#still bewildered by other kids in my class when I was a kid myself having a crying meltdown over my rabbit foot keychain

[oglegoggle]

I honestly don’t get how many people get upset about the notion of putting down an animal that attacks people? Like dude? Yeah it’s 100% reasonable to eat the goddamn rooster that slashed up your kid’s face. It eliminates the problem and it’s delicious. Americans are so squeamish about death that they either refuse to acknowledge that the meat they get from the store comes from an animal that was once alive or they decide that no animals should ever be eaten ever under any circumstances and both are utterly dipshit opinions.

[middlingmay]

Single dad Gale x Baseball coach Bucky AU Part 3 (Finale!)

Read Part 1 here.

Read part 2 here

Amie is convinced her dad is starting to get suspicious.

She saw the way he stared at Coach Egan when he picked her up from school. He barely blinked. He was definitely getting suspicious.

The Coach Egan tells the team their first game is in four weeks, and a very big clock in Amie's head starts to tick.

Because she's excited about the game and she wants her dad there. But when he finds out she lied, she's positive it's going to be one of the rare times he absolutely loses it.

Then, her next day in school Coach Egan wants to see her after practice. And he doesn't tip toe around the subject.

"Why does your dad think I'm your track coach, Amie?"

A habit she'd inherited from her dad, Amie flushes read like she's just been caught in the cookie jar. She tries to stammer and bluster her way out of it, but there's no mirth on coach's face and she stops talking completely.

"Does he even know you're on the team?"

She shakes her head.

"He should. He'd be proud of you."

She doesn't mean to scoff but it comes out anyway. Her dad will be too busy being furious to be proud of anything.

And that's when Coach Egan upends her whole twelve-year-old world.

"You tell about the team, and have him sign a new slip, which he'll hand in to me himself by next practice. Or I'm sorry Amie, but you can't be on the team. And I'll have tell your dad about this myself."

She doesn't like this stern side of the coach and runs out of his office upset and embarrassed.

At home, she storms right up to her room, ignoring her dad calling after her.

After a good scream into her pillow, she writes I Hate Coach Egan several times over in her journal. But then she feels terrible and rips the page out and stuffs it in the trash.

She resolves that she's not going to next practice, or any practice ever again, so there's nothing to tell her dad. It breaks her heart a little (a lot), but she'd rather that than face the music.

It takes her dad a few days to clock on. But he does notice her despondency. When he asks about track which usually always has her so chipper, she tells him she was cut from the team.

Gale is incensed and threatens to march down to the school and give them a piece of his mind. But Amie begs him not to and he reluctantly agrees.

Until he finds a crumpled up bit of paper that says I Hate Coach Egan on it over and over again.

He takes a day off work - a day he knows Amie never used to have practice and schedules a meeting with Egan for 11am when she's still in class.

He storms into that office and Egan goes from pleased to alarmed in half a second.

"What the hell did you say to my girl?!"

Egan looks a little miffed himself at that and starts to get out of his chair, but Gale slams the bit of paper down on his desk.

Egan looks at it and frowns, and dares to look hurt, even. "Jeez, Cleven. A little harsh."

And that unleashes all of Gale's fury. He lets all his frustrations out and berates Egan for getting kids' hopes up and claiming to build their confidence, only to tear them all down. Only caring about winning and not about the kids. He calls Egan callous and cruel and grits his teeth and clenches his fists to stop himself from reaching across the table and strangling this man.

When he says Amie refuses to so much as even talk about track anymore, Egan finally cuts him off.

"That's what she told you? Track? Do I look like a track coach to you? Buck, I only run if there's a base at the other end or there's a dog on my ass."

Gale does not understand a single word he's saying. "What?"

"Bad weekend in Germany." The Egan calls in the Assistant Coach and tells him to fetch Amelie Cleven, pronto. "I think you're better hearing this from her," he says.

He invites Gale to sit but he doesn't. He just stares at Egan, half scowling, half bewildered until finally a very sorry looking Amie is ushered into the office.

She refuses to look at her dad or Coach Egan, but the latter is well versed in sullen pre-teens by now. He asks Amie if there's anything she wants to tell her dad. Gale wants to tell him to back off, but he sees how guilty Amie looks and he doesn't know which way is up.

"What is going on, Amie?"

And it all comes spilling out. Amie loving baseball and knowing he wouldn't approve of her trying out, never mind joining the team. About forging his signature on the permission slip for try outs (John shows him the form) and lying to him for weeks.

Gale hasn't ever felt such a mix of sadness, disappointment, anger and guilt. But it's all aimed at himself. He feels like a failure, that his daughter didn't feel like she could come to him. And that she was probably right - he wouldn't have reacted well.

"You shouldn't have lied to me, Amie," is all he can say.

Amie's eyes fill with tears and Gale thinks his might, too, and Egan gently breaks in.

"Mr Cleven. I know it's not my business. But Amie is good. Really good. And the team love her. you said yourself that she enjoys it and it's helped her build confidence. is it really so bad if she plays?"

Gale's slumped on the chair in front of Egan's desk and Amie sidles up to him and plays with the hem of his sleeve like she's not sure she's allowed.

"I'm sorry I lied. But I really want to play, daddy."

An oh, she hasn't called him daddy in years. She knows, it, he knows it, and judging by the smirk Egan is trying to hide, he goddamn knows it to. But she's pulling out the big guns.

Gale can't help himself. Never can when it comes to his daughter. He folds her into his arms and holds her tight. He murmurs his own apologies into Amie's ear and where she can't see, he waves for Egan to get him a fresh slip and a pen.

Gale gently pushes Amie back and holds up the other piece of paper that brought him here. "I think you have something to say to Coach Egan, don't you?"

Flush and wide-eyed, Amie rushes out, "I don't hate you! Was...just mad when you said I couldn't play 'less my dad said so."

Egan accepts her apology gracefully and tells her he expects her at the next practice, and she can stay late to help him clean up to make up for everything - and Gale agrees.

Equal amounts relieved and humbled, Gale ushers Amie back to class, and mumbles a very hasty goodbye to Egan. Without looking him in the eye, he beats a hasty retreat

He's outside and halfway back to his car when he hears, "Mr Cleven!" behind him.

Egan jogs after him and stops a foot away, hands on his hips.

"I can't keep calling you Mr Cleven. What's your name?"

"Gale."

Without missing a beat, Egan says, "Nice to meet you, Buck. Name's John."

And then Gale is trying to stumble out an apology. "Look. I'm sorry I -"

"Can I take you out?"

Gale feels thoroughly derailed. "I..is that - is that allowed?"

John says "Yes!" very quickly and is almost shy as he rubs the back of his neck. "Uh, I mean, I can check. Again."

Despite himself, Gale chuckles. He feels a thrill of excitement and nerves. He's not dated anyone since Marge. But John is beautiful and charming and apparently very forgiving.

So he bites his lip and cocks his head and says, "Sure. Let's paint the town red."

-

Fin.

[redrikki]

Teen Wolf Rewatch - Season 1 Review

Season 1 of Teen Wolf serves the same blend of camp, horror, and teenage coming of age drama as my youthful fav Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but by making the monster the protagonist, it changes it up in interesting ways. Scott is a fascinating choice for the lead, not just cause he's a werewolf, but because he's not a hero. He doesn't want to be there, he's only involved in the plot to protect himself from it. He's the victim of people who would be the heroes of monster hunting shows like BtVS and Supernatural or the antihero protagonists of a roaring rampage of revenge film. Making Scott the main puts Teen Wolf into interesting conversation with those other genres and shows.

This season does a good job of setting out the themes that will define the rest of the series. Revenge is an open spiral of destruction. Monster is as monster does. Power is an obligation to act and the pursuit of power hurts everyone including you. Poor communication kills. Violations of characters bodily autonomy and mind makes for compelling suffering.

Returning to season 1 and reminding myself of where Scott started gives me more appreciation for where he ends up. He changes so much! Yes, he's still a dorky sweetheart, but his priorities are radically different. Season 1 Scott is a selfish, immature child. He refuses to give up a sport he loves and worked hard on just because playing endangers himself and everyone around him. He plans to kill a man, not for justice or to protect, but so he doesn't have to live with lycanthropy. That's a far cry from season 6 Scott who gives up college to protect Beacon Hills and tries to save the lives of his enemies. Insert that's growth.gif here.

Hey, you know who else in season 1 is selfish and immature? Literally all of them! Stiles is out here living his Hardy Boys/comic book fantasy with zero thought as to the impact of his adventures on everyone else. Allison is so desperate to be strong she's putting arrows into people over it. Derek is so into his trust issues he alienates everyone who might have willingly helped him by trying to intimidate and manipulate them into it. Lydia is using her "friends" and cutting off bits of herself for just a sliver of validation and do not gets me started on Jackson. They all grow so much from here and I'm looking forward to watching it all over again!

Scott/Allison is central to the season, but I was kind of cold on it until the last episode. As an aromantic asexual, I have been bewildered, bored, and exasperated by teen romance drama since I was a teen. It doesn't help that their relationship isn't based on anything more solid than lust. Scott needs Allison to feel normal and in control at a time when he has none, but he doesn't trust her enough to share what he's going through or respect her enough to make informed decisions about her safety or their relationship. It isn't until the moment in the season finale where he trusts her to help him fight Peter and where she knows what he is and decides to love him anyway that I really started to ship it.

The vibes on this show are impeccable, but the cracks in the writing are already starting to show. There's all these continuity errors. When was the fire? How many died? What classes are the kids in again? And don't even get me started on the timeline. This show desperately needed a show bible, but whatever I guess.

[aspiring-writer-hidden-voice]

Theme: Broken Glass

Eijiro Kirishima

You tapped the board lightly, gaining the attention of each child who had previously been engaged with whatever toy they held. “Okay, kids, can you look at the clock and tell me what time it is?” One of your fingers rose upwards to point at the said piece of time-telling devices where the hands were in the direction of a raised fist. UA Elementary was still fairly new, being within its fifth year of establishment, and had been an amazing opportunity to get things rolling for you career wise.

“Hero Visit Time!

“That’s right! I’m going to go grab our guest so you be good for the assistant teacher while I’m gone. Why don’t you clean up your spaces while I’m gone that way the Pro Hero can visit each of you?” With a smile, you slipped out the door and with a nod towards your assistant turned to walk towards the principal’s office not too far down the hallway…only to be met by a firm wall which caused the glasses you wore to snap audibly before they disappeared in unknown directions. Panic instantly filled your veins when feeling sharp objects come into contact with the skin around your eyes. “Ah!”

“Oh, my gosh, I’m so sorry! Looks like the lenses shattered too!” Large hands instantly cupped your face, preventing it from moving as whatever you collided with shifted slightly away. “Don’t open your eyes quite yet, there’s still a lot of stuff that could get in them.” Calloused fingers carefully drifted across your skin, occasionally plucking away debris that had been threatening to bury themselves within your skin. Part of you was bewildered at the careful motions despite the large digits but it was replaced by amazement when he proudly declared “I wasn’t looking where I was going. This is totally and completely my fault.”

“No, no, it’s fine.” You managed to mumble while attempting to put a bit of space between yourself and whoever was touching, “the nurse’s office is right around the corner, if you wanna just take me to her—”

“There! All done! Not too shabby if I say so myself. Go ahead and open them now.”

A scoff sounded from your throat. “No offense but I’m not ready to risk my eyesight. Think I’d rather go to a professional.”

From the darkness came a masculine chuckle. “You’re in luck then because I happen to be one.”

So shocked were you at his words that your eyes opened wide to find a blur nearly dominated by red hovered over you. A flash of white appeared though as a laugh filled the air. “Well, those gotta be the cutest eyes ever! They’re prettier from where I’m standing!”

They thought your eyes were pretty? Honestly you never really thought about them, though lots of others had made mildly flirtatious comments in hopes of you giving them a chance. The closeness should have startled you yet there was an air coming off the man as he retreated slightly while asking if you had contacts. “It’s alright. I always carry an extra pair just in case an accident happens.” Your fingers deftly revealed the collapsible backup pair from their case and slipped them onto your nose. All oxygen within your lungs stalled as the blur was instantly focused into the burly form of none other than— “Red Riot?” Heat flushed within your face when he grinned toothily, missing how his eyebrows rose a bit at your deep bow. “Oh, my gosh, how embarrassing! I can’t believe I ran into you!”

“No, seriously, it’s my fault for not knocking first!”

Realization crashed down on you like a ton of bricks as you straightened, humiliation nearly making you want to run away. “Wait a minute, you’re the Pro Hero who is visiting my class today?!”

Carmine eyes widened. “Oh, so you must be (L/n)! Thought you might have been the assistant!”

“No, that’s me alright,” you groaned lowly while massaging your temples, “I can hear the principal’s lecture now…”

“I won’t tell if you don’t.” He winked after glancing around before sweeping up the mess of glass at your feet and disposing them in the nearby recycling. The wide grin he fixed you with was so contagious that you couldn’t help but smile back shyly. “There. No evidence to be found!”

What started as a giggle rose up your throat and slipped out before you could stop it, earning the faintest of blushes from the man as you hurried to smooth your clothing. “W-well, the children are anxiously awaiting for me to bring in the visitor for the week. I understand that you’ll be with us?” Fluttering filled your chest when he confirmed your words with another grin, one of his hands rising to open the classroom door when the knob completely snapped clean off to leave him blinking down at the small object. “Don’t worry,” you chuckled when noting how he sheepishly offered it to you, “it happens more than you think. Just the other day one of the kids nearly melted one of these off.”

“Oh, yeah? I’d love to hear more about it over dinner. Got any plans tonight?”

Your brows shot upwards. “You don’t waste time, do you?”

One of his large hands rose to scratch the back of his head, tousling long crimson hair that reached beyond his broad shoulders. “I’ve learned it saves everybody time when you’re straightforward with your feelings. I can tell already you’re a good person just by the fact you’re a teacher—”

“Or a psychopath—”

“—My point is that I know it sounds crazy but this friend of mine does these tarot card readings and said that usually shattered glass is some sort of omen but that mine was upside down, which is some sort of good thing, and he even said that I might meet someone today.” He chuckled almost nervously, if that was even possible for you to believe. Your jest had earned an amused raise of his eyebrows though. “I don’t normally believe in that kind of stuff but meeting you like this kinda makes me wonder.”

Blinking, you shook off the initial surprise and skepticism of his confession and offered a smile. “Do you like Italian?”

If not for the bright glitter within his gaze you would have thought he was having an aneurysm when he failed to answer for nearly a minute. Visibly he looked as if he were waking from a dream as you waved a hand inches from his face yet the grin that lifted his lips was the brightest you’d ever seen even in magazines. “Only if you do!”

Katsuki Bakugo

“And which volume did you need? Silver Era, yes?” You asked, keeping your gaze locked upon the multitude of shelves. People would be a bit put off from the high shelves but not you. As head librarian of the world’s greatest collection known to the world. Everything relating to quirks could be found within this beautifully constructed palace of knowledge with you as its main caretaker for the last several years. This place was your pride and joy, despite the fact that younger generations were more concentrated on their phones and internet. It was rare that you ever received a request to retrieve something from within the back room. Suspicion rose within your being as no answer came. It wasn’t possible that they hadn’t heard you since the intercom was directly to your left, allowing dual communication from the front desk to where you were, yet there was no indication that the person who had been there moments ago was currently still in the position where you’d last known. Looks like it must have been a prank.

With a sigh, you made to return the book back to its rightful place when a telltale crack sounded. Your gaze rose upwards to its source and paled when the cubby system responsible for holding important objects tilted ever so slightly in your direction with another crack. Maintenance had been meaning to come look at it per your request yet they hadn’t come around recently to do so. Even if that were the case it shouldn’t be that unstable.

Screams sounded from the other room that chilled your blood. Villains were attacking the library! The palm of your hand slammed itself against the panel underneath the intercom, causing an alarm to blare to life along with the multitude of doors closing with resounding thuds. It wasn’t out of the ordinary for such individuals to attempt theft from this place since it held lots of secrets about famous heroes young and old. There probably was a few in here that would be worth a fortune to the right people.

And it was your job to ensure every single one of them were kept safe.

The breath you were in the middle of taking stalled as something impacted the first of several protective doors, causing loud echoes to ring loudly in the air. Four yards of steel made up each barricade, thickening with each level that they managed to bypass, which meant that the room you were in was surrounded by near twenty yards upon each wall. No fire or heat based quirk could met through them, brute strength would only result in the user hurting themselves, making it impenetrable even from the ceiling or floor courtesy of the hollowed trenches below which were lined with spikes and laser motion tracking tranquilizers filled with momentary paralysis serums. Next to top of the line security.

As if in slow motion the lid popped itself clean off to fall first, its corner catching you directly between the eyes which resulted in a loud snap, before it disappeared from sight. A curse rose up your throat when the rest made to follow. If memory served you right then it would be a heavy piece of equipment from a hero’s costume which had been donated to the library. The ladder wobbled dangerously as you attempted to hurry down it before the large internal contents of the cubby could meet your face but you resolved yourself to fate when it passed over the edge by ducking your head and covering it with your arm.

“Do you have any idea how much a pain in the ass it was to find you?” Blinking, your head snapped upwards to find it had been stopped by a familiar green and black gloved hand. Being near sighted had its advantages but this was not the case as the blur it originated from effortlessly placed the cubby nearby before slinging you over its shoulder. “Building’s about to collapse and you decided to lock yourself within this place? For a nerd you’re a dumbass.” A scream rose up your throat as with a blast off the two of you shot upwards straight through lasers until fresh air tickled your sinuses. Gravity took over though and you were soon clinging to whoever held you as the ground rushed to meet you but was then halted by a pair of heavy boots as a growl filled your ears. “So damn loud! Quit your screaming all ready! You’re safe so shut the hell up!”

“Put me down and I’ll think about it!” You snapped without thinking. Something warm and wet met the tips of your fingers as he set you down, oddly with gentleness that was opposite as his tone. Without conscious thought your hand took fierce hold of the moist fabric and tore it with a calculated tug.

“Oi!”

“You’ve got connections so another costume can be made by this evening so shut up and let me treat this.” The tip of your nose nearly brushed against his skin as you squinted to bring the wound into focus. “Looks like you got a piece of glass stuck in your forearm.”

“Just leave it!”

With precision, you activated your quirk which allowed you to hone your gaze closer to the piece of invasive invisible substance and plucked it clean from his flesh. “There, you big baby, now run along to the nurse so she can kiss your boo-boo.” A smirk raised your lips while taking a step back when he bristled. It raised a question though. “Wait, how did it get into your arm? My glasses broke…” The sentence faded into silence as your assistant appeared, handing over a spare pair, and you nearly gaped when spotting the explosive Dynamite himself turn away as if hiding a blush. “How long were you in that room?!”

He spun back on his heel, face appearing inches from your. “Long enough to know that even a damn nerd like you were as stupid as I thought!”

“Is that so?” A cross of your arms nearly made those around the two of you gasp. “If I’m such a ‘stupid’ nerd then what were you doing watching me?” Realization hit you like a slap in the face. There had been a visitor who stopped by every evening just before closing time who’d promised to walk you to your car while conversing about the news you relayed for the last several weeks. Blonde hair, ruby eyes, was always quick to assure you that no casualties happened that day…were none other than the Pro Hero taking time out of his busy schedule to visit with you. That would explain how he knew where to find you! Sheepishly, you shuffled your feet then lightly tapped your elbow against his, earning a blink. “See you tonight at our usual time? I’ll make it up for my comment by buying dinner.” A smirk of satisfaction raised your lips when his face bloomed a dark red as you walked past him with a wink.

“I get my own dates, you damn nerd, so I won’t take no for an answer! I’ll see you then!”

“Looking forward to it!” Your call back over your shoulder was nearly drowned out by the multitude of reporters rushing to get more information about the exchange that had just occurred.

Izuku “Deku” Midoriya

“Now I can look at you whenever I desire!”

Your fists banged against the flat invisible surface confining you to this strange plane of existence. Last night you’d been jumped while carrying groceries to your car and then you’d woken to find yourself within a near suffocating space where your only source of light was the glass before you. Tears slipped down your cheeks as the villain’s eye, which was magnified several hundreds of its normal size, regarded you with joy. “What did you do to me?! Let me out of here!”

They laughed. “I’ve been watching you for so long that I simply couldn’t wait anymore and decided that only I should be the one who can behold your charisma!” Glee entered their gaze. “Which is why I’ve used my quirk to fuse you within my glasses. No one else can see or hear you, only the wearer which will be none other than myself!”

“Please let me go! I’ll give you all the money I have, just please let me out of here!” Your pleas went unanswered.

Time went by, each day stealing away more of your hope and desperation, until something miraculous happened.

An object had knocked into the villain, causing the glasses to fall from his nose, and you could only watch with mild satisfaction when he was placed within a police vehicle. Seemed like someone had discovered he was responsible for the kidnapping that have been happening for a while now. Most likely you’d be unknowingly tossed in the evidence bag to be locked away in their archives where you would slowly fade from existence. The villain had been kind enough to provide you food via their quirk which had put you there but never did they give you more than what you needed to survive. With a sigh, you curled into a ball and closed your eyes. There was only one other option for you but you didn’t want to do it here.

“They forgot that villain’s glasses. What should we do with them, Kaachan?”

“Throw them in the damn trash, Deku!”

“Shouldn’t we at least stop by the station to see if they need—”

“Do whatever the hell you want!” An explosion sounded and then the angry voice was gone.

Silence fell as you turned away from the wall that was your window to the partial outside world. This was it. From this point forward it wasn’t worth you gazing out in hopes that someone could see or help you. Who would have guessed your life would pan out like this? The fate you’d resided yourself to stung as you rose to stand and turned to approach the only other thing that offered you escape when needing a break from the villain staring at you. They’d connected their glasses to the only other glass surface they owned: a single mirror that was kept within their bedroom. This connection only worked if the glasses were close enough to their home residence and lucky- you guess -that you were within range.

Concrete was replaced by sheet rock painted an awful green/gray hue, matching the dull grayscale carpet and bed. From the dresser you could see the partially open closet full of the villain’s minimalist wardrobe consisting several sets of the exact same outfit. There were scratches barely visible on your side of this prison, testimony to the times where you’d attempted to claw your way out but merely resulted in each fingernail nearly uprooting themselves. An ache in your shoulder reminded you of the time you’d attempted to run through it. Yeah, that took a while for it to heal and they hadn’t been happy to see you’d hurt yourself in such a way.

Sinking to the ground, your forehead rested against the glass as tears gathered along your lashes. Could you really go through with it? Anything was better than this sad existence, right?

“I knew it! That villain had the quirk that could allow them to seal away objects within glass and it was speculated he could do that with people! I’m guessing that’s why he kidnapped all those others so that he could experiment or practice in preparation for the one he really—” The rant halted as your head snapped upward, your wide eyed gaze meeting emerald. Their owner, a freckled forest haired man, was moving the dresser as if it were made of paper so that he could approach the mirror. “Sorry! I shouldn’t be gushing about something like that when you’re stuck in there!”

False hope stung worse than his words. It’s not like he could actually see or do anything to help you. No one could. Defeat and doom settled over you like a dark cloud.

“What’s you’re name?”

It’s been so long since you’ve used your voice that part of you wondered how to answer him. It was supposed to be as natural as breathing, right? Curiosity got the best of you though and raised your head. He must have been one of the Pro Heroes who had caught the villain, judging from the costume he wore.

Those emerald eyes of his seemed to glitter when your gazes met. “My name’s Deku. I’m sure it’s been hard for you this whole time, huh? Looks like you could use a bite to eat too. What do you like and I can take you?”

“How?” The question had leapt from your lips before you could stop it. Your voice sounded so raw, broken, coarse like sandpaper. A tilt of your head directed his attention to the mirror’s frame. “I can’t leave this place.”

“Don’t you worry. I’m going to get you out of there.” His lips lifted into an assuring smile, one that made your chest warm. The palm of his gloved hand met the invisible surface. “You have my word.”

“Damnit, Deku, what the hell are you doing talking to yourself?!”

You flinched back as an explosion came from the direction of the next room and turned away when smoke filled the air. It stung your eyes, choked you even, tiny flares of pain blooming across your being. Shouts rang loudly within your ears as something enclosed around you like a weighted blanket. Within the strange plane beneath the glass you’d been lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, but now you relished as warmth seeped into your very bones as whatever it was tightened its hold.

“I gotcha,” Deku whispered lowly within your ear, “you must be (Y/n).” A nod was your answer, tears spilling down your cheeks when realizing that it had been the hero’s arms holding you. They gave another comforting squeeze when you shivered violently, clinging to him as he stood and encouraged you to hold on tight as he turned away from the fuming blonde behind him. Your gaze couldn’t look anywhere else besides those emeralds that were his eyes as he assured that he would take care of you. “For once Kaachan’s explosions actually helped with a mission.” With a smile, he took to the air as red flickering lights appeared across his being.

“Get back here and say it to my face!”

Fumikage Tokoyami

Boredom.

That’s what you felt right now.

A sigh slipped from between your lips when casting a glance towards the nearby clock. It was a physical memory to do so, being as nearly every human being developed the habit, you supposed, yet it didn’t change the outcome of finding the contraption responsible for telling time busted. Neither of its hands had budged the entire duration of your confinement within the glass box. Kidnapping wasn’t a light offense especially considering the circumstances. You’d been caught off guard, causing adrenaline to pound through your system like a drug…or had that been whatever was in the syringe they’d emptied into your thigh? Either way you had woken to find yourself within this odd box that had a spotlight above your head.

How long were you out?

How long have you been here?

What were their plans for you?

Why?

Answers honestly weren’t on your list of necessities right now. You had been slightly amused by the amateurish confinement this was. Single paned, hinges along the north wall which meant that it opened outwards, a large pitcher of water, bucket, two big bags of recognizable grocery items, and the chair you were in was actually quite comfy. Either they had never done this before or you were going to be here awhile.

Regardless of reason or how, you were here now.

“(Y/n).” A voice cooed within your ear as from within your shadow manifested a creature crossed between a wolf and hawk who regarded the space with distaste, “apologies, (Y/n), I suppose I am to blame for this turn of events.”

Your head shook, closing your eyes as the beast nuzzled your cheek. “It was mine for being so careless. I know your range of activity is based upon the moon’s phases and it’s still got a few more nights before becoming full. I should have been more careful.” Umi was the beast which resided within your shadow; you’ve been joined since birth, frightening all who laid eyes upon it. It’s temperament varied depending on the moon’s phases, as does its power, but you both had found mutual partnership for surviving. “Forgive me.”

“Perhaps you were just looking for a chance to meet that other one with similar abilities.” The beast seemed to chuckle as it made quick work of your restraint by means of its glistening fangs. Umi was still much too small to do much else besides freeing your limbs, meaning that you’d be stuck here for at least a little while longer until rescue came or the moon’s phases passed. Tattered pieces of the rope were scattered courtesy of it shaking its head to rid the horrid taste within their mouth. “It has been quite some time since your last encounter.”

“Trust me, this is not what I had in mind for a reunion.”

The light above your heads shattered with a pop, plunging the space into total darkness. Tiny shards of glass fell to lay scattered like confetti upon the cubicle’s top. The sounds had been almost comparable to a wind chime, nearly pleasant, most people would be panicking but not you. Darkness was soothing for you instead of frightening or intimidating. If this was a ploy by your kidnappers than they really were amateurs. Research was a key step that every plan needed.

“The feeling is mutual then. It has been quite a long time, has it not, Dark Shadow?”

“Umi! Little puppy, I’ve missed you!”

A smile raised the corners of your mouth as two recognizable voices filled the air. Calmly, you restrained Umi by wrapping your arms around their torso as shattering sounded. Not a single piece of glass touched you though. Your eyes remained open and quickly adapted as sunlight took the spotlight’s place courtesy of a piece of roofing falling to land somewhere you couldn’t see. There he stood, cape and costume in clear view as you watched him float downward until landing feet from where you were. Dark Shadow appeared within your peripheral vision, instantly earning Umi’s attention, but your gaze remained upon vermillion. “I’m glad to see you’re doing well.”

His head bobbed in a nod. “I truly wish I could return the sentiment. What brings you to such a place as an abandoned warehouse known to be home of a villainous gang?”

“Ah, so they truly were amateurs.” You sighed, eyes threatening to roll when he took in the measly space. “They were using regular knots on my ropes when they should’ve used Sailor’s. Not only that the bags there have the logo of a grocery line specific to this side of town which gave me an idea of location.”

“They were not prepared for such an adversary as yourself, (Y/n), and the fact that you were their first kidnapping target is bad luck on their part.” It was almost too small for you to see but there was no mistaking the slight smirk raising his beak. “The moment Dark Shadow felt Umi nearly sealed their fates. He does not like admitting but he is quite protective and fond of your beast.”

You came closer to him, stopping short of physical contact, the two of you sharing a bigger smile. “Seems like they caught up.”

A glint entered his gaze when figures began appearing from the darkness wielding several weapons. “I simply must repay them for the hospitality that you’ve been given. It is only right and fair that we do so.” Warmth filled your chest as the flash of fondness filled his features before he turned away. “I shall deal with them quickly so that we may return to our conversation. Please be patient for a little while longer, (Y/n).”

And you were more than happy to watch with Umi as the pair easily made work of the wannabe gang who had failed in your kidnapping. It wasn’t surprising that soon every member had been placed within custody. The flashing lights caused both Umi and Dark Shadow to voice complaints which brought your attentions back to one another. “There’s this restaurant I know of where one dines in completed darkness. Shall we?” He offered you his arm, which you wasted no time in taking, and the warehouse was left behind as you began walking.

[kcaffeine]

Forced Retirement

So when a beautiful animated short makes me cry my eyeballs out, I need to pay attention.  I am hit once again that I have experienced a forced-retirement from a job that I held for 20 years with people who were family and dear friends. I get to interact with them substantially less and realized how “work” was certainly my identity, even though I never understood this so much with the millions that this affects. The circumstances around my retirement dictated that I make a career shift into a very unfamiliar world for which I feel so little prepared, so obsolete in my knowledge. Understand, I needed to make the shift. To continue in the same field would have been an unhealthy path; I was showing the signs of burnout and a need for different stimulation. But this came like a crack to the ribs for which I am still struggling to catch my breath and bewildered that something so commonplace could be so painful to live with.

So, I am paying attention to the grief over the loss of identity, the fear of the unknown, the sadness over a differnt friend dynamic and loneliness, the ‘lostness” that I feel in proceeding into a near career.

“Tears fall for a reason, and they are your strength not weakness”  said the horse.

My tears are telling me that, despite the incredibly exhausting distraction I have had for the four months after retirement making trips to care for ailing parents (and my father’s passing), I have merely postponed the grief and bewilderment. I have temporarily traded these uncomfortable emotions for the more familiar anxiety and weariness over caring for family. Christmas provided somewhat of a further distraction but mostly served to remind me how much I am fighting for joy and battling the “weary in doing good” for the last four months.  By the way, even caregivers can have secondary trauma. It’s not just emergency response people who suffer from this. I have been so adverse to hearing my phone ring, to watching shows having anything to do with sad families or death (and why do so many Christmas movies have these themes!?). 

Now, I am facing the new year with a bad, week-long cold, hours in bed, too much time for reflection, and way too many tears that keep reminding that I haven’t dealt with my initial problem:  the forced retirement.

Did I mention what my job was? I was a homeschooling mom.  I just launched my last kid to college (out-of-state). And while many moms with my same career rejoice over the release of this love-hate career and celebrate success in proving that their kid wasn’t severely damaged intellectually for schooling at home, I am surprising myself in how much I am grieving over this huge change in our family dynamic and relationship with my launched kids. I miss them. We actually were very, very close and they provided some of the richest talks about God, the human struggle, culture, and relationships. I feel like such a weirdo over this grief. I have not met any other moms who seem to not be dancing for joy that their kids have moved away. And we were that family that others disapproved of for not helicoptering more, for encouraging independence (learn to use public transportation, survive in the woods, keep duct tape handy). We let them go places earlier than the current trend. We took them on experiences that stretched them (no Disney cruises for us).   Yet, when they launched successfully and found themselves more prepared than many of their peers, I sit at my overly quiet (and very clean) house and cry.  Infuriation!

“Go do a salsa class” “Volunteer more” “Take career classes” “Travel” are all the usual advice I see for this kind of thing. Basically, “Go distract yourself with experiences to help you forget that you have lived through a massive life-altering event.”  This is the kind of event that is up there with getting married and having your first kid. And dying.  This feels more like dying. Not to sound overly morose, but my emotions are handling this as a great loss of a former way of life and mission and identity. This is why some career men can’t handle retirement and succomb to major depression and health decline. I don’t think my peri-menopausal emotions are overexaggerating this time the impact of this change. 

Cue the Extreme Makeover Montage

In a futile attempt to prepare myself for my upcoming retirement, I imagined myself in all sorts of wonderful personal-growth clips:  finally losing 10 pounds, training for and climbing a 14’er, taking interesting professional classes, meeting other women over stimulating lunches and personal retreats, landing a new job as a professioinal writer and everyone amazed that I could be so relevant after taking a 25-year hiatus. Oh, and finally learning to play the piano the way I hear in my head.  This “new me” would have told my daughter, “Oh sorry, sweetheart, I can’t take your call just now. I am getting ready to summit Mr. Bierstadt. Let me call you back in about four hours, okay bye!” Instead of dropping everything and running the phone over to my husband so we can both listen on speakerphone how her mid-term exam went. 

The truth is, I’m tired.  So. very. tired. I was tired before the retirement. I didn’t get any less tired. Driving 14 hours to another state to settle the last one into her dorm in triple digits just about did me in. And then all the health issues came up with three parents. And church became more stressful and less edifying. And my husband and I found out how we were both just really life-weary. 

So I don’t really feel inspired to play piano or have the attention span to take a class. Finding available friends for stimulating lunches is challenging. I am scared to death to look for a writing job. (no thanks, education jobs hold no appeal). 

The only thing I know to do right now is to cry. And to write. I need to stop the castigation over the tears and take a hard look at what I have faced and to appreciate the difficulty. A crack to the rib can put a 250 pound linebacker out of a few games of football (and maybe even make him cry). I need to make room for myself to rest, grieve and heal and to be freshly envisioned for this new stage of life. Maybe imagine a more-realistic personal grow..oh wait…I think I hear my daughter calling…

[darcydzuban]

5 Tips on Life from a Chronic Horse Kid

I’ve had the bug since before I can remember, and I’m not talking about the common cold. Yes, I’m “that kid” in your class who was, and still is, compulsively and obnoxiously obsessed with horses. 

As “that kid” I never imagined I could find more to riding than just being around my favorite animal. Horses have remained a constant in my life. As I’ve grown and made choices to follow different paths, the world of horses that I had built for myself has never faltered. School, jobs, and relationships all correlate on a scale I’ve created with my experiences in riding and being around horses. 

When life mirrors your passion, you will find a better quality of all things. When I had reached my lowest point, I had forced myself to get up: muck some stalls, groom a few horses. Did I necessarily want to put on pants, go out and be around other people? No. But I would also be spending time with the horses. Because when I’m riding, I’m spending all of my focus and energy into what is presently demanding my attention. I distracted myself by making positive attributes. I’m learning how to become a better horseman and taking great strides in my process. These shifts will happen slowly. But by diligently turning my inner-compass to my passions, it will help blot out the dark. 

Ultimately, horseback riding became a series of lessons that didn’t just teach balance, leadership, and strength. Everyone benefits from understanding the subtle complexities of conversations that are never spoken, because everything you do with horses is a conversation. You become fluent in a language that crosses the bridge between animals and people, and is never perfect. As the stewards of these animals it becomes our responsibility to shut up and listen. I bet some people could benefit from this, too. 

I’m sure my parents were only a little surprised when I first showed signs of what would become a life-long affair, only to be bewildered when I asked for lessons. Right from the beginning I was on my own. Nothing could have stopped me. Chores and good grades kept me in the saddle. Eventually I would do more work around the barn for more riding time: cleaning out stalls, grooming horses, hauling hay out to pastures, learning to trim and fit horses for shoes, whatever I could do to learn more, I was front and center. 

I became more sensitive, willing, and capable. Not to mention I started to develop a sense of pride and happiness at including something I loved into my everyday rotation. I felt good about what I was doing! It’s not just about being good, it’s about getting better. I’ll be the first to admit, I make mistakes all the time. But my goal is to reach a point where I am confident enough to know my level of expertise and that I am always learning. I am always getting better. 

After spending roughly half my life around horses, I’ve found general tips and tricks that have bled into my life away from the barn. And no, you don’t need to know anything about horses. You  just need a willingness to pick and choose advice from different sources. Take what you need and apply generously. 

1. Have a Game Plan

Before every ride, before I even place a foot in the stirrup my trainer will stop me and ask, “What is your game plan? What do you want to do today?” If you can’t set up a simple blueprint for what you want to accomplish, then how can you hope to accomplish anything? Start off with something small. Plan one goal for the day. Just one. Follow through. Understand that feeling of accomplishment that you earned for yourself and then gradually give yourself more responsibility. It’s all about the baby steps.

If you just got handed a huge project at work that may seem overwhelming, stop and take a breath. Or maybe you’re suddenly in charge of your sister’s baby shower. It’s all good! Before you do anything, write down everything that needs to get done in order for you to succeed. Prepare a to-do list, sort out your priorities, and keep it handy during every step. Always keep your goal in mind. 

Now, of course, life happens. We get obstacles we can’t get around so your game plan might not work the way you expect it. But that’s okay! Learn to fix it on the go. You can’t practice perfection. You practice to become better. Think, plan, do, fix. Like you, your game plan is flexible. And like our horses, we need to be flexible, attentive athletes who are work-focused and when engaged say, “I’m ready to go!” Life can get scary and spooky, and may try to buck us around. Have faith in your plan and where you planted your butt; because there’s no way you’re getting bucked off. A mantra my trainer has drilled in me that I repeat everyday is, “Forward is my friend and I will fix it on the go.” 

2. Be Workmanlike

In other words, do everything with a purpose, and have pride in what you do. Things get done more efficiently when you are steadfast and swift. This is especially true when it comes to the nitty-gritty tasks that no one really wants to do, but they have to get done one way or the other. (Cleaning out stalls? You know what I’m talking about). It may not be pretty, but you get an overall understanding for the humbling act of rolling up your sleeves and getting those necessary evils out of the way. And you’ll look a lot better when you do it with a straight face on. Or better yet, a smile. All of your actions accumulate into making what makes you so wonderful. And that includes being awesome at the fun stuff, and being reliable when it comes to hard work. Then, the more you do it, the easier it gets and the more efficient you become. I can have the time of my life when I’m in the saddle, but if I put even half of the dedication I have for learning to ride into taking care of my horse, it shows that I am dead serious when it comes to my passion. Yes, you can get all the reports done for work on time and still enjoy happy hour with the girls. Yes, you can ace all your classes, commit to a sport, and have a life! If you can prove you’re in it for the long haul, and that you’re serious about what you want to do, others will take you seriously as well. Be graceful in all situations, even when it is uncalled for. 

3. Be Confident

Do you ever get the sense that people are always saying this, but it seems so hard to actually do it? Sometimes it’s hard to be confident. Life wouldn’t be very interesting if you weren’t allowed to feel differently about things, and faking it until you make it only gets you so far. Sometimes confidence cannot be achieved by slipping on your favorite pair of shoes (although sometimes it doesn’t hurt!) Rather, confidence is collected and earned through experiences. When you understand the tools of your trade, and know that they will work when you use them is when the trust in your own abilities starts to grow. Be confident because you know what it feels like to hesitate. You understand the dread of indecision. You came to your own conclusion that being prompt in how you act and react is the foundation to a better mindset. Make up your mind, and stick to your game plan. Others can only provide you with the tools; you need to improvise your own techniques, but that’s part of the path. 

In the end, it adds up to the single piece of advice attributed to my riding instructor: be confident enough in your abilities to never be bullied into taking bad advice.

4. “It’s Not You, it’s Me”

But seriously, it could be you. No one ever really wants it to be her, but hey, we’re only human. You are allowed to make mistakes. How else will you learn? You correct it and move on, wiser than if you had never messed up.

Horses don’t communicate like people, and so often we make the mistake of “humanizing” them when we should really be “horse-ifying” ourselves. Many riders (myself included) will ask something of their horses only to have the horse respond in a way they did not expect. Stress levels rise, everyone gets panicky, and the situation gets a little more dangerous. The flow of knowing what you ask for, asking for it in a clear and concise way, sticking to your guns, and fixing yourself is crucial in such a short moment’s notice. It becomes just another lesson in becoming adaptable and flexible. You chose a game plan, and you are confident that your techniques will work. 

You may not need the attitude adjustment, but it sure wouldn’t hurt. 

Begin to notice the cues and signals you are sending to others. Be observant of yourself. Are you unaware of giving cues that signal others to your mood? They may not necessarily be accurate of your personality (Hello, resting bitch face). Tweaking the little details in your arrangement not only improves the clarity in how people see you, but you become more sensitive to other’s reactions of you. If someone is just not jiving the way you had planned, sometimes you need to take a step back and assess the situation. 

Tip that nice barista, say good morning when you pass someone in the hall, go out of your way to text (or call!) a friend on her birthday, not just leave the same old facebook comment. 

Sometimes the cues we give our horses aren’t clear, and the conversation becomes confusing. Maybe your horse wants to move forward, but you don’t realize your giving her a cue to stop! If you notice her ears, her eyes, or the way she holds her neck, she is always trying to tell you something, so it’s time to shut up and listen. Then take actions to correct the mistake, and move on. Check yourself before you start point fingers at others. Maybe your coworker never responded to your email because you never sent it to begin with? Stop, regroup yourself, recollect your thoughts, and continue. 

5. If you get bucked off you have to get back on the… You know

I mean this figuratively, and in my case literally. I’m saying this because it’s true. You won’t learn anything with your butt in the dirt. And think how much better you’ll feel when you don’t have an excuse to sabotage yourself? This time, you’ll know what to expect and fix it, even on the go if necessary. Maybe you don’t have a literal stirrup to step into, but I think you can guess what you have to do next. Sit up tall, grab the reins, and maybe even laugh at yourself a little. Try again. You might be surprised at what you accomplish. 

It doesn’t hurt to add that you should stay forgiving. Be kind to yourself. Know that you have a limit. Horses have an enormous capacity to forgive mistakes of beginner and advanced riders alike. It is because of this nature that we are able to forgive ourselves as well. Sometimes horses teach us just how human we are. We make mistakes. We fall off, we fall down, we fall out. But the pursuit of practicing makes us better. The willingness to try again exceeds any sprouting of doubt or disbelief we have. 

Take a little something from everything you’ve learned. Apply them generously. Think ahead at what you want to accomplish. Then, follow through in your actions and don’t be afraid to falter, because odds are you won’t. You will learn to be graceful under pressure and experienced in noticing the subtle body language of others. When your tools work for you, you learn to work better. 

[inkandpen22]

First Meeting

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Female!Reader 

Warnings: none

Word Count: 1.6k

Summary: Y/N begins her 1st day as a member of the BAU and Spencer is immediately taken by her

A/N: I’m always adding new one shots for Reid so if you’d like to be tagged lmk!

Masterlist

Spencer

Garcia comes up beside me on my way to the meeting room, all excited and bouncy. "Did you hear we're getting a newbie today?" 

I stop in my tracks with a huff. "Wait, what? No! No one told me!" JJ walks by on her way to the briefing and I ask her. "Why doesn't anyone tell me anything?" 

"Hotch is bringing her up now," JJ grins over her shoulder. 

"Her?" I repeat, following her into the room. 

"Yeah, he's going to introduce her during the UnSub briefing," Morgan adds as he takes his usual set. 

"Did everyone know about this before me?" I sigh, plopping down in my chair. 

"Apparently," Morgan pokes fun. 

"Morning everyone," Hotch greets as he marches into the room. 

"Morning," everyone else greets as I set my stuff down. 

"Good-" My words disappear as I lift my attention away from my files toward the door and that's when I see her. 

"This is Agent Y/N Y/L/N," Hotch introduces. "She is of the most recent Quantico graduating class and will be joining our team." 

"Nice to meet you, Y/N," JJ offers Y/N her hand. 

The girl shakes her hand with a warm smile. "You too! Thank you guys for letting me sit in," she announces to the group. 

I swallow hard. She's so young, she's like me. 

"How old are you anyway?" Morgan questions, leaning back in his chair. 

"Twenty-two," she answers. I knew it. "I graduated undergrad early." 

"Aw like Spence," Prentiss gushes. 

I don't even react to Prentiss petting my hair. Usually, I would swat her hand away. All I can do is stare at Y/N. I've lost all function like a robot missing a piece. 

"Spencer?" JJ says my name with a hint of worry. It sounds like background noise, so faint. 

Morgan chuckles. "I think Reid's head just exploded." 

"Earth to Spencer," Prentiss waves her hand in front of my face. 

I snap out of my daze and swat her hand away. "Stop it," I mumble. 

A blush forms on my cheeks, I can feel it. I clear my throat nervously and try to act normal as I open up my file. Y/N takes the empty chair across the table from me. She offers me a smile. I feel this weird feeling in my stomach like I've had too much coffee and am all jittery. 

JJ redirects everyone's attention to the screen. "Okay guys, let's begin. We've been receiving a series of calls from several police stations in Atlanta. There's been a series of livestock killings ranging from pigs to more commonly lambs. Each stabbed and hearts removed. Then, symbols painting on her foreheads and stomachs." 

"Go back please," Y/N requests, surprising everyone. 

JJ's brows scrunch together. "Do you see something, Y/N?" 

"The locals think it's a cult?" She asks. 

JJ looks over her papers and nods. "Yes actually." 

"It's not," Y/N states with the utmost certainty. 

My brows scrunch together as I begin to analyze the image myself. I wasn't paying attention before. I hate to admit it, but I was distracted. She's right, this isn't the work of a cult. 

"How can you tell?" Hotch questions with narrowed eyes. 

"The pentagram is wrong," I answer. My eyes meet Y/N's and she smiles. 

"We're more likely dealing with teens or college students, outcasts, trying to scare the community," she adds. "Is that a college nearby?" 

JJ skims her research and pulls out a sheet. "Yes, two." 

"Does one of a greater population of local students?" I ask. 

"Um..." JJ reads. "Yes." 

"I think we should start there," Y/N concludes. 

Hotch nods, rising from his chair. "Okay, wheels up in an hour everyone. Prepare," he instructs before heading to the door. "Good work, Y/N." 

"Thank you, Sir," she grins, evidently proud of herself. 

"Now there's two of him," Morgan chuckles as he gathers his things. 

Y/N laughs. "What?" 

"He's referring to me," I assure her. "The way you noticed the unfinished pentagram and narrowed down the profile, usually, I do that." 

"Oh, sorry!" She's quick to apologize. 

"No, no!" I wave my hands in a panic. "It's nice having someone else around who notices details like that. Makes me feel less annoying and a know-it-all." 

______________________________________

Y/N

Hotchner, Reid, and I stand on the other side of the one-way mirror as our next interviewee gets settled in by the police. He's a student at the local university and fits the M.O. A complete outsider, impressionable, a history of emotional disorders and animal abuse, it's a perfect match. 

"Sir, do you think Spencer and I could go in?" I request. 

Hotchner raises a brow. "Do you think you're ready?" 

"Yes, and just in case that's why I ask to have Spencer with me." 

"Spencer, what do you think?" The leader questions, watching as the cops release Brian from his handcuffs and depart the room. 

Spencer glances past Hotchner over to me. He nods. "I think she's ready, Sir." 

I suppress a smile and redirect my attention to our potential UnSub. 

"Very well, go ahead," Hotchner approves. 

"Thank you, Sir," I say as I head toward the door. 

Spencer holds the door for me and we step out into the hall. 

Before we enter the interview room, I had my file over to Spencer. 

"Here, could you hold this for a second?" 

He takes the stack nervously. "What... What are you doing?" 

"I have an idea." I remove my scrunchie from my hair and toss it around a bit. Spencer watches as I slip my scrunchie onto my wrist and begin to unbotton the top to buttons of my blouse. I readjust my boobs a little and pull down my blouse. I take the waist of my skirt and pull it up a little. "How do I look?" I ask the boy when I'm done. 

"I... uh... I..." He stammers. 

"Perfect!" I smile, taking back my things. 

I enter the room first, Spencer following close behind. "Hi Brian, I'm Agent Y/L/N and this is Agent Dr. Reid," I introduce as we take our seats across the table. 

"You two look like you could go to my school," Brian laughs. "How old are you guys anyway?" 

 I smile and ignore his question and stick to the topic. "We're just going to ask you a few questions." 

Brian smirks. "Well, can I ask you something first?" 

"Of course," I assure him. 

"Can I have your number?" He asks boldly. 

"I um..." I'm at a loss for words. 

"I don't think that's very appropriate." Spencer defends with a stern tone. 

"What? Are you her boyfriend or something?" Brian mocks. 

"Uh no, but this isn't a personal conversation this is an investigation, so let's stick to only necessary questions," 

Brian complies and I continue my interview. He gets off track here and there, but Spencer steps in. I'm thankful that Spencer is quiet for the most part, only when to redirect Brian back to the purpose of our interview. I feel calmer with Spencer next to me. For some reason, his presence makes me feel safe even though we may have a serial animal abuser and cult member across the table from us. When I conclude our interview, Spencer and I rise from our chairs. I tell Brian that authorities will be in soon to take more of his information. 

"So how's about a date?" He asks again for a third time within the last thirty minutes. 

I ignore him as Spencer opens the door for me. 

"What? I'm not your type?" The kid chuckles. 

I stop and spin on my heels to face Brian. I press my palms against the table and lean closer to the boy, startling him. "Frankly no, you're not. I'm into older guys and... well..." I eye him up and down and giggle. "You're nothing but a kid." 

He swallows hard, shifting in his chair uncomfortably. I smirk and step outside into the hall. Spencer joins me and shuts the door behind us. He wears a bewildered expression. I begin to tie my hair up again and button up my shirt. 

"I'm sorry you had to deal with that," he voices as we head toward the door to the watch room.  

I shrug. "Eh it's okay, he's just a kid. Plus, I'm used to it." 

When we enter, Morgan and Hotchner are still observing Brian's behavior. Morgan steps closer to Hotchner, making room for Spencer and me. I catch a glimpse of Brian through the mirror and his head is in his hands. 

"Good work," Hotchner compliments us. 

"Interesting approaching," Morgan nods. "Seems to be working." 

"Thank you," I grin, bringing my arms crossed over my chest. "I figured it was worth a shot. 

A comfortable silence remains in the room as the four of us watch Brian slowly crumble. 

Spencer leans closer to me and I extend my neck out to him. "Is it true, what you said about being into older guys?" He questions quietly between us. 

I turn my head to look at him and his face is full of curiosity. "How old are you?" I ask. 

His brows scrunch together. "Twenty-seven." 

I smile, turning my attention back to Brian as he continues to fidget. "Yes, it's true." I back up to step outside and fetch a coffee. I suspect this will be a long night. 

Spencer

Right as Y/N steps out, Morgan sighs. "Aw Reid, you're in trouble man," he laughs. 

Hotch chuckles from beside him. 

I frown. "What do you mean?" 

"Seriously?" Morgan raises a brow as he turns his body to face me. "She just told you she's into you." 

"No, she didn't, she just asked me how old I am and told me-" I pause, reviewing our interaction just seconds prior and I begin to piece it all together. My eyes grow wide. "Holy crap, she's into me!" 

"You better jump on that, Big Guy!" Morgan pats me on the shoulder. 

Hotch wears a sly grin, pretending to be focused on Brian, but it's evident he's amused by us. 

__________________________________

Masterlist

Tags: @mrsobrien888​ @hufflepufftruffle @gillybear17 @thatsonezesty13 @smol-flowerkiddo @reesespieces10123 @madds-m @az3r0o @wafflebacon23 @spencerreid-mgg @alfonsais @justlivinginadaydream @kaitlynpcallmebeepme @farah3012 

@doveygirlkay-blog @dreatine  @imhappybutimalsosad @parahmur  @tremendousdinosaurhideout  @destiny-dream67  @ashwarren32  @yeahjustcallmer-n @bluehydrangea-cherry​ @izzysecrets

[translytherins]

Just my Type

Pairing: Karma Akabane x Slightly oblivious! Male reader

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

Narrator's P.O.V

"Alright class sit down! I have a very exciting announcement to make!" Koro-sensei said after everyone stopped firing Anti-koro bullets at him.

"We have a new classmate joining us today! Come in new kid!" Koro-sensei said excitedly while everyone else started whispering about either how they're behaviour would be, how good they were at assassinating or why they got transferred into their class.

The door slid open, making everyone go quiet, and a male with [hair coloured] hair came in the room. He was walking towards Koro-sensei and he kept his head down, seemingly trying to avoid eye contact with everyone which was true. He stopped walking when he reached Koro-sensei he lifted his head up and turned to face the class with his hand in her pocket.

"Please introduce yourself to everyone!"

He didn't say anything, instead he lifted his head up, letting everyone see his [eye colour] eyes and looked around the classroom before speaking.

"[M/n]... My names [L/n] [M/n]... It's a pleasure to meet you... I hope we get along with each other..."

"Good! I'm Koro-sensei and I'll be you're homeroom teacher! I hope you can kill me before graduation! Please take you're seat at the back!"

The male, now known as [M/n], nodded his head before walking towards the back. While making his way towards his seat, he "tripped" making Koro-sensei rush to catch him but before he hit the ground he placed the palm of his hands on the ground and swung his right leg up, where he taped a Anti-koro knife onto the bottom of his shoe before he came to school, and managed to slash two of Koro-sensei's tentacles. Koro-sensei jumped back at that while [M/n] landed in a crouching position before standing back up. He started staring at Koro-sensei who was staring right back at him. They just stared at each other while the class were looking at the new transefer student with disbelief. The class looked at them back and forth before Koro-sensei spoke up with his tentacle regrowing.

"Impressive! You might actually kill me before graduation! Such a good strategy!"

"Thank you Koro-sensei... When you have an out of control speedster as a younger brother... You need to think ahead or else alot of things in the house will be destroyed..." [M/n] said before sitting down at his desk which happend to be placed right next to a bright red tomato head, also known as Karma Akabane.

Karma was staring at him with a wide smirk on his face.

'Attractive, smart and good at assassination... Just my type!'

Ohhhh... If [M/n] knew what he just signed up for... He wouldn't have pulled that stunt in the first place.

-

[M/n]'s P.O.V

Everyone in class 3-E was nice. I just wished they get more credit from the school but then again... I don't want them to be mindless slave that only want good grades. One thing though, ever since i transferred Karma-kun has not stop bugging me. He's literally glued to my side. Wherever i go, he's always there with me. Now, i don't mind him doing that. I'm grateful because he wants to deal with my sorry arse. The only thing that bothers me is the fact that he keeps making flirty comments towards me but i didn't think to much of it and got used to it after a while.

"Hey Cutie-chan! Wait up!"

Speak of the devil and he shall appear. I just kept walking, knowing that he was fast and could catch up. Once he caught up with me, he put his arm around my shoulder.

"Looking cute as always Cutie-chan~" Karma said in a flirty tone with a grin on his face.

"Thanks Karma-kun" i said before looking at the ground, hoping that he wouldn't say anything else because me and Yuma, my speedster little brother, had an anime marathon yesterday and we stayed up until 2 in the morning.

I think he noticed how tired i was because he kept quite and started to run his fingers through my hair which was quite relaxing if i do say so myself. We continued walking to class in silence.

-Timeskip to Lunch-

I was eating lunch with my new group of friends which consists of Nagisa (who i, at first thought was a female in disguise), Karma (of course he's here) , Tomohito and Kaeda.

(Author: Did i get it right because i keep forgetting how many people are in Nagisa's friend group)

"Hey [M/n]-kun... I've been meaning to ask you something?" Nagisa said.

"Sure... What is it Nagisa-kun?"

"How come you're in class 3-E if you're smart?"

"Nagisa-kun's right! You're always not paying attention in class and you still get the awnsers right when either Koro-sensei, Karasuma-sensei or B*tch-sensei asks you to awnser a question" Tomohito said now looking at me, waiting for an answer

The other follow suite and were looking at me expectantly, Karma pretending not to care about what I was going to say. I chuckled slightly while internally cooing at them because they were acting like cute little puppies.

"I punched a few students and a teacher. The teacher was by accident though"

It took them a few minutes for them to comprehend what they had just heard before they suddenly shouted excluding Karma who was smirking at me.

"YOU DID WHAT!?!"

After they got over their shock, they started bombarding me with questions on why i did it.

"Because they were acting like b*tches by talking sh*t about you guys so i took the liberty to punch them across the face and the teacher startled me by putting their hand on my shoulder so i accidentally punched them thinking that they were trying to hurt me and the rest was history. Honestly, I'm glad i got transferred here because i don't think I'll be able to stand being there for another minute. Besides... I think i like it better here with you guys" i said with a smile on my face before i was tackled in a hug by Tomohito, Kaeda and Nagisa which suprised me alot considering he was normally very calm.

They were crying tears of joy making me panic, thinking i said something wrong. Unbeknownst to me, Karma was watching us with a fond smile on his face instead of his usual smirk.

-

I was waiting for Karma outside of our class building because he said he wanted to tell me something. After a few minutes, i saw him walking up to me making my heart beat faster and i started sweat slightly for no apparent reason. He stopped right in front of me with one of his hand behind his back. I could tell he was nervous because he was shifting on his legs.

"You said wanted to talk to me about something Karma-kun?"

"Ye-yeah... Uhm..."

I looked at him slightly bewildered because in the weeks that i have known him, he was outgoing, confident and cocky. I was about to ask if he was alright before he pulled out a [favourite flower] flower crown from behind his back and handing it to me.

"Uhm... I made you this... I overhead when you were talking with Kaeda that you always wanted a [favourite flower] flower crown but never had a chance to make it and i thought it would be nice to give you one..."

I wanted to make a snarky comment but i decided against in and put the flower crown on my head while smiling.

(This is what you look like wearing it and can we just appreciate how adorable Midoriya looks with a flower crown!! Also art is not mine so credits to the original artist)

"Thanks Karma-kun... I love it..."

"I also have something else for you"

"What is i-"

I was caught off by a pair of lips connecting themselves onto mine, specifically Karma's lips. I tensed up slightly because i have no idea what to do because I've never kissed someone before! This is my first time kissing someone. I heard Karma chuckle slightly before pulling back.

"For someone attractive you clearly have no experience before... But don't worry! I will show you how relationships works if you agree to be my boyfriend" Karma said with his signature smirk back on his face.

I was in a daze slightly making me miss the fact that Karma's smirk faltered a bit.

"Is that a yes or no" ha said making me snap out of my daze.

I didn't trust my voice so i frantically nodded my head before hugging Karma and burying my face in his chest to hide my blush making him chuckle before wrapping his arms around my waist and burying his face in my hair because i was slightly shorter than him. We stayed there in silence before we were interrupted by a squeal from nearby. We looked at where the squeal came from and saw Nagisa, Tomohito, Kaeda and Koro-sensei watching us from the bushes.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!?!"

They started running for it while Karma chased them making me laugh.

'I didn't even realise it until now that I like Karma-kun. I must be more oblivious than I thought' i thought while smiling fondly at the thought that someone like Karma would ever want someone like me but I'm glad he did because he's just my type.

~The End~

[notdonesimpin]

Point Of View ~k.b.~

katsuki bakugou x gn!reader

warnings: fluff

synopsis: no one believes that katsuki is a good boyfriend until they see if for themselves AKA the three times people how sweet bakugou can be.

a/n: ah so i’ve neglected bnha quite a bit.. debated keeping this to myself but everyone needs a bit of soft and respectful bakugou. hope you enjoy :)

You weren’t oblivious to the worry and concern in people’s eyes when you told them that Bakugou was your boyfriend. The two most infamous things said in response were: “You’re joking, right?” and “Are you okay? Does he get violent with you?”

It was quite frustrating to reassure people that being with him was okay. You know he's a good guy. Why does everyone assume that he’d be a shitty boyfriend? Why doesn’t Bakugou want other people to see the more tame side of him that he’d developed the past two years you’d been together?

Everyone learned to just take your word for it, though they’d never really seen him be affectionate with you. That’s why it was so shocking once they actually saw the true nature of your relationship with him.

1: Your Parents

“Bakugo!” your little sister yelled, running up to hold onto his leg.

His eyes widened as he looked down at her, confused as to where she came from. “Hey, Rugrat. What are you doing running around by yourself?”

“Mom and Dad are over there!” she points to a store in the distance and continues talking, “Are you here with my sibling?”

She stepped back, grabbing onto his extended hand as they walked towards your parents.

“Not right now. They’re here somewhere with their friends.”

“I thought you were their friend,” she pouted, “Are you guys not friends anymore?”

Bakugou sighed, “I’m a different kind of friend, Rugrat.”

“What do you mean?”

“Tenshi! There you are!” your mom says, rushing over to the two of them.

“She saw me and ran over. Sorry about that,” Bakugou awkwardly scratched the back of his head, feeling uncomfortable with the apology passing through his lips.

“She must really like you, then. She never does this with anyone,” you mom notes, slightly impressed that he won your sister over within a few short months.

He softly smiles, looking down at her, “I think we just understand each other.”

“You still haven’t told me what’s so different about you being friends with Y/N!” she points at him.

He squats down to chat with her, “It’s the kind of friend that gets to hang out with a cool kid like you in their free time.”

“That’s the best!” she exclaims.

Bakugou’s phone buzzes, and he pulls it out to see a text from you that asked where he was. “I have to go, but I’ll see you at your birthday party.”

“Promise?” She sticks out her pinky.

“Promise.” 

He clasps his pinky who hers quickly before getting up and saying a quick goodbye to your mother and rushing off.

Tenshi grabbed your mother’s hand as they watched him. 

You came into view with a few bags on your arms and he immediately took them from you despite your apparent protest and gave you a quick kiss before walking in the opposite direction.

Your mother realized that she may have had the wrong idea about Bakugo this entire time.

2: Class 1-A

“How are you not sore from weight training yesterday?” you whine as you both walk towards the classroom.

“I train all the time. You just aren’t used to it,” he smirks, nudging you slightly with his arm.

“Whatever. You didn’t even go easy on me, a beginner.”

“I’ve never gone easy on you. Why would I start now?”

“Fair point,” you shrug as you walk through the classroom door and all eyes immediately fall on the two of you.

“There’s the cutest couple in school!” Mina exclaims.

You both look at her bewildered by her statement.

“I didn’t know Bakugou actually had a heart,” Iida muttered, looking at something on Kirishima’s desk.

“What did you do?” Bakugou whispers with a hint of agitation in his voice. 

“I didn’t do anything. I have no clue what they’re talking about!”

“Kirishima saw you guys at the New Year’s Festival. He took a really cute picture of you guys!” Kaminari explained, walking over to show you both the picture on his phone.

You both looked at it to see your little sister, Tenshi, on his shoulders with a smile on her face as she pointed at one of the booths. Bakugo had one hand keeping her stable on his shoulder and the other was laced with yours. He had a large smile on his face as if he was laughing at something you said.

“What were you guys talking about?” Mina asks.

“None of your fucking business,” Bakugou grumbled, pushing past all of them to his seat with you in tow as he continued, “If you ask us another question, I will kill all of you.”

“Bakubro, they wouldn’t let you kill us even if you wanted to,” Kirishima laughed.

“You even gave them your jacket!” Sero exclaimed, “I remember when you tried to fight me for even trying to borrow a blanket when we were in your room!”

“He can’t let his precious girl get cold,” Kaminari sang.

Bakugou grumbled, crossing his arms as he sat down, knowing that anything he said would only fuel the fire.

3: His Parents

“Holy shit!” you exclaimed as your umbrella bent backwards, officially breaking after three long years of service.

The rain didn’t even have a chance to touch your body before Bakugo quietly handed his umbrella over to you, taking the broken one from you. “Don’t need you catching a cold.”

As soon as you took it from him, he took his jacket off and wrapped it around your backpack. He forced your broken one closed and held onto it to throw away later.

“Katsuki, you’re going to get soaked,” you tried to argue.

“I’ll be fine. My backpack is waterproof.”

“At least get under the umbrella. What if you catch a cold?”

“It isn’t big enough to even cover your backpack, dumbass. I’ll be fine. I haven’t gotten sick in years.”

“I’ll just put my hood on until we get to your house and then walk home from there with the umbrella.”

“Not happening, I’m taking you home. I can’t let you walk by yourself.”

Thirty minutes later, Bakugou walked through the door absolutely soaked from head to toe with two broken umbrellas in his hand and his jacket wrapped around his waist.. 

He let out a huge sigh as he dropped his backpack and took off his shoes.

“Katsuki, I need-” Mitsuki’s eyes widened as she looked at him.”Go get out of those clothes and take a shower! You’re going to catch a cold in those if you stay in them any longer!”

“You don’t have to yell, you old hag!” he snapped as he walked to the bathroom.

After he showered and put on some warmer clothes, he was met with the curious eyes of his mother and father as he took his towels and clothes to the washing machine.

“What?” he questioned, pausing on his way.

“You had two broken umbrellas and were absolutely soaked. What happened?”

“Y/N’s umbrella broke, so I gave them mine. It’s too small to do anything but cover their body, so I wrapped my jacket around their backpack so their stuff didn’t get wet. I was soaked by the time we got to their house, so there was no point in putting my jacket back on, but I promised them that I’d use the umbrella on the way back and it broke from the wind.”

Their jaws dropped.

“Stop looking at me like that,” he grumbled and justified himself, “I didn’t want them getting sick. They don't take good care of themself when they feel bad. Can I go to my room?”

“Yeah, yeah. We’ll let you know when dinner’s ready,” Masaru said.

Katsuki walks off without another word.

The next morning, Mitsuki was yelling at Katsuki to get up from the other side of the house, but she wasn’t getting the usual response back. 

She paused outside his door when he heard the low murmur of his voice as if he was on the phone and slowly cracked the door open.

“Do you want me to come over?” she heard you ask.

“No, I can’t take care of you and me. If you catch my cold, you won’t eat like you’re supposed to. I swear you’re like an annoying little child when you’re sick.”

“Always so mean,” you laugh, “I can take care of myself, Katsuki.”

“I know you can, but I want to take care of you, so shut up,” he coughed, “And don’t hang up on me until you are inside of the school safe!”

“I feel so bad. You got sick because of me.”

“Well, make it up to me by kicking ass in class today, okay?”

“Don’t I always?” you tease, causing him to softly laugh.

Mitsuki smiled to herself as she quietly closed the door, hoping that you’d be in her son’s life forever.

[drmedicsgamesurgery]

Danganronpa Kirigiri Volume 2 Full Translation Part 1

Thanks to DJ Shocker, Shenmen, Chilly, LiarieCC, and Blackflirtlarping. This is a fully fixed up and complete translation with no missing bits.

Danganronpa Kirigiri Volume 2: The Norman Hotel Detective Auction

Chapter 1: Daily Life

Couples dressed to the nines for Christmas Eve wined and dined in window booths, but due to the height of the building, no matter how much I craned my neck I couldn’t see them satisfactorily.

I must have gotten a little carried away, bouncing around the hall to eagerly check out the outside scenery from the windows of this high-rise building, as I felt someone tug on the sleeve of my coat; Kyoko Kirigiri. She gazed up at me, wordlessly, with cool eyes. I felt almost as if I was being scolded.

“Thank you for waiting! Please come this way.” Both Kirigiri and I followed a waiter into the interior of the hall. Suddenly, an enormous Christmas Tree came into view. A fir tree that must have been imported from abroad, decked out in dazzling star ornaments that were determined not to lose to the lights of the city in terms of brightness.

We found ourselves being led to a wide individual room.

An antique candle holder stood in the center of a table draped in a white cloth, the candles fully aglow.

Napkins and cutlery for three people were already laid out on the table. And the furthest wall was transparent, giving us a scenic view of the city nightscape.

“Woww! This is amazing!” I dashed over to the glass wall without thinking, and gazed out at the city lights twinkling under the night sky.

“Kirigiri, come here!” I called out to Kirigiri, who stood behind me. She seemed to be hesitating. She looked at me with a slightly concerned expression on her face, then approached the giant window. She looked over the city nightscape with pink tinged cheeks, seemingly unable to tear her eyes away from the lights of the city.

“Isn’t it pretty?”

Kirigiri nodded.

“Won’t you tell me how you really feel, out loud?”

“…It’s pretty.”

At this point, Suisei Nanamura entered our private room.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, ladies. I see you’re enjoying my Christmas present to you.”

By ‘present’ did he mean this view?

I suddenly felt a little embarrassed at taking the bait so quickly and backed away from the glass wall, flustered.

Suisei pulled out a chair with a gesture that made it seem like this was something he was well accustomed to. I lowered my head to him in a quick bow and took a seat. I really wasn’t used to how to act in a place as fancy as this.

On the other hand, Kirigiri seemed used to it. She lowered herself onto the chair, almost princess-like, and gave Suisei a casual nod as her thanks.

Kirigiri continued to surprise me, but I think she was essentially a refined and well-mannered kid. When it came to being a detective and solving cases she became cool-headed and almost difficult to approach, but I wondered if that had something to do with being raised in a family of detectives.

Suisei placed the Santa hat he’d been wearing on Kirigiri’s head and sat down opposite her. He didn’t offer any explanation as to why he’d given her the Santa hat, and Kirigiri herself didn’t react.

Well, she looked cute like that so I had no complaints…

“Well, I am a happy man! Having the honor of spending Christmas Eve with such beautiful young ladies…”

After sitting down, Suisei propped both elbows onto the table and rested his chin on top of his hands, suddenly observing us intensely.

I was bewildered by the suggestive look in his eyes.

“W-what ?”

I suddenly found myself feeling very shy.

Suisei had a face as handsome as an actor - he was an attractive man. I had absolutely no objections to joining him for Christmas dinner-

‘“2,000, 9,800, 23,000.” Suisei suddenly rattled off a series of mysterious digits.

“Huh?”

“The price of your glasses, the price of your coat, and the price of your boots.”

“W-what…? How did you…?”

He knew?

The numbers were more or less correct.

“There are many ways to observe other people, and one of the most effective ways is to judge them by the value of what they’re wearing. Through knowing the value of their material possessions - in other words, their quality - is not a method to be overlooked.”

“I - I see."

“Yui Samidare-kun - for example, in your case you’re confident about your legs, so your most valuable possession is your boots. However, from the way your boots are worn down, they don’t seem to be specifically designed for sports. And you’ve chosen to walk down the path of becoming a detective. Aiming to become a detective at such a young age is probably due to something that happened in your past-”

“O-okay, I got it.”

I put both hands up in front of me, as if to evade Suisei’s words. I don’t think I wanted to hear anything else he had to say.

Suisei’s lips curled into a grin and he spread out his arms while gesturing at the clear glass wall.

“7,445,000 yen. The price of everything you can see from here. Along with the price of electricity for every building. The true essence of everything is so beautiful.”

Suisei gave me a smug wink.

Detectives were really hard to understand.

Suisei Nanamura was a Double Zero Class detective. According to the DSC (Detective Shelf Collection) at the Detective Library, his number was 900. The number nine indicated that he dealt primarily with murder investigations, and his double zero was proof of his skills.

In the past there was a detective who, due to the successful handling of his cases, moved up as far as rank three, but that took over 20 years of his career. For Nanamura to hold a double zero at the young age of 37 was, quite simply, incredible. It was not an honor you earned with half-hearted skills.

“Well then, let’s continue talking about the job over dinner.”

Suisei snapped his fingers, and from behind him a waiter appeared to fill his glass with red wine. Two more waiters also appeared by his side as if they were servants attending to a prince.

Since Kirigiri and I were still underage, we were passed a soft drink menu. I chose orange juice, and Kirigiri ordered a coffee.

“Let’s toast to our first meeting - is what I’d like to say, but allow me to refrain. After all, in our world a toast doesn’t signify the start of something, but the end.”

Suisei took a sip of his red wine.

The waiters began to lay out plates in front of Suisei. Usually when it came to French cuisine, every dish was served one by one, but for some reason they continued to pile dish after dish in front of him.

“10 hours, 28 minutes and 49 seconds.” Suisei suddenly rattled off another series of digits.

“That is the time that’s passed since I opened the letter challenging me to this Duel Noir. The time limit from when you open such a letter to who is victorious being decided is 168 hours. For my own sake, I opened the letter at exactly 10 am today.”

Suisei said with a serious expression on his face. However, he hadn’t stopped eating. It occurred to me that most of the food had already disappeared from his plate.

When did he…?

One plate each was placed in front of Kirigiri and me. If we tried to match Suisei’s pace, the food would be devoured before we could even enjoy it.

“Mr Nanamura, how many Duel Noir challenges have you participated in up until now?”

“This would be the fifth time.”

“The f-fifth time?”

“I can only call it bad luck. Out of all the detectives I know, there’s some who’ve never even heard of Duel Noirs. In fact, it’s more likely a detective will hear of Duel Noirs.”

Naturally, Kirigiri and I knew what a Duel Noir was.

Just a little earlier, Kirigiri and I had been wrapped up in one. A Duel Noir was a game organized by an organization called The Victims Catharsis Committee. Both a detective and a criminal engage in a deadly duel. After receiving a letter of challenge from a criminal, the detective will attempt to solve a case in real time.

Unlike what their name suggested, The Victims Catharsis Committee wasn’t a charitable organization at all. Under the name of providing catharsis for victims of crime, the committee lured participants into their game. It seemed that when it came to recruiting ‘challengers’, they particularly aimed for those who were driven by a need for revenge. In other words, by using those who were willing to go as far as murder, the game unfolded.

The detectives, on the other hand, were chosen out of the names registered on the Detective Index at the Detective Library.

There were approximately 65,500 detectives registered on the list, and their names were public information. It was assumed that The Victims Catharsis Committee summoned detectives from this list according to the difficulty of each case. For this, a detective’s DSC number was used as reference.

“The further you move up in rank, the amount of detectives decreases. Statistically it becomes more likely for one to be challenged to a Duel Noir.” Nanamura placed his fork on top of his plate, wiped his mouth with a napkin, then suddenly threw them all behind his back. One of the waiters caught the plate while barely moving an inch. With the space he cleared from throwing away his plate, Nanamura placed his two fingers together on top of the table.

Suisei began to stare at Kirigiri and me as if he was observing us.

“I read your file about the case you solved, you two. It was a great case for your induction.”

The Sirius Observatory was our induction case? And yet even now every time I remembered that day I felt a dreadful despair.

“However, the next one doesn’t seem to be so. Looking at the letter of challenge, the culprit seems to not only understand the aim of Duel Noirs far too well, but they also plan to win. That’s a troublesome attitude. Seems almost as if they’re enjoying the game. It’s probably a treat for the spectators as well.”

“Spectators?”

“Oh? You didn’t know? Duel Noirs are broadcast in real time. The spectators watch over them during what’s called a Closed Circuit, whilst eating and drinking together. You could call it a live-viewing.”

Speaking of which, didn’t the mastermind between the previous case say something along those lines?

The Victims Catharsis Committee didn’t just want to play a game - they wanted to offer a show.

“This is all pretty hard to believe. Who on earth would watch a Duel Noir?”

"I can’t tell you exactly who watches them, however there’s no doubt they move in high-class circles. In order to participate in a Closed Circuit, it’s said that the price is equivalent to that of the school fees from a third world country.”

What an incomprehensible and compassionless comparison. We can compare this to the duel in the arenas of Rome. People paid a lot of money to see blood and people killing each other. They want drama. Of course, I don't think I'd like to see that myself, people being killed so brutally. 

“By the way, why are you after the Victims Catharsis Committee?" asked Suisei.

"We can't leave such an organization in the wild! " I said with a cry from the heart.

"A great sense of justice, huh?" smiled Suisei. He then turned to Kirigiri. "What about you?"

Kirigiri hesitated for a moment, "There is no reason. Honestly, I haven’t received another invite to do so. "

“Um, a-ah, w-wait we should really be united on this!” I turned to retort at Kyoko. “Wait, are you telling me you aren’t willing to fight the Victim’s Catharsis Committee!?”

“No, I’m just interested in having my detective skills recognized.”

“...Seriously, you’re only interested in moving up the ranks? Are you really satisfied with that? After being manipulated, aren’t you the least bit offended?”

“...I do.” Now that actually surprised me. Still, she was answering me in that usual expression of hers. She wasn’t quite good at showing off her feelings, or rather she has an incredible poker face.

"It's not right to hide your emotions behind a stone face, you know? So just try to deal with this organization with me! Isn't this a detective's job? That we aren’t just limited to dealing with immediate threats!?" I questioned.

"If Yui-oneesama wants me to help her, then I will."

"You're so childish!"

I chewed my lower lip to control my frustration.

"Don't you have your own opinion? Are you just a doll that we can control as we please?"

Kirigiri simply looked at me with cold eyes. Was she actually angry?

"A detective operating without a client is just fulfilling mere self-satisfaction." Kirigiri said before looking away.

"Maybe, but at least I’m making an effort to find out the truth." I suddenly got up. Weirdly, it reminded me of my childhood, and especially of my sister. 

“Find the truth? What a childish response.”

“Says the actual child!”

After my sudden outburst, a sound echoed in the room. I looked at the source of the sound; Suisei was holding a mini trumpet. My ears began to ring. 

“Alright, no fighting. Honestly, you’re like children. No wait, not even that, but rookies” Even so, from my point of view, he was much worse. He then threw the trumpet with a bitter laugh and a waiter caught it without problem.

"A detective is nothing without an ideology, especially not trustworthy. They’re also nothing if they’re too self-serving. I guess you two have at least one half of what it means to be a proper detective." said Suisei before shrugging.

Kirigiri and I looked at each other for a moment.

"Sorry I got carried away." I said as I sat back down, my face flushed from embarrassment. Kirigiri remained silent with her face being stoic.

"Well, let's go back to our history lesson," Suisei said, “Since my investigation into the Victims Catharsis Committee began, the amount of missing detectives had reached the double digits.”

“D-double digits?”

“Get what I’m saying? It means that the situation is getting increasingly difficult to back out from.”

“Is that what you got from this investigation into such a dangerous organization? If so, then that just means we need to hurry up and eliminate them!”

“Really brave of you, Yui Samidare. The detectives that disappeared would have said the same thing. These detectives were Double Zeroes, yet even they couldn’t shake this organization. It’s proof that this situation can’t be solved so easily. Say, did you know the Victims Catharsis Committee is registered as a non-profit organization? Complete with an office building, people can freely enter and exit.”

“Really? But then… what’s the matter?”

“The matter is that the only information that can be gathered is what they have open to the public. They spread detectives thin with so much useless information, while the real information is carefully concealed. If you want to hide leaves, put them in the forest. That good example is written in ‘Father Brown’. It’s a famous detective novel by G.K. Chesterton.”

“Then...what purpose does this group have? Is it to really treat the vengeance of others as some sort of program to watch?”

"From what I know, those who traced this organization before they disappeared seem to know there was a real purpose to that.”

“There’s a purpose?"

"The detective who told me about it is still missing, so maybe he knew the real purpose of the Victims Catharsis Committee, or..."

"Well, it definitely wasn’t for ‘Catharsis’."

"What is it from you, Yui? You refer to the Victims Catharsis Committee as evil."

"Isn't that natural? They kill innocent people."

"But both parties are often criminals, aren't they? You should know that if you've ever participated in a Duel Noir." Suisei challenged me. "They're trying to get revenge on someone who's made them suffer in the past, often from a crime."

In the past Duel Noir, the culprit of it, was trying to get revenge for his family that was murdered. He wanted to avenge them.

"Life has also taken away the criminal’s common sense." Kirigiri challenged as well. "They have decided to take revenge on the people who stole from them."

"In this world, there are people who live their normal lives without being judged for the mistakes they have made, while others live a miserable life in the depths of society. Life is simply unfair. Don't you think their behavior is normal?" asked Suisei.

"I can understand that feeling... but it's still unacceptable to turn to violence." I spoke back in retort.

“In the end, what you’re saying is only the opinion of one detective. There is only a thin line that separates justice from evil. For many people, the Duel Noir is a relief or a holy war. Some people think that challengers are rewarded only because of a necessary evil that can change the world.."

The Victims Catharsis Committee was a necessary evil?

Is that really the case?

"Even if there was another reason... when you're determined to kill people, and you 

choose this path, I think you should be punished, no matter what the context is."

"You really are someone with a strong sense of justice." Suisei laughed softly. "But if the iron is twisted, it's very difficult to go back once it's done. A child like you can turn out to be the biggest threat."

"A threat..." Didn’t expect him to call me that.

“Don’t get too personally involved if you ever want to be married to an adult.” he said

"Don't let your feelings get in the way of your judgment, Yui-oneesama." warned Kirigiri. Well, I couldn't think of anything else to answer.

For a professional detective or for Kirigiri, hiding their emotions and not bringing their personal ideas into the business is very easy. I also think it is necessary. However, there's no reason to leave the Victims Catharsis Committee alone like that.

"Whatever the circumstances, I don't think it's time to change my mind about an 

organization like this," I stretched my neck slightly, "No matter the context or despair, a normal human being has to control themselves."

“So what they said about youth being both a wound and a sharp knife was correct!” 

“Mr. Nanamura! Do you really think the culprits of these Duel Noirs are innocent victims?” 

"Yep, but in the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t really matter to me." laughed Suisei as he answered without hesitation. "Innocent or not, as a detective, my true opponent is mystery. My existence is there to solve those that are right in front of me. Say, don’t you think it's more fun solving a mystery solo?"

“And so it turned into this…”

This was expected from a Double Zero. He really trusted his experience. "Do you really think I can forgive criminals? I'm not that naive," he said.

"I'm sorry I doubted you…”

“That’s quite alright!”

“Is there anything else we should know about the Victims Catharsis Committee?"

"I don't know anything else, but I heard another story from a single detective who had been the victim of a Duel Noir."

"Just one?"

"We call him the President, a man... I mean, they could be a woman, who is the brains of it all. Their identity is surrounded by a veil of mystery. One day they founded the Victims Catharsis Committee, a little less than 10 years ago."

"So they are the boss of the organization?"

If we could reveal the identity of the president, we would be able to charge the Victims Catharsis Committee as a criminal organization. The shadow that organization had casted was beginning to mold itself into a human figure.  

"Who could be the president? Could he have been an ex-detective?" Kirigiri said abruptly.

Suisei raised an eyebrow, placing his elbow on the table to support his chin. "Why do you think that?"

"Duel Noir targets must organize an unsolvable crime and become guilty of a false incident. In fact, it means that the organization is able to cover up the real culprit in a case and keep it for a future game. Only a top-notch detective could do that." I spoke, and was rather surprised from what came out of my mouth. Wow, guess I was getting up there in being high level as well... 

"That's right, you're absolutely correct." Kyoko nodded.

"However, if it is a high class detective who could find the real criminal very easily, he can survive their little adventure. As long as the rank is high enough, for example..." said Kirigiri, "The triple zero rank of the detective library counted four people in the past, but one of them disappeared from the records, perhaps they are the President we are after."

"This may be a consideration to be taken into account in order to identify the president of the organization." Applauded Suisei. "I'll skip the explanations, because to us, time is money. Kyoko Kirigiri, you seem to be able to follow me easily. "

"So, which detective was struck off the books?" Kirigiri asked.

"Unfortunately, I don't know." Replied Suisei, extending his arms. "When I registered in the detective library, there was nothing that could designate his identity, like most triple zeroes. All we know is that he's human. He was probably one of the first detectives in the library. If anyone knows anything, it must be a detective who handles gender cases. As far as I know, one of the founders was in this field."

Speaking of the founders, I heard that Kirigiri's grandfather is one of them. It doesn't look like he's registered, but... anyways, I might be thinking too much.

I was watching Kirigiri's reactions from the corner of my eye, but she didn't seem disturbed.

"If you're able to speculate that far, why can't anyone find him?"

Suisei took a knife & fork and raised his arms up. "It's because everything is speculation. If one of the old triple zeros turned out to be the president, it would be a shock."

"Why?" I asked 

"There is a difference between time, money or talent. That's the difference between us and the Triple Zeros. If they turn out to be criminals, it will have a big impact on the rest of us and our reputations. It's not a joke- it's a fact - and it's not an easily by-passable problem. It's an undeniable defeat." Suisei said.

For me to be a Double Zero was already above the clouds, so if someone with a lot of pride like Suisei said that... then maybe I should at least admit that I wanted to fight much harder than I already was.

"There's only one way to get closer to the Victims Catharsis Committee," said Suisei. "It's to capture the challenger, the murderer. They are in direct contact and receive private information. But then again you'll need to know the identity of the murderer. However, if we can do it, it would be a big step. Do you understand?"

"Of course!" I exclaimed. "I wouldn't let a criminal win."

"That's a powerful mantra." Suisei got up from his chair and looked at his watch.                       

"What? Are you planning to leave?"

"We are eating, but time is running out, and time is money." Said Suisei, waving to the waiter. "Even if there wasn't a confirmation, it's still a Duel Noir. Are you sure you want to come?"

"Yes." I said without hesitation. Kyoko saw my face and also nodded.

“Then let’s discuss this Duel Noir, shall we?”

The culprit of the Duel Noir can get funds from the organization in order to purchase Techniques. These Techniques range from tactics to weapons and once their ‘deck’ is assembled what they chose will be on display in the letter to the detective.

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

A Message for the Detective

Heed the Cry of the Noir

Location — Norman Hotel — 80,000,000 yen                         

Weapon — Knife — 5,000,000 yen                        

Weapon — Revolver — 15,000,000 yen 

Weapon — Hammer — 3,000,000 yen

Weapon — Rope — 3,000,000 yen

Weapon — Automobile — 10,000,000 yen                  

Trick — Locked Room — 100,000,000 yen                       

Trick — Disappearing Act — 100,000,000 yen

Other — Cash — 1,000,000,000 yen

Total cost — 1,316,000,000 yen                         

According to the above cost, the following detective is summoned  — Suisei Nanamura.

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

It seems he's the detective to ask.

I felt a little overwhelmed when my eyes met Kirigiri's. This time, the person had accumulated several weapons and tricks. He could buy this from the organization, the price being marked on the letter.

The higher the price and difficulty, the higher the rank of the detective. "I'll tell you the most important things first," said Suisei, taking the bag a waiter had handed to him. He put the letter back inside and closed it.

"In a Duel Noir, there is a rule that says the criminal cannot kill the detective in charge of investigating. It's because there's no game when the detective's not there. The detective is always asked for through a letter. If you're not the detective, you're just a secondary companion. So it could be that the culprit is one of the victims, even if they're dead. You could die." His voice suddenly resounded. "Me and the others, if you think about it, are jumping into the criminal’s trap. It may indeed be that if we apply ourselves to all this, you won't get out of it unscathed and wind up a victim."

“A...victim?” Those unexpected words made my voice change. 

We would need to think about this carefully….

If we get in the way of the culprit, we could die.

“Are you scared?” said Suisei

"I... think I'll be fine." I lied to myself.

In contrast, Kyoko looked quite calm and gave a nod of her head.

"For the criminal to win, they must kill their enemy to get revenge on them, and last 168 hours without being discovered by the detective. If you win the "Duel Noir." You win the amount of money spent on the game. For a criminal wanting to start a new life, that's a good motivation." He said. 

“That...sounds like such a desperate situation to wind up in.”

"Exactly. They can put everything aside, including their past, and have a normal life if they wish. On the other hand, if the detective manages to find out who the culprit is, they will have to refund the money they spent on the game. If they cannot pay with money, they will have to pay with their life. In tune, I will do the same and fight with my life.” 

In short, it is a game of life and death for our enemy. To stay alive, they're going to do everything they can to not get caught. But I'm not going to be beaten. I became a detective to answer the call for help. If you want to bring justice as a detective, you have to put your life aside. That's the purpose of a detective. As such, I have no qualms about risking it all and even giving up my own life for it all. In contrast, Kyoko was a detective by nature with no sense of purpose outside of the profession. She was involved in this career since she was so young, and is now about to become a detective machine, utterly incapable of feeling death.

But, no matter how much detective work was installed in her, she was still a junior high school girl still starting out. 

"The Duel Noir does not always take place in closed areas. However, as this limits the movement of detectives and drives the police back, these locations are often chosen. The Norman Hotel, which was chosen for this game, is an old abandoned hotel in the mountains. It will be very far from the city. We cannot afford to neglect the preparations. We’ll probably be there for at least 100 hours."

Suisei looked at his watch once again, and raised his hand to say goodbye.

"I have to go." Suisei began to leave, when he suddenly turned around, remembering something. "Oh, and let's confirm the schedules before that. I'll leave for the Norman Hotel the day after tomorrow, because there's something I absolutely have to do tomorrow. I will leave around 7am, and with the transport, I'll probably arrive around 10am. Is that okay for you? It's only one day, but..."

"Isn't there a time limit?"

"With my speed, we shouldn't be late. There's no problem."

“Oh...okay?”

"Let's pray for our victory!"

Suisei then headed for the exit of the private room, before diverting to the windows. He opened one of them. A strong wind rushed into the room. Suisei moved his legs to the other side of the window. "Good luck!" He gave us a thumbs up and jumped out of the window.

"Mr. Nanamura!" I quickly got up from my chair and rushed to the window that was still open. I then saw him slowly descend towards the illuminated city, a parachute deployed. The big sky-blue parachute added something to the beauty of the city. Were the high-ranking detectives all like this? I froze for a moment, watching the man slowly descend. The sound of cutlery made me return to my senses. A waiter came to close the window, blocking the wind.

"Well, let's continue this meal, even if we’re worried. D-day is only the day after tomorrow.”

"Yui-oneesama." said Kirigiri. "This could be our last Christmas."

"Don't say such a thing! Of course we won't be killed so easily! We'll have more Christmases after this!"

And I'll protect you. I couldn't get those words out of my throat. I could only superimpose 

Kirigiri's possible death based on my little sister's... Because of that, I didn't even want to think about it. I didn't really trust Suisei. Moreover, if I let myself be trapped in my little sister's illusion, it could be annoying for the investigation. I forced myself to drop a "I'll do my best for the Duel Noir."

"I guess I don't have a choice if I want to improve my rank."

It's still my little sister's voice....

"Hey, Yui-oneesama." Kirigiri was young, but her voice sounded very adult. "We must survive the Duel Noir, no matter what happens there."

A waiter approached me, and gave me something that looked like a fine notebook. When I opened it, I discovered the dinner bill. 62248 yen. 

“So Mr. Suisei Nanamura didn't pay?” 

The waiter tilted his head and smiled to remind me of his presence. I checked my wallet but I only have two 2,000 yen bills on me. 

“What’ll we do?” I whispered to Kirigiri: “That damn detective! His spectacular exits and entries show he has money, but likes to keep it!"

"Keep calm, Yui-oneesama." Kirigiri replied gently. She then took a card out of her wallet. "Can I pay at once?"

"Certainly." After settling everything, the waiter bowed and then left us alone.

"Kirigiri... you’re so cool..."

Once dinner was over, we left the building. Even if we moved as far away as possible, it was impossible not to see it. Lights that were almost blinding our eyes were emanating powerfully from across the city. I felt like I was in a paradise under the ocean, walking with Kirigiri. The Christmas lights were comforting, and a row of Christmas trees illuminated the faces of passers-by.

"Well, now that we're here... I can walk you home..." I said. Kirigiri remained silent for a moment, listening to the sounds of the night. She then turned around and started to walk away on her own.

"No need, it's too late anyways. I'll send you a message."

"But, alone at this hour..."

Kirigiri leaned her head and said to me over her shoulder: "Maybe if it was a foreign country, but there is nothing threatening on the roads of this country."

"But, if a man is attracted to young girls like you... he could do... that!"

I tried to attack her from behind, to grab her neck, but the next thing I knew, she was 

gone. She then appeared behind me and put my arms behind my back.

“Ow, this hurts…”

"See? I can defend myself." She released my arm. “You need to be careful, Yui-oneesama. If you tried you could probably beat an older man with a high kick from those legs of yours. 

"Be careful though, because if a man really wanted to attack you, you probably won't be up to it."

"Of course I will."

"Did you take a self-defense course?...And if possible can you teach me that trick too?"

"I'm going now." Kirigiri said as she looked at the street clock.

"Let's just go back together anyways, I want to talk a little more with you. It's quite boring, being alone."

Kirigiri frowned, creating a wrinkle on her forehead. She kept walking without looking at me. I ran up to her.

"We can keep talking about..."

"What, teaching you self-defense?"

"No, about the president of the Victims Catharsis Committee..."

"What's the matter?"

"He's a former detective, and one of the founders of the Detective Library... couldn't it be your grandfather?"

"It's very dramatic, but no, it's not him."

"How can you know that?" I asked.

"My grandfather was never registered in the library. He told me that before. He never became a triple zero, and it's not registered, so it couldn't be deleted."

But did her grandfather tell the truth?

"Are you sure he's not lying to you? A grandfather would never tell his granddaughter that he is the president of such an organization..."

"My grandfather is very proud to be a Kirigiri, more than anyone else in my family... He would never settle for being put in boxes like the library ranks. He was against the whole DSC classification system in the first place."

"Just pride?" I opposed. I've never heard of this family. She came from a detective 

family, there was no doubt about it. She has these abilities at only 13 years old. Maybe she really comes from a big detective family and that blood flows through her veins, but I haven't seen any other detective react to the name 'Kirigiri'. Even Suisei, who was a double zero.

"I know what you're thinking. The Kirigiri family are good detectives, but we don't want to 

be known. We live in the shadows. So the ordinary detectives don't know us. That's why my grandfather didn't register in the library, to protect the Kirigiri pride. We almost never talk about ourselves."

"It's an incredible story... but why did Kyoko-chan register in the library? Isn't that 

against your family's principles? At least, according to your grandfather.”

"First, my grandfather technically lives abroad. So he doesn't fight crime from here. It is 

impossible for him to be the president of a small organization located only in Japan."

"It's true that he's on another level... Sorry for doubting your grandfather, Kirigiri. Even 

adults fight crimes like this anonymously, ignoring the opinion of the public and the government, but maybe he knows the president of the Victims Catharsis Committee? I mean, he was the 'president' of the library."

"I wonder about that, but there's nothing I can do about it."

"Maybe if you say your name, an official will recognize him. It's probably easier to sneak in discreetly."

"It doesn't matter. It'll always be the same thing; what do I do after that? How can I sue the president of such a non-profit organization?" Kirigiri looked troubled, and she moved her fingers closer to her face, as if to warm them with her breath.

"Whatever! Everything ends up being discovered! Like how Al Capone ended up being nabbed for tax fraud. There’s probably something that can be put on him. As long as we can stop the Duel Noir"

“Such an extreme line of justice, that’s no different than succumbing to evil.”

“Erk…” 

"Yes, but being around all the time thinking about conspiracy theories will do worse than 

better. For now, we should put the president's case aside. Let's try to clean up what's in front of us." I was really getting told by a girl who was younger than me.

That's right. We have already made good progress. Suisei Nanamura's Duel Noir had already started for 12 hours. We must remain calm. We'll think about how everything will go after we arrest the Duel Noir criminal... If we manage to get out of the hotel alive.

We continued to walk, our minds clouded with questions. Kirigiri suddenly stopped.

"What? What's the matter?"

"We have arrived." I looked up to see a huge traditional house, with a huge door. I had 

trouble closing my mouth. The streetlights continued along the hill, and the white barriers extended far and wide

“Were there any houses like that left?” In this case, it was the largest traditional house I had ever seen. I watched Kirigiri, my eyes full of jealousy. Yes, she was definitely a lady.

"My curfew has already passed." Kirigiri said. "Fortunately you're not a man, because even for a detective, he would have been angry." Kirigiri seemed a little uncomfortable.

"If you had a curfew, you should have told me. We would have left sooner." I said.

"It's because I was talking to you that I'm late," Kirigiri replied, with cold eyes.

"Yes, it's because I've talked too much. I'm sorry, but I had to be absolutely sure what we discussed."

"If you say so."

“I’ll explain the situation, if that works?”

“That would help me quite a deal.” she said with a slightly softer tone than before. I felt rather pleased from it all.

Kirigiri walked to the large gate before stopping. The gate was made of wood, and I could only imagine the splinters that would be caught by touching it. It was still quite warm, but there were no signs, just an intercom.

"Aren't you coming home?”

“Only outsiders go through the front door. Family access is through the back.” She said as she walked along the wall.

“How… formal.”               

The massive trees planted on the other side did not allow me to see behind the gate. It was difficult to see the majestic residence, but it was impossible to see a human presence. For someone who didn't know the place, the residence was a total mystery.

"Do you live with your grandfather or alone?

"It depends, but there are three maids. One person is always there."

“Servants, are you serious?”

Since the school we went to was full of young girls, it was not difficult to hear that some families hired maid servants so that they would not leave their daughter alone. One of these families was Kyoko's. She had neither her father nor her mother. I didn't have the details, so I didn't understand the situation well, but I easily understood that I shouldn't ask more questions.

"By the way, didn't you live abroad for a while?"

"Yes, with my grandfather. I stayed there for 5 years. Then I had to come back to this school, as I was already enrolled here," Kirigiri said. "It had to happen at some point. There's a small portal that allows easy access."

"My life is very different from yours."

"Really?" Kirigiri stoically replied.

We walked along the fence for a while, until Kirigiri pointed to a specific place. There was a small gate to make it easier to get in. She took the key out of her pocket, inserted it and turned the key. The gate opened easily.

“Eh? You had the key for this place on-hand?”

“The problem isn’t about me having the key. The problem is what to do afterwards.”

“Is sneaking to your room not on the table?”

“He’ll definitely catch me.”

"So what should I do?" I asked.

"Wait here, I'll call Grandpa."

"Okay, I'll wait."

"I'll be back soon."

"Oh, wait a minute!"

"What?"

"Wouldn't it be better if you took that hat off your head," I replied, pointing at the Santa's hat that was on her head. She pushed it slightly. I watched it fall at my feet. Kyoko looked rather surprised. 

"What is it?"

"Didn't you notice?!" I picked up the hat and encouraged Kirigiri. "Hey, you better go."

"Oh, yeah." Kirigiri walked towards the door of the house. Once Kirigiri was out of sight, I put my hands in my pockets and leaned against the fence. It's unusual for Kirigiri to panic. Maybe her grandfather was that strict? Or maybe she really loves her grandfather. That must have been it. For her, who didn't have parents, it must have been difficult. I looked up to the sky, looking at the streetlights. 

Suddenly, little white glitter began to fall from the sky. A white Christmas? On Christmas Eve I am often alone, wondering what I will do next year, and my anxiety overwhelms me. This year, I met a girl named Kirigiri Kyoko, whose presence really helped me. I no longer have this feeling of loneliness and emptiness. We're both detectives too. Will she be here again next year? I was imagining our future: two detectives always together. I didn't want a dark future, but wasn't that the fate of a detective?

"Yui-oneesama." I heard a voice. I saw that the large gate was open. I turned around to see Kirigiri, looking at me with concern.

"Where's your grandfather?" I walked away from the white barriers by redoing the button on my coat. I approached Kirigiri looking behind her, but there was no one there.

"You're the man who wants to seduce my Kyoko!”

The voice came from above my head. An old man wearing a kimono was on the wall. I only noticed it now? I stepped back before being pulled forward again, put on the ground. A short time before, I was quietly contemplating the sky. It was disturbing to see an old man jump off a wall that high. The old man's cane kept me on the ground. Was he really that strong?! He lifted it up to try and hit my head.

"Wait, it's not her! She's a woman!"

"What?" He pulled his cane away, lifted me up, and grabbed my chest. "What are you doing!" I shouted, clearing the man's hand. I jumped away.

"It's Yui-oneesama, the detective who goes to the same school as me."

"Oh, is that true?" he said, scratching his white hair. "Sorry, I heard Kyoko was going to eat with a boy, excuse me for the misunderstanding!"

Despite his white hair, he looked pretty young. His hair was shiny, his wrinkles discreet, he stood up straight and his eyes were shiny with life. He had a cane in his right hand, but his legs didn't seem weak. Maybe it was some kind of weapon for him.

"I'm glad to know that Kyoko has made a friend. Was it you who called?" he said with a smile. He looked like another person with that soft smile on his face. “You’re taking care of my granddaughter. I’m so embarrassed. She was always alone, and didn’t seem to be used to life here. I was getting worried. If she has a good partner like you, then I can relax. Right, Kyoko?” “Yes.” 

"I'm sorry for delaying Kyoko and making her miss her curfew. She didn't seem familiar with life here, and I wanted to make sure she didn't get hurt."

Kirigiri was half hidden behind her grandfather's back. She seemed more comfortable than usual.  

"We both talked about the incident, and it took a long time... I didn't know there was a curfew. Please, don’t punish her!"

“Heh, I always wondered who Kyoko would bring back to me. Anyways, don’t worry, there’s an exception to every rule. If it involves a detective case, I'm willing to forgive her. For the Kirigiri family, detective business is very important and comes first. Even death does not deviate from its purpose."

“O-oh, so…”

“If it was detective related, then that curfew crap can wait!” he said with a merry laugh.

Was that what Kirigiri's grandfather taught? It sure explained a lot...still, glad he wasn’t unreasonable. Honestly, when he knocked me down and groped my chest, I was expecting the worst. Still, from what I’m seeing, he’s a pretty agreeable guy. Though, perhaps, that could be just his love for Kyoko, spoiling her?

“Heh, thought I was a grouchy old man? It’s all over your face!”

“Erm, s-so sorry!”

“Like I said, when it comes to being a Kirigiri, being a detective goes past one’s family, even death itself. Isn’t that right?”

“Yes, Grandpa.”

"That’s my girl! If it is for a case and to see Kyoko become a first rate detective, than I suppose it's worth keeping the gate unlocked at night,” 

"Really?" Kyoko asked in wonder. 

"Of course, as long as you’re focused on your duty!”

"I'll do my best to be a good detective," Kirigiri replied, her eyes shining.

"Good girl." said the grandfather as he stroked Kirigiri's head. She and her grandfather seemed quite happy.

I felt a little uncomfortable in front of the stage, but I couldn't help but think it was cute.

"Uh, tomorrow we'll have to solve a Duel Noir case, so Kyoko will be spending the night somewhere else. O-Of course, I’ll also be there with her! Is that alright?” 

"Of course!"

Well, it was easy... but sending his little girl without hesitation into such a case... He 

didn't seem to be afraid of the death of his loved ones. Did he know a lot about the Duel Noirs? He must have heard about the Victims Catharsis Committee, thanks to Kyoko. He at least knows a little. Maybe he even knew more than we did. Such a great detective, who is also the founder of the Detective Library, necessarily knows more. I hesitated for a long time, not knowing if I should ask him or not. The man spoke again.

"Well, it's about time we head inside. You should go home too, Yui. It's cold tonight and you need to prepare to investigate. Shall I call a cab for you?" 

“Oh, no, I’m fine.”

"It was a pleasure to meet you. Kyoko, you can see her off."

I slowly lowered my head, always thinking.

"May I ask you for another cho-..."

There was no old man left in front of me. I was looking around, but nothing... nowhere. He had disappeared. Completely missing.

"Yui-oneesama, maybe you should go home..." said Kirigiri, near the gate.

I hadn't noticed it, but I was tired. The tension and my heavy breath disappeared, and I could feel the fatigue falling on my shoulders.

"I'm sorry to have bothered you, Yui-oneesama."

"It's okay, I'd let an old man touch my chest if it's for you." I said, removing the dust from my coat. "But I didn't know your grandfather was so... focused on your education. Still, it's great he’s not so uptight. "

"Hey, Yui-oneesama?"

"Yes?"

“It’s weird to choose detective work over family, yes?”

“W-w-well, I w-wouldn’t call it strange, just… well, it does seem to involve a lack of caring about people’s feelings in the matter.“ I said after a good degree of thought.

“People’s feelings?”

“Are you asking because you have doubts over your detective work?”

"No, that’s not it. Anyway, what Grandpa said earlier, that detective work was more important than the death of a family member… don't you think it's strict?"

"Well, I find it stranger than strict, but I guess that's your family's opinion of detectives..."

"No, it's different. For my family, work is really more important than the death of a family member. It's not a suggestion, it's an obligation. A dogma."

"Okay... I think it might be beautiful? It means you're very proud to be a detective, right?"

"Don't you think it's abnormal?" Kirigiri continued.

She had so much pride in her work as a detective that I could hardly see her doubting that. She was raised into it during her childhood, which made the thought of her doubts even harder to fathom. Still....

"What do you think?" I asked her.

"I don't think it's abnormal. I think… I think it's a good mentality," said Kirigiri. I thought for a moment to say that she didn't have to continue, but she opened her mouth before me. "But I feel like I force myself to think like that. Like, I live like a real detective, because I don't want to feel empty."

For her, her life was all about detective work, but even still...

"As long as I'm here, you won't be alone or empty." I hugged her.

"I want it to stay that way," Kirigiri said, looking at me.

"Of course! You're the coolest, most pure detective I know! Let's do our best together! Tomorrow and for as long as possible."

"Ah? ...Well, goodbye." Separating myself from Kirigiri, who walked back with a shyish look on her face, I laid my hand on the gate. I gave her one last look before running to the dormitories, the snow accompanying me. My curfew passed a long time ago! The dormitories were guarded, so I discreetly passed through a window.

Heh, violating the rules on Christmas night.

It felt quite nice!~

Chapter 1: End

https://drmedicsgamesurgery.tumblr.com/GameSurgeryDRTranslations for more!

[fumingspice]

All The Things She Said

Pairing: Lana Winters x Reader

Part | 1 2

Thank you for all the love! Requests are open :D

Lana dropped her head in her hand and rubbed her temples and you felt your face go red. Your group of friends on the other side of the room, who you thankfully had not informed of the night before, laughed at your embarrassment.

Attempting to diffuse the tension, Lana approached the three of you with textbooks. "Take these," she said, her glare went straight through you. "And please don't be late to my class again."

You could feel the skin under your necklace burn as your hands made contact while she passed you the books. You could tell she felt something too when her face flinched slightly. There was something different about her.

She was wearing her wedding ring.

Lana noticed that you had seen it. "Stay behind after class."

The three of you took your seat at the back row, and you did your best not to look up during as much of the lesson as possible, resorting to taking notes from the book. Your face burned with the anticipation of Lana's confrontation. You had borderline lied to her about something that could risk the integrity of her career and her reputation. The guilt almost sickened you to your stomach and your friends could sense it.

"You gotta keep calm," Emmett whispered to you, knocking his knee against yours to tell you to stop bounding your leg. You peaked up for the first time in the lesson while the others were taking notes. Lana averted her glance as soon as you did so. "She's been looking up at you every time she gets a moment."

You rubbed your forehead with two fingers and peeled your necklace from under your shirt. It was white-hot. "What the fuck?" You muttered to yourself, getting Emmett's attention.

"I didn't know you had one of those," he said. "Maybe it means that its pair is close by-" Emmett stopped himself and looked from you to Lana.

The bell rang before he had a chance to finish himself. "We'll wait for you in the cafeteria."

The class filed themselves out as you remained in your chair, Heather gave you a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder as she left.

You watched Lana smile at your classmates as she crossed the room back to her desk. The suspense was killing you.

Finally, Lana stood up again and sat on her desk, folding her arms, and staring right at you. "Come over here, please," she said, darting her eyes to the floor.

You followed her instructions and sat at the desk opposite.

Lana played with a pendant on her necklace as she seemed to gather the words to use.

"Do you understand the severity of what happened last night, and why we can't go through with tonight's plan?" she asked after a moment of silence, her whiskey brown eyes finally meeting yours.

"Because you're married?" You replied, slightly meaner than you intended to sound. Lana's eyes look inflicted by your comment.

She took off her ring and laid it on the desk. "You lied to me. You told me you weren't younger than twenty-one and Jesus Christ, why did I want to believe you so bad?" She put her head in her hand and for a moment you were unaware if she was talking to you or herself.

"No, I didn't," you replied. Technically. "I told you that a lot of people think I'm younger than twenty-one. I'm eighteen."

Lana took a minute to regain her composure. "Y/N, I think you're an amazing, beautiful, incredibly funny and smart young lady and I would love to have gone on with whatever we had started. Though, at the end I am still your teacher and you're still my student. That's like fifty shades of illegal," she said. Her eyes were trained on the ground now as she straightened her back.

Your necklace was beginning to burn your fingers now and you could see Lana was rubbing her chest. You stepped closer to her as she backed against her table and put your hand under hers.

But I thought she didn't wear her necklace?

Her necklace was hot too. You pulled her necklace from under her blouse and inspected it. In that moment you finally felt like you were able to one-up even Aria Montgomery.

"Does that mean-?"

You rubbed your temples. "Good golly, this is going to cause the worst migraine ever."

Lana looked visibly stressed too. "Surely there's a mistake, right?"

You stared at her hard. "Soul necklaces have never made a mistake in the history of their goddamn existence, Lana!"

The teacher groaned. "The only reason I put this on was because last night you reminded me that I actually had one and I wanted to throw it in my husband's face that there's someone else better than him-" she stopped herself in her rant to inhale hard "-even though that's not too fucking hard. I did not. In a million years. Put this on to match with one of my students."

"How about the chick who tried to pick you up in a bar, then. Would you have wanted to match with her?"

Lana looked like she was about to strangle you, and you weren't necessarily opposed to that. "Y/N, please for the love of God don't make this harder for me. I've been thinking about you since I got home last night." You could see tears in her eyes and a pang of guilt hit you hard.

You walked to the door, peered down the hallway to make sure it was empty and closed the door.

"Lana-"

"Ms. Winters."

"Way to remove the power dynamic," you muttered sarcastically. Lana tried to hide a blushing smile. "I have six months left. I can pretend you're just my teacher and you can pretend I'm just your favourite student of all time."

Lana bit her lip. "You're still flirting with me? You looked like a deer in headlights when you walked in."

You felt your face glow red in embarrassment. "I thought I was gonna pass out."

That much was true. When it had finally hit you that Lana was your new French teacher you had felt a weight on your heart like never before.

"So, sixth months of pretending. I think I can cope with that," Lana said. She was less stressed now. Well, from whatever relief the conversation had provided.

You nodded and peeked through the window by the door. The hallway was clear. You turned back to face Lana and took a step towards her. The teacher could sense her apprehension as you laid a hand on her cheek and pulled her close to you.

You looked up into her eyes and waited for her cue. She nodded, her eyes locked with yours before they shut and lent in. Her lips pressed against yours and her hands curled in your hair as you worked to deepen the kiss. Lana backed right onto the desk until she was sitting right on it, one of your hands reached down to grab her thigh and pull it to your waist.

Her hands dropped to the back of your neck. You were bewildered. How could something be so wrong yet feel so right? This went against almost every moral code you had with your teachers. You were a model student and now here you between a teacher's legs.

Lana pulled away abruptly. "I don't want to go further than kissing while you're still in school," she whispered.

You smirked. "Please. You didn't even plan on kissing back, did you?"

Lana shook her head as she shuffled off the desk and grabbed her bag from the chair.

You had never seen anyone jump as high as Lana Winters did when Emmett banged the door open.

"Mother of Jesus in a tank. Can't either of you be gentle with the doors in this school?!" She exclaimed. "You'll give me a heart attack one of these days."

"Sorry, Ms. Winters," Emmett muttered. He stepped into the room and shut the door behind him. "I won't stay for long. I also just wanted to say that you don't need to worry about Heather and I saying anything, because we won't. But Heather is also getting impatient and wants to know if you need a lift home."

You shook your head. "I'll be a few minutes. I can walk home but tell her I said thank you."

Emmett gave a thumbs up and left.

"It's raining cats and dogs outside," Lana said. "You'll catch your death of cold."

"I'm a fast runner, Ms. Winters."

Lana shook her head. "What kind of person would I be if I let my favourite student walk home in the rain, hm?" She held up her keys and headed to the door.

You walked behind her while she informed a superior that she was driving you home. Child protection policy and whatnot. Ironic.

Lana sat in the driver's seat and blasted the heat.

"What's your address?" She asked, booting up the sat nav. You recalled her saying that she had only recently moved to this city.

"Sixteen Eli Boulevard," you replied, checking a message from your mom. She was making Carbonara for dinner.

Lana stopped. "You're kidding, right?"

"Are you being serious right now? Why would I kid about where I live?"

Lana pursed her lips and laughed. "I just moved into that neighbourhood yesterday."

Well, that was convenient.

"So, I can be expecting a lot more car rides with you, Ms. Winters?"

Lana cocked her head at you and frowned as she began driving. "Can we establish some ground rules? Like no flirting on school grounds? We can't afford for that to happen again."

You nodded in slightly disappointed agreement.

"In school, at least."

You paused, turning to take in the view of the mountain that sat beside your small town. You never seized to be amazed at that view.

“Can we reschedule our date? I know a place outside of town,” you say. Lana squeezed her eyebrows hard in thought.

“How far out of town are we talking?”

“An hour or so on the train. Give or take.”

Lana stopped the car outside your drive. “I can do Saturday.”

Perfect.

You heaved yourself out of her car and gave her hand a squeeze. It was the closest thing to a kiss you could manage.

What on Earth am I doing to myself.

taglist: @its-soph-xx @delias-bitch-craft  @sarahpaulsonsoftie @jumpoffabridge-t @coffee-is-below-my-standards @definitelynot-a-writer​ @bottom4delia

[cuquitalocita]

kids and car rides- feysand

AN: hi yes hello there- again, it’s been a hot minute since i’ve written anything so here’s something i’ve been pushing myself through for these past couple of days. this is my first time writing feysand so i’m sorry if this sucks- i have to wake up for school in... five hours... so... yeah. if there’s any typos or the plot is kinda... ?? just... cut me some slack :) anyway, hope you enjoy!

part two

~~

Feyre was going to murder her boyfriend.

No- mutilate was more like it. How and where were truly her only thoughts as she glanced around her at the full bleachers of screaming students covered in black and blue face paint. 

Dating Tamlin Hybern had been nice at first- surreal if anything. When the star lacrosse player had taken an interest in the quiet girl at the back of the class who spent her free time in an art studio, Feyre had been flattered. He had asked her out in between classes a few months ago and Feyre had managed to stutter out a blushing, yes, still reeling that the handsome blonde had even noticed her. 

But her relationship was dull and boring, lacking in color, and gods, Feyre needed to end it. 

Tamlin had dragged her to the football game, practically begging on his knees for her to come with him. Feyre had relented, not even having enough time to shower after her art class before Tamlin was picking her up. But the second they had pulled up to the school and gotten out of his truck, Tamlin had disappeared with Lucien and left her in the bleachers with nothing more than a kiss on the cheek and a promise to find her later. 

It left Feyre seeing red. The crowd raged around her as the Bats scored a touchdown, and Feyre glanced at her phone. Shit. It was seven-thirty, meaning Nesta had already left on her date with Tomas, leaving Feyre without a ride home. Elain was out with her friends, actually enjoying her Friday night as a teenage girl should, and Feyre was left alone and ready to leave. 

She had been at the game for thirty minutes, in which the sun had gone down, blanketing the sky in a twilight full of stars. Feyre would stay if only to watch them a little longer- her favorite thing to paint. But as the crowd raged again, Feyre stood up from her spot on the bleachers and began pushing her way through the crowd and back to the parking lot, ready to walk home. It was only a few miles, really, and she had her sneakers on. She could manage. 

“Feyre!” A kind voice broke through her thoughts before she was halfway through the crowd, and she turned to see the familiar face of Morrigan from French class. 

Feyre’s lips turned up into a smile at the sight of the girl and her racing heart calmed a little as Mor came closer, stopping in front of her. 

“Hey, Mor.”

“What are you doing here? I thought you hated football.” Mor’s question was innocent, lacking the judgemental tone that most people would have added on. 

“I do,” she snorted. “But Tamlin wanted me to come, so here I am.” 

Mor’s smile turned down at the mention of her boyfriend. The girl had never tried to hide her dislike for Feyre’s boyfriend, even if the two of them weren’t very close and although she should have been offended, Feyre relished in her honesty. “Either way, I’m ready to go. See you Monday, Mor.”

“Wait, do you need a ride?” Feyre smiled, shaking her head at her easy kindness. She knew she liked Mor. 

“Thanks, but it’s really fine. I only live a few miles down the road- I’ll be fine to walk. Besides, we’re not even halfway through the game. Stay.” Mor bit her lip, clearly deciding whether or not to pick a fight, but Feyre fixed her with a look that eventually had her sighing. 

“Ugh, fine. But text me when you get home. Who knows what kind of creeps are wandering around here.” Feyre nodded, squeezing Mor’s hands in thanks, and left the bleachers, stopping only when she was back in the student parking lot.  

She pulled out her phone, remembering that she came here with her boyfriend. 

>> Hey wasn’t feeling well. Getting a ride home from Nes. 

It was five minutes before he responded. 

<< sure thing- see you later babe

Feyre scoffed, shoving her phone into her back pocket. Unlike Mor, he had not asked her if she was okay and to text him when she was home safe. She had told him that Nesta had a date too- which he obviously hadn’t been paying attention to. 

Ready to start walking, Feyre patted her pockets, looking for her ID, just in case anything happened, only to find them empty. 

“Godsdamn it,” Feyre muttered under her breath, realizing she must have forgotten her wallet back on the bleachers. Turning back to the field, Feyre almost tripped on her own feet when she heard a little voice behind her say,

“That’s a bad word. And my mommy says you shouldn’t say bad words.”

 Spinning back around, she was surprised to see a little girl- no older than six staring up at her and twisting her little fingers together. Her jet black hair was pulled back into two short ponytails and Feyre swore she was one of the cutest things she had ever seen. Bewildered, Feyre stared for a moment before shaking her head. 

“Uh- yes. You’re right- I… I shouldn’t have said that. And neither should you.” The little girl just continued to look at her in silence, causing Feyre to raise her brows. Who was this girl? And why was she by herself? What kind of parent left a little girl alone at a high school at almost eight o’clock?

“What’s your name? Are you lost?” 

“My mommy says I shouldn’t talk to strangers.” At that, Feyre smiled a little bit. She bent down, putting her weight on her knees so she was eye level with the girl, and mustered up her friendliest smile. 

“That’s very smart of her. Well, how about this?” Feyre stuck her hand out to the girl who eyed it warily but didn’t back away. “My name is Feyre. I go to school here. There, now we aren’t strangers anymore.” 

The girl’s eyes widened and it was then that Feyre noticed their unique color, unlike any she had ever seen before. Her eyes were a beautiful violet, and in the reflection of the moon, she swore she could see stars in her eyes. 

The little girl took her hand, practically dwarfed from the size of Feyre’s, and she gave Feyre a small smile that had her melting just a bit. 

“My name is Thebe,” she finally said, her voice small. 

“Well Thebe, are you lost?” She nodded, looking at the ground. Feyre gently took her small hand, forcing the girl to look at her, and smiled again. She could see small tears beginning to form in the little girl’s eyes. 

“Hey, hey, don’t cry. I’ll help you get back. Who are you here with?” 

“My brother,” she responded, and Feyre clenched her teeth. What kind of brother left his little sister alone? With all the fighting she did with Nesta, Feyre knew her sister would never have left her alone in a public place, let alone at night. Once again, Feyre was seeing red. 

“Okay then. Is he at the football game?” Thebe nodded, and Feyre deduced that she must have snuck off into the crowd, bored with the game. She couldn’t say she blamed her.

Taking the girl’s hand in her own and trying not to sigh when little fingers wrapped and her own, Feyre led the little girl back to the raging football game. 

“Do you think you can show me where you were?” Thebe nodded and gripped her fingers tighter, pulling Feyre through the bleachers, using her as a shield from the crazy teenagers. 

Feyre saw Tamlin through the crowd and quickly averted her gaze, focusing back on the girl in front of her until they came to a stop on one of the bottom bleachers. It was surprisingly empty, other than being filled up with athletic bags and water bottles. 

Feyre frowned, following Thebe as she sat down next to one of the bags and pulled out a small jacket that was clearly her own. 

“Thebe, where is your brother?” It was then that the little girl pointed out to the field. “Your brother is playing?” Thebe nodded, leaning her small head on Feyre’s shoulder, her hair tickling her neck, and Feyre admitted that maybe she could stay at the game a little longer, even if she would eventually have to deal with one of the loathsome jocks. But her blood still boiled at the fact that her brother had left her alone. Gods know what could have happened to her if someone else had found her.

“Why did you let me walk you back?” Feyre wondered aloud. Thebe shrugged. 

“You’re pretty. My brother says you can always trust a girl with pretty brown hair.” Feyre blushed, the compliment warming her to her toes. 

“I think you’re pretty too Thebe,” she whispered. 

It was only then that Feyre realized how cold it had gotten. She shivered, running the free hand that wasn’t around Thebe up her arm, which was barely covered with a paint-stained t-shirt. Thebe only reached into the bag in front of her and pulled out a much larger jacket, one with the familiar school colors. She handed it to Feyre, who quickly realized it was a varsity jacket. 

“This is your brother’s jacket Thebe. I can’t-”

“He would share.” Feyre fixed her with a look which Thebe returned with a more convincing one. “Trust me- he would.” Another shiver ran through her and Feyre, sighed, relenting, and shoved her arms into the jacket, immediately warmed. 

They stayed there for a while, watching the game in silence as Thebe began to doze off on her shoulder. Feyre hid her smile as the bleachers creaked, announcing that another person was coming to sit. She looked up to see Cassian Guerra lifting himself onto the bleachers, a carefree grin on his all-too handsome face. The football player’s hair was pulled up in a bun and Feyre vaguely remembered Nesta saying something about him. She doubted it had been positive. 

Feyre remembered Tamlin mentioning how Cassian had gotten injured and was out for the season. It was cool of him to come and support his team. 

His hazel eyes glanced over the little girl next to him and he grinned. 

“Hey, Thee, I thought you were with Az. New babysitter?” Feyre scowled and the little girl seemed to brighten as she looked at Cassian- then at Feyre. 

“New friend,” was all she said, bringing a smile to both her and Cassian’s faces. It was then that he truly looked at her, and a spark of recognition flashed through his eyes. 

“Hey, you’re-”

Cassian broke off as a buzzer sounded through the stadium and the crowd erupted into cheers. He was grinning at her, and Feyre managed back a small smile as Thebe shoved her head into her shoulder. The crowd began emptying out, and Feyre turned to Cassian, meaning to ask what she should do with the little girl. Not that Feyre was too eager to part from her. But he had vanished, finding somewhere else to be, and Feyre huffed, waking the little girl. 

“Alright, I think it’s time we found your brother.” Feyre got up from the bleachers, taking the little girl down to the field where most of the players were still talking to each other and clanking helmets. “Okay, tell me when you see-”

“Rhysie!” 

Feyre’s heart dropped into her stomach as she realized who the little girl was pointing at. Because not ten feet from her, looking impossibly attractive in a way that shouldn’t be possible after sweating for two hours straight, was the bane of her existence. With his jet black hair and twin eyes to Thebe’s, he looked like a god made man. 

“Your brother is Rhysand Knight?” Feyre practically screeched at the little girl holding her hand. 

Thebe nodded excitedly as Rhysand jogged over to his little sister who had quickly abandoned Feyre’s hand and met him halfway. He scooped her up into his arms easily, the grin on his face much too gorgeous for a high school boy, and Feyre grit her teeth. 

Maybe it was just her, Feyre realized, that had to have some sort of connection with the most popular boys in school while managing to remain in the background herself. Rhysand was the captain of the football team and unsurprisingly, loved by most of the people in the school. If he wasn’t so infuriating, Feyre may have even liked him.

But from debating her points in English class to attempting to speak to her afterward, Rhysand Knight was nothing more than a massive pain in Feyre’s ass. A handsome pain, coincidentally, but Feyre refused to acknowledge that at the moment.

“Hey Thee,” he smiled, placing the girl down. “Enjoy the game?” 

It was only then that he noticed Feyre standing behind his sister. It seemed that widening eyes ran in the family, as Rhysand did the same thing his sister had as he gazed at her. 

“H-hey,” he stuttered, the sound strange coming from his usually smooth lips. “Feyre, right?” 

She awaited the inevitable words that always came after the sentence. Tamlin’s girlfriend, right? 

“From English. With Suriel?” Feyre started in place. So he had remembered her. 

But as Thebe ran up to her and tugged at her hand, Feyre ignored the flipping of her heart in her chest at his nervous smile. Instead, she nodded, her movements jerky and final as she arched an angry brow at him. 

“Did you enjoy the game?” he asked, smiling casually again. Feyre huffed. 

“I would have enjoyed it a lot more if I didn’t have to worry about something happening to your sister. I found her wandering around alone in the parking lot,” she snapped. 

Rhysand frowned, glancing at Thebe quickly before looking back at her, pinning Feyre in place with his gaze. 

“What are you talking about? I left her with Cassian and Azriel. They’re like brothers to her and they were watching her the whole time.” Feyre fixed him with a look that said they clearly weren’t and Rhysand’s gaze turned frustrated as he seemed to realize what had happened. 

He sighed, kneeling down until he was eye level with his sister who seemed to be looking everywhere but at him. The sight brought a small smile to Feyre’s face. 

“What did I say about running off Thee? And what did Mom say about talking to strangers?”

“But she said her name is Feyre, like the one you and Cass and Az talk about all the-” Rhysand cut off his sister’s rambling with a playful hand over her mouth and Feyre could have sworn she saw bits of red dotting his cheeks. She pushed away from the thought of how cute she found it. 

“Alright, I think it’s past your bedtime you little menace.” Thebe narrowed her eyes and bit at her brother’s hand, causing him to leap back with a curse, earning an instinctual laugh from Feyre. 

His gaze snapped to hers, softening at her laughing face, and his own turned into a small grin that sent her heart fluttering. 

Shit Fey, you have a boyfriend. 

Her cheeks colored as she noticed Rhysand’s gaze conspicuously running up and down her body and she realized she still had his jacket on. Feyre cursed under her breath, just loud enough for him to hear as she fumbled for the zipper on his jacket. 

“Sorry, I was freezing. Here-” 

“No!” Rhysand cut her off and the blush returned to his cheeks. “I mean- it- you look- uh, you’re just gonna be cold again. Keep it- for now.” Feyre shook her head, unzipping the jacket and handing it to him.

“I should head home anyway. Good game.” She tried for a friendly smile. She had never given him one. Feyre leaned down until she was eye level with Thebe. 

“Thanks for being my game buddy,” she whispered. Thebe beamed, throwing her arms around Feyre’s neck. She hugged the little girl back and tried not to look at Rhysand, whose gaze she could feel on the two of them. 

“Feyre, do you need a ride? I saw Tamlin leave and didn’t know...” His voice rolled over the words like midnight and Feyre shook her head. 

“Thanks but I really don’t live far-”

“It’s going to start raining soon, and I’m not letting you walk home in the dark. Just take the gesture Feyre.” He sounded exasperated, running a hand through his hair. Her eyes narrowed.

“And what, Rhysand, makes you think I want anything from you?”

“Rhys.”

“What?”

“People call me Rhys. Especially people who let me drive them home from football games.” Feyre shook her head in disbelief. 

“Gods, you’re relentless, aren’t you?”

“It’s one of my best qualities darling,” he smirked. 

And there it was, that insufferable charm that had every girl at school drooling over him. Feyre couldn’t say she blamed them, even if it did slightly annoy her. She finally smiled, reaching over to cover Thebe’s ears with her hands. 

“Only second to being a prick?” 

“If I say yes will you let me take you home?” Feyre rolled her eyes and Rhys’ grin widened, both of them knowing she had long since relented. Rhys handed Feyre his jacket and she grumbled, shoving her arms through.  

“Give me a second to find my wallet, then I’ll meet you at your car.” Rhys practically beamed in triumph, scooping his sister back up in his arms and heading back to the parking lot. Feyre loathed admitting that she watched them until they were out of her line of sight. 

She sighed. It was those damn eyes. It had to be.

And it was because of those eyes that ten minutes later, Feyre sat in the passenger seat of Rhysand Knight’s jet black ford fusion. Thebe was in the back, kicking her feet to the beat of whatever song was playing on the radio- one that Feyre couldn’t hear over the pounding of her own heart, and Feyre eyed the little girl through her side mirror so not as to look at the boy beside her. She was keenly aware of the small amount of space between them.

Rhys drove safely, unsurprisingly through their small town, and Feyre gazed out the window until Rhys cleared his throat. She turned to him. 

“So… how are you liking Bronte so far?” Feyre frowned before realizing that he was talking about the book they were reading in English. The book he had argued with her about to no end. 

“I think you know the answer to that Rhys, considering you make it your business to disagree with me.” Surprisingly, the words held no bite to them, and Rhys smiled without taking his eyes away from the road. 

“Well, darling, if you didn’t make it so easy to disagree with you, maybe I wouldn’t have to.” Feyre gaped at him and it was purely instinctual as she reached over the center console and shoved his shoulder as if they were best friends that did it all the time. Gods, what was she doing? She hated him. Maybe.

But if Rhys was surprised by her actions, he didn’t show it as he let out a laugh. Damn, that sound would be staying with her. 

“Look, I’ll give it to Catherine-”

“If this ends with any Heathcliff support I will jump out of this car Rhysand,” she cut him off, tone deadly serious. 

“No!” Thebe called from the back, causing both of the teens to laugh, catching each other's gazes before Feyre quickly looked away. She couldn’t be more grateful for how dark it was in the car so Rhys couldn’t see the blush attacking her cheeks. 

“So, what brought you to the game tonight? Not that you don’t seem like that type of girl but you… don’t seem like that type of girl.” His chuckle sent goosebumps up her arm even though she was still wearing his jacket. Feyre fidgeted her fingers and gazed down at her lap as she shrugged. 

“Uh, Tamlin asked me to come so… here I am.”

“Here you are… in my car.” Feyre sucked in a breath, glaring at Rhys from the side of her eye. The rivalry between the two athletes was no secret, and Feyre had yet to figure out where it had originated.  

“It’s not like that, Rhys. He thought I left. I had… until I ran into a certain black-haired beauty.” Feyre smiled at the side mirror where she could still see Thebe singing along to the radio. Rhys finally smiled too. 

“That’s fair. I know I can be a lot to look at once.” Feyre shoved him again, both of them laughing, and Feyre questioned when her life had turned so off-kilter. 

“Shut up, prick.” She didn’t joke with Rhysand Knight. She didn’t even talk to Rhysand Knight outside of class. So what in the gods was happening?

“Turn here,” she directed, shoving herself out of her thoughts. Rhys obeyed, moments later pulling up in front of her dark house where clearly none of her sisters were home. They sat there in silence for what seemed like eons. Just… sitting there. 

“Well-”

“I-” 

The two laughed as they cut each other off and Feyre shrugged off Rhys’ jacket, shoving it into the open athletic bag next to Thebe, who grabbed her hand before she could pull back. 

“Are you leaving?” she pouted. Feyre gave her a kind, tired smile, and nodded. 

“Sorry Thebe, it’s past my bedtime. But I’m sure I’ll see you around, yeah?” The girl nodded excitedly and Feyre almost startled back when she turned to see Rhys looking at her with a strange expression on his face. 

“What?” Rhys shook his head as if erasing the thoughts.

“Nothing… you just… surprise me.” Feyre snorted, ignoring the blush that had risen to her cheeks. 

“Yes, well, my kid whispering does tend to floor men at times.” But Rhys didn’t smile, or say anything in return, leaving Feyre to raise her brows and clear her throat. “So, I guess it’s my turn to head out.” Feyre placed her hand on the door handle before turning back to the boy next to her. “Thank you. For the ride.” 

Finally, Rhys smiled, his eyes betraying something that looked almost like… anxiety. 

“Hey, Feyre?” The car door had just shut behind her when she heard his voice again.

“Hmm?” 

“Would you want to…” Rhys scratched at the back of his neck and Feyre arched a brow. 

“Would I want to…?”

“Uh,” he cleared his throat. “Go over art notes sometime?” Feyre frowned, fully turning back around and crossing her arms in front of her body to shield herself from the night chill.

“I didn’t know you were in art.”

“Yeah uh- new class.” Feyre nodded, tapping her foot on the ground as she stared him down. Rhys stared right back, clearly unsure of what her answer could be. And she couldn’t help it as a small smile graced her face. 

“I’ll think about it,” was all she said. “Goodnight, Rhysie.” 

Feyre laughed at the sound of Rhys banging his head on the steering wheel and approached her house once more, using her phone flashlight to find the spare key Nesta had hidden somewhere. It was for that reason that she was still outside when Thebe’s little voice spoke to her brother. 

“I like her hair. With the colors. She looks like a princess.” A frown graced Feyre’s lips once more as she subtly inspected a strand of her hair, wondering what the child was talking about. Sure enough, the strands crunched under her fingertips and Feyre had to bite her tongue to keep from screaming in embarrassment.

Of course, Feyre had forgone taking a shower before going to the game. And of course, she had been using her last period of the day as a free period in the art studio. And of course, she had mistakenly dyed her hair with acrylic paint that she had now kept while being in a car relatively alone, with one of the most attractive boys in school. Not that she cared about that, of course. 

Cheeks burning, Feyre finally found the key and rushed into her empty home, wishing for nothing more than a black hole to swallow her whole in her embarrassment. 

But if only Feyre had waited; had paused for more than a moment or tried to hear over the raging sea of emotions inside of her head, she would have heard Rhys’ dazed voice speaking words she wouldn’t even conjure up in a dream. 

“Yeah. Yeah, she does.”

~~

hope you liked it :)

[mandoalorian]

Loving You For You [Maxwell Lord x GN!Reader]

Summary: Maxwell Lord is struck with a panic attack when he's getting ready to shoot one of his famous infomercials. He's hit with the trauma of his youth and begins to spiral, until you, his loving partner, show him that it's okay to feel afraid and it's okay to find admittance in his struggles.

Warnings: descriptions of poverty, starvation, body dysmorphia, panic attack, general insecurity, brief mention of addiction (alcohol and gambling), brief mention of abuse.

Rating: PG-13

Word count: 2000>

Author's note: So many of you loved 'Perfect to Me', which was about a reader who had their own body dysmorphia (you can find it in my Masterlist under ‘Maxwell Lord’, and asked me to write more. I put a little twist on things and wrote this, a one-shot in which Maxwell suffers from body dysmorphia and struggles to leave his past behind him. Reader discretion advised.

Masterlist

When Maxwell Lorenzano was 6 years old, he owned one pair of shorts and two t-shirts. He had no choice but to wear them throughout the coldest winter in history, his knees red raw from the cold, and they lasted him for two years until he quite literally was growing out of them. When he finally parted with them, his mother gifted him with a dark blue knitted sweater, and Maxwell swore it was the best present he'd ever received. He'd finally feel the warmth he craved so desperately. The warmth that other children got from their parents embrace...he was getting from an itchy sweater that smelt like cheap beer and cigarettes. But it was his, and it was all he had.

After Maxwell's father stole all of the money for his gambling and alcohol addiction, he left Mrs Lorenzano with just five pesetas to feed the small family for a week. The brown eyed boy remembered that winter as the worst one yet. The bedwetting had gotten bad again and he had never gone so hungry. He remembered his stomach rumbling in class and his cheeks would flush as the other kids teased and laughed at him for it. He remembered stealing a banana from another kid's packed lunch, getting caught, and told that if he continued to steal, he'd be nothing but a criminal low-life just like his father. But he was just hungry. His shoes had holes in them so his toes poked out. He bathed in a tin bucket once a week right up until he was a teenager.

And thirty years later, Maxwell Lorenzano, or Lord, as he now went by, was staring at himself in the full length bedroom mirror. Everything was perfect. He'd proved everyone back home wrong. He became someone. Someone esteemed, someone important and someone with a heightened self worth. People asked for his autograph in the street and preached to him about their love and admiration for his work. He was a man who could make dreams come true. Everything was perfect… or so it should've been.

It didn't fit. Maxwell picked at the way the pale pink polo shirt clung to his body. He turned to the side and sighed when he saw the way it highlighted his little tummy. He sucked in his breath, trying to flatten it, but it didn't really work. And for a split second he considered how many meals it would take to lose that little bit of weight. This whole outfit had been tailored for him just two weeks ago and it was perfect but now he hated it. He didn't just hate it. He felt disgusting.

It was weird. Sure his insecurity about his body image was rampant as he took in his appearance, but he didn't feel like himself.

Truthfully, when he changed his name from Lorenzano to Lord he had done it to start anew. That name was his father's and he wanted no association with the man who had abused and tormented him and his mother. But when Maxwell Lorenzano became Max Lord, it was like the struggle ended. He'd fought for so long and so hard trying to fit in with the modern-day example of a successful businessman. He was the least American all-American man. He dyed his hair blonde, even seeked a vocal coach to try and rid himself of his accent. And it worked. Everything was being handed to him on a silver plate. He was the coverboy of Forbes, the owner of three country clubs and day spas across America. The Wall Street Journal were constantly on his case, wanting to interview him. He was swimming in cash. He had everything he could ever want. But it wasn't him.

He felt like a fraud. A liar. A con-man. And as he looked at his reflection in the mirror, he saw nothing but the broken little boy he was thirty years ago, wearing ill-fitted clothes and a fake smile. It wasn't meant to be like this. He was spiralling.

"Hey honey?" he heard your sweet voice call from the next room, your footsteps approaching down the corridor. His tense composure relaxed ever so slightly when he heard you coming, and he grabbed the white suit jacket from the top of the dresser, quickly pulling it over him. He didn't want you to see him like this. See his tummy and the way the stupid shirt didn't fit him the way it did two weeks ago. You'd seen him naked plenty of times and deep down Maxwell knew that you wouldn't care, but he just felt so vulnerable in his own skin. "The camera crew are waiting downstairs in the lobby and they're getting antsy," you sighed, pinching the bridge of your nose in frustration as you padded into the bedroom. "The director is insufferable, Max. I keep telling him this is your infomercial, not his, but he just-- hey, Max? Are you listening?" you narrowed your eyes with concern. Maxwell hadn't looked at you once since you walked into the room.

"Hmph? Oh yeah." he murmured, turning back around to see if his tummy poked out even wearing the white jacket over the shirt. It didn't, which was a relief for him, but the padded shoulders of the jacket made him look huge and boxy. And it was just another thing he began to hate about himself.

"Are you okay?" you asked, biting your lip and walking towards him. You wrapped your arms around his waist and placed your hands over his tummy. He winced. "Max?"

"Yeah I'm fine." he said quickly, pulling out of your grip and buttoning up the suit jacket.

As he was about to leave the bedroom to start shooting the latest infomercial for his company, Black Gold Cooperative, you grabbed his arm and pulled him back. You popped open to the button of his suit jacket, freeing his tummy, not that you noticed. "You should keep the jacket undone," you hummed. "I like you in pink." You placed the palm of your hand on his chest and subconsciously began to brush him down, straightening his collar so he looked as smart as possible.

"I might get changed. Don't really like this outfit." Max muttered with a frown that made your heart ache.

"Wh-what? You loved it when you tried it on for me at the tailors the other week. And you look so good. Is there something going on?" you asked curiously as Maxwell stepped away from you.

He sighed in defeat (and slight frustration), before ripping the jacket off his body and letting it pool to the ground. "Look." he said, pointing his finger aimlessly at his tummy.

"What?" you asked, genuinely bewildered.

"Look." he repeated again, wiggling his ring clad finger this time.

"Maxie you gotta help me out here," you replied. "What am I looking at?" You noticed Maxwell's lips begin to quiver and tears prick his dark glazed eyes. He swallowed a lump in his throat that he didn't realise he had before slapping his hand over his face in shame and breaking down into a heaving, sobbing mess. "Oh Max," you cooed, taking him in your arms and guiding him over to your bed. You sat him down on slid next to him, wrapping your arms around him and pulling him into your chest. "Baby what is it? You can talk to me."

"Nothing fits," he hiccuped, and you felt his tears dampen your own blouse. "I feel disgusting. I feel fake and. Disgusting. It fit two weeks ago- and now-"

"Max," you hushed him, running your fingers through his golden locks of hair. "It fits you perfectly. You look amazing, and I'm not just saying that because I'm your partner, I'm saying it because it really truly does. You look so handsome." you promised him.

"When I look in the mirror all I see is the old me. The me who wet the bed, who starved and stole and who couldn't save my mother from my father's horror and abuse. I moved here to escape it all, but it still haunts me. It follows me and I can't- I just want it to stop." Maxwell confessed, the tears now streaming down his face.

You had dated Max Lord for three years now, and you were both deeply in love with each other, but he had never quite opened up to you about his past trauma. You knew little things here and there but you never expected it to be so bad. Your boyfriend was suffering and you felt so helpless.

"I hate myself." he continued through a choked sob. He began to feel so constricted in his clothes, tugging his pink shirt. It felt like he couldn't breathe, and you saw the panic on his face.

"Hey, breathe with me. Let me help you." you whispered, cupping his face with your hand and wiping away his tears. He found himself subconsciously leaning into your touch and he followed your breathing. Inhale for seven seconds and then exhale. And repeat. It was working. As he followed your breathing, you gently began to undress him and as you discarded the garments of clothing he began to feel better.

Leaving him on the bed, you promised you'd be back in one second, quickly darting into the walk-in closet and bringing out some of his comfiest cashmere pyjamas.

"I- I can't," Maxwell panted. "I have to shoot the- the infomercial."

You shook your head, unfolding the pyjamas. "You don't have to do anything you don't want to do, okay? This is your infomercial. Not anyone else's."

"I can't let them down." Maxwell insisted, looking back at the clothes that were pooled on the floor. He had to be brave. For once he had to be brave.

"No," you said sternly. Maxwell looked at you with doe eyes. "I want you to change and get into bed. I'll be back in one minute, I'm just going to let the crew and the director know that we'll do this another day."

"Yeah but-" As always, Maxwell Lord was the most stubborn man on the planet. "I can do it. I can- I can-"

"Sweetheart," you whispered, planting a kiss on his forehead. "There's no shame in admitting when you can't do something. No shame in struggling. I love you all the same."

"You aren't embarrassed of me?" he sniffed wearily.

"How could I be? I feel like the luckiest person on the planet because I scored with you. You're the most amazing, gentle, compassionate guy I have ever met. Max, I wish the rest of the world got to see you the way I see you. You are perfect." you smiled and Maxwell felt his cheeks flush pink.

"I love you so much." he confessed, and you giggled, leaning in to brush your lips against his.

"I love you too," you smiled warmly, nudging your nose against his. "Get comfortable and I'll dismiss the crew. I'll bring a VHS up and we can watch a movie in bed too. Anything you fancy?"

Maxwell pondered for a second, trying to remember his wide selection of filmography he kept in one of the living room cabinets. He could always go with one of his favourites— a guilty pleasure he liked to indulge in when he craved comfort. "Breakfast at Tiffany's?" he asked with a hopeful glint in his eye.

"Oh yes, we haven't watched that one in a while! I'll make us both some herbal tea too," you exclaimed, handing him a comb so he could brush out all the hair product and reveal his natural waves. "We've been needing a movie day." you commented.

"Let's not do anything," Maxwell grinned. "For once. Let's just relax and cuddle and watch movies."

"I can't think of anything better." you smiled cheerily, pinching his cheek and giving him another kiss.

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[limenysnocket]

Attention and Company

I couldn't help myself. @honorarytenenbaum

Summary: Sometimes you need someone to chill with, and that's okay. Maybe that person is your boyfriend who also gets a little roughed up at work sometimes. Pubs can sustain you both for only so long, but what you really need is to curb yourselves in the mall parking lot, right next to a shaved ice food truck.

Warnings: Just some light swearing, a bit of angst, a lot of fluff, and some brief mentions to "raunchy" behavior. This is a soft fic for y'all tonight, out here needin' some gentle lovin'.

A/N: Got some lonely feelings right now. I just wanna hug someone, dude. Yo, we could totally watch a movie over discord sometime... maybe.

○●□○●□○●□○●□○

Today sucked. Flat out. The bags under your eyes didn't lie, and now here you were, outside of your studio, sitting on the hood of your car, eating a granola bar to stave off hunger for a few more hours. Hopefully.

You pull your phone from your pocket, looking at the time for a moment, then looking at your screensaver. It was the only thing that could make you smile. You had your arm wrapped around one of your closets friends, Taika, and the phone didn't capture it, but he had his arm wrapped around your waist. His curls were all messed up, and the picture perfectly showed how drunk you both were by the fuzzy pink on your cheeks. It was 99 cent beer night at one of the local pubs, and unlike the first one held at a baseball game, all went well.

Of course, there was a limit to how much the two of you were allowed to drink, but that didn't stop the many failed attempts at stealing other people's drinks while they were looking away, just to get a taste more. Didn't matter that you guys were eventually thrown out of the bar for breaking rules and coming close to breaking a few faces, you had a great night.

That night also lead to a few other places, including his hotel room, but that end of the story has to be saved for another time.

Instead of staring at your phone for another century, you decide to unlock it and dial the man up. You knew he was somewhere around here, either charming his way onto another movie set to mess with his rich friends, or getting his tired ass kicked by daylight savings.

His number was saved to your favorites, so dialing him was quick and easy. The wait for him to pick up didn't last long either.

"Talk to me..."

God, his voice sounds like one big yawn. Looks like he needs a bit of perking up too.

"I've got two curbside tickets to eat a snow cone and watch kids do loops on their bikes in the parking lot. One of those tickets has your name on them," you grin, despite sounding exhausted too. The day really made you strain your voice.

His musical laughter really makes the sun look brighter from its low position in the sky.

"That's oddly specific... where would these magical tickets take me afterwards?" He had cocked his eyebrows up and leaned against his office door while he spoke to you.

"If this were a booty call, I would have told you already, Taik," you snort and tease him. "So, it's either make yourself fat on some weirdly flavored snow cone, or take your horny-ass home."

"Okay, okay... I'd like to make myself fat for a night, as long as your there," his voice is dreamy, desperate and warm. "You there already?"

"Nope," your lips pop the p, "but I'm nearby."

"I swear to God, if you're talking and driving, I'm gonna whoop your ass," Taika stood up, acting serious when he was just really worried about your safety in general.

"I'm not, I'm fine," you laugh again. "Not even in the car. Sitting on it though, trying to convince the world's sexiest man to go out with me again."

"And you said this wasn't a booty call," he retorts over the phone, making you playfully glare at the asphalt on the road. It's like he's in front of you.

"You coming or not?" you change the subject and you hear him laugh again, but softer.

"Yeah... I'll be there in a few minutes, gorgeous."

He always made goodbyes so easy. Maybe it was because you both knew you would be seeing each other again, no matter what circumstances you were thrown into. But the dial tone still had its effects.

You slip off the hood of your car, and take a seat in the driver's seat. The warm summer air makes your skin glow, and your brain went fuzzy only imagining it doing the same to Taika.

The drive feels so quiet. For a moment, you actually thought about calling him again, but you knew for a fact that he wouldn't pick up if he was driving.

As predicted, kids are zooming around on their bikes, showing off to their friends or trying to be cool, even though they all were obviously teary-eyed each time they scraped a knee. It was amusing to you and Taika, especially when some of the older boys would try to catch your attention and zip past you and Taika. It ended up being a heckle fest in the end, and some kid always went home with his butt hurt.

Keys and wallet in hand, you trek to the small, blue trailer tucked in the corner of the parking lot.

"Damn, you must have beat me here by just a few seconds," Taika calls, rustling his way through the small spaces between a couple of cars.

"Well, you've never been a speed demon type, so last place is your calling when it comes to racing," you guwaf and grin at him. He rolls his eyes and comes to walk right next to you.

"I pride myself on road safety," he hums, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

You glance at him from the side, just to silently check up on him. His hair was tousled and his eyes were resteless. It looks like he had it rough from the start. He had struggled to get dressed this morning, but picked the most eccentric clothes in his closet to make up from his lack of sleep.

"Dare you to try the dill pickle flavor this time," his cocky tone wakes you up.

"Like hell I will," you snort as you finally reach the trailer, where a teen boy happily greets the both of you.

"Oh come on, it'll be funny," he eggs you on, his bottom lip pouting.

"Keep trying to make me get dill pickle, and the next time we have a movie night together, I'm getting the pizza," you sniff and he rolls his eyes. He thinks it is an odd threat. "And I'm making it all Hawaiian pizza." That got his attention.

"Bull shit, you would never. Not on a perfectly good pizza!" He gasps.

"Oh, just watch me, pineapple boy," you snicker and point to his pineapple print shorts. You break conversation to order two piña colada flavored snow cones. Taika usually took for-fucking-ever when it came to picking a single flavor, so ever since the second time you've been out here with him, he assigned you to choose for him. He usually got what you got.

Now, you wait.

You plop yourself down on the curb, as you promised, and he joined you with a long, loud groan. You give him a bewildered stare, wondering if his age had really gotten him this much. He smiles at you through a wince.

"Sat on my keys," he wheezes and chuckles at his own stupidity under his breath.

Your eyes float down to where he pulls out his keys and you start giggling quietly.

"Oh, come on, I'm sure you've done the same thing," Taika says, not handling the fact that you have new material to mess with him, and also trying to get some stories out of you.

"Well yeah, but I don't sit down as violently as you do," you prod his bicep, and he laughs.

"Such a lady. Must sit down gracefully and slowly," he says, mocking an English accent, but he was horrible at accents so of course it was bad. You smack his bicep this time, and he playfully flinches, like it hurt.

"I really need to get you into some accent classes or some shit, before you get your teeth knocked out," you shake your head with a smile.

"What? I think I'm great at accents. My American accent is the best one yet, don't you think?" He smirks at you, and proceeds to demonstrate. "All you have to do is put an 'er' at the end of everything, right? That's totally how they speak around here."

"I would be careful, Mr. Waititi. Could get in some trouble if you say that too loudly," you roll your eyes, and he sighs. Yeah. Things were going to shit in LA. It was clear to everyone, but what could two hollywood producers do to stop things like that? Keep making films, you guess.

"Two, large piña coladas!"

You look up, and so does he.

"I'll get them," you volunteer, but he places his hand on your shoulder before you could get up.

"Let me," he speaks softly, in a damn near whisper.

He stands up and strides right over to the trailer with so much confidence, you're envious. He comes back with two large styrofoam cups in hand, spoons, and a warm smile. His smile was always warm. It set fire in your belly.

He sits down a bit more carefully this time, even though his car keys were sitting in the grass, far away from his landing zone. He hands you your cup and a spoon.

"Do these have alcohol in them?" He nudges you with your elbow and you shake your head.

"As if they would let a seventeen-year-old serve alcoholic beverages," you throw in logic.

"I dunno... ever been to a ballpark before? Pretty sure some of those kids are way too young to be peddling there too, but that doesn't stop people from hiring them," he says while pointing his spoon at you.

"Fair point," you finish, then look at your snow cone. You decide to start eating before it melts.

Silence swarms the air, but comfortably. There's the occasional murmur of cicadas or humming cars drowning them out. Birds would land on the scorching asphalt to pick at whatever crumbs were left by other patrons, before fluttering away at the sight of a zooming bike getting too close for comfort.

Taika will point out a few of the kids doing tricks. He picks his favorites for the night, and he keeps himself busy by watching them. You, on the other hand, are occupied with him. You examine him from the tips of his dirty white chucks, to his frazzled hairdo.

"You look like shit," you mutter. He barely pays you mind and that comment was hardly acknowledged. It was like the air had gone a bit stiffer. He was hiding something from you.

"What's going on, Taik?" you worry. He never kept things from you, unless they were hard to bear.

He sets his cup down and holds his hands together. He looks so tired. So solemn.

"Today was total shit," he whispers and runs a hand through his hair.

"Well, yeah, I get that. I wouldn't have known if you had looked a little spiffier," you say, reaching out and gently tucking a curl on his forehead back in place with all the rest of its friends.

"Look, I--..." he says, turning to you, lips parted slightly, and a yearning sensation bubbling from the tips of his fingers as he rests a single hand on you.

There were tough times with the occupancy you both, willingly, chose. The hardest part about it was making friends, or making love, then finding out you have to leave it behind for a new location the next morning.

"I have to leave... for Sydney..." he says, reaching to gently take your cheek into the palm of his hand.

"When?" you manage, though you were clearly becoming upset.

"In a few weeks. Thor is waiting for me," he sighs, barely able to look at you while his thumb rubbed your ample cheek.

"And what does this have to do with me?"

"I don't want to leave you," he says, tilting your head up just the slightest bit. "And I don't want to stop loving you."

Your eyes search his for a moment, wide and a bit confused.

"I thought you said we were just a fling with--"

He cuts you off, "A fling with benefits. I know..." he sighs again, "but every time I find myself waiting for you to call on a shitty day, each time you rest your head on my shoulder, all the times you smile at me and tease me, I find myself falling... more in love with you." He has to pause to breathe.

It's so quiet. Dangerously quiet.

"What happens if I love you too...?" you muster your courage, and look right into his expressive, brown eyes.

"I don't know," he says to you, thumb still rubbing circles.

"Guess there's only one way to find out, huh?" you breathe, and he nods.

Still as statues, you wait for words to touch the air. It's only when his foot makes a wrong move and knocks over his snow cone, does the tension break.

His bottom lip pouts for him again and you quietly pick his spoon up off the ground. You clean it on your shirt and hand it to him, all before taking your cup, and holding it out to share. He smiles down at you, taking his spoon from your hand and sticking it into the shaved ice.

Your head leans against his shoulder when the sun disappears behind the mall building.

"I love you too," you whisper.

"I know," he says back, sucking at the tip of his spoon.

"Think we can keep this up over the phone?" you ask, wondering about a brief virtual relationship, just until one of you catches a break.

"Guess there's only one way to find out, huh?" he says, lowering his spoon, wrapping his arm around you, and giving you his full attention.

[puckinghell]

Meet The Family | Elias Pettersson (drabble)

This was born out of a conversation with @hockeyboysiguess about Elias having nice hands and Thanksgiving dinners. But I’m not American so we’re turning it into Christmas. Not proofread we die like men and I’m in 4 g&t’s. Enjoy.

--

“You seem nervous,” Elias states, eyes fixed on the road and hands loosely wrapped around the wheel. “More nervous than me.”

It’s not a question, it’s a statement, and you can’t help but feel slightly annoyed.

It’s not that he’s wrong, it’s just that you really hoped you wouldn’t have to tell him beforehand.

“It’s nothing bad,” you answer. You toy with your bracelet, that Elias gave you as an early Christmas present. Your quiet voice and constant fidgeting probably doesn’t fortify your statement, because Elias glances over at you now, just for a few seconds, before returning his attention to the traffic around you again.

“Are you worried they won’t like me?” he asks. It’s casual, but the kinda faux-casual that you can see straight through.

“Quite the opposite, actually.”

It had seemed like such a good idea at the time. Elias can’t go home for Christmas, not all the way to Sweden. And after three months of dating - and a few months of friendship before that - it doesn’t feel like too soon, for him to meet your family.

He was excited, when you asked him to come to your family gathering. Every year your entire family meets at your parents’ house; siblings and nieces and nephews and aunts and uncles, even a few family pets. And you were excited too. Elias, well, you’ve known he’s the one for you since the day you met him, and there’s no doubt in your mind that he’s going to be in your life for a long time. So why not introduce him to your family?

But now doubt is starting to set in.

Elias frowns at your words. “The opposite? What does that mean?”

But there’s really no way to explain. And anyway, you’re almost there.

“You’ll see,” you say, and it sounds more omnious than you wanted it to.

--

The gravel crunches beneath your feet as you walk up to the front door, Elias trailing just a step behind you. You reach blindly behind you and instantly his hand grabs onto yours, squeezing tightly before letting go just as you step into the house.

Noise welcomes you. There’s happy chatter and Christmas music in the background; a kid is yelling and someone laughs. It’s warm and there’s lights everywhere and it feels so much like home that a wave of nostalgia hits you.

“Who is it?” a familiar voice calls, and before you can answer your mom appears in the door to the hallway, where you’re still stomping the snow off your boots.

“Hey, mom.”

Your mom’s smile remains intact when her eyes fall upon the tall Swede behind you, but her widening eyes don’t do well to hide her surprise. Neither, to be fair, does the: “Oh my God honey she brought Elias!”

Elias’ eyebrows shoot up and you can’t stop the groan from escaping as your mom completely ignores your existence, simply speedwalks back into the living room, where all the chatter has suddenly died down.

“I thought you told her I was coming,” Elias says, the question clear in his voice.

And you were supposed to, but…

“I just kinda didn’t wanna deal with all the questions,” you admit. You take Elias’ coat and hang it together with yours, before taking a deep breath in. “I’ll try to protect you, okay?”

If his eyebrows could get any higher you’re sure it would’ve happened, but instead Elias just continues to look slightly baffled as you take his hand and pull him into the living room, where many pairs of eyes are already fixed on you.

The silence is deafening.

“Hey guys,” you smile, letting your eyes travel over the attendees. The only one that’s moving is your dog Bella, tail wagging as she gets up to go say hello. “This is my boyfriend, Elias.”

Everything happens very quickly, then.

Before you know it, your boyfriend is swarmed by family members, some of whom seem to have magically conjured up some sort of Canucks merch for him to sign. Your cousins are screaming their heads off, jumping up and down at his feet, and your sister is taking pictures of it all with an enthusiasm you haven’t seen from her in years.

Over the crowd, Elias’ eyes frantically search for yours.

Sorry, you mouth, shrugging your shoulders. This was exactly the thing that you were afraid of.

When you told Elias your family are lifelong Canucks fans, you might’ve neglected to tell him just how much.

But to be fair to him, Elias takes it in stride. You know he’s not a big fan of crowds of people, nor of people he doesn’t know. Your family speaks in too rapid English, leaving Elias looking a little bewildered. Well, to you anyway; to any other person he’d look completely fine, stoic and unbothered, but you know him well enough to recognize the tight set of his jaw.

It gets better once the adults have gone back to their conversations. Your aunt is telling you about her pottery class when your eyes find Elias through the window, out on the lawn.

He’s surrounded by all your cousins, ministicks in hand. Every time one of the kids bats a ball his way, Elias blatantly misses it, then pretends to be upset about it while the kids scream with laughter.

Your face must’ve spoken for you, because your aunt cuts herself off midway through her story.

“He’s good with kids,” she smiles, gaze traveling to the scene you’re focused on. “I think he prefers them to us old guys.”

You laugh. “I’m sure he’ll love you when he gets to know you. There’s just a lot of you right now, and I think dad is embarrassing himself.”

Considering the fact that your dad is now wearing a signed Pettersson jersey, that might even be putting it lightly.

Outside, Elias squads down next to one of your nieces. He covers her tiny hand with his large one, carefully moving it so she’s holding her stick in a more comfortable position. He says something and she laughs, little eyes shining with delight.

“You really like him,” your aunt states, and she’s not asking but you answer her anyway.

“I love him, yeah.”

--

It’s hours later when you walk into the kitchen, getting a glass of water, that you find your boyfriend again.

The kids have long gone to bed but it seems that Elias has found another small creature to befriend. He’s sitting on the floor, leaning against the fridge with a glass of red wine in his hands, quietly feeding Bella pieces of turkey.

“Bonding with the best member of the family?” It’s a joke but there’s a genuine question in it too and Elias seems to be able to tell, a gentle smile on his face as he pats the floor next to him.

You go easily, pressing your body against his. He’s warm and his cheeks are slightly flushed, although the red wine might have had something to do with that too.

“Trying to find some peace and quiet,” Elias muses, tearing off another piece of turkey that Bella happily accepts. “Since my girlfriend left me to fend for myself.”

Now you’re blushing, and it has nothing to do with the wine.

“I didn’t want it to seem like I was surveiling you,” you admit a little sheepishly. “Figured you would come find me if it got too much.”

Elias laughs. It sounds bright in the quiet kitchen, the background noise from the living room suddenly very far away. “I can deal with it.”

“I know.” And you do; it’s the only reason you dared to bring him here in the first place. Elias might not be the most extraverted person in the world, but he’s very good with people when he wants to be. You let your head fall against his shoulder. Tiredness is settling in your body, after a night catching up with everyone.

“I’m sorry if it was too much. They can get very overwhelming, even for me, and they’re not even your family, so…”

“They’re your family, though,” Elias interrupts, voice soft. “And that means that one day they hopefully will be mine, too. So it’s okay. It’s good, even.”

Your chest feels strangely warm at his words; you knew you felt like that, but to hear him say he feels it too is a whole different level of amazing.

“But,” Elias hums, and you can tell from the switch in his tone of voice that he’s gonna say something  cheeky, “if you would like to thank me for being the source of entertainment tonight I can think of a few things.”

You laugh, letting your hand travel to his thigh and rest there. “I can think of some things too,” you tease, “but none that are acceptable in my parents’ kitchen.”

Elias’ eyes darken slightly. “Maybe it’s time to go home then,” he says, and he doesn’t even remotely sound like he’s kidding.

This time when you laugh you bury your face in his neck, pressing a kiss to the skin there. “Not yet,” you tell him, “but if you can refrain from beating my dad to death with the hockey stick he’s surely gonna ask you to sign, I might make it worth your while later tonight.”

The groan that falls from Elias’ lips rumbles in his chest.

You might be getting out of there quicker than originally anticipated. 

[assyla-28]

"Wish I Was..." - Kirishima

Summary: Where y/n falls for Kirishima, but realizes it’s too late to confess their feelings and has to watch from the sidelines.

Warnings: Slight Angst

Word Count: 1.5k

∘₊✧───────────────────────────── ✧₊∘

As Mr. Ectoplasm left the class closing the door behind him you got the sudden urge to bang your head against the table, completely not understanding today’s math lesson. Let’s be honest though, when did you ever. With one loud bang, you slammed your forehead to the desk, your slight wince not going unnoticed by your fellow 1-A classmates.

You jolted a bit when you felt a light hand rub your back, “Y/N, are you okay there?” Peeling your head from the desk you saw Kirishima stare down at you with worry.

Visibly relaxing you replied, “Not really, I can never understand a thing that comes out of Mr. Ectoplasam’s mouth.”

Kiri chuckled lightly before reassuring you that you weren’t alone and that it’s manly to ask for help sometimes. To sweeten the deal and hopefully make you feel better, Kirishima invited you to sit with the Bakusquad at lunch. You start to feel butterflies flutter in your stomach and you accept his offer, looking forward to spending more time with him.

To be honest you’ve had a crush on Kiri for a while. You started to notice the little things about him. The way he rubs the back of his neck when he gets nervous, the small barely noticeable scar on his right eye, and how he goes out of his way to protect his friends. You’ve recently come to terms with it after he saved your ass for the thousandth time when a group of students bumped into you, causing you to take a tumble. He called out the rude students and helped you up along with the papers on the floor, offering you a kind smile that you couldn’t help but blush at.

Once receiving your lunch from Lunch Rush you brought your tray to the table seeing Denki bothering Bakugo, tick marks already visible on his face. You sat between Kirishima and Sero enjoying the fun banter within the squad. You couldn’t help but stare whenever Kirishima laughed or how his sharp teeth would peek out sometimes when he smiled. Too engrossed with admiring him you didn’t know who was on the receiving end of those smiles.

As time passed not only have your feelings deepened but your friendship with Kirishima has also grown. You learned that Kirishima went to the same middle school as Mina and she was a big part of why he was at UA. Mina helped show him that it’s okay to be afraid and what matters most is your heart’s intentions, that fear can’t stop him from being a hero. Kirishima holds so much respect for Mina, but you couldn’t help the sinking feeling starting to brew in the pit of your stomach.

You looked forward to any time you could spend with Kirishma, treasured the time you guys would walk side by side in the hallways. You were in the middle of telling Kiri a story on your way to the dorms, “Then the banana milk came flying out of his nose… Kirishima you okay?” You followed his gaze and saw him staring at Mina as she walked away from Uraraka and Asui. You nudge him, causing him to spin his head towards you bewildered, “I can go back to the dorms by myself if you want to chat with Mina.”

Kiri’s eyes widened, “Really Y/N? Are you sure?” With a final nod, he made his way to Mina trying to catch up to her. You stared for a few more seconds before sighing and heading back to your room.

You noticed more often how Kiri went out of his way to talk to Mina, help her with homework, and cheer her up when she was down. You wanted to hate Mina so badly for taking the only person to treat you right, but you couldn’t. She was such an angel, she was so bright and memorizing. Mina had her arms draped over Kirishima’s shoulders while he sat at his desk, peeking at his notes, teasing him about his messy handwriting. You couldn’t fathom hating someone that makes Kirishima so happy. Pushing your feelings aside you turned the other way focusing your attention on whatever Deku was muttering about.

Kirishima wasn’t the only one who noticed your sudden change, the teachers had spoken to you about your dropping grades. Not only have your grades suffered but your mental health took a hit. You distanced yourself from the Bakusquad as much as you could without being too suspicious. You thought if you slowly went away it wouldn’t hurt when Kirishima would inevitably ask Mina out. Whenever Kirishima brought up your weird personality change, you hid behind fake smiles and would divert the conversation back to Kirishima asking him about the latest news on Mina causing him to usually blush.

You fully supported Kirishima and Mina, how selfish would you be if you denied him happiness. He deserved all the happiness in the world, and you couldn’t do that for him. If truth be told, you encouraged him multiple times to talk to Mina about his crush on her. After the fifth time, he decided to take your advice. The next day he showed up to class with a smile on his face and Mina wrapped around his arm.

It was late on a Friday night and the common room was abandoned, giving you the perfect time to escape and relax from the stress-filled week, until the reason for your stress made its presence known. You tried to make a run for it but were quickly restrained by your elbow.

“Y/N you have to stop running away! This has been going on for far too long.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about Kirishima.”

“Oh, I think you do! You lock yourself up in your room, never come up to hang out with the squad, you constantly look depressed, and your grades are dropping! What’s happening? Please tell me, you can trust me.”

You sigh in defeat. “Don’t worry about it Kiri, it isn’t important.”

“Lies! It’s important if it’s stopping me from hanging out with my friend! Let's be honest here, this all started a little bit before Mina and I got together!”

“What does that have to do with anything!”

“I don’t know Y/N, you tell me!”

Your head is facing down towards the ground hands balled into tight fists, chest rising up and down rapidly. “You wanna know why,” Kiri silently nods his head waiting for answers “it’s because I loved you okay!”

Kirishima’s eyes widened, he couldn’t believe the words that had come out of your mouth. It didn’t make sense, you were the one that told him to tell Mina about his feelings. Why would you do that if you liked him? He thought your weird behavior was because you were jealous. Jealous that you weren’t getting the same amount of attention that you used to.

You slowly raised your head not hearing Kiri say anything after a while. Finally, he could see the tears you’ve tried so hard to hide all this time. The number of times you’ve cried to sleep wallowing in self-pity. Kiri hated seeing anyone he cared about cry including you. When he saw the fat tears rolling down your face and the almost silent hiccups escape your mouth, his face grew solemn.

“I’m so sorry Y/N, I never wanted to hurt you. I didn’t want to hurt anybody! I’m supposed to protect people! That’s why I became a hero. What kind of hero am I if all I’m doing is hurting you!”

“This is why I didn’t want to tell you. You always put the burden on yourself, I knew you would blame yourself. You are so, so kind and selfless, Kirishima,” you hiccupped.

After a quick gulp, you continued. “So, how could I ever come in between you and someone who makes you so happy? I would rather suffer for a bit than sit there and watch your smile leave your face. You deserve so much better Kiri.”

It was a lot to process but all that was on Kiri’s mind was the need to comfort you, always putting others before himself. He ran into you pulling you into the tightest hug he could muster and whispered as a tear ran down his face. “I’m sorry Y/N I pushed you too hard and made you cry. That wasn’t very manly of me. I want you to know that you mean so much to me and I don’t want to lose you as a friend.”

“I guess you’re stuck with me,” you replied with a light-hearted laugh. “Are we good now?”

“Yeah, we’re good.” With one last glance and an awkward smile, Kiri said, “Once again I’m sorry” before walking away back to his room.

With tears still in your eyes you brought a hand up to wipe them away and whispered, “No, I’m sorry. I’m sorry that I lied to you. I still love you.” You followed Kirishima’s lead and walked back to your room missing the body that had rounded the corner after the coast was clear.