humiliated you.

You didn't like it. No, you loath it.

They can't just do that. You still have your pride in you alternate universe. the pride as the "Tamer of the seven Demons of hell". You had many titles, but that was one of them.

So, now, you're planning on getting your reputation set on a good scale.

๑ ⋆˚₊⋆────ʚ˚ɞ────⋆˚₊⋆ ๑ [~end of chapter 1: part 2 "A long way of shopping"~]

[violetsareblue-selfships]

Nostalgia

Ship: Kazuha x April | Word Count: 1506 | Warnings/Tags: food mention (again like vague), so sappy, proposal <3

A/N: surprise? ehe~ this is the official announcement I suppose that we're also engaged <3 I'll post the art in a few minutes~~ (and come back and link where it goes in the fic, I like when I did that for scara's :3 -- also this is set in-canon around the Irodori Festival for those who have game knowledge ^-^ I hope you enjoy it~ 💞

"Well, isn't this nostalgic?" April asks softly as she takes in the dark, mystical ambience of the Chinju Forest. "I almost forgot what this place was like…"

"I know what you mean," Kazuha murmurs, a small smile on his lips. "Remember that one time we played hide and seek here and you got so upset that you couldn't find me?" His tone turns teasing and April huffs, though there's a playful sparkle in her eyes.

"You cheated! I never said you could hide up in one of the trees!" If she weren't so keen on holding one of his hands, she'd cross her arms in childish indignation. As it is, she's fighting to keep from giggling.

"Ah, but you never said I couldn't, dove. Besides, I gave you that dango to cheer you up, remember?" Kazuha asks, his smile widening a little.

"Right! I'd forgotten about that… Huh, seems you've spoiled me from the beginning," April teases, grinning when his cheeks go red, barely able to be seen in the atmosphere of the forest.

Kazuha doesn't speak, instead he leads her through the forest until they reach one of the cliffs overlooking the ocean. They sit down together and Kazuha smiles at the automatic way April curls into his side, her warmth always a welcome one.

"Honestly… I'm surprised we didn't get together sooner," Kazuha murmurs after a while of silence, drawing a little curious sound from April. "You're right. I have been spoiling you since we were kids. Mainly because I knew there was something about you… something I had to keep in my life no matter what."

"I know what you mean," April says, her heart fluttering at his words. "You caught my attention immediately and I just knew we had to be friends. Sure, I didn't imagine it would end up like this, but… I'm happy we found each other."

"Mm…" Kazuha hums, turning to press a kiss to her temple. "I am as well. I don't know what life would have been like without you, but I know it wouldn't have been as sweet as it's been. As for now… I can't picture a future without you in it. One without you by my side… it just doesn't make sense."

April laughs softly, her face heating up. Somehow even after all these years, it still takes just a few pretty words from him to make her blush. "It's the same for me. That's why I plan to stick beside you. No matter what you plan to do."

"Mm…" Kazuha trails off, his eyes fixed on the horizon. "C'mon. The wind calls for us to head into the city for a bit."

"Hah, are you sure you're not hungry?" April teases and Kazuha chuckles.

"Maybe so… Then I was thinking we visit Araumi one more time before returning to Ritou."

"Sounds good."

The two stand up and work their way back out of the forest and down towards Inazuma City. Once there, they stop at a food stall and grab something to eat as well as some desserts for the visit to Araumi.

They eat together before setting off. "You know… it is strange to be back here. I know we have been back during the end of the Vision Hunt Decree but we didn't stay this long…" April murmurs.

"I know. It is odd to be here without having to be on edge as well," Kazuha says. They're always so in sync. He'd been feeling the exact same way the whole visit, even before when they were simply staying in Ritou for the Irodori Festival. It doesn't surprise him that they felt the same way. Not when they know each other so well.

"Exactly! It is nice, though, to see everything. It hasn't changed much…" April lets out a soft laugh, both of them knowing that that is due to their archon.

Kazuha chuckles as well. "It truly hasn't… Do you ever see yourself coming back here and settling down?" He asks quietly.

"Hmm. I could see it. But only if that is what you would want. I'd settle anywhere in Teyvat so long as we're together," April muses. "Or even if we never quite settle down. So long as I'm with you… life will be perfect."

"And you say I'm the one with a way with words…" Kazuha murmurs with a soft laugh.

They fall silent again until they reach their destination. They settle under one of the sakura trees and begin snacking on the dessert they'd bought.

Kazuha's eyes sparkle as he leans closer, brushing a stray bit of syrup from the corner of April's lips. He holds eye contact with her as he brings his thumb to his mouth, licking it clean while she blushes. "Sweet. But you're sweeter."

"Kazuha," April whines, her face feeling hot.

"Yes, my sweet? You know it's true," Kazuha murmurs, his eyes sparkling playfully. April whines and hides her face in his shoulder.

"You are dangerous," She murmurs softly. The only problem about knowing each other as well as they do is that they also know the best, most effective ways to fluster the other.

Kazuha simply chuckles and they finish the dessert with no interruptions. "Come here. Let me hold you a little while before we go back." Kazuha opens his arms, pleased when April easily settles into his lap and snuggles in close.

"You know… your words have got me thinking…" Kazuha murmurs, brushing his fingers through her hair softly. "I had already been tempted, but now… I really would like to ask you something. All I request is that you don't interrupt until I'm done."

"Kazuha?" April asks, but he simply looks at her expectantly. "I… okay."

"Good. Now, my precious dove, this whole trip has my thoughts all awhirl… As I mentioned earlier, I cannot see a feasible future without you in my life. You have been there for me when no one else was and you have seen every side of me that exists, yet you love all of me without question. You know I love you the same. For all your flaws, you are perfect in my eyes. You are my muse, my best friend, my lover, the reason I wake up every day, and more…"

While he speaks, Kazuha keeps gently playing with her hair, his eyes never straying from hers. And the longer he speaks, the more her stomach is filled with butterflies, anticipation lighting up every nerve as it builds.

"April, darling, I already have some semblance of an idea what your answer will be. But I find it remiss if I did not ask you this trip. It feels like fate has led us here for a reason, for this reason… So, my dearest, my most beloved…"

Kazuha has kept her attention so solidly on him, on his eyes, that she hasn't noticed him pulling a small bag out of one of his satchels. His fingers tug open the little drawstring bag and empties its contents into his hand.

"Would you do me the honor of becoming your husband? Would you marry me?" Kazuha asks, holding the ring up between his fingers, finally catching her attention with it.

The ring itself is relatively simple: a silver band with a pretty ruby as the centerpiece. But April recognizes it. "Kazuha… have you really had this since then??" She asks quietly and Kazuha chuckles softly.

"But, of course. This ring caught my love's eye. I just knew it had to be your engagement ring…"

"When did you? You didn't buy it when we were together…?" She asks softly, her eyes widening as he chuckles again.

"You got it. Beidou distracted you the next afternoon while I went back to the stall and bought it for you." Kazuha looks so proud of himself that it makes her smile. "As for your answer?"

"Of course, I'll marry you!" April says, tears pricking her eyes at how sweet this whole thing is.

Kazuha smiles at her, a soft little thing that takes her breath away. His fingers are gentle as he lifts her left hand and slides the ring into place, taking her hand and brushing a kiss over the ring.

April's breath catches in her throat and she loops her arms around his neck, pressing their foreheads together. "I'm getting you a ring," She says softly.

He simply chuckles. "If that's what you wish. I'm simply happy you said yes."

"As if I'd say no. You're it for me, Kazuha, you know that."

Kazuha brings her in for a soft kiss at that, his eyes sparkling with delight once the kiss is over. "Now, my dove, it is up to you when we return to Ritou. We can stay here as long as you'd like… or at least until sundown." He lets out a soft laugh at that.

"A little longer. I want you to myself a bit more."

"That sounds perfect, my dove."

And so, they stay there cuddled up, relishing the joy of holding their fiancé.

[scrunkly-cherry]

Here it is! Some splatfest-screenshots and my overall thoughts!

(warning, I might sound a little cranky at the start, but ofc I'm grateful for the results and had otherwise lots of fun!)

I didn't fight much, the first day atleast, since I was at a convention. I wore a little "Go Team Keyboard"-Sign around me 24/7 tho :D even ran into another Splatoon-Cosplayer! (Had a closet cos of agent 8)

I'm not sure if the complaints are still getting to me, but the amount of times I've lost to spawncamping made the first and ¼ of the second half... Not that much enjoyable. I got pretty heated, to be fair, but it's honestly just a silly squid game, so it's not that deep. I'm tbh a little embarrassed :'] Especially when you lose 3 out of all the 5 10x battles they gave you. It's just not fun to run out of your spawn and get instantly downed again, but it's not something I'd blame a specific team on. (And you shouldn't aswell!) I got friends on both Drums and Guitar (I was almost alone on keyboard :')), so GG to them ofc! Sorry if I got a little toxic in the first half :( (But just saying - having this kind of battle experience, then miraculously winning, only to come online to get insults thrown at your face because youre so "toxic" and "tryharding"... Less fun. But more on that below.)

Alright, enough with the negatives! Let's focus on the stuff I actually liked!

Walking around the plaza, as always, was very fun! I love almost all of the first half songs so much :'D (with the exception of City of Color, which I don't hate, but I love Tomorrows Nostalgia Today too much lmao). I honestly wish I could put more than one video in here.

In the first half I played as my side order octoling "Reed". Need a bit more lore on him. I had a few ideas but wasn't sure on going through with it. Second half however...

DUDE WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE YOU HAVE YOUR OWN SPLATFESTS TO HOST

I decided to cosplay as sury! It indeed made things a little more fun, although I had to choose Mel's weapon instead because I couldn't deal with the slow, large splatana :'D

Usually I make OCs out of my Splatfest-Teams, but using preexisting characters is even more fun! Let's see if I can use Mel in the future too :D

I don't have the oth amiibos

It was at the second half, but I did manage to win some 10xs in the end :] (Which means I've officially heard all three singular idol win themes in-game)

To come back to the results-thing, I expected everyone to be bitter as usual, but everyone was... strangely nice and happy for the win. At first I was kind of annoyed, but if it continues like this, I feel Splatfests might actually get excited for everyone again. (I was actually pretty optimistic and fine with every decision so far, but it's even better if I can actually agree with the fandom lol)

Again, good job to Team Drums and Guitar! And Overall, good job team! Excited for the next splatfest :D 🩷💚💜

[anapotatowriter]

Hello! Can I request a songfic for Edmund Pevensie x reader inspired from the song "It Ain't Me", it'll be take place in modern au also angst :> thanks

It ain't me

Edmund Pevensie x Reader

A/N: Hey sweetheart! I hope you like this fic! I loved writing it, the song was so nice to listen to and literally gave so much nostalgia- As usual, if you want anything changed, feel free!

ALSO PEOPLE, SEND TUA FIC REQUESTS-

Summary: Y/N reminisces her time with her past lover. This is a songfic.

Warnings: Alcoholism, a teensy bit of swearing, a bit of angst? But a sort of bittersweet ending.

Requested: Yesssss~

I had a dream 

We were sipping whiskey neat 

Highest floor, The Bowery 

Nowhere's high enough 

“Ed, where are you taking me?” I giggled, unable to see through the blindfold he had put on my eyes. “Stairs,” replied the boy simply, warning me beforehand. “Just tell me, Eddie,” I whined, dragging out the last syllable. “What’s the point of the surprise then, love?” he asked rhetorically as he slowly guided me up several flights of stairs. “Are you planning to murder me? Cause honestly, I would rather die because of a stab wound,” I joked, a deep chuckle coming from behind me as we reached the last of the stairs. “And, tada!” he exclaimed, untying the blindfold. I gasped as I looked around the highest floor of The Bowery, one of the only alcohol stores in our small town. “I rented the whole floor,” he explained as he sat on the end of the floor, his feet dangling off of the building in between the gaps of the railings. I slid down beside him, leaning my head against his shoulder. “So, I brought you the best whiskey I have ever had,” said the boy, holding up a bottle wrapped with f/c ribbons, a rose trapped between the strings. “Oh please, you only started drinking alcohol 4 months ago,” I said, rolling my eyes and nudging him with my elbow. He unscrewed the cap of the bottle and poured out a little bit of whiskey in two glasses, omitting the ice that I had seen relatives put. I sipped at the liquid and immediately choked, coughing at the bitter taste. Edmund laughed at my facial expression, making me pout. “Oh come on Y/N, it’s not every day a girl turns 18! Drink up,” he smiled, finishing the remains of the whiskey. I closed my nose and chugged down the burning liquor, slamming the glass down next to me. “Believe me, Y/N, it’s all going to go up from here. We’re both going to Oxford! Nowhere is high enough for the two of us,” he sighed, placing a kiss on my head, as I burrowed my face into the sleeves of his hoodie.

I gasped, sitting up in bed at the forgotten memory, tears having seeped down my face during the night. My pillow was stained from the tears of the tragic past, and water lay in my waterline and blurred my vision. I gulped harshly as I placed my hand over my pounding heart, trying to forget the memory. I glanced forlornly at the empty side where my lover used to sleep. I choked out a sob as I buried my face into my pillow again, sobs wracking through my body till early in the morning.

Somewhere along the lines 

We stopped seeing eye to eye 

You were staying out all night 

And I had enough 

I glanced at the clock next to me, only to see that it was Saturday. With no distraction from my pain and no energy to do the seemingly infinite number of chores, I continued to lie in bed as I recounted the memories that I had forced away from my thoughts. Tears slipped slowly down my face as memories from two years ago haunted me. 

“YOU ARE ALWAYS DOING THIS EDMUND!” I had yelled that fateful night, in the kitchen of my old hom- house. “SORRY IF I WANT A FUCKING BREAK AFTER WORKING MY ASS OFF SO THAT WE CAN AFFORD THIS PLACE,” he yelled back, prodding his finger in my direction, his face red. “MAYBE IF YOU STOPPED WASTING MONEY BUYING ALL THIS TRASH, YOU WOULD HAVE MORE TIME TO SPEND WITH ME, YOUR FUCKING GIRLFRIEND!” I screeched, pointing at the alcohol bottles. “YOU ARE STAYING OUT ALL NIGHT EDMUND, IT SEEMS LIKE YOU’RE A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT PERSON,” I continued, the clock ticking to 4 in the morning. “YOU’RE SO BLOODY ANNOYING, Y/N! ARE YOU FUCKING INSECURE OR SOMETHING? MAYBE IT’S TIME YOU REALISED THAT I DON’T WANT TO BE SEEN WITH THE LIKES OF YOU!” he yelled, regret flashing through his eyes as soon as he said those words. Tears welled in my eyes, blurring the guilt-ridden face of the boy in front of me, his dark brown hair the only visible feature under the yellow lights of the kitchen as the tears escaped my eyes. Edmund tried to reach for my wrist but I pulled my body away from him, making him flinch a little at the cold reaction. “I’ve had enough,” I croaked, walking away from the boy to our room and locking the door as he pleaded apologies.

I snapped out of the daydream, glancing at the clock which showed that it was now nine in the morning. My heart hurt from his last words, making me feel like I couldn’t breathe. I rubbed my eyes, the tears leaving a salty mess on my face. I forced myself to get up, stumbling slightly on the way to the bathroom through the haze of tears. I started the flow of hot water in the shower and stood under it as the steam from the water-filled the room, fogging up the mirror. My mind shut down as I stood under the steady stream of water that relaxed my muscles.

Who's gonna walk you 

Through the dark side of the morning? 

Who's gonna rock you 

When the sun won't let you sleep? 

Who's waking up to drive you home 

When you're drunk and all alone? 

Who's gonna walk you 

Through the dark side of the morning? 

“Please pick me up Y/N/N,” slurred Edmund’s voice through the line, making me sigh and immediately pick up my car keys to pick up the drunk boy. “Edmund, this isn’t good for you,” I sighed as we drove back from the pub, Edmund slouched over in his seat, his suit wrinkled and hair messy. “Work is so exhausting, baby,” he sighed, ignoring my words. “I miss college,” he said, leaning his head back as he thought about our time two years ago at Oxford University. “Edmund, please stop drinking so much. Talk to me instead,” I interrupted his ramble about the past, making his brown eyes well up with innocent tears. “Are you mad at me?” he asked as I parked the car and undid his seatbelt, helping him out of the seat to our apartment. “I could never be mad at you, sweetheart,” I assured, kissing his forehead before opening the front door of our home. “Please don’t leave, I don’t want the nightmares,” muttered the boy when I tried leaving him on the bed to crash on the couch. I considered for a short moment before climbing in beside him, cradling his head and rocking him gently as he drifted into a seemingly peaceful sleep.

Suddenly, I snapped out of the daydream when cold water started hitting my body instead of hot water. I switched off the shower and climbed out, wrapping the towel tightly around my body, and opening the bathroom door. As the steam slowly escaped from the bathroom, I lay down on the bed again, my legs dangling off the edge as I thought about us when we were younger. 

I had a dream 

We were back to seventeen 

Summer nights and The Libertines 

Never growing up 

I was doing homework at my desk when “Don’t look back into the sun” started playing from outside my window. I dropped the pen that I had been spinning between my fingers and stood up from my study table. I glanced out of the window to see Edmund standing there with a sign in his hand that said, “PROM?” I pulled the window up, the hot summer air of the night hitting my skin as I yelled, “YES!” He grinned and threw his hands up in celebration making me giggle softly as the song by the Libertines continued to play. 

I got up from my bed and slipped on a hoodie and tights in place of the towel wrapped around me, back to my 27-year-old self 10 years later. I hummed the familiar song softly before picking up my phone and opening Spotify. The song by the Libertines drifted through the room, making me smile despite the bittersweet memories. 

Who's gonna walk you 

Through the dark side of the morning? 

Who's gonna rock you 

When the sun won't let you sleep? 

Who's waking up to drive you home 

When you're drunk and all alone? 

Who's gonna walk you 

Through the dark side of the morning? 

It ain't me 

I snooped through the messages Edmund had sent to me over the years. Sweet messages of, “I’ll be home in five minutes, sweetheart,” slowly changed to, “Not coming home today, don’t wait.” As I reached the end of the chat, a voicemail that I had been too hesitant to open came up. I played the message, tears immediately springing to my eyes at the familiar British accent, the husky undertones bringing about a sense of closure, sewing old wounds closed. “I am so sorry Y/N. I need you. Who is going to take care of me when I’m drunk, or when I can’t sleep,” his voice said through the speakers of my phone. “It ain’t me,” I said softly to myself, a parting with the sweet boy I had known, who was now lost from everywhere except the stained memories I held. 

[salt-volk]

I remember being into DV in beta initially because, I, being a mid teen, was like 'oh hey this game seems promising!! it looks nice!! sure it's a little grindy but that'll probably change!!' Then I forget about the game, come back a year later for a couple days, dip because I was too annoyed I lost my (minimal threes forest but I recall the grinding being worse with only 3 hearts at a time I think), and then in the grand year of 2023 come back, expecting a lot to have changed, and instead it's... well, I assumed it'd reveal what changed once I got further in the game. it had me fixated on a bit because I was in need of some daily little scheduled quick grind at the time, I even bought a couple chests (once a month ofc) because it's basically half the price in GBP so it didn't sting much. Besides that I was and still am a casual player in any game of this style.

You see the first few changes I was surprised by, and I hoped there'd been a rehaul to really get into the worldhopper lore, but then I reached the mines and got. bored. the events were fun, but it just felt like just a grind after they passed. I still went go on it occasionally, but I literally have nothing to go for now since my main goal was get enough rep with characters to unlock the accessories, but then I learned that, indeed, I can just get it for equal price in the trades sales. whatever they're called. That was the last thing stripped from my motivation to be invested. I can't be bothered to go for pets at all, they were never a big interest to me since incubating them always broke my rhythm quest wise, I was more into the avatar stuff, because I could spice up my character whenever and however.

Honestly, I'm a simple creature, dangle quick dopamine hits and I go for it. But here, after three years? There was basically nothing new. At all. And. is there even... like a team behind this or is it like one person. TBH coming across this blog accidentally and reading this gave me new light into the game, slightly saddening, but also it made me feel less mad that maybe I somehow wasn't playing the game right LMAO. the economy is wack, the adventuring layout is broken and wack, everything is wack. It's a shame, it did have an air of nostalgia for me, and I hoped this game would be fruitful, instead it fell off the tree under-ripe.

(sorry for the long post haha)

.

[fireemblems24]

Fire Emblem Engage 15 - 17

Spoilers for FE Engage 15+. Though, this game is way better at gameplay than it is with story, but the characters are all likable so I'm good.

I really appreciate how different all the nations and their castles and interiors look in this game. I adore Three Houses, but one thing I really wish they did was have more variety in the weather, landscapes, etc . . . This game nailed it.

Solm, a desert country, having waterfalls in their palace is such a good touch. Not only does it show that water would be valued in a place like this, but it's also flaunting the royal family's wealth and power, like a palace should.

I'm not sure I'll ever warm up to Veyle. She's a walking moe cliche. Mind control. Innocent cute loli type otherwise. But, hey, I didn't like Hortensia at one point but her VA sold me in the last chapter.

Does anyone else find it a bit funny that we're a dragon worshipped as a god with influence over the land and this is a good thing. It's like a giant middle finger to those people who tried to rewrite the entire history of the franchise around a certain character's not-so-great view of dragons.

Also worth noting that Brodia invading Elusia is seen as a universal bad and something Diamant's supports resolve around stopping. Just putting that out there.

Ivy/Diamant feels cannon to me. It makes too much sense.

Kagetsu is so awkward. I love him.

I feel like I just took half of my units and got them with level 5 with Byleth. Mentorship is too good not to stick on a few people, and it's cheap too.

I love how literally no one takes Hortensia seriously. It makes an otherwise grating character kind of cute.

Holy shit, Merrin laid it on thick for Chloe. Honestly, don't blame her. But she is not subtle, gave Chloe flowers, called her beautiful, then asked her to dinner. Homegirl's even willing to try and stomach Chloe's . . . uh "food" choices. And Chloe thinks Merrin is like a cool knight out of a fairy tale. 100% new ship happening.

So far I like AlearxAlfred, IvyxDiamant, CelinexAlcryst, and now ChloexMerrin.

Alfred and Boucheron's support went exactly like I imagined it would. Poor dude. Alfred would lose his mind meeting Dimitri, someone who's abnormally strong despite not looking like a hulk, but is still shredded.

Alfred is probably the only person in the world who would've be offended or weirded out when someone asked to lick the flowers he's wearing and also offer to get licked later. Otherwise, Bunet is weird.

Seadall is VERY hot. He's like Sothe and Navarre had a baby. Or like Navarre put Sothe's clothes on.

F!Alear confronting Veyle again had really good voice acting. As long as we ignore that everyone just stood around instead of attacking her. Gratned, it was un-brainwashed Veyle who wasn't attacking so I'll let it go. Maybe.

Doing Ike's prologue is making me feel things. The nostalgia is real.

I love so, so much that one of Byleth's canned dialogue in Somniel is "Nothing to report!" and his paralogue is the Holy Tomb. And most of his dialogue was about Rhea, lol.

Eirika, my beloved, she's finally coming to me 😭😭😭😭😭😭 thank you, Rosado and Goldmary.

Rosado and Goldmary are both amazing. I want to use both, but I can't. There's just no room for both. But I think I'll use Goldmary because she's a bit better out of the box. She takes self-absorbed to hysterical new levels lol.

Anyone else think it's dumb that in Classic your units can die in the ring paralogues? It's like, oh bummer, Lyn/Corrin/etc just killed my healer who's the little sister of my mage, but our bonds are now stronger!

It feels extra sad seeing Firene get attacked. It's such a peaceful kingdom. It's nice to see Alfred back in the spotlight though. His lines about how these are just farmers and not soldiers reminds me a lot of Dimitri after Lonato.

I love how often the villains chit-chat with the heroes before and after battles, but like they never attack or threaten each other.

So mean that they're making Ivy and Hortensia fight their own dad :(

So I didn't start ch 17 after seeing the dialogue because it was too late and I didn't realize it, but I'm seeing the world map now and it's on fire :(

FYI, put Corrin on Alear. She/he can use all of the Dragon Vein terrain bonuses. I know most classes are locked to one type or another. I don't know if there's any other exceptions like Alear, but man I'm loving using this ring on Alear.

Alfred just did 5 criticals in a row. You think enemies would wise up and quit attacking him, but no. He is pissed off right now.

Alfred deserved that MVP. Boy put in the work.

Haha, they lost a ring. Wonder who I got back? And Veyle threw us another one? Nice! She got some points back despite being a character archtype I'm not about.

SIGURD! Fuck yes. Everyone's getting Canto. And Lief. Less exciting, but I'll take it. Jugdral boys are back.

[juneviews]

axelle judges non bl shows > Good Old Days

summary: 6 love stories relating back to the Good Old Days antique store that only sells objects that have a story attached to them. To conquer their love, those couples have to use these objects.

where to watch: youtube

grade: 8/10

pros:

- loved loved loved the direction & cinematography. the color grading & images are just all gorgeous and have this very singular, kinda vintage feeling to them. you can tell much thought & care went into the show and I love it.

- the acting performances were all great! for once joss managed to have a half decent emotional scene (no shade y’all know he’s one of my faves), and this is the best performance I’ve seen bright deliver so far! everyone definitely did a great job :)

- the writing is honestly great, bc it doesn’t only deal with these romantic relationships but also has very deep themes of self-reflexion & self-exploration. the common theme of the show, on top of being love, is truly about young adults finding their place in the world, and I honestly related so much, especially with aye’s character who decided to change her dream last minute, and krist’s character who is highly attached to places & objects and can’t seem to move on from them like me. and it’s all really, really well written!

- the pace is perfect! the fact that each story only got 2 eps really pushed the writing to be extra efficient, but it also made it hard to get bored or annoyed with a particular story. it all flowed together pretty seamlessly & I really appreciated it bc it’s rarely the case for series that contain multiple stories.

- the characters are all very convincing. there’s none that stood out to me that much but I found them all very lovable & they were developed quite well for such a short show!

cons:

- of course, since it’s multiple stories into one series, there’s gonna be some that resonate with you more than others, which can lessen the overal enjoyment.

- even though I said it was hard to get bored, I still did have some moments where I lost concentration a little bit.

- just like every short series like this one, it cannot become an ultimate fave bc I don’t get attached to the characters as much as in a full series.

THE STORIES RANKED:

road to regret (jossnamtan): this gave me big 3 will be free vibes, and I could definitely see it be a movie with the way it was executed. the writing was really quite excellent & queen namtan never fails to slay!

memories of happiness (tayaye): I’m a sucker for childhood best friends stories & I love both tay and aye so this was just a pleasure to watch, it was just incredibly cute, quirky & feel good and probably the least angsty story of the show. 

our soundtrack (brightthanaerng): so I had very little expectations for this ep bc usually thanaerng sadly has quite terrible roles & bright did recently disappoint me in astrophile, but??? they worked great together??? like I think we’ve cracked the code lmao. once again I have a thing for childhood best friends, and I also have a thing for music used well in shows so this was just really nice & definitely the biggest surprise of the show for me.

love wins (winpat): y’all know I adore pat & she was absolutely excellent in this as always, especially loved seeing her with her dog on screen! I do think win is quite a solid actor, and those two were really quite great together. I liked the exploration of social inequalities which is present in the entire show but especially hammered home in this story, but I also feel like this was the most scattered story in a way, and the writing could’ve been a bit tighter.

somewhere only we belong (kristprim): so as I said earlier I really found myself in krist’s character high nostalgia of everything & inability to let go, and I think this story was a perfect way to end the series. that being said... the age gap between the actors (8 years with prim being only 18) did make me uncomfortable & could’ve easily been changed. I get that prim is a great actress so gmmtv want to pair her with their most famous actors who tend to be older, but still. for me it really kept me from enjoying an otherwise quite solid story even though pretty basic.

bonds & relationships (leefah): for the first story of the show, it was definitely the weakest imo. it’s really not bad & I loved the mother-son relationship in it, but I found that something was lacking compared to the other stories, and not just the fact that this is the only story of the show where he doesn’t end up with the main love interest. the acting & theme were great though, but it’s definitely the worst story of the bunch imo.

would I rewatch it: I’m not against it but realistically, no

From the mock trailer, I had no plan of watching this show, but the final trailer made me way more interested & I couldn’t ignore the presence of so many of my faves in this show either. And I’m SO glad I gave this show a chance bc I actually really love its message & feel like I haven’t seen this side of adulting explored in thai romances that much before. I would honestly recommend, & this show is a testament to always give second chances!

[fala-alfredo-pasta]

I remember I discovered your art around a year ago, and you already improved SOOO MUCH!!! It’s very impressive! I love your art a lot!

If that’s not a problem, do you maybe have any advices on how to improve art? What were you doing? :0

I hope this is okay :)

Oh gosh thank you so much, I'm so glad people have noticed the improvement ;w;. Honestly, I look back at my old art and sometimes get a bit embarrassed because I know I can do better now but then again I'm only at this point because past me had the confidence to do that art and continue to learn so the least I can do it respect it for the building block that it is ^-^. Plus it's always fun to do re-draws of your old stuff anyway! Like a lil' nostalgia trip~

As far as advice goes...oh gosh I don't really know what to say 😖 My art was stagnate for some time since I went through a rough art block and had such little motivation to do digital arting for a while. It wasn't until I made this art blog and made a goal of wanting to be able to do one of those end of the year art summaries that I started to actually explore the things I could do with digital art and well just art in general. So, I suppose for me, the more regular digital arting really went a long way to improving things, but I do think the thing that improved my art the most was my interest in utilizing the different tools available to me digitally. Learning more and playing with overlays, gradient maps, custom brushes--taking digital art a bit more seriously.

But ngl what really got my butt into gear (and what really brought on a lot of these learning experiences) was my desire to get into zines. Danganronpa zines were just a whole other playing field and boy was I really out of my league at the start! I needed to beef up my portfolio and fast and well...yeah that's basically what I did lol. I drew larger pieces like that earring Nagito, Jason Junko, Christmas komaegi, and holy Rei to help my chances into getting into zines. I started adding more backgrounds to things because they look for that stuff but also to help me get into the habit of do something with the empty space (yknow when I have the energy). And then the zine pieces themselves just further pushed me into improving my stuff even more now that it was going to be among other amazing pieces--I really didn't' want mine to be so...sad looking compared to everyone's else's ;-;.

I guess in the end it was a mixture of wanting to make at least one thing a month (for the art summary), my need for self improvement to make it into zines and feel confident of my work while in the zines, and just my hyperfixation with Daganronpa that gave me an interest to continue drawing so much stuff anyway. After all, a lot of those ideas were things I wanted to do! Making them into larger pictures and giving them a nice background were just added perks so that I can sneakily include them in my zine portfolio application. I don't think I would have bothered to go that far if I wasn't actually enjoying it too ^-^!

Ah I feel like this didn't really answer your question but I suppose the tldr is: find something that gives ya motivation to draw, explore all sorts of techniques, art tools, art styles, background and perspectives--anything that catches your eye and you want to try out--do it! Use references! Get inspired by art you see and try to replicate the effects and techniques they used! Watch youtube speed draws and art program/effect tutorials! And just...have fun with it yknow? The last thing you want is to burn yourself out, so just have fun trying something new and seeing how it works. Don't be afraid of doing a whole 180 from your usual art. You never know what can work for ya if you don't try it out right :3

[yukiakaren]

Kpop title track ranking: MBLAQ

In this series I’ll be ranking kpop groups/soloists title tracks based on my taste.

I was reminded of the existence of MBLAQ the other day and immediately had the thought that I need to do this ranking for their songs. Also, I've started actually looking at the lyrics while doing these rankings and it does impact some of the opinions. But, as I don't actively understand the lyrics, sometimes just vibes carry the song.

Stay - Originally Stay wasn't my favorite MBLAQ song, as for the longest time it was Mona Lisa. But then at some point I really started liking Stay and it has been the no. 1 ever since. Extremely catchy desperate "I can't believe we are breaking up" type of song.

Mona Lisa - Damn it's a great one! I was seriously considering switching this back to the number one spot but just decided against it. Maybe at this very moment the correct spot for it would be no.1 but I trust that there are also days when this is the correct order. Truly all I can say is that these two are equally great songs.

This Is War - I think TIW has a rarer point of view for song lyrics, which I have to appreciate. Also, it's very dramatic, which is often my gear. Yup, this probably being their most well known song really does make sense.

Again - I'm not 100% sure if this was a title track. It was the single for a repackaged album, so I expect it was. One of couple of songs I had not heard before but that clearly had heaps of potential with me. Hence, I gave it couple of more listens and it ended up way higher than expected. This one definitely was a big positive surprise!

Mirror - I really liked this one when it was released and it's still quite lovely sounding song. Now reading the lyrics I see that they can really be interpreted to be about the members leaving. Obviously it is a break up song as well but it works in that context as well. Seriously, it's too bad that this ended up being the last song that we got from them.

Smoky Girl - I liked this decently much when I first listened to it. Definitely not my type of thing lyrically but oh well it's catchy enough to still get this spot.

Cry - This was the other one I had not heard before. But despite having that extra hurdle this also seems like a really nice one actually. Very much having the sound of that era ballad type of kpop songs but I don't think its a bad thing. I wish I had some nostalgia to back this up a bit more but for now it ends up here.

Oh Yeah - Well, let's start by saying this song definitely wasn't the reason for doing this ranking xD Perhaps I had only heard the Oh Yeah part of the song before now listening through these songs. For the era not too lyrically problematic, so that's a plus, but not necessarily the most interesting song either.

Y - The amount of autotune is actually quite off-putting. Also, the lyrics seem quite iffy. Purely the nostalgia I have for it prevents it from ending up on the bottom of the list.

Be A Man - This might seem crazy but hear me out. I just never have liked it, I don't know why but it grinds my gears. Reading the lyrics didn't help the case at all. I rather listen to the bucket load of autotune that Y has than go for this one, as pleasant of an instrumentation and vocals it has on paper. Damn, I'm just really not meant to like this one.

They really had bunch of hits but also some misses. Honestly, finding Again was the most unexpected but positive outcome here.

[moby-writing-and-stuff]

Gym Jobs: Brawly (NSFW)

Ash Ketchum smiled as he rested his arms on the railing of the boat, enjoying the feeling of the warm, salty sea air rush against his face. “Pikaaaa” his best friend, Pikachu, chirped from his shoulder, as he felt the same air hit his fur.

“Hehe, yeah” Ash said, petting his friend’s head “It’s nice to be back in Hoenn”

Indeed, the newly minted champion of the Alola region was enjoying a bit of a vacation on his own, something he needed, seeing as his last vacation turned into enrollment into a school and getting roped into yet another plot involving hyper powerful pokemon and another Pokemon League competition. He might love pokemon training more than anything else, but right now he was just tired and wanted a break.

“Righto, we should be getting to Dewford in a few minutes” a voice called from behind him. The raven haired teen turned around, smiling as he saw the old captain walking over to him “You ever been here before, boy?”

“Oh yeah” Ash said with a nod “Came here a few years ago, when I competed in the Lily of the Valley conference”

“Ah, you competed in the league?” the old man said with a laugh “It’s great to see a former competitor!”

“Yeah, it was a fun journey” Ash said as he laid against the railing, smiling as he felt a flood of nostalgia. “Didn’t win that one, but I did one later”

“Ah, wait a second…. You're Ash Ketchum, aren’t you?” the old man said with a smile

“Yeah” Ash said with a little chuckle

“Knew I’d seen your face before. I saw you're match with that Alolan professor” the man smiled as he slapped Ash’s back “So, you taking a victory tour then?” “Guess you could call it that, yeah” Ash said with a giggle “Honestly? I just want a break for a while, and revisiting where I’ve been is a good way to do that” “Ah, I take it you’ve been to see Roxanne already?” “Yup, her and Norman” Ash said with a grin “Things have changed a lot, that’s for sure” “Oh definitely” the captain said with a laugh “Ever since Steven retook his title of champion from Wallace, he made a trip round the region and made an effort to update and renovate all the gyms”

“It showed” Ash said, as the silhouette of Dewford Island began to come into view. “Roxanne's gym looks amazing now, it moved from a simple school to a full fledged museum!”

“Hehehe, indeed” the captain said “Lot’s of gyms got very nice new layouts. I visited my grandson in Mossdeep City to watch his Gym Battle with the twins. It was quite the sight, let me tell you”

“Nice” Ash said with a big grin, Pikachu having a matching one “I was planning on heading over after Dewford” “It will be quite the sight, let me tell ya” the captain said, looking back to the rapidly approaching island “Better get back to the wheel. That fancy autopilot is useful for open ocean, but it ain’t good when you're near the docks.” with that, the older man turned and left.

“He’s nice, isn’t he?” Ash asked his fuzzy yellow friend “Pika pika” the electric type chirped with a nod

“Wonder if he’ll be up to taking us elsewhere after the visit here” Ash muttered as the boat slowed down and gently parked in the harbor. Smiling, the teen turned around, tightened the straps on his backpack and gave the captain one more friendly smile “Thank you for the ride sir!”

“You're welcome! Sorry to say I’ll be heading off soon! You’ll have to take a ferry off!”

“Thank you for the warning!” Ash said as he hopped off onto the pier, smiling as the smell of the beach hit his nose “Ah. Right, Pokemon Center first, then we go see Brawly?” “Pika!” Pikachu agreed with a nod. Smiling, the young champion took off to the nearby pokemon center.

“Here you are” Nurse Joy said as she handed Pikachu back to Ash. The yellow rodent chirped and hopped off the Nurse’s hands and clambered up to his trainer’s shoulder

“Hehe, sorry bout that” Ash said with a giggle “Well, that might be the most energetic Pikachu I’ve seen in a long time” the nurse said with a smile “So, do you have any other Pokemon that might need a check up?” “Nope” Ash said with a shake of his head “I just brought Pikachu with me. Not really here to challenge the gyms, its a vacation”

“Ah, alright then” Joy said with a smile “Well, even if you're not interested in competing, I recommend you check out the gym. Brawly has made some interesting renovations”

“Oh?” the raven haired teen asked “What kind?”

“Well, if I remember correctly, he’s exact words to Mr. Stone were ‘I’ve got nothing to do on a day without challengers and bad weather. I’d like it so the gym can be used for more than just battles’”

“Huh, that’s the first time I’ve heard someone say that” Ash muttered “Most of the time, Gym Leaders just care about the gym being in good condition for challengers”

“Yeah, but Brawly has always been an eccentric one” the nurse admitted with a shrug “Nowadays, the Gym is open 24/7 for anyone who wants to use its facilities.” “Wait, Brawly is in the gym all day?”

“Oh sweet Rayquaza, no!” the nurse said with a giggle “No, there’s a schedule for Gym battles now. Brawly is open to them between 9 and 4. The rest of the day, the gym is open terf”

“Huh, interesting” Ash muttered, he and Pikachu sharing a confused look “Well, thank you again Nurse” “It’s no problem” she said with a friendly smile as Ash turned around and walked out of the building. He grinned as he looked around, the warmth of the sun hitting his face, a sensation he had grown used to thanks to the last year he spent in Alola.

“Hey Pikachu, we do have sunscreen, right?” Ash asked as he walked down the sand covered ground of the town. Pikachu turned around and zipped open the bright blue backpack. He dug around for a few seconds before popping out with a big, white bottle with a bright orange cap

“Pika!” the pokemon chirped

“Perfect!” Ash said with a big smile, as he took the bottle from his pokemon, popping the cap off and squirting a big blob of the cream onto his hands, beginning to spread it all over his exposed skin. This was a thing he started doing the last year when he lived in Alola, the nasty sunburns he got a few times when he headed out to the beach pretty much taught him to never go outside without at least one bottle of the stuff to re-apply constantly.

As he spread his protection against the wrath of Volcarona, he slowly weaved and bobbed through the small crowds that were forming in the street. Most of them were kids who were dashing off to play at the beach, and a few were people closer to his age, dressed up and ready to start off their journeys. But what drew his attention was a rather large group of people who were walking to the gym. What drew his eye was that they weren’t dressed like trainers. None of them had backpacks, pokeballs on their belts, or clothes that were made for long journeys. 

Most of them were wearing tight shorts, sandals or sneakers and a few were even going without anything on their torsos. All of them had towels, water bottles and various other bits like that.

“That’s weird…” Ash muttered, stopping in his track and watching the large group heading for the gym. Most of them were guys, and they were around his age, a few a bit older, a few a bit younger, but most were in their late teens. Frowning a little, Ash walked a bit faster and tagged along, right behind one of the larger groups. The guys that made it up didn’t even seem to notice him, instead completely immersed in their own conversations. Still confused, Ash slowly krept behind them as they approached the gym.

From the outside it looked just like Ash remembered from his challenge a few years ago. It was on a rather tall cliff a few yards away from the sand covered town, and being the only spot that actually had grass around it. It was still a large white building with a huge orange dome roof, with the roaring of crashing waves in the background. The guys in front dashed ahead, clearly excited about something happening in the place, as they left Ash completely in the dust. Literally, as they kicked up a cloud of orange dirt as they speed ahead, leaving the newly minted champion coughing and waving his hands in front of his face.

“Gah!” he exclaimed as the cloud finally dissipated “Sweet Arceus what was that about?!” “Pika chupi!” the yellow pokemon agreed, sneezing a bit as he cleared his own lungs of the dirt.

“Brawly must be holding a party or something for people to be that damn excited” Ash muttered as he began walking to the gym himself. When he reached the door, he finally saw some of the renovations that he’d been told about. The door wasn’t the old glass paned one from his last time here, but instead was a steel door that shone like it had just been polished. Hanging right above it, in bright orange letters read ‘Dewford Town Gym’. As he walked closer, Ash saw a small plaque that had been placed right next to the door, and like it, shone like it had just been waxed this very morning.

“Huh” he muttered as he read the thing “Attention, due to changes in the layout of the gym, and in the equipment inside, memberships must be renewed early this month. If you have paid already, please bring proof of the payment and you will be excused of the new payment…. Memberships? What kind of gym has a membership?” he muttered, crossing his arms “That would get Brawly in loads of trouble with the League…” shaking his head, Ash steeled himself and took one more step. As he did, the motion sensor of the door finally picked him up and slid open. 

Ash winced a little as he was hit with a blast of cold air, as the AC of the gym smacked him in the face. Shaking his head and stepping inside, Ash did not expect what he saw. It was a simple looking waiting room, with a huge pair of doors that looked like they belonged in a school, and a lot of chatting coming out from behind it. As he stepped inside, a smell hit Ash’s nose, a smell he wasn’t that used to smelling. The weird mix of sweat, deodorant and soap that only emerged from a spot where a lot of people went to work out.

“Ah, hello there!” a cheery voice said, snapping Ash out of his thoughts. Looking over to the side, he saw a young man, again close to his age, sitting wearing a tight, compression outfit that had the letter DG stamped on the chest in bright orange.

“Um, hi” Ash said as he walked over. As he did that, Pikachu jumped off and walked over to the large door, sniffing the hair, clearly confused by the smell

“Do you have a membership?” the guy asked, glancing over to the computer “Or do you already have one?” “Membersh- No!” Ash said, shaking his head “N-No I don’t. I-I haven’t been here in a long time, and I wanted to see Brawly”

“Oooh” the guy said, blushing a little “Sorry about that. That’s kinda become my default response to seeing someone come in”

“I-It’s ok” Ash said with a chuckle “So, is Brawly here?” “Oh, no. Sorry” the guy said with a friendly smile “He left about an hour ago to go surfing. I don’t know when he’ll get b-” “How bout righ now?” a laid back voice rang out from behind Ash. The raven haired teen turned around and smiled as he saw a guy a few years older than him, with teal hair and eyes. He was wearing a tight black shirt, fingerless gloves, shorts that matched his hair color, and some of the weirdest footwear Ash had ever seen, what seemed to be a mix between socks and shoes that showed off his toes. Around his forehead was a pair of bright orange sunglasses, and he was dripping wet.

“Hi Brawly!” Ash said, a big smile on his face as he approached the gym leader, holding out his hand for a shake

“Ash Ketchum!” the gym leader said with a big smile, taking a step forewards and grabbing Ash’s hand

“You remember me?” the raven haired trainer asked in shock

“Course I do!” the fighting type gym leader said with a smile “Kinda hard to forget the winner of the first Alolan league!” “Oh yeah” Ash chuckled with a blush “So you saw that?” “Yeah” Brawly said “I’ve been thinking of heading over to Alola during my next vacation, so I thought it would be best to learn who the best trainer there was”

“Hehehe” Ash chuckled, getting even redder

“So, what brings ya here?” 

“Decided to take a trip to relax after the league” Ash said with a shrug. “Thought I’d stop by and visit. And holy crap, things have changed…” “You can say that again” Brawly said with a chuckle “Steven came knocking round last year, getting everyone to remodel the gyms and I took advantage of it do to do something extra”

“Yeah?” Ash asked

“Oh hell yeah. See, I noticed that I was pretty much the only guy on the island who was actually getting a chance to work out. Most people here don’t really care much for surfing. So I thought, if I open a regular gym here too, I can get people in here to work out and get some extra cash in my pockets to boot.” “Huh” Ash muttered, looking at the large door behind them “Have to admit, that’s pretty clever” “Yeah. I got the idea after a trip to Unova two years ago. Saw a trio of leaders that also ran a restaurant and that got this swimming round my head.” Brawly smiled at Ash “Say, while you're here, how bout a tour?” “Really?” Ash asked, shocked at the proposal

“Yeah” the teal haired gym leader said with a grin “I’ve got an hour before I need to start the Pokemon Gym part of the day up. Should be more than enough time to show ya around” “Well, alright then!” Ash said with a big smile

“Awesome!” Brawly said, turning to the guy at the reception “Right, Toby do me a favor and bring my board in a few minutes?” “Sure thing, Mr. Brawly” Toby said with a smile

“Awesome!” the gym leader said, walking up to Ash and guiding him over to the doors. Pikachu didn’t waste time and jumped up to his trainer’s shoulder, not wanting to miss the tour “Well, let’s get started then!”

“Alright” Brawly said, throwing the large doors open and leading Ash inside “Here we have the locker rooms. It's nothing too fancy, but they work”

Ash nodded as his eyes scanned around. The place looked like a traditional locker room from a high school, with rows and rows of dull green metal lockers, a tiled floor and steam hovering all around them, as some of the patrons showered. 

“So, how many people are members?” Ash asked as Brawly led him through the area, weaving through the discarded clothes and benches that littered the area.

“Oh, not that many. Small town and all that” Brawly said with a smile as he led the young trainer “I think there’s like….. 15? Give or take a few. And they don’t all come in at the same time. We get waves”

“Hehe, guess that’s a bonus for ya?” Ash asked, a cheeky smile on his face. Brawly blinked for a second, before a loud deep chuckle broke out of his mouth

“Oh damn! I walked right into that one, didn’t I?” Brawly giggled as the two approached the another door. Brawly gave Ash a big smile as he rested his hand on the doors “Well, ready to see the main attraction?” “Yeah!” Ash cheered

“Pika!” Pikachu chirped in agreement

“Alrighty then!” Brawly said as he shoved the doors open.

Ash had to admit, he was impressed. He had never been one for working out in the past, as his rather skinny twig like frame could show, but seeing all of these guys and a few girls working their asses off, chatting and clearly enjoying it all, it tempted him slightly to drop down and climb onto the closest machine.

“So, right here we have the lifting area” Brawly said, pointing at a section filled with loads of overly muscled people, who were comparing the sizes of their muscles

“Eh, don’t think that one’s for me…” Ash said, laughing a little “Hehe, oh don’t worry I agree.” Brawly said with a smile “I go over there every once in a while, but its not really my thing. But when I opened up the gym, there was such a demand for it, I had to give in. Who knew the island had that much of a body building fascination”

“Well, to be fair the town once had an obsession with Super Potions” Ash said with a little laugh

“Ha! True” Brawly laughed “Dewford Town is known to jump from fad to fad faster than the sun sets. Anyways, over here we have the cardio area”

The rest of the tour went very much like this, with Brawly leading Ash around and showing him the different spots, explaining how much use it got from either him or from the patrons. Ash listened with rapt attention. There was something about this place that really seemed to drawing him into it. He had to fight the urge to drop everything and jump into a few of the machines quite a few times, but soon, the two reached the end of the tour.

“So, what did ya think of the place Ash?” Brawly asked

“I-I….” Ash muttered, the smell of the place still on his nose, a small cloud in his head. Shaking it for a second, he smiled at Brawly “It was great Brawly. Its awesome that you managed to make something like this” “I know!” the teal haired gym leader said with a big grin. As they spoke, Ash took another sniff and felt that weird cloud come back. Without noticing, his eyes slowly moved away from Brawly and over to the nearest machine, a treadmill. Brawly noticed and grinned “So, interested in giving it a shot?”

“H-Huh?” Ash asked, blinking rapidly as he snapped out of the cloud again. “O-Oh… I mean, yeah. I-I’ve never really done anything like this before though…”

“Oh relax” Brawly said, giving the teen a friendly shove over to the machine. Pikachu hopped off Ash and onto Brawly’s arm with a cheeky grin, before hopping down to the floor. “Go on and give it a shot!”

“A-Alright” Ash muttered as he walked closer to the thing. It wasn’t really anything too fancy, just a run of the mill looking treadmill, except that the tread seemed to be modified to be softer.

“Oh, one thing” Brawly said, walking a bit closer

“What?” Ash asked

“I don’t think you're dressed for it” he said, pointing at a mirror that sat right in front of the machine. 

Looking at his reflection, Ash frowned. He was wearing the black capri shorts, striped blue and white t-shirt, red hat and the fancy waterproof shoes he got back in Alola. Looking closer at them, he did realize that Brawly was right. These clothes weren’t made for working out like this.

“You're right…. But I don’t have anything to change into…” Ash said sheepishly

“Oh, don’t worry about that” Brawly said “Just take your shirt and shoes off” “Wait, what?” Ash asked, his eyes going wide a bit “Take my shoes off? Isn’t that a bit-” “Oh relax” Brawly said with a smile “I modified the treadmills so that it would be perfectly safe to run on em barefoot. I mean come on, did you ever see me wear shoes?”

“Hehe, fair point” Ash said with a shrug “Well it can’t hurt to give it a shot” he thought as he grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it off in one clean motion, taking his hat off too, then reaching down and slipping off his shoes, exposing his bare feet. He turned around and handed the clothes to Pikachu “Keep em safe for me buddy!” “Pika!” the pokemon nodded, with a mock salute. Ash giggled at his partner’s antics before turning around and stepping onto the machine. 

Taking a deep breath, he turned it on and began running slowly, as the machine slowly but surely sped up.

As he ran, he started at his reflection, panting at little as he jogged. He was really skinny, just like he remembered, and he couldn’t help but smile when he saw that the sunscreen he had bought was working like a charm.

“Good work Ash!” Brawly whispered into his ear “You're doing amazing”

For some reason, Ash shivered as he heard those words. There was something about Brawly complimenting him that felt really good. 

“Think you can do better?” he asked, smiling as he saw the look of concentration and pleasure on Ash’s face

“Y-Yeah” Ash said with a dopey smile. Brawly smirked and reached over, pressing the speed up button. The tread beneath Ash began to move faster, and the light jog the teen was doing turned into a sprint, doing his damndest to keep up with the new speed. That strange mix of determination and pleasure he had felt before returned in full force, and he was determined to prove that he could do just as good as he said he could.

For the next ten minutes, Ash ran in the best sync he could with the machine, sweat running down his face as he did so. 

“Alright!” Brawly’s voice rang into his ears again. Ash blinked rapidly as he felt the ground beneath him slow down, as the machine came to a stop. “You did pretty well”

“Hahah, thanks” Ash panted, grasping the side of the machine, sweat dripping off his face and to the ground beneath

“Here” the teal haired gym leader said, handing Ash a bottle with a bright orange liquid inside “Drink it, its important to have a lot of liquid in ya when you do this”

“Y-Yeah” Ash said with another pant as he pulled the cap off the bottle and chugged down its contents in two seconds. He shivered a little as the liquid touched his tongue and going down his throat. As it went down, it left a strange burning and tingling sensation. “Gah!” he gasped

“Yeah, drinking after a workout can burn” Brawly said with a smile “Especially after a great one like that one!”

“Great?” Ash muttered, smiling at little at that

“Oh yeah! You were great Ash” Brawly said, walking a bit closer to Ash “Worked out like a good gym boy”

Those words sent shivers down Ash’s spine, and a big dopey smile formed on his face. There was something about hearing those words that made him feel really really good. He wanted to hear Brawly say them again. 

He turned around, returning the empty bottle as he realized something

“Hey, where’s Pikahcu?” he asked, looking at the empty spot where his best friend had been standing a few minutes ago

“Oh, he was tired so I took him to the gym’s guest room so he could take a nap” Brawly explained with a friendly smile

“Oh, that’s ok then” Ash said, calming down a little “I guess that my clothes are there too?”

“Yup” Brawly said with a grin “Little guy took his job of guarding them seriously, let me tell ya”

“Haha!” Ash giggled “Yeah, he takes jobs I give him very very seriously”

“Speaking of taking things seriously” the teal haired gym leader said “You took that jog there real seriously” “Oh? Yeah, guess I did” Ash said, blushing a little 

“Why are ya blushing? That’s not a bad thing!” Brawly said, smacking Ash’s bare back

“R-Really?” Ash asked “I-I never really cared about stuff like this”

“Oh, trust me stuff like that can happen” Brawly explained “Belive it or not, I didn't care at all about surfing or the beach until my best friend convinced me to give it a shot one day” “Really?” the raven haired teen asked, looking at Brawly with a smile “I find that really hard to believe” “I know” the gym leader said with a smile “Actually, let’s make a deal”

“A deal?” Ash wondered as Brawly led him away from the gym area proper and to a door that led to the back areas “What kind of deal?” “Well, the next boat off the island gets here in a week” Brawly explained as he led him into an area that looked more like the hallway of a house, cleary the area where the Brawly lived. “So, the deal is this. I give ya a free room for you and your chu to stay at till it gets here”

“Really?” Ash asked, his eyes wide in shock “You’d just let us stay here?”

“Yup” Brawly said with a grin “But remember, deal. That means ya do something for me”

“Right” the raven haired teen said with a nod “So, what do you want from me?”

“You attend the gym for that week, at least once a day” Brawly said with a smile “Cause you look like a Suddowoodo, you're so damn skinny. So, that’s the deal. Take it or leave it?”

Ash blinked for a second, before smiling “Hell, I can handle having to go work out for a few days if it means free room!” he grabbed Brawly’s hand and shook it

“Perfect!” Brawly said with a huge smile, shaking Ash’s hand back “Alrighty then! I’ll get ya something better to wear for the gym for tomorrow” he said as they reached a door that was cracked open. Peeking inside, Ash smiled as he saw Pikachu curled up into a ball on a queen sized bed that waited inside the room, along with Ash’s clothes and his backpack. “This is the guest room, but for the rest of the week, it's your room!”

“Hehe, thanks Brawly” Ash said, walking into the room and gently closing the door before taking a seat next to Pikachu, who opened one of his eyes and smiled at Ash “Sorry buddy, didn’t mean to wake ya” “Pika” the yellow pokemon said, closing his eyes again and re-curling up. Ash sighted and ran his fingers through his friend’s fur

“Well, this is gonna be an interesting week” Ash muttered as he looked at himself. “Hope it won't be too hard to keep my end of the deal…”

(===============)

Ash yawned, a few rays of sunlight streaming in through the window and hitting his face. He groaned and slowly sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes as he looked around.

“Where….?” he muttered for a second, before his sleepy mind caught up “Oh right. I’m at Brawly’s gym….” 

“Pika?” he heard a soft chirp coming from a bit a further down. Looking down, he smiled as he saw Pikachu slowly wake up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and stretching 

“Morning Pikachu” Ash said with a smile, rubbing the ears of his friend

“Pika pika!” the small yellow pokemon chirped in greeting, enjoying the petting

“Hehehe, slept well?” Ash asked as he threw the covers off and climbed out of the bed.

“Chu!” Pikachu said with a nod as the raven haired teen smiled and stretched. He looked around and caught his reflection on a mirror on the wall right across from the bed

“You know, Brawly has a lot of mirrors in this place,” Ash said with a little giggle as he looked at himself. He looked pretty much the same as always, slightly pale, regardly skinny and still strangely hairless below the neck. He never understood that, but he just assumed it was a genetic quirk of his, so he never really gave it too much thought.

KNOCK KNOCK

“Yo Ash?” Brawly’s voice rang out from the other side of the door “You awake?”

“Yeah, I’m up” Ash said, quickly grabbing his shorts and slipping them on just as the gym leader opened the door

“Morning” the teal haired teen said, smiling as he saw Ash adjusting his pants “Oh, relax. It's not like I haven’t seen anything like that before”

“O-Oh…” Ash stammered, his cheeks lighting up bright red “A-Ah… Well…alright then…”

“Oh man, you're easy to fluster” Brawly said with a grin “Come on, breakfast is ready”

“R-Right” Ash said, his cheeks still red as he quickly grabbed his shirt and slipped it on, following the Gym leader down the hall, his trusted pokemon a few steps behind. The trio quickly reached the kitchen, where Brawly had set up a decent spread for them to enjoy, including a plate filled with Poke-Chow for Pikachu

“Go ahead and dig in” Brawly said as he took a seat himself. The raven haired teen didn’t need another word and sat down, grabbing a piece of toast and wolfing it down. “Damn, you’re hungry today, ain’t ya?” “Hehe, yeah” Ash said, wiping some crumbs off his mouth as he grabbed a nearby glass, which was filled with the same bright orange liquid Brawly had given him yesterday “Hey Brawly, what is this exactly?” “Oh that?” the gym leader asked as he grabbed a glass himself and took a big drink “It’s a sports drink I made” “You made a sports drink?”

“Yeah” the teal haired guy said with a relaxed grin “It’s not as hard as it sounds honestly. Its a blend of berries and a bit of lemonade mixed in. Turned out to be a big hit with the guys coming in, so I decided to make it a real thing. Sales does help give a bit extra cash on top of the memberships” “Huh, cool” Ash said, as he took a drink from the glass, smiling as he felt the sweet flavor flood his taste buds, and when he swallowed, he smiled a little, as it left a pleasant tingling sensation that spread all over his body. He leaned back in the chair and relaxed, letting out a sigh of relief

“Like it?” Brawly asked with a big grin on his face

“Yeah” Ash said with a dopey smile on his face “It’s really good…” “Thanks” Brawly said with a smile, getting up to his feet and walking next to Ash, putting his hands on the teen’s shoulders “It makes you feel good doesn't it?” “Y-Yeah…” Ash muttered, his eyes slowly moving away from where Brawly had been sitting and down to the floor. He frowned for a split second as he saw Pikachu just standing there, swaying a wee bit, crumbs of his just eaten food “W-Wha..” “Shh” Brawly whispered into his ear, holding the glass up to his lips “Drink more. Drinking it makes you feel good, right?” “Ye-Yes…” Ash muttered as he started drinking the bright orange liquid, the tingling sensation growing stronger and stronger as he kept drinking

“Drinking it makes you feel good” Brawly kept whispering “And you drank because I told you to, right?” Ash nodded, not stopping his drinking

“So that means that doing what I tell you makes you feel good” Brawly whispered, taking the glass away from Ash mouth for a second “Say it” “Doing what you tell me to makes me feel good….” Ash mumbled, a dopey smile on his face

“That’s right” the teal haired gym leader whispered again “Say it again” “Doing what Brawly says makes me feel good…” Ash muttered

“Good” Brawly said with a smile, slowly moving away from Ash “Keep saying it until I stop”

“Doing what Brawly says makes me feel good. Doing what Brawly says makes me feel good. Doing what Brawly says makes me feel good.” the raven haired teen kept repeating, the dopey smile on his face growing more and more as he repeated the words. Soon, Brawly came back with something in his hand

“Take a deep breath” he whispered, as Ash looked down to see what the teal haired boy was holding. It was a can of some kind, and Ash did as he was told, taking a big sniff of whatever was inside. He moaned a little as he felt that same feeling from the drink flood all over his body, sending shivers of pleasure all through his nerves. Brawly smiled as he saw Ash’s eyes go wide and the dopey smile on his face growing even bigger, staring off into empty space as he kept mouthing what he had ordered him to say.

“Hehe, this stuff works like a charm” he said to himself as he stared at the raven haired teen “Now, let’s get to work” he grabbed the hem of Ash’s shirt and quickly took it off, Ash unconsciously moving along, as he just kept staring ahead.

“Doing what Brawly says makes me feel good….” Ash muttered, his voice coming back after the blast of pleasure

“Listen to me carefully” Brawly whispered into Ash’s ear again “What I’m about to tell you is the absolute truth. A fact that you will never doubt or think about, it is the truth and nothing else” “Yes Brawly….” the raven haired teen mumbled, that dopey smile still on his face

“You hate wearing shirts and shoes” Brawly whispered “Shirts and shoes are restrictive, useless pieces of clothing that you cannot stand, and never wear them. You always leave your chest exposed and your feet bare”

“Yes Brawly….” Ash mumbled, as the orders found their way into his addled mind and cemented themselves in stone “I hate shirts and shoes…. I never wear shirts and shoes…. I only wear pants and nothing more…..”

“Good boy Ash” Brawly whispered, giving the boy a pat on the head “Now, keep repeating that for the next two hours”

“I hate shirts and shoes…. I never wear shirts and shoes…. I only wear pants and nothing more…..I hate shirts and shoes…. I never wear shirts and shoes…. I only wear pants and nothing more…..I hate shirts and shoes…. I never wear shirts and shoes…. I only wear pants and nothing more…..” the raven haired teen repeated over and over, still staring at the ceiling, the words cementing themselves even more in his brain.

Brawly smiled and took a step back, admiring his handiwork 

“Right, a bit longer like that and you’ll be ready to start your first day at the gym!” the gym leader smirked as he looked down at the electric type standing on the ground, who like his trainer was staring into empty space “Now, let’s get to work on you”

Ash groaned as he blinked rapidly, frowingin as he looked around. He was sitting in the kitchen of the gym, a plate of half eaten toast and an empty glass in front of him.

“Guh… What happened?” he muttered, shaking his head as he got up. As he did, he felt his toe brush against some cloth on the ground. Curious, the raven haired teen reached down and grabbed a blue and white striped t-shirt.

“Oh hey Ash!” Brawly’s voice rang out from the other side of the room. Looking up, Ash smiled as he saw the teal haired trainer walking over with a big smile on his face “You done with breakfast I see”

“O-Oh yeah I am” Ash said with a smile “Hey Brawly, is this thing yours?”

“Oh? Nah. I don’t have any shirts like that. Isn't it yours?” “Mine? Arceus no!” Ash said, tossing the shirt to the table “I hate the things, never wear them.” “Ah, alright then. That actually makes my life easier” Brawly said with a smile “Makes it easier to find you some gym clothes” “Hehe” Ash giggled a little as the two walked out of the kitchen, and down to the gym proper. The raven haired teen smiled as he felt the smell of the gym hit his nose. It wasn’t the same as yesterday, when the place had been packed full of people, but it was still strangely familiar, and it sent shivers of pleasure through his body

“Alright Ash, go ahead. Your end of the deal” “Yes Brawly!” Ash said with a smile, shivering a bit more as he said that. Something about listening to the gym leader felt really good.

Not wasting a second, the boy dashed off to the nearest treadmill and hopped on it, turning it on to the slowest setting. He took a deep breath and began jogging along with it.

“Sweet Groudon Ash” Brawly said with a laugh “Next time go get something to drink first”

“O-Oh right… Sorry!” Ash mumbled, his face flushing red as he kept jogging

“No problem. I’ll get you one from the reception’s vending machine. I have to go get my mail anyways” the teal haired trainer said with a quick smile before walking off.

Ash smiled as he saw the back of the other guy retreat past the big double doors, before taking a deep breath and focusing on his running. He closed his eyes and felt his bare feet constantly smack against the soft, spongy surface of the modified treadmill. As he kept going, he took a deep breath, the tingles returning to him as he kept going.

“Here ya go” Brawly said as he came back with a big smile, handing Ash a bottle of the tasty orange liquid

“Thanks Brawly” the teen said, popping the cap off the bottle and taking a big chug, smiling as he felt the pleasure spreading out through him.

“Right, so let’s see what I’ve got here…” the teal haired trainer muttered as he leaned on the wall next to Ash, cracking open the envelopes he had brought “Another resume…” “Resume?” Ash asked in between breaths “What for?”

“Gym trainers” Brawly said, glancing up at the raven haired teen, chuckeling a little at the look of confusion on his face “Right, guess you haven’t heard of that” “Nope. What is it?” Ash asked as he took another drink, a bit of a dopey smile forming on his face as he kept jogging

“It’s a thing that Steven set up” Brawly explained “See, he thought that just the one battle against the gym leader wasn’t a good enough challenge for the people going through the gym circuit”

“So, what are gym trainers? Someone else you have to battle?” 

“Essentially” the teal haired trainer said “Gyms have to have at least one gym trainer on staff, and they must be defeated before the challenger is allowed to face the gym leader”

“I’m guessing that you have one…” Ash said, his words becoming a bit slower as he took another drink from the bottle, almost as if it was becoming harder to think

“I did” Brawly corrected “He quit about a month ago, since he was moving. I have around two months to find a new one, but so far no one has really done it…”

“Why…?” Ash mumbled, speeding up his jog

“Eh, they suck mostly” Brawly said “Gym trainers are supposed to be kinda good but still beatable.”

“I see…” Ash mumbled as he kept jogging

“Maybe you’ll like the job?” Brawly asked with a smile.

“Hehehe, nah” Ash said with a small laugh, a small bit of lucidity coming over him “Not really my thing”

“I see….” Brawly muttered, frowning a little before his usual friendly smile returned “Well then, just keep going. So far you're doing really well so far”

“Yeah?” Ash asked, the haze returning to his mind as he took another big gulp of the sports drink “Thank you…”

“You're welcome” Brawly said with a grin “Now I think you should try out a few more of the machines! Can’t just use one all week, after all”

“Y-Yeah… T-That’s true” Ash muttered, his mind instantly agreeing with Brawly. What he said made a lot of sense, since he was doing so well, he might as well expand to the other machines

“That’s a good boy!” Brawly cheered with a big grin as he turned around “I’ve got to man the gym today, so I’ll see ya later!”

“Y-Yes Brawly!” Ash moaned, unable to contain it as pleasure rang through his body at being called good by Brawly. He took a deep breath and re-focused his efforts on his new workout routine. He only had a week here after all, and he had to keep his word. A whole week working out in the gym, and damn it he was gonna go through with it! He panted as he stepped off the treadmill, taking another really big gulp of his sports drink, the weird haze that had been hounding him becoming even stronger. “I think I’ll try out the weights…” he mumbled as he walked over to them, a big dopey smile on his face as he did so.

(===============)

Four Days Later

The teen yawned as he woke up, the familiar sensation of the rising sun streaming through the window and onto his face helping him up.

“Gah! Man I slept great last night…” he mumbled as he rubbed the remaining sleep out of his eyes. His eyes traveled down to the foot of the bed, as if he was expecting a response from someone, but it was empty, just as it had been when he climbed into the bed last night. He frowned for a second, a small ball of worry forming in his chest for a second before it evaporated “Who was I talking to?” he muttered, shaking his head as he threw the covers off and stepped onto the carpeted floor, his exposed member swinging loosely between his legs.

He turned to look at the now familiar mirror that sat opposite to his bed and grinned as he looked over himself. He had to admit, he was making amazing progress. He had gone from the twig of a teen he was a few days ago to having quite a bit of muscle. While he wasn’t a bodybuilder likes the ones he talked to every once in a while in between his workouts, he was still quite fit, especially his legs and his chest. He even had the starts of a six pack forming there.

“Brawly’s advice is really something” he muttered as he flexed a little, enjoying the sight of his new muscles. Indeed, for the past few days, Brawly had been giving him tips and tricks during breakfast. He did remember a few sounding a bit weird, like drinking three bottles of another energy drink that Brawly had made for him, or smelling a specific candle he gave him every morning, but when the teal haired trainer told him, it made perfect sense to do as he told him. After all, Brawly was the successful surfer and the owner of the gym, he must know something about it. “Right, nearly forgot!” the now muscular teen said as he turned to the tiny table that sat next to the mirror and grabbed the small glass bowl that sat there. He held it up to his nose and took a deep smell, moaning loudly as his whole body shook and trembled, his previously flaccid member going hard as soon as the smell hit his nose.

KNOCK KNOCK

“Coming!” Ash moaned as he set the candle back down, and walked over to the door, still in his birthday suit. He grabbed the doorknob and opened it, revealing the smiling face of his host staring at him

“Morning Ash!” he said with a grin, looking over the guy’s body “I see you slept well”

“Oh?” Ash muttered, looking down at his hard cock “Oh that! Yeah, sorry.” he said with a shrug, not really caring that Brawly was seeing him naked. 

A small part of him felt like he should care, but that didn’t make sense. Brawly had told him that sleeping nude and letting other guys see you like that was good and normal. And what Brawly told him made him feel really good, so they couldn’t be wrong.

“Now come on, I made a special breakfast to celebrate your progress!” Brawly said with a smile

“Really!?” Ash asked with joy clear in his voice

“Hell yeah!” Brawly said, leading the nude teen to the kitchen. Ash followed happily, quickly entering the small room and smiling as he saw the big spread of toast, eggs, pancakes and about three jars filled with the sports drink he had fallen in love with.

“There you go!” Brawly said, pointing at the spread “Go ahead and dig in”

“Thanks Brawly!” Ash squealed as he dashed over and plopped his ass down on the chair, grabbing the stack of pancakes and starting to wolf them down. As he ate, he looked up to a Pikachu walking around the kitchens and frowned for a second.

Brawly had explained that the Pikachu was his and that he let it walk around the kitchen since he couldn't use him in battle, but that explanation never sat right with Ash. But before he could say anything more, Brawly had walked up to him with a glass of a bright aqua liquid

“What’s that?” Ash asked as Brawly put on the table in front of him

“Well, there’s more than just the food to this celebration,” Brawly said with a big smile “See, I’ve been working on a new sports drink this week. And knowing how much you like the old one and the reformulated version, I thought you might like being the first to try it” “Oh hell yeah!” Ash said with a smile, grabbing the glass and bringing it to his lips, chugging it down quickly. His eyes went wide as the taste danced on his tongue. It was amazing! He never thought that something could top the old one, but this one sent waves of pleasure through him that he didn’t think could happen! 

His cock bounced up, harder than it had ever been in the 20 years he’s been alive. He moaned loudly as he leaned back, that strange haze that he’d been feeling for the past few days coming back, stronger than it had ever been before. Soon, he could do nothing except moan and twitch as another surge of pleasure rang through his body.

Brawly smiled as he looked over his new prize. He waved his hands in front of Ash’s clouded eyes, snapped his fingers underneath his chin, blew air into his ears. None of these snapped him out of his arousal induced trance, he just sat there moaning and twitching

“Perfect” he said to himself as he pulled out a chair and sat right next to the moaning raven haired trainer “You know Ash? I always like ya. You had a fun attitude about stuff like this, had a love for battling that I haven’t seen before” “Gyah…” Ash moaned in answer, his eyes trying to focus on Brawly, a big smile on his face as he did so

“Yeah, too bad the Gym Trainer job wasn’t a thing when ya first came through here. You would have been perfect. Well, battling wise” he chuckled a bit “You're body on the other hand? I mean, your cute, but damn its like you were made out of bread dough. Can’t have a gym trainer that looks like that after all. You are perfect for the job. You're a good trainer, but you're not an unbeatable beast, you love you're pokemon and you’re pretty easy on the eyes.” he reached down and rubbed Ash’s twitching cock “Gyah!” he moaned loudly, his cock bouncing up and down at the touch

“Good thing I studied chemistry” Brawly said with a grin “Now, let’s wait for the other effects to set in…” he muttered, looking at Ash’s hair.

He didn’t have to wait very long, as suddenly the spiky raven locks began to grow longer and longer. They didn’t really loose their shape, but soon his hair reached down to his shoulders, as a waterfall of black spikes

“Damn” Brawly whistled “You look damn good with long hair Ash. I should have given this to ya sooner!”

“Guuuuh” Ash moaned, a bit of drool beginning to drip from his mouth “Hehe, yeah guess I should get started on this” Brawly said, moving his chair even closer to Ash and began whispering in his ear.

“Listen to me carefully” he whispered “What I’m about to tell you is the absolute truth. If something in your mind disagrees with what I’m telling you, then you will forget that fact. The only truth is what I will tell you now.”

“Brawly….. Tells truth…..nothing else matters…..” the now long haired teen mumbled through his arousal

“That’s right” Brawly whispered, reaching down and grabbing Ash’s dick, which sent even more shivers through the entranced boy “Now, you have always lived on this island. You have never lived off the island and you never want to. All that matters to you is on this island” as he said this, he gave his penis a good squeeze, reinforcing the order. Ash moaned and nodded, Brawly’s word worming their way into his brain and replacing whatever was there before.

He no longer remembered his journey. He forgot Pallet Town, Professor Oak, becoming the first ever champion of Alola. All of it evaporated in a cloud of arousal and pleasure.

“You have three great loves in your life” Brawly kept whispering “One of those is surfing. You adore surfing. Every second you are not in the gym, you are on the beach, board in hand waiting for that perfect wave. The beach is your second home, and you enjoy basking in the sand, sea and sun on your skin” the teal haired trainer smiled as he gave the member in his hands another big tug.

“The second is working out. Working out is essential for you. Ever since you were a kid you loved working out and do it all the time. You make sure you don’t bulk up too much so it doesn't get in the way of your surfing however. You love surfing much more than being muscular” he whispered again, moving on from simply tugging at his dick to a full on rub, making the raven haired trainer spasm in pleasure

“Gyaaaaah!” he moaned loudly, as it was all he could do as this point. His higher brain functions had pretty much shut down at this point.

“And the third is me” Brawly whispered again, smirking as he looked over Ash’s body “I’m your lover and you're master. You want to do nothing more than please me and make me happy”

“Brawly…….. L-Lover…….” Ash managed to stammer out as the new information was implanted into his brain

“That’s right” Brawly whispered again “You love to obey me and will do anything to please me. You love being my gym trainer and wouldn’t trade that job for anything since it gives access to your three greatest loves at all times. Understand?”

“Yeth” Ash mumbled, his tongue hanging out of his mouth like a panting Arcanine at this point, so lost in the sexual haze. Brawly smiled at that and rubbed his dick once more before going back to the whispering

“Now listen very carefully for this next part” Brawly whispered “I want you to take everything inside that cute head of yours that doesn't match what I told. I want you to move it down through your body. Have it pass through your throat, you're belly all the way down to your groin”

“Gyah” Ash moaned, still panting like crazy. He shivered as he felt all of his now suppressed memories moving downwards

“Now, all the memories and thoughts of before this moment are all packed in here” he patted Ash’s cock, which resulted in a loud yip of pleasure from the entranced trainer “Packed all nice and tight, swirling around and going nowhere else” he said as he started rubbing the dick once again

“G-Gah!” Ash moaned, loving the feeling of a hand running up and down his twitching rod. It was at the same time a new sensation and a familiar one, something that confused him slightly, but the haze of arousal didn’t let him think about it for too long. Brawly didn’t say anything, he just kept rubbing his penis with one hand and reached up to his chest with his other, grabbing one the pale pink nipples that poked out of Ash’s now muscular chest. He squeezed it and gave it a good twerk

“GYAH!” Ash screamed in arousal and pleasure, his hips buckling as he finally came. His dick twitched and bounced as a thick stream of cum blasted out of it, splattering on the floor in front of the two. He kept going for quite a while, two whole weeks worth of arousal and cum being pumped out of him.

“Feel everything in there being drained” Brawly whispered, a grin on his face “Everything from before. All those journeys, all those battles, flowing out of you dick, splattering to the ground as it sends waves of pleasure through you. The moment it splatters down, its erased. Its gone. It will never come back, but you won’t mourn it. After all, you can’t mourn something that doesn't exist, can you babe?” “N……..No…….” Ash moaned, as he kept humping the empty air “Nothing….existed…...nothing to…...remember….”

“That’s right” Brawly cooed as Ash kept pumping his fluids out “No annoying traveling, none of that. All that’s in there is what I said. Surfing, working out and me. That’s all that’s in there now, that’s all that should be in there”

“All thats…… in there……” Ash repeated in a pant, giving one last big hump as the last bits of cum, and his old life, splattered on the tiled floor of the kitchen.

Brawly grinned as he stared at the figure in front of him before turning around and grabbing a small glass bauble from the counter and a lighter. A tune on his lips, he lit the candle inside and smiled as he felt the sweet smell hit his nose, before turing to Ash and putting it right below his nose.

The raven haired trainer sniffed the smoke by instinct, groaning and blinking rapidly as the smell flooded his nose. The more he sniffed, the more the cloud of arousal and pleasure retreated. His dick deflated like a balloon after a minute as he groaned and shook his head

“Morning sleepyhead” Brawly said

“Huh? Brawly? What happened?” Ash muttered, groaning as he clutched the side of his head “Gah, my head. It feel like a Rhydon tap danced on it”

“Oh don’t worry about that babe” Brawly said as he leaned closer and kissed Ash right on the lips. Whatever Ash had been feeling, it evaporated the moment those lips connected with his. He closed his eyes and returned it, enjoying the sparks it sent through him. Nothing else mattered right now other than kissing Brawly. That was all that was important. After snogging for a good two minutes, Brawly pulled up with a big smile “Hehehe, turns out you were excited for me”

“What do you mean?” Ash muttered, looking down at the mess that sat in front of him. “Oh that. Hehehe, sorry bout that babe” he said, not really caring about the fact he was still nude and dripping. Why would he care about that?

“I don’t mind” Brawly said, pinching one of Ash’s nipples “Now come on hot stuff, you need to start your daily routine” “Course!” Ash said with a huge grin “Lead the way!”

(===============)

Two Month Later

Ash yawned as he slowly opened his eyes, the rays of the sun coming in through his window like every morning. He smiled as he sat up and stretched, groaning a little as he heard the bones of his back pop a little.

“Damn….Musta been sleeping crooked or sumethin” he muttered as he threw the covers off and walked to his mirror, like he did every morning. He smiled as he looked at himself.

He looked like the perfect surfer. His skin was a nice bronze, tanned all over with not a single spot missed. He was so happy he listened to his master on that one and finally stopped putting on that stupid sunscreen crap every time he want to catch some waves. He looked way better like this. Well at least that’s what Brawly told him. But then again, that was as good as the truth as far as Ash was concerned. 

Continuing his morning ritual, the tanned surfer went on to pose for a bit, flexing and bulging out his muscles to make sure he got a good look at them and the new ink on his skin. He smiled as he noticed that, patting the Poke-Ball ink that now adorned his pecs. Again, he didn’t want to do it at first, but just like with his tan, all it took was a few good words from his boy to convince him he was being a dumbass and to go get inked. He argued that it hurt too much and some nonsense like that, but Brawly told him it woulndt hurt at all, and damn he was right as alway. Ash grinned and moaned about that, which got a chuckle out of him as he glanced down at his dick.

Like the rest of him, it was tanned thoroughly, and it was quite long and big. He didn’t really know how it started growing so quick in these last few days, but he sure as hell wasn’t gonna bitch! It meant that weekends with his babe were even better.

“Gya!” he moaned, the thought of his boyfriend and master sending a wave of pleasure through him and making his dick bounce up “Right, simmer down boy” he said, patting the top of his member “You’ll get action after lunch, like always” he smiled and reached over to the small stool that sat there for him and grabbed his clothes.

It wasn’t much, after all he did not get tanned and ink just to hide under a disgusting shirt or something like that. He slipped on the bright blue swimming trunks, grunting a little as he shoved his piece inside, but in the end he managed and reached over to grab the rubber band and tie up his hair. He love having it long, sure but it could be a real pain if it wasn’t in a ponytail. Finally he grabbed the gift from his lover that was waiting for him and slipped it on.

It was a necklace made of pure white, bleached Sharpedo teeth that sat perfectly over his neck. He grinned as he slipped on, feeling the cold bones against his skin sent shivers through his body

KNOCK KNOCK!

Ash smiled as he heard that and dashed to the door, throwing it open and smiling at the shirtless teal haired guy that stood right in front of him

“Morning babe” Ash said with a smile

“Morning” Brawly said with a smile, leaning in and kissing Ash. The raven haired surfer moaned as the kiss sent sparks through his whole body. The two snogged for a few more seconds before Brawly broke it up “Sleep well?”

“Course I did! I dreamt of you” Ash said with a wink, eliciting at giggle from his boyfriend

“Oh man, when did you become a romantic?”

“When I wiped out yesterday” Ash joked with a cocky grin

“Course you did” Brawly said with a smile “Now, as much as I would love to go and spend the whole day on the beach with ya, we have work to do” “Aw man, really?”

“Yeah yeah, I know babe” Brawly said, giving Ash one more peck on the nose “But we do need cash, so come on. Can’t open the gym without my best gym trainer on the grounds, now can I?”

“Right ya can’t” Ash said with a huge grin “But you owe me for ruining my dream afternoon with you”

“Oh?” Brawly said, hugging the black haired surfer as the two walked down the hall “How bout we have an extra long bed time this saturday?”

“Oooh that sounds amazing” Ash moaned, enjoying the sensation of Brawly’s arm around him. 

He loved Brawly more than anything else. Sure, he adored working out and surfing, but compared to Brawly? They were nothing.

And he wouldn’t trade this life for anything in the world.

==================

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