#thank you anon for bringing our attention to this important face

[theriverbeyond]

so I'm re-listening to the GTN audiobook (as one does) and THIS time i caught that the first time Gideon goes to lunch (eating leaves with her fingers, running into Silas, etc.) she just... tucks a loaf of bread into her pockets to take back to her room for later? so possibly Harrow's drawer bread was a perfectly logical follow-up to finding bread in Gideon's pockets when she searches her for keys. she's just leaving food in a manner to which Gideon has become accustomed!

OH MY GOD SHE DOES... (gtn ch 10)... and the Drawer Bread Incident didn't happen until after Avulsion (gtn ch 21) where, very crucially, Harrow lost all her clothing to the entropy friend and had to put Gideon's robe on in order to walk back to their rooms.... you know what I cannot blame Harrow at all for making the leap that if Gideon had bread in her pockets she would probably be okay if Harrow put it away for her. she was doing her a courtesy like

imagine almost dying in some kind of nefarious escape room type trial that relied on you almost (actually) killing your teammate/ servant/ enemy/ longtime crush/ complicated situationship via soul suck and losing all your clothes in the process, thereby causing her to see you nude before dying because you sucked her soul too hard. luckily, she revives, and you steal her overcloak to cover yourself and find it is for some reason full of bread, which you helpfully leave with her in a more accessible location after dragging her all the way back to your room....

JUSITICE FOR DRAWER BREAD!!!

[kyojurismo]

hello writer-nim! i would like to request a demon slayer one shot where douma likes the reader (vice versa) but reader is a hashira. the demon slayer corp decided to kill the reader off for betraying the corp by liking a demon. thank you so so much ˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

p/s feel free to skip this if it makes you uncomfortable

▸ ANSWERING. hello anon !!! i’m so sorry it took so long omg, it’s probably the longest request i’ve received and i’m not really sure about it (i wrote it late at night so i don’t really expect it to make sense lol, but i hope douma is not too out of character*)… thank you sm for the request, hope you’ll enjoy it !! ♡

*read the before leaving section for some extra notes!

▸ FANDOM. kimetsu no yaiba

▸ CHARACTERS. douma (upper rank two) x gn!reader

▸ WORD COUNT. 821

▸ RATING. sfw

▸ WARNINGS. erm… mention of execution? not proofread, as i said i’ve written it late at night so please don’t look at it too closely pls pls pls + lemme know if i need to add warnings

you tried to keep it a secret for months. months of sneaking away without getting noticed, of secret dates whenever you were done with your missions, of pleading douma to reduce his victims. but also months full of happy memories.

you didn’t expected to fall for upper rank two, douma. not that he wasn’t attractive; he was beautiful, tall, his rainbow eyes could caught your attention within seconds. but douma was strangely caring.

the first time you two met was on the battlefield of course. you came to help a group of mizunoe slayers who met douma by chance. you instructed them to leave, due to some of them being badly injured, and found yourself face to face with the upper moon.

if you ask douma, he would say that there was something about you. he was drawn to you by something, but he still can’t name it. you were ready to attack him but you were caught off guard by douma coming closer and starting analysing you.

“you’re very strong… i like your katana,” he said, smiling friendly. “and you’re so cute,” he added. douma smiled at you and you held back your nichirinto, even though something inside you was screaming at you to take this opportunity and to slaughter him. to do it for all the poor people he killed, to bring justice. but you broke the rules.

you found yourself falling for a demon, and one of the worst, truthfully. but the heart wants what it wants. you two were seeing each others, but you were the one risking everything.

when the corps finally found out, you heard whispers saying that it was one of the hashira who discovered about your little romantic trips. you didn’t blame them tho, because differently from you they did the right thing. they honoured their role as demon slayers. meanwhile, you failed.

so you were right in front of the oyakata-sama, two kakushi were holding you, in case you would get up and run away any time soon. “i’d never disrespect oyakata-sama like that,” you spat, keeping your eyes low. “in fact, you already did.”

the few hashiras that weren’t on mission were standing right behind you, kneeled down respectfully. “y/n, i’ve heard you’ve been entertaining with a demon… an upper moon, even,” oyakata-sama spoke softly, his voice soothing. as if they weren’t about to execute you. “i’ve never shared our location, or spoke about our missions. i put only myself in danger, i swear it on my life!”

you finally met his face and only then you noticed two of his daughters standing by his side. “i believe you, and i’m grateful for that… but what you did goes against what we are, what we stand for. we’re meant to get rid of demons to keep everyone safe, not to entertain ourselves with them and keeping them alive.”

“i know that what i’ve done is wrong and i broke the most important rule… i accept my fate, if i’m meant to die right here and right now.”

truth is, douma didn’t agree with you. he wanted to slaughter all of them, without giving them a second chance. but, deep down, he knew he would only complicate things.

“they’re so foolish they waited until dusk to interrogate and execute them,” he muttered, smirking. he finally showed himself, jumping out of his hiding place.

“well well well, my lord would be so pleased to be here right now,” douma appeared right behind you. he pushed away the two kakushi that were holding you, trying not to hurt them.

“douma…” you whispered before getting up and looking at him. “i’m here to rescue you,” he pouted, noticing your sweet face was a bit bruised.

your eyes were on the hashiras, who were ready to attack him before douma grabbed your hips and picked you up, jumped on the roof of the mansion and escaped before anyone could attack. your arms circled his neck while douma held your back with one hand.

“what a pretty place! i’m so sad we can’t stay a bit longer,” he mused. “you’re out of your mind! i hope you didn’t hurt anybody!” you shouted at him. “of course not, darling!” douma assured you, smiling.

once you two were away from any danger, douma put you down and checked your face. “it’s all because of me, darling,” he said, caressing your cheeks. “maybe…” you interrupted him quickly. “i knew what i was doing from the start. i wanted to be with you.”

you smiled at him, then kissed his chin. “i won’t let someone hurt you, demon or human. if you will, i wish for your life to be mine,” he grabbed your cheeks gently and leaned towards you. you nodded, circling his neck with your arms. you kissed him back, getting lost in that special moment and ignoring everything around you and douma, as if the world were yours.

▸ BEFORE LEAVING. reblog and comments are super appreciated. now, at first i wanted to write about reader being executed and douma finding out & getting his revenge on the demon slayers corp but i changed my mind through the writing process to this is the result lol. it probably could have been better, but i also felt bad for taking so long so i also posted it for this reason… well, thank you for reading the one shot and all this haha, have a good day / night <3

[faulty-writes]

Hey uh I dont know if you can but I'd love it if you made bakugou or some of the mha boys with a wednesday addams reader? like the one in the netflix show, use female pronounces thank you love<3

[ Hello dear Anon. So I decided to make this into a headcanon request and used three of our boys. I hope you like it. To be quite honest, I'm a fan of the original Addams Family television series from 1964, but I do love how Wednesday is portrayed in the Addams Family movies. I haven't actually seen the Netflix show, but I will do my best to combine all the knowledge I have regarding the Addams Family into this. ]

The dark and mysterious nature of you caught his attention at first, but your honesty and confidence drew him to you as well. As a girl, it was uncommon to be interested in the macabre but that was why he saw you in a different light than the damn extras he knew.

Unlike most who might see him as an angry broken boy and feel sorry for him, you loved the scent of misery and anger on him. He was a source of chaos, a source of chaos that sought to help others at all costs. But more so, he was a God who held fear in place. You had never been afraid before meeting him, and it was that fear that you loved most about him.

"Yeah, you think that'll work babe?" He enjoyed the provoking and in-depth conversations he could have with you. Although, they mostly revolved around his quirk and how he could improve his tactical skills on the field. Of course, he appreciated your violent descriptions of what you wished he could do to others, including how he should keep any blood he spilled on his person until you could see it.

"Tell anyone about this and I'll blast your damn face off!" While you seemed to enjoy threats like this, you knew that despite his explosive nature, he appreciated your emotional support. The fact that he could cry around you and show his vulnerable side was new to him and something he would need to get used to. Still, being cradled in your shadow of darkness away from the rest of the world brought him comfort.

Being a hero was once the most important thing to him and victory was the only thing on his mind during training. But over time, you consumed his thoughts. He found that you were the most significant thing to him and he wanted to be a better hero for you. Everything he did was to prove he could continue to be the one you could always look up to.

Your sense of adventure led you to do unusual or unorthodox things with Katsuki when you were free. "Yeah, you can hold my hand if you're scared babe," he'd repeatedly tell you when the two of you explored abandoned places around Japan or embarked on a haunted house tour. Although you always refused the offer, at the end of the night your fingers were interlaced. It was an odd feeling, but you never wanted to let his hand go.

He noticed your compassionate nature when you sat down next to him one day, he assumed it was because you had seen he was sitting by himself. Despite your uncanny appearance that drove most away, the fact that you held such concern for others that were misunderstood or discriminated against is something that he cherished.

"I can't b-believe how much information we just learned! T-This is amazing!" Izuku was the only person you thought was tolerable when he talked and scribbled in that small notebook of his. In addition, you enjoyed the conversations you had with him which usually involved heroism and morbidity. Unlike most, he accepted your interest in darker things and often asked you questions regarding your villain analysis.

"Yeah, I g-guess I've always felt different even when…when I got my quirk I s-still felt like I d-didn't deserve it." While the two of you could have conversations about your life experiences, sometimes the conversations got dark and frankly you loved it. Being able to dig into Izuku's mind and bring out his inner darkness only made you feel more connected to him.

While you didn't care what others thought of you, if anyone spoke badly about Izuku you'd often threaten them with the most morbid, most gruesome descriptions of what you'd do to them if they didn't stop. While Izuku appreciated how protective you were of him, and how you were always ready to defend him whenever necessary, he apologized on your behalf to the people you threatened.

On the other hand, you always encouraged Izuku to embrace his own strength and stand up for himself. You'd even explain the dangers of conforming to a society that should bend to your will. But deep down you knew he could show everyone what he was truly made of. In return, Izuku encouraged you to explore your own potential even if it was a touch too dark for most.

Izuku enjoyed keeping detailed notes about your quirk which was similar to Sir Nighteye's but with one small difference, you could see the past and the future when touching someone or something. Unfortunately, your quirk was one of the reasons you refused to be physically affectionate with Izuku, that is until he requested specially designed gloves to be made for you.

From the beginning, he immediately noticed the intriguing qualities that made your presence immaculate, as well as your guarded nature and limited attention to others. He grew fascinated by you, a beautifully morbid girl.

Your fashion sense was perplexing yet charming to him. "To clothe yourself in such a style from an era vastly different from our own is quite extraordinary!" he'd praise. Your Victorian-inspired wardrobes usually included chokers, fishnet stockings, and combat boots. Tenya could not help but remain in awe and stare at you whenever you entered the room, despite knowing staring was quite rude.

Tenya enjoyed that you shared his values regarding intellectual pursuits, although your conversations varied across different subjects. His favorite thing to discuss with you was literature. While he fell more on the academic side of it, he admired your knowledge of the darker aspects of literature like Grimm's Fairy Tales or Edgar Allan Poe's work.

While the two of you had different hobbies, you shared a love of acting. Whenever an opportunity came to put your acting skills to work during training exercises or a play Yuuei High put on, you went off script and implemented the use of fake blood during any death scene. This usually terrified the audience and your fellow classmates and angered Tenya who always screamed, "Clean up this mess at once!" At the end of the day, he accepted your eccentric taste.

Tenya respected your unique and unconventional date ideas, although he was still slightly uncomfortable whenever you insisted on having a picnic or taking a walk through the graveyard given you usually wanted to do this during the evening. He would grow protective and continuously urge that the two of you needed to be back on Yuuei property before curfew.

You and Tenya had an unusual sense of humor. Tenya didn't understand most jokes, and when he tried to tell one it fell flat. In addition, he hated when others laughed at him and often scolded them unlike you who held a dark sense of humor and whose jokes regularly made others feel uncomfortable. Still, he always tried to find some sense of comedy when you told your jokes even if they were inappropriate at times.

[mymoodwriting]

Request for Anon (Yandere Cult NCT) 13.3k, yandere, drugs, needles, manipulation, stalking, harassment, psychedelics, cult mentality, mental abuse, verbal abuse, torture, kidnapping, mentions of self-harm, anxiety, home invasion

“You look like you need help.”

    This wasn’t the first time you had been approached on the streets, and you knew these types of people well enough to ignore them. Except this time around you didn’t have the energy to do it. So the nice gentleman, you think, caught onto that and now here you were.

“I’m just tired and would like to get home.”

“And who’s waiting for you there?”

“What? No one, it’s just me.”

“So you don’t have anyone.”

“Look, I just-”

“You should come with me then.”

    The gentleman took your hand and started pulling you along. You didn’t want to attract attention, and you didn’t have the strength to pull away so you begrudgingly followed. You were led into this small venue, another gentleman up on a stage talking to the crowd. There were a decent amount of seats filled, but plenty of empty spaces too. The one who brought you had you sit between him and someone else you politely greeted. You figured you were stuck here until this was over, and might have fallen asleep if the speech hadn’t actually piqued your interest.

“Connections. They make us who we are, no matter how big or small they may be. The truth is we are connected to many of the things around us. Whether that be people or objects. I ask you all to take a moment and think about those connections, and what they say about you. Perhaps you think of a dear friend, remembering the good times you’ve spent together, and those that are yet to come. Or perhaps a certain object comes to mind, like a picture framed up at home, taking you back to a moment you immortalized forever. These connections hold us up and help us go on in our lives. They might even lead us to new connections.”

    You did think of home, of a blanket you slept with every night. You’ve had it since you were a baby, able to look back at old photos and see yourself with it. To this day it meant a lot to you, probably the thing you’ve had the longest, and it was just perfect to you. It held so many memories, good and bad, and you knew it would continue to do so for many years to come. You never realized how important it was until now, and that brought a smile to your face.

“I see some smiles, but as I’m sure you can tell, not many are aware of these connections in life. Which is why I believe it’s important to surround yourself with those who do, so you can forge strong connections and maintain them. To support one another through anything and everything. That’s what my community is all about, and I invite you to join us.”

    There was a screen behind the speaker, and it had the word connection in lower case on it. As the invitation to join came up it suddenly changed, a few letters becoming uppercase. The second N, then the C, and T. Along with that new letters appeared, going down, revealing a new name. Neo Culture Technology. It sounded vaguely familiar, but you couldn’t quite pinpoint it.

“Neo Culture Technology. NCT. Is a group that understands these connections, and supports one another. I, Lee Taeyong, started this group with the idea to unite everyone. Of course, that is most likely impossible in my lifetime, but it won’t stop me from creating my small community and believing it shall grow beyond me. I thank you all for coming, please enjoy some refreshments and mingle if you have the time. The people here are eager to make new connections.”

    After a moment there was applause, and then chatter filled the room. The two gentleman on either side of you greeted each other, seeming to be friends, before speaking to you.

“Hello, I’m Kun, it’s nice to meet you.”

“Y/n, hi.”

“And how did Hendery manage to bring you here? I hear he’s usually too much.”

“I am not!”

“Well he did kinda drag me here.”

“I… sorry, I just…”

“You didn’t actually hurt me, so I’ll let it go, but I don’t recommend doing that to someone else. They might not be as nice.”

“Noted. Shall we meet some others? Or do you need to go?”

“I can stay for a moment.”

“Awesome.”

    You followed the two over to where the people had gathered, getting a drink and a quick snack. Everyone was very nice, talking about mundane things, you kinda forgot you had been dragged here against your will. Although you still had to get home and sleep, you had work in the morning.

“I should really get going, but thanks for this.”

“No problem.” Hendery smiled. “I do hope to see you again.”

“We’ll see.”

“Actually.” Another gentleman suddenly approached you. “NCT is having a weekend getaway, we’ve rented out a campsite, and we’d love for you to join us.”

“Oh, I don’t know if I can do that…”

“You can think about it. Here’s my card. I’m Doyoung by the way.”

“Ah, thank you, and nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you as well. If you change your mind, give me a call by Thursday evening so we can add you to the list.”

“Alright, thanks.”

    You made your way out of the venue, checking the time. It was late, but the whole event hadn’t been as bad as you thought. As you made your way home it lingered in your mind, even as you got ready for bed, and laid down in the sheets. The idea of forming meaningful connections was nice, but you had to get to sleep. Thankfully it came easy, and in the blink of an eye it was a new day and you had to drag yourself out of bed. You made it to the office in one piece, the day was uneventful until the afternoon.

“Working hard?”

“Always.”

“Well, how about you wind down? I’ve talked to the boss and they agreed to a company dinner tomorrow.”

“Oh, I won’t be-”

“You always skip out, you can’t be avoiding me right?”

    Jason was certainly the type who was full of himself and couldn’t understand why someone wouldn’t be interested in them. He has asked you out for coffee or dinner every now and then, and your answer was always the same. It wasn’t gonna stop him though.

“No, I just have plans already.”

“Do you now?”

“Yes.”

“Do tell. I’m curious what you do in your spare time. And don’t say it’s private, how else am I supposed to get to know you.”

“Uh… this group I’m a part of, we’re having a weekend getaway, and we leave Saturday morning, so I can’t be out late Friday night.”

“Oh, what kinda group? Can I join?”

“Not sure, it’s up to them.”

“You should-”

    You were grateful to whoever called Jason over, cutting the conversation before he kept poking at your lie. You continued with the rest of your day like normal. It wasn’t until you were home that you remembered what you said. You looked for the card Doyoung had given you, wondering if you should call. A part of you worried about getting caught in your lie, and there was no harm in going with this group of people, they all seemed friendly. So you swallowed your nerves and dialed the number.

“Hello?”

“Hi, this is y/n, I don’t know if you remember me.”

“Of course I do. Hendery brought you along, how have you been?”

“Good, good, and you?”

“Excellent. Now, is it safe to assume you’re calling about the camping trip?”

“Yes.”

“Wonderful. I’m glad to hear you’ll be joining us.”

“It sounds like fun.”

“It will be. So if you’ve got time, I just need some information from you. Any allergies, or diet restrictions we need to know about? Also let me know your address so we can have someone pick you up.”

     You gave Doyoung the necessary information, also noting his suggestions on what to bring with you, although you weren’t really comfortable with giving your address. You settle on getting picked up somewhere nearby.

“Alright. I’ll get all this sorted and have someone pick you up Saturday morning. I look forward to seeing you.”

“Me too.”

     You felt nervous again after the call, realizing what you had agreed to. Even if it was weird you had to remind yourself why you were doing this, and that it could really be fun. Everyone always said you needed to get out more, and this was one way of doing it. Once you calmed your nerves, and set a reminder for Saturday you managed to go to sleep, somewhat dreading but also relieved that tomorrow was nothing special. The day was like any other, and of course your coworkers were excited for dinner, but you weren’t going.

“How about you and me have dinner when you get back.” 

    Everyone was already closing their stations and grabbing their things, ready to eat. Although Jason came over to your desk, wanting to check in before he goes.

“You can tell me all about your trip.”

“Uh, we’ll see…”

“Have fun then.”

“You too.” 

     You stayed behind in the office for a bit, wrapping some things up before you made your way home. You bought some food on the way, getting to your place and winding down for a bit before packing up a bag and getting to bed. You made sure your alarm was set, and everything was ready. There was a bit of trouble sleeping, but you did manage to get some rest.

🖤

“Y/n! Over here.”

     Your alarm had gone off when it was supposed to, but you made the mistake of closing your eyes for a moment which was actually half an hour. You rushed out of bed and quickly gathered your things, rushing out to the meet up spot. As you arrived you heard your name and saw a familiar face. Hendery was there with a friend, the two waving you over.

“Sorry for being late, I didn’t mean to.”

“That’s alright. I’m sure some of the others are dragging as well. Come on, we can walk over to the bus.”

“Bus?”

“Yeah, Taeyong rented one out to take us all to the campsite together. He feels better having us all close.”

“I see.”

“Oh, this is Xiaojun by the way.”

“Hi, nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too.”

     You all walked together a couple of blocks, enjoying the morning sun and blue skies. You talked a bit about the morning rush you all had experienced. Staying in bed and sleeping in would be nice, but the trip was exciting. Their energy slowly rubbed off on you, making you less nervous about the whole thing. When you arrived at the pickup spot, many others waved you over, smiles and joy everywhere.

“Y/n! So glad you’re joining us.” Kun gave you a polite hug. “We’re gonna have a lot of fun this weekend.” 

“I’m sure we are.”

“Let’s get you checked in.”

    Kun took you over to Taeyong, and you got a proper introduction. Your nerves suddenly came back, since he was the leader of this whole group.

“Hello…”

“It’s nice to meet you. I’ve heard good things.”

“Have you?”

“Of course. I’m glad you decided to join us. If you don’t mind, could you fill this out, I just need to have your full name and number. And if your phone’s not fully charged you can ask Mark for a charger and power bank, we have cables for all types of phone. Do you have everything you need?”

“Yes, I’m all good. Thank you.”

“Alright. Everyone is almost here, so we’ll be leaving in a few minutes. I can take your bag and get it on the bus for you.”

“Thanks.”

    While Taeyong did that you filled out the form and handed it back. Once that was all done you got on the bus. Everyone was friendly and smiled at you, so you just took any empty seat you liked. That’s how you met someone new.

“Hi, I’m Jaemin.”

“Y/n.”

“Oh, pretty.”

“Thanks.”

“I’m glad we have someone new coming along with us.”

“Uh… am I the only one who’s not from your group?”

“Yeah. We invited plenty of people, but you’re the only one who came.”

“Oh…”

“Don’t be shy, I promise no one is gonna make you feel left out.”

“Agreed.” Someone peeked over from behind. “I’m Jeno by the way, nice to meet you.”

“Hello.”

“So, what do you do with your time?”

“I work in an office. It’s this insurance agency, and I work with advertising.”

“Oh, that’s pretty cool.”

“It’s just an office job really, and it pays the bills. What about you two?”

“I’m still studying.” Jeno said. “But I do a bit of modeling on the side.”

“Wow, that is really cool. You’ve certainly got the looks.”

“Oh please, I’m blushing.”

“I’m also studying.” Jaemin added. “And I have an internship with a tech company.”

“Nice. I’m glad to hear you guys are still studying.”

“It sucks at times.”

“But it’s very important.”

    The bus soon enough filled up, and Taeyong had everyone quiet down. He did a headcount, calling out names and making sure everyone who was supposed to be here was present. With that the bus started moving. You were told it was a simple two hour drive. Everyone seemed to get along with each other, obviously, you had no idea how long they had all known each other. Although you continued talking to Jaemin and Jeno, also meeting a few others along the trip. Everything was fine, although once you could see nothing but trees outside the window you got a bit anxious. 

    You were going out into the middle of nowhere, with a bunch of strangers. It really wasn’t the smartest idea. You tried not to look worried, but you were sure it might have caught on. Once you arrived Taeyong did a headcount again, telling everyone to grab their things and head up to the cabin to settle in before they grab breakfast and then start with activities. After grabbing your things Taeyong pulled you aside, letting you know that if at any point you wanted to leave, there was a car and he’d drive you back himself, no questions asked.

    Now you really felt called out, but at least you had some relief knowing there was some understanding to your situation, being the only outsider, and that you weren’t trapped or obligated to stay here. Taeyong went with you to the cabin, once again doing a headcount when everyone was there. The place wasn’t a small cabin, but seemed more like a resort. There weren’t any individual rooms, so everyone would sleep together in the main hall. You’d all be staying for one night only, so that seemed reasonable. There were lockers to put your things in, and the important facilities were pointed out. Once that was all done everyone gathered in the mess hall for some breakfast. This was truly the embarrassing part.

“Everyone, quiet down.”

    Taeyong got atop one of the tables, speaking over everyone else and getting them to be quiet. He thanked everyone for coming, especially you, and suddenly all eyes were on you. This was his way of properly introducing you to everyone, making you extremely shy. No one teased you, but everyone was very happy to say hello and get acquainted. It also made sure conversations kept going and you never felt neglected. After breakfast it seemed that you’d all be going on a little hike. The group had been here before, and enjoyed taking in the scenes of nature. They were also very excited to show you, which also kept you from getting so nervous.

    It was said to be better to split off into groups of six so no one felt excluded or alone. You got put with Taeyong, Doyoung, Jungwoo, Mark, and Yuta. They were all super friendly, and gave you a lot of attention. Being the outsider also gave them the excuse to constantly point things out to you and ramble a bit about the trees, leaves, the birds, and the ponds. They were honestly all really cute, and you actually enjoyed the little hike, getting to know them more along the way. You actually had a picnic around lunch time together, having found a nice clearing to set up on. It was a really beautiful experience, and a good way to rest. After that you returned to the cabin and regrouped with the rest.

    Everyone had stories to share, which was perfect as people were mixed around to help prepare for the night. You were helping with refreshments, finding yourself between Haechan and YangYang, squeezing oranges and trying not to make a mess. You wound up talking a lot, rambling out of nervousness and excitement, having been enjoying your day so far, and they were happy to listen. As it began to get dark the grilling and set up for dinner started, Taeyong also suggesting everyone take turns cleaning up for the night.

    You were one of the last to shower, and by the time you stepped outside the smell of food was in the air, and a few campfires were going with people roasting marshmallows. You got something to eat, finding a spot to sit, getting thanked for all your work with the refreshments. It really felt like a party now, food and laughter in the air, making it so easy to forget your troubles. Although as the sky got darker, and everyone had food in their bellies, things kinda got serious. Taeyong brought everything back to connections, how everyone here was connected, and that they were here for each other.

    You were all out in the woods alone but together, so he opened up the time to just talk about things that might be on someone’s mind. Things ranged from being nervous about school or work, about possible opportunities on the way. It got deep, some sharing their concerns about where they’re going in life, and that certainly struck a chord with you. Your silence and minor zoning out was noticed by Sicheng, who was sitting by your side. He stepped away for a moment and then returned, handing you a glass of juice and asking if you were alright. You thanked him for the drink, taking a sip.

“I’m good… just thinking…”

“Do you wanna talk to the group?”

“I don’t think I could. You all know each other, it’d be like intruding…”

“But you’re here with us, you’re one of us. And if you don’t see it like that, we are just a bunch of strangers to you, who better to unload on.”

“I suppose…”

“Go on then. Guys!” Sicheng got everyone to quiet down. “Go ahead.”

“Uh… well…”

“What’s on your mind?”

“I don’t… I don’t know…  I’m like… alright financially, but I feel like I’m not going anywhere… like I’m stuck… work is just where I go, and I just can’t find the strength or even need to socialize with the people around me… I feel like something’s wrong with me…”

“That’s hardly the case.” Taeyong spoke. “It sounds like you lack connections in your life, and that’s not entirely your fault. If those around you aren’t willing to connect, all your efforts come off in vain. There’s nothing wrong with you, it just seems those people aren’t appreciating you.”

“Which is bullshit, by the way.” Ten added. “You’re wonderful, and people should be way nicer to you.”

    Suddenly getting showered with compliments made your face burn. You had to politely ask them to stop, and that’s how the night really began to wind down. By then you were all gathered around the biggest campfire. After who knows how long Taeyong suggested that those who were tired should get to bed. A few got up and headed inside, but you stuck around for a while longer, enjoying a few more smores and watching the pretty fire. After a third yawn you retired for the night, finishing your drink and going inside. 

    You cleaned up a bit more before changing into something to sleep in and finding a place in the main hall. Plenty of sleeping bags, blankets, and pillows were stacked against the walls by the entrance, so you grabbed what you wanted and found a nice place to lay down. The exhilaration of the day was slowly fading, and exhaustion was engulfing you. This wasn’t your room or your bed, but you found it easy to fall asleep, closing your eyes and snuggling the sheets, drifting off into dreamland.

🖤

    You opened your eyes to find the morning sun on your face. It was nice, but after a moment you remembered there weren’t any windows that low in the main hall. You quickly sat up, realizing you weren’t where you had laid down to rest. Instead you were on a couch in a room you did not recognize. You looked around, trying to understand your situation, and find a way out of this place. The panic was bubbling up, but suddenly you found that you were not alone, finding a familiar face.

“Sleeping well?”

    You watched Taeyong come down the spiraling stairs, offering you a smile and then standing by the windows, looking out at the skyline.

“Where am I…”

“Somewhere safe. It’s honestly amazing you’re here. So, tell me, what made you decide to come on our trip?”

“Uh… well I thought it’d be fun… a nice weekend getaway to unwind.”

“Is that so?”

‘I just have plans already… this group I’m a part of, we’re having a weekend getaway… I can’t be out late Friday night…’

    Your disembodied voice came from out of nowhere, and it actually scared you. Although you had no idea how this was possible. You knew these words weren’t said to Taeyong or anyone in NCT, and yet here they were. Taeyong moved over to sit across from you, his demeanor giving nothing away.

“What the…”

“Did you really come out here to avoid someone?”

“What?”

“That’s quite a big move. Do they bother you that much?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“It’s important to be open with one another when forming a connection, and to support each other. If you need us, or anything, we’re here for you.”

“Uh…”

“Shall we connect?”

    Taeyong held his hand out to you, a gentle smile on his face. Nothing made sense, and yet you felt a subtle compulsion to take his hand, to accept it, his offer, regardless of what it meant. Although as you began to move closer to him, reaching out, everything faded to black.

🖤

    You felt warm all over as you began to regain consciousness. You thought to yourself the sleeping bag was just that warm, although as you opened your eyes you realized the truth. You found yourself sandwiched between Jaehyun and Johnny, practically cuddled up in their arms. You tried to wiggle your way out of their grasp, waking them up in the process, and they both immediately moved away.

“Sorry, sorry, I didn’t… shit, sorry.”

“I don’t usually move in my sleep, we’re so sorry.”

“I’m fine… are you guys okay? Did you sleep well?”

“Yeah, yeah…”

“Why are you so loud?” Jisung sat up from his place, glaring. “It’s too early.”

“Sleepy head.” Johnny teased. “Others are already up and gone.”

“Then go too, I wanna sleep some more.”

“Okay, okay, let’s go see what’s for breakfast.”

    The two others excused themselves, apologizing again. You stayed put for a while, still sleepy but also vaguely thinking about the dream you had just had. It was so weird and made no sense, but those were dreams. You got up and freshened up for the morning, going into the mess hall for some breakfast. It was a little more quiet than before as everyone was still waking up. Everyone said good morning, asking if you slept well. You did, not mentioning the weird dream, but at least you were very warm.

    Once everyone was up and had eaten, the day was really sunny, and it was perfect weather to enjoy the lake. You brought a swimsuit along, but you hadn’t realized what going for a swim meant for the others. You swear you had never been surrounded by so many shirtless men. You had to stop yourself from staring too long, and were grateful the water was keeping you cool. There were plenty of water activities to keep you busy, and everyone stuck around the dock to enjoy lunch. Some began to complain about the start of the week, but what mattered was the enjoyment of the present. After lunch you all hung around for a while longer before having to go back to the cabin and clean up. It was time to head home.

    You helped make sure the campgrounds were clean, and double checked the main cabin to make sure no one had left anything behind. Taeyong did a headcount as everyone boarded the bus, doing it again inside before you all hit the road. You found yourself staring out the window, still a little sleepy, but overall glad you had fun this weekend. By the time you arrived back in town you felt a bit sad that it was over. Taeyong counted again to make sure everyone had made it back, and thanked everyone for coming out. They grabbed their things, and said their goodbyes to the group.

“Do you want me to walk you back the way we came?” Hendery asked. “Or would you be okay going yourself?”

“Uh… I should be fine alone.”

“Nonsense.” Xiaojun chimed in. “We should walk with you, it’s only fair. Come on.”

    You honestly didn’t mind the company, sharing your favorite moments from the weekend on your way. You thanked them again for accompanying you, and wished them well on the rest of their day. You parted ways there, going to your apartment and collapsing on the couch. Now that the little trip was over you could reflect on how you had actually gone with a bunch of guys to a campsite and had a lot of fun in like two days, way more fun than the last two months. You checked your phone to see if you had missed anything, but there weren’t any notifications or unread messages, not surprising.

      You ordered some food later on and just wound down for the day with TV. As you were getting ready for bed your phone chimed, multiple times, and it was certainly confusing. When you checked you saw that you had been added to a group chat, NCT’s group chat. Some were already talking about getting together for dinner Monday, and now everyone was responding with their availability. Eventually the question was directed at you, but you only said you’d think about it. You set the chat on mute and got into bed, dreading the tomorrow, but you couldn’t stop it, so might as well get some good sleep.

🖤

“So, how was your trip?”

    You had completely forgotten how your Friday night went, so when Jason popped the question Monday morning you panicked a bit. The weekend was suddenly a jumbled mess in your mind.

“Uh… good. We did some hiking and swam out in the lake.”

“Oh, did you have smores?”

“Yup. I burned a marshmallow or two.”

“Well, how about you tell me more over dinner?”

“Another company dinner? So soon?”

“No, I was thinking just the two of us.”

“Oh… I already have plans for tonight. Sorry.”

“Your little group again?”

“Yeah.”

“Alright, rain check on that dinner then.”

“Ok.”

    Jason caught you off guard with that request, and even though you didn’t intend to go to dinner with the others, that just spilled out of your mouth as a way to avoid Jason’s request. You didn’t have to go, but now that you put the idea out there you were considering it. At the end of the day Jason wished you well, and that was a good enough push to go. You were also somewhat worried Jason would follow you to make sure you weren’t lying, so you were going. You didn’t send a message ahead, and just showed up, your presence met with cheers.

“Y/n! So glad you could make it.”

    You were greeted by Johnny, Ten, Jeno, Jaemin, Yuta, Xiaojun, Renjun, Shotaro, and Sungchan. Their energy rubbed off on you quickly, and you took a seat between Yuta and Shotaro. Food was already cooking, and you ordered a drink. The conversations were about the day, and how Mondays always seem to drag.

“So, you work in an office.” Jeno questioned. “Right?”

“Yeah, what about it?”

“You got any office drama to share.”

“Oh well, I don’t really socialize with my coworkers.”

“But you must hear everything.” Ten said. “Right?”

“Uh…”

“It’s okay, you don’t have to share. I get it if you only focus on your work.”

“Well it’s hard not to listen in…”

“Oh, so what’s going on?”

“One of the girls in my office… she has a picture of her and her boyfriend on her desk, I believe his name is Eric. Yet I’ve heard her on a personal call in the bathroom on more than one occasion where she’s talking to someone named Maurice. The way she talks to them… sounds like a boyfriend too… so I think she’s like playing two guys.”

“Damn, that’s dangerous.” Renjun commented. “How long has that been going on?”

“Since I’ve heard, at least two months now, but it could be longer.”

“That’s crazy.”

“It explains why she’s always dressed so nice and stuff, she’s got two boys buying her things.”

“I wonder how she dates them.” Johnny questioned. “Do they alternate weekends?”

“Maybe it’s a threesome.” Shotaro said. “That’d be hot.”

“I doubt it.” You countered. “She can barely handle her assignments, I doubt she could manage two guys.”

“What about you?” Yuta asked. “You dating?”

“Me? No, I haven’t really dated.”

“Ever?”

“Yeah…”

“So you’re a virgin?” Jaemin teased. “Right?”

“Uh…”

“Jaemin, behave.” Ten hissed. “Let’s just enjoy the food and the wonderful company we have tonight.”

    Thanks to Ten the conversation shifted, some of the others sharing workplace gossip. You stepped away for a moment to use the restroom and came back, checking the time. It was getting late and you knew you needed to get home. Even though it seemed like they were going to keep going, you had to excuse yourself first. Xiaojun offered to walk you to your little drop off location, and everyone agreed, they didn’t want you walking alone at night. You couldn’t refuse, and you wouldn’t have either way.

“Have a good night, sleep well.”

“You too, night.”

    You made it back to your apartment safe and sound, happy with how the night went. You got ready for bed and crawled under the sheets, cuddling yourself. At least you ended the day on a good note, so even if you had work in the morning, it didn’t bother you as much. You closed your eyes and peacefully drifted off to sleep.

🖤

“You’re running from someone, why?”

    Your eyes shot open when you heard a familiar voice, finding yourself back in that weird living room space, Taeyong staring at the night skyline outside the window. As you sat up he turned back to you, that gentle smile from before. He sat across from you, watching you, waiting.

“What?”

‘I already have plans for tonight… sorry’

    Hearing your voice from some unknown place startled you, just like last time. You hadn’t seen Taeyong since you returned, and you said these words at work. It made no sense for him to know any of this, yet he did, and his expressions gave nothing away.

“I wouldn’t say you’re lying, but you are running away from this person… aren’t you? Jerry, is it?”

“What is this?”

“I’m just trying to help you understand.”

“Understand what?”

“Why you need us.”

“Excuse me?”

“Twice now we’ve invited you into our circle, and you’ve accepted twice, not necessarily of your own will, but as a means of escape.” Taeyong chuckled. “I might have taken offense to that, using us as your scape-goat, but you’re comfortable and open around us, have been from the start, and that’s very good.”

“I don’t…”

“But why are you running to us? Are you aware of the answer? That you know we can protect you.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about and-”

    You felt so out of control in this situation, and it was annoying you. Taeyong was stepping out of lines in ways you couldn’t even understand. You stood with the intention of leaving, doing anything besides listening to him, but as soon as you stood you collapsed, sinking back into darkness.

🖤

    You inhaled sharply as you woke up, taking in your surroundings to ground yourself in reality. You took some deep breaths, reminding yourself everything was just a meaningless dream, and the sooner you thought of other things, the sooner it’d fade away. When you looked over at the clock you saw that you were up before your alarm, and you didn’t think you’d be able to fall asleep again. Since you had some time, and your mind was still on the dream, you figured you’d do something you should have done from the beginning. You searched the web for information on NCT.

    At first you got the basic information. NCT was a gaming company focused on the development of VR and AR technology. It wasn’t a big company, and the tech wasn’t really perfected or well enough for general market consumption. That explained why the name sounded familiar, but you had to look it up to get an answer. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, until you went beyond the company information. You found some forum talking about them, specifically those gatherings and presentations they have. You weren’t the first to take interest in their words, and it seemed some approached them with an interest to know more, but it all seemed to go the same way.

    Many on the forum reported having strange dreams after getting close to NCT, and those same people from the group approaching them more often. It started off innocent, invitations to socialize and one could really get to know them, but the strange dreams persisted. Furthermore, the group themselves became more persistent in their attempts to socialize, and get to know them. It got to a point of borderline harassment, and many had to make reports, change numbers, or even move away to get them to leave them alone. None of that sounded good, nor was it something you wanted to deal with either. Although you thought maybe those things could be exaggerated, as who doesn’t lie on the internet.

    Your alarm going off was your sign to stop searching the web and get ready for work. Your thoughts lingered on NCT and what you read but you didn’t let it bother you too much. You made it to your job without issue, going about your day. It was mostly quiet until lunch time, when Jason asked you to join him. There was no excuse this time, and you honestly felt like you owed him, so you agreed, somewhat reluctantly. He was overjoyed, talking about a good place as you made your way down. Once you stepped outside you were met with an unexpected surprise.

“Y/n.”

    When you heard your name called you looked over, seeing a familiar face approach you, it was Kun. He seemed excited to see you, meanwhile you were confused how he found you.

“I’m glad I caught you before you went out. Shall we?”

“What?”

“Lunch.”

“Sorry” Jason cut in. “But y/n is having lunch with me. I think you’re outta luck”

Kun scoffed. “I believe you’re the one out of luck here. Y/n already agreed to go with me.”

    Before you could say anything, Kun grabbed you and pulled you to his side, although Jason quickly reached over to grab you too.

“Let her go.” Kun stated. “Before you cause a scene.”

“You’re the one causing a scene.”

“Y/n, it’s okay to admit you forgot about today. I understand work must keep you busy.”

“Uh…”

“Just tell him that and let’s go. I don’t want you rushing through a meal.”

    You looked between the two, not really sure what to do. You didn’t like this situation either way, and there was no way you got out of it alone. You had seconds to think, and you made the choice that would benefit you more.

“Sorry, Jason. It really must have slipped my mind. Tomorrow, lunch, for sure, I promise.”

    Jason sighed and let you go, telling you both to enjoy yourselves. You offered an apologetic smile, and suddenly Kun pressed a kiss to your cheek.

“Let’s go.”

    He grabbed your hand and pulled you along as you held your cheek, shocked by his actions. You also had no idea if anyone else saw that. Still, you followed him, going to a nice cafe and enjoying your lunch break. Kun didn’t bring up what happened outside your job, just wanting to talk about you and make you smile. Despite the situation, you did have a good time, but there was something you had to say.

“Kun.”

“Yes?”

“I’ve had a great time hanging out with you, all of you, but this is where I must part ways.”

“Huh?”

“I need to focus on other things, and I don’t really think this group is for me.”

“Ah… I see…”

“I hope you understand and can relay the message to the others.”

    You didn’t want to hear anything else, so you got up and thanked Kun for the meal. Although he grabbed your arm and held you back for a moment. His grip was gentle, but you knew he’d hold on if you tried to move. When you looked at him, he didn’t meet your eyes, simply keeping his gaze ahead.

“Don’t believe everything you read.”

    Those words sent shivers down your spine. You couldn’t articulate anything, and Kun let you go. For a moment you stood there frozen before you scurried out of the cafe. Your mind was running, thinking about what he meant, but you tried not to let it bother you. Surely anyone who looked up NCT on the web would find what you did, and your decision wasn’t all because of that. Once you were back in the office you could calm yourself down. Quickly removing yourself from that group chat without looking at any other messages.

“Are you okay?”

“Huh?” You looked up to see Jason. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

“You don’t look so good.”

“I guess lunch didn’t agree with me.”

“I see… I’ll do better tomorrow.”

“Huh?”

“Tomorrow, lunch together.”

“Right, right.”

“I’ll let you get back to work then.”

    The rest of the day kinda dragged, so you were grateful when it finally came to an end. You made your way home, and sighed in relief when you closed the door. You were looking forward to sleeping, kicking your shoes off and making your way inside.

“You shouldn’t believe everything you read on the internet.”

    You screamed and jumped, looking over to see someone sitting on your couch. It was Taeyong. Now you were visibly shaking, he had broken into your apartment and you had no idea what he was going to do. Somehow you regained the sense to think straight, and you turned around with the intention to run, only to bump into Johnny. He smiled down at you, gently pushing you back.

“We’re not gonna hurt you.” Johnny cooed. “We’d never do that.”

“How… why…”

“We can’t lose synchronization.” Taeyong spoke as he got up. “So this is necessary.”

    Johnny flipped you around and held you in place as Taeyong approached you. Your heart was pounding in your chest, and you desperately tried to get away, but soon enough two others approached from your sides, Jaehyun and Jungwoo, boxing you in. As Taeyong stood before you he reached into his jacket pocket, pulling out a small vial and a needle. You watched as he filled the needle with an unknown substance. Jaehyun wound up grabbing your face and pulling your head to the side to expose your neck.

“Please… please don’t do this!”

“You’ll be fine.” Taeyong assured. “Promise.”

    Out of the corner of your eye you could see the needle coming closer, eventually feeling the pinch on your skin. You whimpered, but there was nothing you could do. Jaehyun let you go when it was over but Johnny kept his hold on you. Taeyong reached over and gently caressed your cheek. You were starting to feel sleepy, even though fear still gripped you right.

“Please…”

“Sh, just sleep. I’ll see you soon.”

    You couldn’t stop yourself from slipping under, drowning in the darkness with no idea when you’d see the light again.

🖤

    You gasped as you came to, your mind trying to catch you up on everything that happened. Taeyong and others broke into your apartment and attacked you, drugged you. Now you had no idea where you were, and as you took in your surroundings you became very confused. Everywhere you looked it was dark, the only light coming from all the little dots. It looked like you were staring up at a starry sky no matter which direction you faced. You slowly stood, seeing the ground was the same, and you were partially afraid you’d sink into this void, but it seemed like you were walking on air.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

    You turned around to find Taeyong, who quite literally appeared out of nowhere. He was dressed in white robes, and that’s when you realized you were dressed in a similar fashion.

“Where am I? What is this place? What did you do to me!?”

“I know you have a lot of questions, but now isn’t the time for them.”

“What?”

“Today is just for establishing a connection. We’ll have a proper induction when the time is right.”

“I…”

    Taeyong grabbed you and pulled you into his arms. He rocked you gently to the side, rubbing your back and softly humming. You started to feel something climbing up your legs. It felt warm yet cold. You pulled away enough to look down, seeing that this galaxy was rising up and swallowing you. When you tried to move, Taeyong just held you tighter.

“There’s no need to be afraid.”

“What is this!?”

“Salvation.”

    You couldn’t move your legs anymore, you felt like you were paralyzed down there. Taeyong wasn’t though, he held you and began laying you back. He was all you could see, the starry skies filling up every other inch of your vision. You held onto him, not wanting him to drop you into whatever this was, but it seemed that he intended to go down with you.

“You can close your eyes if you want.”

    Soon enough you felt that same warmth and chill against your back, your grip on Taeyong getting more desperate. It didn’t stop anything, as you felt this substance engulfing your body inch by inch. You couldn’t help but shut your eyes and hold your breath as you felt it at the back of your neck. Once you were completely under you felt like you were floating. You couldn’t feel Taeyong anymore, you seemed to be alone. Whatever this was, it was terrifying, but as you remained in this limbo, you couldn’t help this feeling of peace overtaking you. Even in this darkness, there was some form of comfort you couldn’t explain. You weren’t alone, not really, not anymore.

🖤

    You sighed softly as you woke up, laying still in shock over what had happened. You were in your bedroom, tucked in under the covers, safe and sound. You slowly got up, seeing that you had beat your alarm by a few minutes. You turned it off so it wouldn’t bother you, but you stayed in bed for a moment, staring up at the ceiling. You seemed to be okay, you didn’t feel weird or sore. Now you were wondering if everything had just been a dream, including the break in. From what you had read, and telling Kun you were done, maybe your worst fears got the best of you.

    Regardless of all that, you actually felt better. A sense of calm and peace swimming within you. It was nice to start the day in a good mood for once. You got up and got ready for work, going about your usual commute. Even the office appeared to be in a nicer light, so you felt that the day would be good. It honestly started off that way, but as the minutes ticked on, you began to feel this headache growing. You thought nothing of it, going to the breakroom to get some medicine, but it didn’t seem to help. Now you were struggling to focus, but you wanted to push through until the end of the day.

“So, are you still up for lunch?”

    As always, you kinda forgot about Jason, especially that you had agreed to lunch today. Despite your headache, you weren’t going to rain check on him again, better to get this over with, although you weren’t sure going out would be a good idea.

“Do you think we could order something and eat together in the break room? Gives us more time to enjoy our lunch break.”

“I like that idea. I’ll email you some restaurants and you let me know which one you prefer, it’s on me.”

“Oh, you don’t have to.”

“I insist.”

    Jason was kinda a nice person, and today of all days, you were seeing him differently. You always thought maybe he was trying to make a move, and not catching on that you weren’t interested, or not caring, but maybe he was just being nice, genuinely nice. No one else in the office really bothered to socialize with you outside of work inquiries. Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea to make a friend. Although none of that made the headache any better. If anything you swear it was getting worse. Still, you didn’t want to ditch Jason, so you at least told yourself to have lunch, maybe some food will make you feel better, and if not, you’d head home early. 

    The two of you had the break room to yourselves at lunch time, and the food smelled delicious. As you ate you were starting to feel a bit better, thinking maybe this whole headache was because you skipped breakfast. You made idle chat with Jason, although he did a lot of the talking. Maybe you could get to know him like this, but it didn’t last long. It was probably half way through your lunch when you heard shuffling around the office. You thought someone was back early or had forgotten something when two gentlemen walked into the break room.

“Delivery.”

    Jason was confused, whereas you were annoyed. Yuta and Jungwoo were dressed up as delivery boys, having brought some food. They claimed it was for you, but you knew you hadn’t ordered anything.

“I think you guys have the wrong place.” Jason said. “I can show you out.”

“It’s for y/n.” Jungwoo smiled. “Her favorite.”

    You hated the fact that it was true, they brought food from your favorite place, and the smell let you know they picked out just the right dish. Still, their presence and all this didn’t make any sense.

“You guys need to leave.” You stated. “You got the wrong place and-”

“We don’t.” Yuta cut in. “Actually we came here for you.”

“Me?”

“Alright, you need to leave.” Jason ordered. “Or I’m calling security.”

“How’s the headache, y/n? Is it getting better?”

“Leave.” You hissed. “Now.”

“We can’t do that.”

“I am calling-”

    Jason intended to step out and get security but Yuta wound up jumping him, and getting him into a chokehold. Before you knew it your coworker was on the floor knocked out cold. You had gotten up and backed away from the scene, horrified. To add to everything, your headache had gotten severely worse, and you were having trouble thinking. You grabbed your head, struggling to figure out what to do.

“I know it’s messy.” Jungwoo said. “But Taeyong sent us to get you.”

“Go away… leave… leave me alone…”

“We can’t do that. You’re not okay right now.”

“And who’s… who’s fault is that…”

“This wasn’t supposed to happen.” Yuta added. “So let us help you.”

“No, no… stay back.”

    Of course you couldn’t do anything to stop them in your state. The fear and pain were mixing together, keeping you off balance. Before you knew it they both stood before you, tears stung your eyes, and Yuta reached up to wipe them away, holding your gaze.

“Everything’s going to be fine.”

    You felt Jungwoo gently pulling up your shirt, his hand touching your skin before you felt a pinch. You looked down just as Jungwoo pulled out the needle. An incoherent mess of words spilled out of your mouth in panic but it did nothing to stop the darkness creeping into your vision. Your legs gave out first and Yuta caught you in his arms. You could vaguely see his lips moving, but no sound made it to your ears. Instead you just closed your eyes, at least glad that the headache would stop for a while.

🖤

    When you regained consciousness you found yourself in bed once again. For a moment you thought getting up and going to work and all that was just another dream, but you opened your eyes to confirm you realized you were wrong. You weren’t in your bedroom, instead somewhere else entirely, you were in someone else’s room. You sat up looking around, well aware that wherever you were, this place was fancy. The sheets were soft and the bed was very comfortable. Although most noticeably your headache was completely gone. 

“You’re awake.”

    You were about to get out of bed when you heard a door open. Taeyong entered the room. He seemed happy to see you but you weren’t.

“Where am I?”

“My home.”

“Yours?”

“This is the Resonance Hotel, penthouse suite, my place.”

“And why am I here?”

“To rest and recover. I should apologize. What happened to you doesn’t usually occur. Although it is a good sign.”

“A brain splitting headache is not a good sign! What the hell did you do to me!”

“Formed a connection. Usually it settles on its own over a couple of days, but the headache is a result of rapid growth.”

“You’re speaking gibberish to me.”

“It’s hard to articulate, but you’ll need to stay with me for a while until things settle.”

“Why!”

“Because I am the core, and your mental stability is very important. As long as you’re by me, you’ll be fine.”

“You kidnapped me.”

“I could sense your distress and sent two of my boys to collect you.”

“Kidnap.”

“If that’s how you want to see it.”

“No, that’s what you did, and I refuse to be your captive.”

    You got out of bed and stormed past Taeyong, figuring the door to leave was down the path he came. Now that you knew you were in a hotel your surroundings made sense. When you left the bedroom you found a hallway, and you just picked a direction. You wound up in the living room, seeing some of the others playing games. They all turned to you, confused, and a few made attempts to stand, but Taeyong stopped them.

“Leave her. The elevator to the lobby is down that way.”

    Whether he lied or not, you went that way, figuring you’d find a way out yourself eventually. Taeyong didn’t follow, but one of the gamer boys did, Haechan. He didn’t say anything but his presence was creepy enough. You ignored him though, continuing your path and determined to get away from all of them. You could already feel the bits of a headache coming on, but you ignored them. When you saw the elevator you were relieved, hitting the button and stepping inside. You tried to shut the door quickly but Haechan made it in with you. He gave you a proud smirk.

“I’ll escort you.”

    You stuck to a corner, letting Haechan hit one of the only buttons he could, the down arrow. He kept his back to you, but you were still weary of the whole thing. The display only showed that the elevator was moving down, and you could feel it. Although you definitely had no idea how many floors this hotel had, and every moment that passed you felt the headache getting worse.

“Oh, you might want this.”

    Haehcan turned back and held out your phone. You felt so stupid for simply walking out without thinking about it. You took it back without a word, seeing that you were already shaking. It was getting hard to think, like before, but maybe it was just the panic from the whole situation, or feeling trapped in this little box with a stranger. You certainly felt like you couldn’t breath, sinking down to the floor, grabbing your head. Every second that passed made it worse and worse you felt your head was going to explode.

“Sta… stop… stop, stop, stop.”

    Haechan hit the stop button, and even though it didn’t fix anything, you certainly weren’t feeling any worse. You had no idea what this was, but you wanted it gone, you wanted it to stop.

“You made it pretty far, I’m impressed.”

“What’s… what’s happening…”

“The connection has to settle, and you need to be with Taeyong for that to go smoothly. You’d be in worse pain if I wasn’t here to help, even if just a little.”

    The receptionist down at the lobby called in to make sure if everything was alright. Haechan confirmed that you were both fine, and then he hit the up arrow button. You didn’t want to go back up, and even if you didn’t really understand your situation, that seemed to be your only option. The pressure in your head started to fade away, and you felt more in control of yourself, but it didn’t change your destination. You felt better by the time the elevator doors opened, seeing you were back in the penthouse.  You didn’t move though, you didn’t want to, but you couldn’t stay there either.

“Come on, let’s get you back to bed.”

    Haechan helped you to your feet, keeping his arms around you as he walked with you. Those you passed by didn’t say anything, and you wound up back in what you believed to be Taeyong’s room. He was waiting for you, sitting on the bed reading a book.

“Are you alright?”

“Asshole.”

“Some sleep should do you good.”

“How long are you going to keep me here?”

“It depends, but given how far you went just now, perhaps a day or two.”

“Excuse me!”

“It’s already pretty late. You should sleep and I’ll have something brought over later for dinner.”

    It was clear he wasn’t gonna give you any answers, so you might as well just get some rest. Taeyong wasn’t gonna move, so you laid down as far from him as possible, keeping your back to him. By now your headache was gone, so at least there was that. Although you didn’t actually want to go to sleep, you’ve had weird dreams about Taeyong before, you had no idea what would happen with him so near. So you were just quiet, more or less pretending to sleep, trying to figure out how you could get out of here.

    Later on food was brought over and Taeyong gently shook you to wake you. He didn’t seem to know you hadn’t fallen asleep as he was busy with his book. You were hungry, but you weren’t sure you could trust the food. Still, if they were going to do anything to you, they would have done it by now. So you just ate a bit, enough to get you through the night. Taeyong didn’t say anything in that regard, simply excusing himself for a moment. You thought your headache would return the moment he left the room, but you were absolutely fine. That made you realize that maybe this was all some elaborate trick.

    Something was done to you the other night, and that must have caused the headache. It didn’t get better until you were here. And on the elevator, you weren’t alone, Haechan could have done something to you as well. Perhaps if you could leave without any of them knowing, none of them could actually stop you. Since it was late now, the windows revealing the sun had gone down, you just needed to wait for everyone else to fall asleep. That was the plan, and you just needed to wait for your moment. When Taeyong returned he got ready for bed, telling you to do so as well, and you complied with that.

    Now you both were lying in bed in the dark, and you kept your back to him. All you had to do was not fall asleep. You were tired, but determined, so that helped you stay awake. Your mind would wander, trying to find anything to distract yourself with. After what felt like enough time you reached over for your phone on the nightstand, carefully checking the time, it was one in the morning. You slowly sat up, not wanting to make too much noise. When you looked over at Taeyong he seemed sound asleep, and you carefully whispered his name, checking to see if he’d wake up, but he didn’t respond.

    You continued to move cautiously as you got out of bed and made your way out of the room. Even if the place was big, any sound could wake the whole place, so you had to remain quiet. You could more or less see the way you needed to go, careful not to make the floors creak too bad as you walked around. After an eternity you made it to the elevator, hitting the button. You felt completely fine, adding to your theory that they were messing with you somehow. You stepped into the elevator and quickly closed the doors behind you, letting out a breath of relief when you started moving down.

     Slowly, but surely, the headache began to appear. It wasn’t bad like before, and you certainly felt that you had gone farther than before. This didn’t make sense, but maybe whatever they did had lingering effects. You could push through this, it wasn’t bad, and you were determined to get out. When the elevator doors opened you stumbled out, quick to lean against the nearest wall for support. You took a few steps before you needed to sit down, sliding down to the floor. You took some deep breaths, trying to focus your breathing and your thoughts. If you could get home, things would get better.

    You were grateful no one came across you like this, cause you had no idea what you would say, but you did start to feel better. In fact you could feel this headache starting to pass. It brought a smile to your face, knowing you were right. You looked at your phone to see how you’d get home from this place, when it was suddenly snatched from your hands. Your first thought was you’d have to chase after some thief, but you looked up to see Taeyong.

“I see you’re feeling better.”

    You swallowed nervously, not sure what to do in this situation. Taeyong browsed your phone for a minute before turning it off and putting it in his pocket. Of course your headache was completely gone now, but you refused to believe it was him.

“Let’s go back upstairs.”

    You scrambled to your feet with the intent to run, but Taeyong quickly caught you and put a hand over your mouth. He dragged you back over to the elevator, not letting you go until the doors closed. You tried to reach for the buttons but he held you back.

“That’s enough, stop it.”

“What the hell are you doing to me!”

    You were frustrated, scared, so completely lost you burst into tears. You had so many questions, but no answers, and everything around you just seemed impossible. You collapsed to the floor, crying into your hands. After a moment Taeyong sat down next to you, pulling you into his arms, gently rocking you and rubbing your head while he held you.

“It’s okay, let it all out, it’s okay.”

“What’s going on… please… please just tell me…”

“You don’t have to be afraid.”

“I am…”

“Sh, it’s okay, it’s okay.”

    When the elevator doors opened Taeyong tried to get you up, but you wouldn’t budge. He found your actions cute, so you both stayed put. The doors closed giving you both some privacy.

“You’re coming along nicely. You actually made it to the lobby.”

“Asshole…”

“I’m not, but why are you so mean to yourself?”

“Huh?”

“That coworker of yours, Jaymson or whatever, always hitting on you and making you uncomfortable, yet you think he deserves a chance?”

“What?”

“Or your job in general, working so hard and not getting recognized or a promotion. You’re doing so much for a company that doesn’t care for you.”

“I don’t… what are you talking about?”

“You know you deserve love, right? Actual, proper, love and care, not whatever it is you’ve been getting from those around you.”

“…”

“Even though you were shy you still came out with us, and you had a fun time too. You don’t have to feel like that once or twice every few months, it should be everyday. We’re here for you, and we can, we will, give you everything you could need. That’s what NCT is all about.”

“My… my head…”

“Most people connect on the surface, sharing memories and interests, but I have a way to make those connections much deeper, I can make them real. I’m in your head, and you’re in mine, and all the others. I suppose the simplest term would be telepathy, but it’s much bigger than that.”

“You’re in… my head… my dreams…”

“Dreams, such a beautiful canvas. There’s so much we have yet to show you.”

“Why… why me… why did you do this…”

“Because you wanted it.”

“No, no I… I didn’t… I don’t…”

“Even with just a small, temporary, connection you opened up to us, our compatibility was much higher than I’ve ever seen with anyone else. Deep down you knew what we were, what we’d give you, and you wanted it. Of course I saw you got scared, and if that grew too much we’d never be able to establish a true connection, even if you wanted it later on. I did this for you, because I know this is what you wanted, what you need.”

“You… you’re not… you’re not human…”

“Perhaps I’m not, I’m certainly greater than one.”

“But… but the headaches…”

“I’m sorry, I should have taken into consideration how well we bonded the first time. It’d surely mean you’d be far more sensitive to the connection process than others. It should settle soon enough, and then you’ll be back to normal, well, better than before.”

“Then why… why you…”

“I told you, I’m the core, the center, the beginning. Everyone connects with me first, and then I can open the door to everything else.” Taeyong kissed your head. “You really do need to rest.”

“I don’t… I don’t wanna go there… in my dreams…”

“I can do that.”

    Taeyong got you to your feet, walking with you back to the bedroom. You didn’t say much else, still processing the unbelievable nonsense he had told you, but you were also too tired to think. Taeyong tucked you in under the covers, carefully getting in himself. He gave you your space, although he stayed up to make sure you fell asleep, promising you’d sleep well. Whether you believed him or not, exhaustion was taking a hold of you, so you closed your eyes to get some much needed rest.

🖤

    In the morning you found yourself warmly wrapped up in Taeyong’s arms, seeing that he was deep in sleep. You had slept fine, no dreams at all. Although it made you feel kind of empty.

“Afternoon…”

“Huh?”

“Is it not?” Taeyong peeked an eye open. “Is it actually morning?”

“I’m used to waking up early…”

“Alright. I’ll text someone to come take you for breakfast.”

“I can’t leave?”

“Given last night, not yet.”

“Right…”

“Ya.”

“Hm?”

“After lunch you should be alright to go, I’ll have someone drive you home.”

“Okay…”

    After a moment there was a knock at the door. Doyoung peeked his head in, gesturing for you to come with him. Taeyong had already gone back to sleep, and you quietly made your exit. You joined Doyoung and the others at the breakfast table. You were still weary about the food though.

“Come on, this stuff is the best.” Shotaro said. “You have to try some.”

“Uh…”

“Trust me, open wide.”

    You almost felt like a slight compulsion to do as he said, carefully leaning over to have a bite of what he was offering. It was good, as expected, and it made your stomach growl. A few chuckled, but nothing was really said. You would be leaving anyway, so you might as well enjoy the food. Shotaro was more than happy to feed you other things, petting your head every time you had a bite from him.

“Taeyong said you should be alright to go home after lunch.” Doyoung repeated. “So what do you want to do? You can go back to bed if you want.”

“I should really call in sick from my job first.”

“And after that?” Mark questioned. “How about some games?”

“Games?”

“You know we are a gaming company. We’ve got great VR set ups here. We could play some Among Us, Mini Golf, or some single player stuff.”

“Uh…”

“It’ll be lots of fun.” Chenle assured. “Trust me.”

“Sure… we can play some games.”

“Yes!”

    After breakfast, and calling off from work, you joined the others in their game room, seeing how big it was, and how the only danger from wearing a VR set would probably be hitting each other. You let them pick the games, just mainly tagging along, but you did have fun. It was a good way to pass the time, since before you knew it, it was lunch time, and you could go home. You thought of possibly seeing Taeyong before leaving, but you didn’t want to bother him. Although you were nervous about getting into the elevator. Taeil assured you that you’d be okay, and if you weren’t feeling well you could back.

    The trip down was fine, no headaches at all. It was the same for the trip home. You made it back in one piece, thanking Taeil for the ride. Once you were back in your apartment you felt more at ease, going to your own bedroom to lay down. It really wasn’t as comfy as Taeyong’s bed though. You had a while before bed anyway so you busied yourself with chores, somewhat pondering what has become of your life. You weren’t entirely sure you could believe what Taeyong had told you last night, but you were trying to make sense of things.

    Although in the end you weren’t entirely sure you could go back to them, regardless of how much you enjoyed their company. Being drugged and kidnapped weren’t qualities you should have in friends. That also meant it was probably time you really did better for yourself, making friends and finding a good person to be with. It was certainly a long and weird journey to reach that conclusion, but it was for the best in the long run. You showered and got into bed, ready to face another, but with a whole new outlook on life.

🖤

    No one really seemed to notice your absence, but you weren’t offended by that. Work really keeps you busy, and the same could be said about them, so one is bound to miss things. Especially the quiet girl. Of course only Jason was the one to notice, and you were actually worried about what he was going to say.

“Are you feeling better?”

“Uh… yeah… sorry about lunch the other day. I didn’t mean-”

“Don’t worry about it. I get your headache was killing you and you had to head home early. I’ve been there.”

“Yeah… still sorry…”

“Well, if you’re up for it, company dinner tonight. You in?”

“Uh… yeah, actually, I’d love to go.”

“Awesome. I’ll see you then.”

    The people around you were the ones you could connect with, and it was about time you made an effort. You weren’t exactly planning to leave this job anytime soon. At the end of the day you gathered your things like everyone else, following along for dinner. You heard a few whispering among themselves, rather surprised and annoyed you’d be joining them, probably because they weren’t used to your present. You wound up at the end of the table, Jason at your side to make sure you were kept in the conversations which you appreciated. You didn’t drink, but the others did, and Jason surely did.

    He wound up with an arm around you, making all kinds of jokes, some you were sure weren’t appropriate. Still, by the end of the night it seemed everyone had a good time. It wasn’t entirely the best for you but there were moments, and the food was delicious. You all saw your boss, and then everyone began going their separate ways. You were well aware Jason was in no condition to be alone, and he did hold onto you. He began mumbling compliments and thank yous for helping him out, but you figured it’s what a friend would do.

    You helped him get a cab, making sure he’d be getting home safely before sending him off. It was pretty late out by then, later than you’ve ever been out before. At least the place was close to your job, so it was only a few extra minutes on your commute. You went over to your usual bus stop, patiently waiting. The streets were mostly empty now, but the quiet and cool air was pretty nice. You spent your time on your phone, checking the bus time and browsing socials. You didn’t pay much attention to the cars passing by, and there didn’t seem to be anyone else to join you in your wait. So you didn’t really notice the four vehicles parking nearby.

“You are unbelievable!”

    You looked up to see Sungchan storming up to you, only for Johnny to grab him and hold him back. You were quite surprised to see them here, let alone so late at night. Although it wasn’t just them who had shown up.

“Sungchan, calm down.”

“After everything, they’re just gonna leave!”

“No, no, no, that’s not going to happen. They just need some guidance.”

“What are you guys doing?” You questioned. “Did you see me while you were passing by?”

“That’s funny.” Ten chuckled. “I didn’t think you’d be friendly with us.”

“What?”

“I thought you decided we couldn’t be friends. Cause friends don’t kidnap and drug you, that’s no fun.”

“How do you…”

“I see someone still doesn’t believe me.”

    Taeyong came up from behind you, placing his hands on your shoulders, startling you. When you looked back up at him, you saw this look of disappointment on his face.

“What are you…”

“We’re connected, remember. You, me, all of us. So I know, we know, every pretty little thought that goes through your head. I believed after our lovely chat the other day you’d come to realize that we’re your friends, we’re good people, and that you don’t need anyone else.”

“I appreciate the sentiment but-”

“Clearly. I was wrong. Instead I’ve led you down a path of self-harm. You willingly went out with all those people, put up with their hurtful words and looks, the harassment from that Jaime guy as well.”

“…” 

“That’s on me for letting you go too soon, and for that I must ask forgiveness. From you, and from my brothers. You’re young and new to all this, a child lost in the world. We’re here for you y/n, in every way imaginable.”

“I’m alright.” You stood up, stepping away from Taeyong. “Really. I enjoyed my time and-”

“We all know you’re lying.” Jungwoo said. “Don’t do that to yourself.”

“You guys, have a great thing going for yourselves, but it’s not for me. I appreciate that you’ve helped me grow, and that you’re worried about me, but I’m alright.”

“You’re not.” Kun stated. “Not by a long shot.”

“Look, I am trying to be nice here, but you all showing up like this and talking to me this way. It’s borderline harassment. I want nothing to do with your group, or you guys. So leave me alone or I will get the police involved.”

“Try it.”

    You rolled your eyes and intended to walk away. At this point you might as well get a cab and get yourself home. Although some of the boys blocked your path, and when you tried to walk another way, more cut you off. They had you surrounded.

“I am calling the police!”

“Go for it.” Jaemin chuckled. “I’d love to see this pretty little girl try to use a phone.”

“What the…”

    You ignored them, trying to keep calm despite the fear creeping up. You grabbed your phone, typing in the numbers, but for some reason you couldn’t hit the call button. Your hand started shaking, a sudden headache coming on. For a moment you lost your balance and stumbled a bit, Lucas catching you before you fell, but you quickly stepped away from him.

“Don’t touch me!”

“I thought you were calling the police?”

“I… I am…”

“Our little girl wouldn’t do that.” Yuta teased. “She has no reason to.”

“I do!”

“I don’t think she knows how to use that thing anyway.”

“Wa… what?”

    You looked down at your phone, seeing it glitch. You tapped at the screen but in that state it was useless. You were desperately trying to get it to work, also pushing back this headache, and in your clumsy state you wound up dropping it. You tried to reach for it only to watch it get crushed under a boot.

“You didn’t need that.” Jaehyun said. “Did you now?”

“You son of a-”

    You lunged at Jaehyun, wanting to hit him for his actions, but he stepped back, and in your state you wound up collapsing onto all fours. You were breathing heavily, trying to regain back any sense of control, and sense of self. But it was all too difficult.

“Get… get out… of my… my… head… please…”

“We’re connected now.” Taeyong reminded. “There’s no undoing that. You, me, all of us. We’re one. We move as one. We live as one. We think as one.”

You shook your head. “Get… out… leave me… alone…”

“Why would we do that? You don’t want to be alone, do you?”

“… please…”

“I know it all seems so scary now, but we’re doing this for you.” Doyoung assured. “You don’t have to be alone, unwanted, or unloved, ever again.”

“… no… not like… this…”

“I understand you can’t see the bigger picture right now, but you will. One day. I promise.”

“It’s late.” Renjun reminded. “We should go home.”

“Agreed. We don’t want her getting sick.”

    Tears rolled down your cheeks, dripping onto the floor. You had no idea what was going on, but fear gripped you tight. You had to run, you had to fight. Perhaps that rush of adrenaline was all you needed. Someone helped you up to your feet, and you just elbowed them in the face. Maybe it was also your mild state of delusion that gave you strength, and so the small moment of confusion gave you clarity, and a chance to run. You had no idea where you were going but you just needed to find people, someone, anyone, who could help you.

“No one is going to help you!” Jisung shouted. “There’s only us!”

    You screamed and collapsed to the ground, holding your head. You felt like your brain was on fire, and there was nothing you could do to put it out. You continued screaming, letting the pain engulf you, hoping maybe your cries would be heard, and help would could.

“We said no one is going to help you.” Haechan knelt down at your side. “It’s just us out here, and in there.”

    He playfully tapped your head, and you continued to scream, your tears blurring your vision. Eventually you felt hands grab you, lifting you up and holding you there. The headache began to subside, but your throat was sore, and you felt so drained. You couldn’t escape, and there was no hope for you.

“There is hope sweetie. We’re here for you, we’ve got you.” Taeil caressed your cheek. “We’ll start over okay, a clean slate. Everything will be alright, you’ll see.”

“Liar… you’re all… liars… psychos… monsters!”

“No, no, no, we’re far from that.” Taeyong cooed. “We’re basically the definition of perfection. You’re one of us now, you belong with us, you belong to us. We’re so happy to have you cause you’re perfect, just like us. We’ll make you perfect.”

“… no… no, no, no!”

    You didn’t care that you’d scream yourself hoarse, that your thrashing would only further exhaust you. If this was it, then you were gonna go down fighting. You didn’t expect to break free, and you also didn’t expect Taeyong to grab your chin and hold you still, his eyes staring deeply at yours.

“Let me save you some trouble. Fighting will get you nowhere. We’re all one.” Taeyong pressed his head against yours. “One mind, one being. To exist as one we must have perfect synchronization, and absolutely no disruptions. You’re still new to all this and resistant, so you’re the disruption. A disruption we will fix. So it’s far better you give up and give in to us, to me. You’re not gonna win no matter what you do. Your thoughts, your will, your sense of self, are mine now. My will is rooted deep in you, and you can’t ever get me out. So you either take a deep breath and accept the bliss I will give you, or I will break you, in every sense of the word, in every way you can think of.”

“Is this… how you… treat… those… you care… about…”

“We have to be on the same page first, baby. So what’s it going to be?”

    There was nothing to think about. So you just closed your eyes and took a deep breath. You were exhausted, but an answer had to be given.  Slowly you opened your eyes, once again meeting Taeyong’s gaze.

“I hate-”

“No. No, you don’t. You’re not capable of hate, baby girl. Trust me. There is nothing but love here, from us to you, and from you to us. Okay?”

“… uh…”

“I know you’re tired but you can say it, I love you.”

“I…”

“Go on.”

“…”

“It’s okay, we’ll work on that.” Taeyong kissed your head. “Let’s get you home.”

(II)

[cafeacademia]

𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐬

𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: After you were kidnapped and hurt during a case, you stick exclusively to Spencer. You feel the safest with him. He doesn't understand why, especially with Morgan and Hotch around, surely you would feel much safer with them. And maybe it just so happens to bring some feelings forwards that both of you had been suppressing all this time...

𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭: Very brief descriptions of the kidnapping, the only thing really described is the moment Spencer finds you, hospitals (but no big details - just the room Reader stays in), mention of injury (but no description or real severity), lots of hurt comfort, tears, fluff, personal attention, kissing.

𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: Approx 2.5k

𝐌𝐲 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬

𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞: Hello!! This fic was requested by a lovely anon! I hope this is what you were looking for! I really enjoyed writing this one and I hope you enjoy reading it! Thank you for requesting - my requests are still open, so please feel free to send me one!

“Don’t let go.” You sobbed against his chest as Spencer cradled you in his arms. “I won’t, I promise.” He had never sounded so sure of anything.

It had been a gruelling case. The twists and turns alone had been enough to keep all of you in a constant state of exhaustion, but when you were taken in your most vulnerable state in the middle of the night mid way through the investigation, the team worked themselves to the ground to find you.

Spencer had been the one to work it out and he’d been the first one on the scene, the first one to work out where in the building you were and the first one to reach you. Now you were in the ambulance, waiting to go to the hospital after your ordeal and Spencer had not left your side. You weren’t sure if it was because you were so reluctant to let him leave you, or if it was because Spencer was reluctant himself to be more than an arm's reach from you.

His embrace on his arrival at the scene had given you the most immense sense of safety and you had melted into him as he protected you from the ongoing gunfire around you, holding you close and keeping your head pressed against his chest, the palm of his hand cradling your head against him as he crouched over you as a shield.

You were terrified to be left alone in the ambulance, so Spencer offered to stay with you. And when you were afraid to be alone in the hospital, the entire event replaying in your head over and over again, the pain resurfacing and the fear mounting up in your mind, weighing on your chest and only worsening as the darkness of night drew in, Spencer stayed with you.

Morgan had offered, but you were adamant. “Sweetheart, I can stay with you tonight if you want.” He offered. “But-.” You didn’t want to sound like you didn’t want his company, you loved Morgan’s company, but you just felt safer with Spencer. You didn’t say it out loud, but Morgan had caught on pretty quickly and he rewarded you with the biggest smirk you thought you’d ever seen. “Well, I think our girl really wants you to stay, Spence.” Morgan chuckled. “I can do that.” Spencer nodded, giving you a gentle smile. He didn’t even question it.

But later that evening when it was just the two of you in the hospital room, a thought played on his mind. It wasn’t important enough right now though, for him to linger on it for longer than a few moments, his mind shifting back to watching over you.

The night passed at a slow pace. Between disturbed sleep from the noises of the hospital down to the nightmares and horrific things you saw once you closed your eyes, sleep did not come easily. But at some point during the night, when Spencer had been unable to sleep himself, he noticed the trouble that you were having and he wondered if something he could do would help.

“Hey,” He broke the silence, voice soft so as not to scare you. Turning to face him, face squished quite adorably against the pillow, Spencer wished he could tell you that you looked cute, but now was not the time. “Do you want to um,” He paused, pointing at himself awkwardly. “Maybe hug? Would that help you to sleep?” Spencer became more awkward the more he spoke, but when your sleepy, drained features softened with a smile, his confidence came back again. “Yes please.” You nodded. It was awkward at first, Spencer clambering onto your hospital bed and trying to manoeuvre in a way that wouldn’t hurt you. But once both of you had gotten comfortable and his arms cradled you against him just like he had when he’d found you, that same sense of safety settled over you in a comfortable haze. And just like that, you were able to fall asleep and get the rest you needed in his arms.

“You two got cosy last night.” Morgan teased when he entered the next morning to check on you. You were still deep asleep on Spencer’s chest with his arms wrapped around you. “She couldn’t sleep, the nightmares were awful.” Spencer replied in a whisper. Of course, the excuse was beyond valid and believable, but it was Morgan and he had known for a long time that there was something more between you both that wasn’t just a coworker friendship. Thankfully he kept his teasing to a minimum, knowing that you really needed the rest and Spencer had somehow become the person you were feeling safest with in that moment.

Even when you had recovered enough to be discharged and sent home, Spencer was with you every step of the way. The journey home was full of worry and fear as you stared out of the car window while Spencer drove. “What’s on your mind, pretty girl?” Spencer asked softly. “Pretty girl?” You smiled and you felt warmth beneath your cheeks, flushing through you. “Sorry.” He cleared his throat. “No, I liked it.” You told him. “And um- I’m just a little afraid is all.” You explained. “To be home alone. God that sounds stupid.” You muttered to yourself and Spencer shook his head with a fierce frown. “No it doesn’t sound stupid. It’s completely normal to feel afraid after something like this happens.” He reassured you. “Being afraid does not make you weak or stupid or anything other than human.” And he was right, but you supposed that Spencer was always right. “Would it be easier if you’re not alone immediately?” He asked. “What do you mean?” “I could- I mean only if you wanted me to, but I could stay and keep you company for a bit.” He trailed off, words quieting down to a level that you couldn’t hear. “Spence, you don’t know how much it means to me that you’re here for me. I’d really appreciate your company.”

You couldn’t put your finger on exactly why you felt so safe with Spencer. He was not as physically strong as Morgan or Hotch, nor was he as assertive as either of them, but for some reason he made you feel safe. You thought that it might have been because of his kind, soft nature and while it was likely a contributing factor, you knew that there was still another reason, but it was difficult to identify.

Spencer had driven you home to your apartment, gotten you settled and stayed for a few days to help you to adjust. You knew one thing for sure though, was that Spencer seemed to be able to fix everything. Couldn’t sleep? Spencer was there to take you into his arms and hold you until you fell asleep. Couldn’t get those memories out of your head? He was right there to listen to you recount them and to soothe you when it was too much.

After the incident and your recovery, Spencer thought that at some point your attachment to him would fade. He wasn’t too excited by the idea. It was true that this wasn’t a normal type of interaction for him to have with someone. He wasn’t someone who was used to personal attention and platonic affection, but with you it seemed to come so naturally. There was this overwhelming need to protect you and soothe you whenever you looked even slightly afraid or sad or anxious or anything in between. But much to his surprise and perhaps it served some relief, you didn’t stop coming to him, even weeks after it had all settled.

There was something so special about being the person you needed, the fact that you specifically sought him out for comfort, knowing that he would be there with open arms and soft words of encouragement. But Spencer still couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was that drew him to that feeling. It wasn’t just because you were his coworker or that he’d been the first to find you that night. It didn’t seem to be anything else, yet he felt this lingering feeling that he just couldn’t quite distinguish.

In the following months, he found himself looking for you whenever he thought something might upset you or scare you. It surprised him each time you found yourself in his arms or approaching him nervously because you needed to talk to someone about how you felt. Sometimes they were irrational things, other times it was something that was really not so serious, but Spencer always understood. And sometimes they were very real and very serious fears.

He saw it even more when you happened to be assigned to a case together that was all too similar to the one that had been the beginning of it all. It worried him, seeing you nervous as you worked alongside the others. You were unsure of everything you did, everything you said and it was worse when you went to your single room at the motel at night. He knew you were on edge, he could see it as clear as day. The thought of being alone when all the case was doing was digging back up the freshly buried memories was quite terrifying for you.

Spencer had contemplated going to find you to provide you with some reassurance and comfort, but as he thought about it, he was worried that he’d disturb you or wake you if you had fallen asleep already. But just as you played on his mind, his phone buzzed, the screen lighting up his bedside table with your nickname filling the notification bar.

Reading the message you had sent, he quickly typed a reply.

Then, without a moment of hesitation, he grabbed his keys, walked to the door and slipped his shoes on to come and find your room.

It was a matter of moments before there was a knock at your hotel room door. A quick peek through the peephole in your door showed a rather handsome, disheveled Spencer standing out in the hallway.

“Spence,” You smiled brightly once you had pulled the door open. “You didn’t have to come.”

“Of course I did, you needed me. You should never be afraid of asking for what you need.” He told you.

Spencer entered your room, closing the door behind him and casting a soft smile at you. “Come here.” Spencer opened his arms, inviting you into his embrace. Without a second thought, you found yourself curled up against his chest and in his arms again. And a thought occurred to you. One that you didn’t like. And you pushed away from him.

“What’s wrong?” Spencer asked. “You don’t like physical touch and I keep coming to you for it and it’s not fair on you.” You blurted it out all in one go, eyes trained on the television static style carpet tiles beneath your feet.

“That’s not true.” Spencer replied. “I mean, it is, but it’s also not.” He fumbled about with his words. “I’m not used to physical touch but with you I,” He paused, fiddling with his fingers. “I almost crave it.” He admitted softly and you looked up to meet his eyes, his smile softening when he saw the relief on your features. “Really?” You whispered. “Yeah.” He nodded. “But I do have a question.” “What is it?” You asked quietly. “You come to me for comfort and to feel safe, right?” He asked, but did not wait for an answer. He already knew it was a correct deduction. “So why me and not someone strong and capable like Morgan or Hotch or Rossi or anyone else?”

Your smile fell and for a moment, Spencer thought he might have hurt your feelings, but when you reached out for his hand and he gladly touched his fingers to yours without hesitation, he realised that you were trying to think of a way to tell him the reason.

“Because you make me feel safe.” You told him simply. “To me you’re strong and capable. The way you held me when you found me, I felt your strength.” Spencer smiled, eyes softening at your words. “I could have asked for Morgan to stay with me in the hospital, but I didn’t because I knew that having you there would make me feel safer.” You said. “I can’t explain it but,” “I think I can.” Spencer interrupted. He gently threaded your fingers together, the touch soft and intimate as his thumb caressed the back of your hand. “It’s love.” He spoke quietly.

And it hit you. That’s what you were feeling. That was the pull you had to Spencer. Of course he made you feel safe, but you trusted him with your life, you had put so much of your trust and love into your bond with him that the feelings you had for him had turned into something more. The moment he promised not to let go had not been the beginning of those feelings, but rather the catalyst for them to develop further. If anything, it had all started when you had first met Spencer when you joined the team, And it dawned on you that there had always been some level of attraction to him, you just hadn’t been able to identify the things you felt around him.

“Spence,” But you couldn’t seem to get the words out, your mouth felt like cotton wool all of a sudden and your heart raced, butterflies fluttering in your stomach, heart aching for more. “I’m in love with you.” The words tumbled from your lips unknowingly.

The tension drew you closer to each other, your fingertips searching for his soft jumper, trailing over his chest. Your hand found purchase at the nape of his neck, his soft curls slipping between your fingers as he brought you closer, his hand pressing gently on your lower back. His lips found yours and you leaned up into his kiss, his hand coming to rest against your cheek, thumb soothing over your soft skin gently as his fingers pressed softly at your neck.

Spencer kissed you slowly, pouring all of his hidden feelings, all of the thoughts that had lingered in the back of his mind when you had sought him out over everyone else. Perhaps when he had made the promise not to let you go, Spencer had really meant it much more literally than he had realised.

You parted slowly, eyes flitting open to look up at him, capturing his gaze, bathed in the love fuelled haze. “Please don’t let go.” He whispered, holding you close, kissing you softly, eyes fluttering shut as you both revelled in the feeling. “I promise I won’t.” You whispered back against his lips, kissing him between breaths. “I promise.”

𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫 𝐑𝐞𝐢𝐝 𝐓𝐚𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭:

@magicchai @megantje123 @reidsbookclub @russian-potatoes @hallecarey1 @deanhisbaby @alexxavicry @evaareids

[sassyfrassboss]

'Thank you' to the anon who sent the long rant calling Harry out for being a shit dad. I absolutely agree. There is not much evidence to show he is better at raising those kids. And "raising" the kids is what's important. Not having a better rapport with them while they are toddlers.

In spare, Harry thanks his kids for allowing him to be an absent father. Most of this book was done during lockdown, on zoom and later the ghost write stayed in their guesthouse. The kids were younger than 3 yrs old. So, what is Harry's excuse for being an absent father when the rest of the world was pretty much forced to stay at home. Where was he??

If you back years you can see videos where, when the Wales kids are present, Harry is standing in the backyard making faces and scowling at them. This was before Meghan. I remember a TTC video I watched and I saw Harry and I felt I was having some sort of cognitive dissonance. Was it just me who thought he looked mean there? Why wasn't anyone commenting on it? Once I'd seen it I couldn't unsee it.

Someone who is jealous and resentful of someone else's kids can't be all than nice in the long run. He might be all fun and games now, but kids grow up. They are a lot of work. They need constant care, and they absorb a lot.

All of this epic saga we are seeing over the past 5/6 years is rooted in Harry's resentment of his family. Or rather, Harry's narcissism. Men like him arnt all that rare.

You may have come across someone like this in your own life - someone who seemingly out of the blue did something horrible but had a ready excuse of being "ensnared by a vile woman". We see this all too often in horrible cases across the world. But you think back and you realize (or find) that these men were just good at hiding it. They do not care. They are constitutionally incapable caring. They don't snap. They reveal their true colours at a convenient time. And even if convicted or exposed, their excuse forever will be something or someone else.

Harry's excuse forever will be Meghan. But some me included, who met him before will know and remember what our experience was. Mine was an intuitive feeling that he was just going through the motions but wasn't interested in bringing anything to the table. He thought everyone was beneath him. And that his presence was all that's needed. He appeared in fun in pictures and videos released but in actual reality was bored, did not participate and did not give anyone his time or attention.

I'm talking about a charity appearance btw, not personal equation in a private capacity, which I don't have with him. Just a participant at an event and earlier from what I saw at Diamond jubilee in 2012.

Thanks!

[nepofm]

hi there! please don't feel obligated to post this and I hope you don't want any offense to what I'm about to say. I've always enjoyed the diversity in this group and its efforts to encourage that. and while I totally respect individual preferences, I've noticed an increased preference towards korean industry fcs (and I want to make it clear that it's not solely just idol fcs but the preference towards fcs in the korean entertainment industry). ik there are other fcoc as well and I understand that as an admin, you can't help who applies. however, as an asian person, it's starting to make me a little uncomfortable. and don't get me wrong! I love these fcs and have nothing against them. but I can't help but point out the disparity in the taken fcs list and it's starting to concern me a little. the last thing I want to do is leave this group because I'm feeling frustrated by the inherent bias towards interacting and applying for new characters with these fcs because I really do enjoy writing here and I'd hate for any new members to join and feel excluded because of it.

I'm so sorry for how long this got and again, please don't take this the wrong way and please don't feel obligated to post this! I wanted to raise a concern that I suspect others might share as well.

hey  !  let  me  start  off  by  saying  thank  you  for  bringing  this  up  .  i  appreciate  the  open  and  honest  feedback  .  in  truth  ,  i  can  see  where  you're  coming  from  and  i've  also  noticed  the  bias  .  as  an  admin  ,  i  agree  that  i  can't  help  who  applies  .  however  ,  i  do  think  it's  important  to  bring  this  up  to  our  members  .  i'd  like  to  take  the  time  to  draw  attention  to  the  DIVERSITY  UMBRELLA  section  located  in  our  guidelines  and  to  please  READ  THIS  POST  regarding  a  similar  issue  we  faced  last  year  .  since  then  i've  ammended  our  diversity  umbrella  section  in  efforts  to  encourage  members  to  be  diverse  in  their  fc  choices  .  

i  understand  that  sometimes  the  fc  makes  the  character  and  muse  heavily  fluctuates  .  the  intent  isn't  to  single  anyone  out  or  target  anyone  specifically  ,  however  ,  if  you  find  yourself  leaning  more  towards  korean  industry  fcs  in  particular  ,  please  be  mindful  of  this  .  it's  also  worth  reminding  everyone  that  strikes  will  be  handed  out  to  any  players  who  seek ��to  exploit  loopholes  in  our  diversity  umbrella  . 

and  as  a  final  reminder  ,  please  do  your  best  to  interact  with  everyone  !  i  can  understand  having  your  favorite  fcs  ,  writing  with  your  friends  ,  prioritizing  plot-centric  threads  ,  etc.  ,  but  bubble  rping  will  not  be  tolerated  .  we  want  to  avoid  the  formation  of  cliques  .  and  as  mentioned  in  the  previous  post  re:  fc  diversity  ,  we  want  to  avoid  becoming  a  krp  .

and  finally  ,  please  be  sure  to  give  this  post  a  like  to  acknowledge  that  you've  read  this  .  and  again  ,  thank  you  for  the  open  and  honest  feedback  anon  .  it's  much  appreciated  .  we're  actively  taking  steps  to  do  better  !

[luminous-letters]

hi! i love your writing and i show it to my sister sometimes when she's still awake as I am during these hours (it's 1 am here). i've been wanting to send a request for a long time but I haven't perfected it in my head shshahhaha but i did and i just want to ask if i can get a scenario request where mc is the one to overblot and it's azul who has to deal with them but he's having a hard time bringing the blows in because he loves them? i'm sorry if it's too angst-y (╥﹏╥) but thank you still!

i'm so sorry anon i couldn't answer right away 😭

"Azul! Get your head out of the clouds!" Floyd yelled, shooting the blotted figure with a strong blast of fire, sending it reeling back.

"Focus, Azul," Jade called out, evacuating the remaining Octavinelle students left in the shambled and wrecked lounge.

"I know! I know!" he knows. That he'd have to fight you to save Octavinelle, to save Mostro Lounge, to save everything he's been working for his entire life.

But...

But even with all of that on the line, he can't bring it to himself attack you. You're as important as the wealth and contracts he's amassed— hell you're more valuable than all of those combined.

"Do not be selfish, Azul," Jade eyed his housewarden, who was clutching his staff tightly, trembling. "Selfish?" Azul seethed.

"By stalling, you're just prolonging their suffering. Do not be cruel Azul. Make up your mind," Jade told him, quickly dashing off to lead the blotted monster— you — away from the dorm.

"Food! Become food! All of you shall be...CONSUMED!" you screeched, thrashing and mindlessly bashing at anything you could lay yourself upon, the inky puddle of blot beneath you grew larger.

"AZUL! DAMNIT HELP ME OUT!" Floyd angrily shouted, bombarding you with a barrage of magic.

"Azul..." Floyd's booming call caught your attention. "Yes...Az—azUL..." you choked on the jet-black blot that was spilling out of your mouth.

Azul stepped back in horror.

Slowly, your limbs, your face, your everything, started to twist and crack, what used to be skin was slowly being replaced by hardened blot.

"We shall....shall—rUle- rule tOgeTHER! This wOrld wiLL lic—k tHe fiLth...OFF our boOTS!," you cackled maniacally. "So join ME AZUL! JOIN ME AND CONSUME THE ENTIRETY OF THIS WORLD!!!"

This wasn't you. This was the clumped up hatred and pain from the blot, its clouded your mind.

"No...I don't want to see you like this..." Azul almost sobbed, but not right now, not when he has the power to tip the scales to his favor.

He will save his dorm.

He will save you.

"Jade, Floyd, we need to do some cleanup," Azul beckoned the twin morays with a snap of his fingers.

"Glad to know you've finally snapped out of it," Floyd sighed, cracking his knuckles.

"Someone's finally returned to his senses," Jade chuckled, dusting off some debris from his uniform.

"DAMN YOU ALL! INSIGNIFICANT FOOLS!"

"Shall I interest you in Octavinelle's secret special, darling?" Azul tipped his hat.

"If it isn't but a pinch of salt," Jade's pen glowed a bright green.

"A spoonful of roughhousing~" Floyd's pen sparked a violent shade of red.

"And a great amount of magic," Azul finished, the crystal of his staff had flickering shades of blue emanate from its core.

[the-witch-of-one-piece]

Hi Val! I love that there’s some Mexican elements on your prompt list! If it’s ok can I have Marco with Dia de los Muertos and fem reader? And maybe a vaquero AU? Thank you! <3

Hello, anon my love! Ahhh thank you so much, my love honestly wanted to add some elements on here that I haven't seen done yet part of my culture I wanted to do scenarios with specific themes!! This made my heart swell up writing!

TW:passing of a loved one

WC:685

The festivities were big around this time of year, one celebration after another. It was a day of celebration and remembrance of our passing loved ones. Marco saw the people dancing, having drinks, and eating to their heart's content with a variety of delicious foods. This would be the first time he would celebrate Día De Los Muertos. He traveled and roamed for many years with a man he looked up to many people referred to him as Pops and the men that followed him were his brothers. After his father's passing, Marco decided to reside in a small town. 

Marco began to think about the memories from countless years of being with his family. A lot of the good times, he got to see many different things in his lifetime. Now it was time for him to slow down and enjoy what was in front of him. From the corner of his eye slightly turning his head seeing you coming with a tray of pan dulce.  Placing it on the counter outside where he was sitting you took a seat next to him. Marco noticed the traditional embroidered dress you were wearing with the flower pinned on the side of your hair. A small smile appeared on his face and you placed your hand on top of his “Everything okay?”  you asked him your other hand was placed on his cheeks swiping his cheek.

“Everything is fine _____ yoi.” he reached for your hands that were placed on his cheeks bringing them down slightly he kissed the inner palm of your hand. “You really outdid yourself.” He looked around seeing the decorations, the colorful papel picados hanging above, and the Marigolds all over the place. 

“Were you able to bring a photo?” you asked him. 

In his breast pocket he pulled out a folded paper undoing the fold it was newspaper clipping. “I don't have an exact photo but  this is him.”  He handed you the paper. “The famous Edward Newgate and his trusty steed Moby.” She looked at the large white horse he was riding in the photo. Taking his hand you both began to walk to the open door Marco saw a red glowing reflection of the candles bouncing off the wall as they entered the room. “Our ofrenda is a place where our loved ones can come visit us. Placing their favorite foods or drinks so they can enjoy them with us.”   Marigolds were placed all over the place in the middle was a tier table displaced with decorative clothes. There displayed on top of the cloth were frames with photos, candles, marigolds, food, and drinks.  You walked to the dresser pulled out an unused frame and placed his Edwards photo inside the frame walking with it in your hands holding it close to your chest. “I know he is important to Marco the way you talk about him. He has a big role in your life and how you were brought up. I know he is proud of you.” you hand him in the frame.   “Would you like to place him on the ofrenda?” 

Marco looked at the photo and he felt himself become a bit emotional. The memories seemed to flood back. Walking to the altar stopping for a moment and looking at the photo he looked “Thank you for the memories Pop’s yoi.” Marco placed the photo frame on the ofrenda.

Walking up next to Marco  “I remember you saying he was a man that enjoys alcohol. I brought this for him and one for us to share with him.” on your other hand were three  glasses.  Opening the bottle and you pour the three drinks you placed one in front of the photo and handing Marco a glass 

“_______…” Marco caught your attention as he spoke your name. “I want to thank you yoi, thank you for showing me compassion and giving my life reason once again.” Marco pressed his lips to the side of your temple. 

“I could thank you for the same reason.” bashfully speaking both of you raise your glass towards Edwards  photo “Salude!”

[yuseonghqs]

in this post, we will be addressing the subject of "(k)rp" as it relates to our rp. we know that not everyone wants to be involved in the discussion, so we will be placing our statement under a read more. as of now, we have turned off anon and intend to keep it off to deter those who claim to want to start important conversations with the inability to take accountability for the way in which they choose to do so. we have also removed the tag "krp" from our ads both past, presently, and for the future.

thank you for understanding.

hello everyone, and our apologies for bringing our current and any potential members into this discussion who simply want to rp. since we’ve been getting a lot of attention over this situation, we have been discussing the best approach to take. in our personal past as both mun and mod, sometimes it’s hard to discern what is stated or proposed to simply open a discussion and what is actually just bandwagon hatred. there is a sense of “damned if i do, damned if i don’t” aspect to rp that has attached itself to every rule, every guideline, and every anon that questions our (and any rp's) decisions. we know that it is not entirely possible to appease to everyone and their tastes for rp. so much so, that is why we have made our own in the first place. 

we do want to first and foremost address the subject by saying we did not mean any harm and our decisions / or rules were either made out of past experience or pure ignorance. and to those who have found issue in those things, we do want to apologize. however, we didn’t think our main blog was the best place to discuss these issues nor do we still think that. we did not want our main to become a forum for the discussion of what is and is not krp when we were only freshly starting out, nor do we think it’s an appropriate place to have that discussion. if that came off as ignoring the argument, or displacing anger or “hostility”, we really do apologize. while our dms, both on the subject of krp and trans muses/faceclaims, are open for discussion, our main is not.

but the many asks has left us with some unanswered questions: whether we are unable to call ourselves an rp and tag in the krp tag, who “owns” these tags, if we shouldn’t advertise and call ourselves an rp and base our setting in south korea though we accept all faceclaims, or if the world of rp and krp, so to speak, are not meant to collide at all. should people who want to rp korean/asian faceclaims subject them to westernization and just join the countless of rps that are set in the western world? should we not allow people to only play korean/asian faceclaims at all in an rp that is set in korea? should we not allow people to play non-asian faceclaims and only allow them to play those based in the korean entertainment industry as so many krps have done in the past? this is simply what we’ve not been able to understand. 

because from what we took away from the discourse (at least years ago) is that we should not gatekeep faceclaims either way and allow anyone and everyone, in any rp tag on tumblr, to join our rp with any muse or faceclaim they choose. that in all aspects it is okay to simply advertise in the krp tag as an rp if you are and will accept faceclaims of all ethnicities. to supervise the applications and muses so that they are not discernibly problematic and address issues with fetishization as they arise (for any minority). if this is baseless approach, please reach out. we do genuinely want to know.

we do want to say that we are an rp that cares about diversity, not just in asian and non-asian but in muses of all ethnicities. there are some people who don’t want to play faces from the k-entertainment industry and some people who do, which is why we want(ed) to appeal to everyone, no matter the faceclaim, no matter the ethnicity. and we don’t necessarily think everyone who does play muses from either, is inherently doing them out of malicious behaviors or intentions, nor are they coming from a place of fetishization. sometimes people just like k-pop and their experience playing korean faces in western rps aren’t necessarily welcoming to that. some people just like the style at which korean based rps are based on a literary sense since the two communities have been divided for so long.

we're also addressing two specific things as well: our faces that are non-asian are not “sprinkled” there because we don’t want to get cancelled, nor are we just covering our bases, and “double-dipping”.  we just genuinely do not mind what ethnicity the muse is. we also want to refrain from addressing any of our members are “known krpers” since we don’t know everyone’s history in rp and nor do we believe anyone else does either.

we want to invite those who have an issue with us and our rules, our opinions to express them to us, not on anon, and not on a self-titled krp tea blog. our dms are open for the discussion, if you want to have it. 

[suncakie]

—Is that blood? | camilo x gn!reader

request. [anon] hello, congrats on 100 followers!! totally deserved <3 (even more!!) for ur event, can i please have prompt 18 + camilo? thank you!!

prompt. 18 “Is that blood?” “Yes but that doesn’t matter right now, what does matter is-” “You are literally bleeding.”

prompt list. 100 followers event!

warnings. mentions of blood and falling, worried camilo, not a couple(?), forgetting Antonio's ability.

notes. again, I'm sorry it took awhile! But here it is anon! I hope you like it!

"Is that blood?"

Camilo didn't expect to open the door to his room to welcome you, who somehow looked like they came from a war, clothes unevenly ruffled, hair a mess, and what's not to miss is the gushing red stains on your forehead.

You didn't mean to fall off the house roof and landing on the broken wood carriage, you just slipped and tripped that's all, although that isn't the reason why you are here.

“Yes but that doesn’t matter right now, what does matter is-” Camilo deadpanned at your behaviour, abruptly snatching your hand catching you mid sentence to bring you to his Tia, getting you healed up.

“You are literally bleeding, it does matter" you looked at him like a deer caught in headlights until you shook your head.

"Look I'm fine okay? It's just a scratch, there's more important things to do than this" you reasoned and tugged his hand that was holding your wrist tightly.

"Oh the next thing you know you get stabbed and think of doing house chores the next day" Camilo frustratedly told you as he held your wrist tighter but not enough to leave a mark on it.

Once the two of you got to Julieta, who was tending minor injuries, she suddenly shifted her attention to you who was rather calm for the bloody forehead you have, not bothering to explain what happened with a worried yet annoyed Camilo beside you.

Once tended, Julieta left the two of you with a damp cloth to clean off the stained blood dripping on your head, the boy beside you observing your actions silently, as if to ask 'what happened?'

You sighed after you asked Camilo if there are any stains left, which he said there are none and leaned back. "Fell of the roof"

The boy looked at you a shock expression on his face before you added "it was slippery okay! I was fixing our roof" he calmed down- well slightly calmed down.

"Although I'm more worried of the donkeys"

"What? Why?" He asked slowly standing up to tell an adult about the problem with the donkeys "they ran off when I fell I dunno where they went" and that's when you heard a commotion happening in the madrigal house.

Surprisingly none of them knew about it despite not seeing the donkeys where they usually stay, Dolores knows, but she didn't bother as it's their happy time with Mariano.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?! We could of started finding them!" That was Luisa screaming her heart out to her cousin who tried to explain he didn't know and tended your wounds first before asking.

"Luisa it's okay, I'm sure we would find them" that was Mirabel, calming her older sister down while Isabela had to stop herself from choking the boy.

Yes it was just donkeys but Luisa cares for them alot.

Unknowingly, You sat with Antonio who was sitting in your lap, happily eating an arepa while you played with his hair.

"Should we tell them I could ask my friends to call them here?" Antonio asked as he raised his head up to look at you.

You shook your head and laughed at the commotion "nah, let them realize that themselves"

all writing belongs to @suncakie. do not repost or steal.

[koushou]

i love it smmmm omg. the megumi fix is amazing it’s more than i asked for ❤️❤️ bro 6,9k is a blessing you don’t understand how glad it made me it’s so worth the wait. tumblr is so dry when it comes to anime fics and especially w megumi thank you for feeding me something other than the crumbs this website gives me. i don’t want to be too annoying but whenever you’re free if you could do a pt 2 cause that ending omg. i love it sm and i can’t thank you enough ❤️

pairing : megumi x f!reader [fluff]

warnings : slight makeout scene idk HAHA nothing too intense though (also not proofread because i wanted to get this posted as soon as i finished it)

wc : 3.5k

a/n : ur too sweet omg and im FINALLY back from procrastinating your request again anon… (i really apologize i don’t mean to take so long pls forgive me D: ) i hope this is what you wanted!!

pt. 1 (you don’t really have to read pt 1 to understand this part but i do recommend it)

loud chatter echoes through the large modern dining hall located on the second floor of the hotel.

“i’m… so full…” a certain pink haired male burps for the nth time as he still continues to stuff food into his mouth. gojo laughs at itadori’s passion for the hotel food, while doing the same as he takes a large bite of a pancake.

you chuckle, taking a sip of your drink and leaning back in your cushioned chair, already finished with your 3rd plate of breakfast. i mean, who could blame you? hotel breakfast food just hits a different type of way.

“so, spill all the juicy events that happened last night, i wanna know!” nobara nudges you excitedly, her eyes twinkling as she pulls her chair closer to yours.

rolling your eyes, you look away from the ginger female and pretend to not have heard her. accidentally, you were now faced towards megumi, sitting on the opposite side of you. your eyes met for a brief moment before you quickly turned away, breaking the awkward interaction.

“aww— c’mon, y/n! please—“

“nothing happened at all! and don’t think i forgot the way you ignored my knocks on your door yesterday,” you shot her a glare, earning a sheepish laugh in return.

“but... in the same bed..?”

you were about to retort back when gojo stands up and claps his hand over his stomach, which now seemed just… a few sizes bigger.

“alright! have we all finished our food? god, when did hotel food get so good— anyway, it’s time to pack our things and head back home!” your constantly enthusiastic teacher exclaims, as a waiter comes to collect your plates.

after thanking the waiter and paying the bill (poor gojo-sensei’s wallet), you all head back upstairs to drive back home.

a thick silence hangs over your room as you and megumi collect your items, not wanting to bring up any events from last night. finally ready to head out, you walk towards the door to open it until another hand reaches the handle at the same time.

you retract your hand quickly, while the other hand lingers in the air above the knob.

“oh— sorry, you can go first!” you gulp, backing up a bit so megumi can exit first.

he pauses for a second, twisting the knob until the door pulls open. you expected him to walk out, but he makes his way to the other side of you instead, still holding the door open.

you look over at him with a questioning look, receiving a slight shrug and a hint of a smirk.

“ladies first.”

why was his stupid face so handsome?

you shook your head at his teasing expression, making your way out the door to the carpeted hallway, him following close behind.

the others were already at the lobby waiting, their conversation becoming clearer as you reach them.

“what’s taking them both so long? you don’t think they’re too busy… y’know…” nobara’s usual cheerful voice carries her words to your ears, making you roll your eyes and spook her from being.

“boo.”

“i’m just sayin- oh my go—“ she frantically turns around, breathing a sigh of relief upon seeing it was just you.

“you scared me!”

“what were we talking about?”

“nothing important! come on, we should get going!” nobara nudges gojo and itadori ahead, escaping you as she scurries out of the lobby.

you hear a yawn from behind you, a tuft of black hair moving past you as you suppress the urge to laugh at megumi’s already messy hairstyle, amplified by his morning bed hair.

finally, you were all seated back in gojo’s car, ready to drive back to the school so you all can head back to your own homes.

the ride back was full of gojo’s irritating voice singing along to songs playing from the car radio, itadori laughing along, and the rest of you too excited to leave the car.

“alright kids! we’re here, make sure to be safe on the way back home!”

gojo waves to all of you as you hop out of his car one by one, basking in the cool summer air for a few seconds.

“see you guys!”

itadori jogs away, heading in the direction of his own home, followed by megumi, then nobara, and lastly, you.

upon reaching your house, your mother welcomes you, asking about your day, if you had fun, and other typical mother questions.

you were telling her about your day when you suddenly recalled the hotel night events, and scurried away embarrassed upstairs to your room, leaving a very confused mom behind.

you flop down onto the bed, face down, wanting to get a good few minutes of quiet nap time in before your phone dings with a notification.

grunting, you pull your phone out from your pocket, swiping across the screen to check the message.

surprisingly, it was from megumi, eyebrows suspiciously raising as you open the text message from him. you two rarely texted unless it was about school or business-related, so you couldn’t think of anything he would need from you right now.

megumi : Hey.

megumi : I have your hair tie with me. You probably left it in my bag or something.

megumi : I’m coming over in 5 minutes.

you sat up abruptly, rereading his messages to make sure your eyes weren’t playing tricks on you.

you had been so caught up with his prior messages that you failed to register that he said he was going to be at your house in… 5 minutes.

hurriedly, you swiped to see what time he had sent that last message. 12:34 AM.

your eyes moved to the top of your phone screen, reading the current time. 12:37 AM.

almost falling out of bed scrambling to your room mirror, you checked your appearance to make sure you looked fine and your hair wasn’t messy and-

you paused.

“why am i so concerned about how i look? why do i care about this?”

you slapped your face with both hands, bringing yourself back to reality when you were interrupted again, but this time by your doorbell ringing from downstairs.

making your way out of your room, you saw that your mom had already opened the door with a familiar tall figure standing in the doorway.

“oh! megumi, it’s been a while!” your mom lets megumi in with a smile, already going to the kitchen to make him some tea.

he bows politely, sitting down on the couch, now changed into a loose white t-shirt with black shorts.

“uh- theres no need to make me tea, i won’t be here for too long—“

“nonsense! you can even stay for lunch, dear megumi! i just have to prepare the last dish and—“

you finally clear your throat, standing at the middle of the stairs, catching both of their attention.

“oh, y/n! i have to go out to the grocery store for some ingredients, take care of our guest megumi, alright?” she places two cups of tea on the table in front of megumi, grabbing her keys to head out.

“wait, mom—“

she sends you a wink by the door, already outside before you can finish your sentence.

you sigh in defeat, sitting across from megumi on the other couch.

“here.”

megumi pulls out a black hair tie from his pocket, almost identical to the one currently around your wrist.

you raise your eyebrows in suspicion at the hair tie. “but i only have one? and i didn’t bring any extra yesterday..?” you motion to your own arm.

he looks back and forth between your wrist and the one he had in his hand, scratching his head in confusion.

“it was in our hotel room, so i assumed it was yours.” he shrugs, placing it on the table. “but if it isn’t, i can just throw it away.”

you hum, taking a sip of the tea your mom prepared as he does the same, cringing as the still hot tea burns his tongue.

“pfft…”

he glares at you, placing the cup down as his eyes scan around your living room, taking in the decorations.

“i’ll just keep it then, it seems new.” you take the forgotten hair tie on the table, and wear it around your wrist, now decorated with two black hair ties.

he nods, sitting back against the couch, silence falling between you both.

a question suddenly popped up in your mind, your mouth moving faster than your brain.

“you came all the way here… just to give me a hair tie?”

the question seems to set him a little nervous, clearing his throat and avoiding eye contact as he fidgets in his seat.

“well— i figured i’d return it to you before i forgot,” he shrugs, reaching out to take another sip of his tea before pulling back quickly again at the heat.

you nod slowly, still unconvinced with his answer. who goes all the way to someone’s house to return a hair tie?

“okay then, see you on monday?” you get up, ready to send him back off.

his head snaps up, still not moving in his seat as he opens his mouth slowly, as if unsure of how to respond.

“um- i thought your mom said i could stay…for lunch…?”

he averts his eyes, pink dusting his pale cheeks as he looks away. your mouth forms into an ‘o’ shape as you recall your mom’s words and those were - in fact what she had said.

it wasn’t that you were against him staying for lunch, but you two weren’t even friends or remotely close at that. rivals would even suit you both better than friends.

“but if you want i can, uh, leave now,” he starts to stand, looking uncomfortable in his position across from you.

it was then that you remembered megumi’s background, that his mother had left early at birth, plus his father wasn’t exactly present.

you couldn’t imagine living without your parents, and how lonely he must be without true family.

“no! i mean, that’s not what i meant, you can stay.” you sputter out before he gets the wrong idea.

his eyes seem to light up at your words, nodding before sitting back down on his previous spot on the couch.

you glance over at the time on your phone, it had been around 7 minutes after your mom had left.

the tension was thick in the room, and just when you thought you were about to explode from the awkwardness, he finally breaks the silence.

“do you… play that?”

you turn to where his eyes are placed on, seeing your black xbox console laying on top of a cabinet, having been untouched for a while.

“oh that? yeah, occasionally, why?”

you hear a snicker from beside you, snapping your head to find his lips curled into a teasing grin.

“oh, i just didn’t think a nerd like you would play games.”

you raise your eyebrows at his words. “you sure about that? it doesn’t seem like you’re very good at games either, megumi.” you make sure to stretch out each three syllables of his name to tease him further.

he huffs while leaning back, still maintaining intense eye contact with you, almost challenging each other to say something back.

“how about this, whoever wins against the other gets to make them do whatever they want. no matter what it is.” he nods over to the console, tilting his head as he waits for your response.

you chuckle, standing up to take the console, fiddling with it for a moment before turning back to him.

“alright, just don’t cry when you lose too much, okay?”

he shrugs, smirking as he looks around the living room for the other console, making you remember something.

“oh, the other console plus a TV is in my room, wanna just play there?”

he stiffens suddenly, before nodding slowly and following you upstairs to your room.

reaching the door, you suddenly stop, making megumi grunt and come to a stop, almost crashing into you.

“uh - wait here.”

you open the door just enough to slip inside, quickly gathering some of your belongings and cleaning as much as you could, to at least make your room seem presentable.

“okay!” you open the door for megumi, who makes no move to enter at first.

“...”

“you can come in.”

“... is this okay?”

you cock your head, not understanding his question.

“your mom isn’t home.”

“...so?”

“we’re alone.”

“and?”

“i’m… going into your room.”

“what is your point?” you began to grow frustrated at this conversation. then, it hit you all of a sudden.

“ahh, megumi? have you never been in a girl’s room alone before?” you snicker, shaking your head from laughter.

he starts to protest, before quickly closing his mouth and finally entering your room.

you connect the two consoles into your TV in your room, sitting down on the edge of your bed as you load up the games on the screen.

“you can sit here if you want,” you pat the empty spot next to you, to which he carefully sits down on, taking one console from your hand.

“ready?”

he nods, as you start the game.

-- --

“what--?!”

you throw your hands up in frustration, groaning as you flop backwards on the bed.

“i told you, you can’t beat me.” megumi chuckles, dodging a stuffed bear you threw in his direction.

you huffed, sitting back up, determined to beat him at least once.

“one last rematch!”

he lets out a laugh, a rare one that you think you might just never forget, and starts the game again.

after a few minutes of intense clicking, yelling and laughing, you let out a proud shout, the word victory flashing across your screen.

you pick up another stuffed animal from your bed and toss it straight at megumi’s face, celebrating as he lets out an ‘oof’ and glare back at you.

“but i still won around, 7 times, so i get to make you do something- oof-” he stumbles back again from another stuffed animal to the face.

“hmm? i don’t know what you’re talking about--” you pretend to not have heard him before your vision goes momentarily black from a soft object hitting your face, a pink bear landing in your lap.

“hey!”

“what, you keep throwing them at me!”

“fine…”

“hey, why are you getting so close--!”

you tackle megumi backwards onto the bed, throwing your pillows at his face -- not very gently -- as he tries to shield his arms in vain.

“ahh—! okay, okay, i’m sorry, stop it—“ he huffs as you finally stops your attack, his dark blue orbs looking up into yours.

you only now noticed your close proximity, quickly sitting back up to create some distance between the both of you. he clears his throat, fiddling with one of your pillows.

“well, a loss is a loss, what do i have to do?” you sigh, admitting your defeat.

“hmm…” he seems to be lost in deep thought, probably trying to find the worst thing he can make you do.

after a few silent, intense seconds, he finally speaks.

“are you… free tomorrow?”

you turn to him, giving him a questioning look at his strange question. he only stares back at you in response, awaiting your answer.

“um… yeah, i’m free the whole day, why do you as-“

“come watch a movie with me tomorrow.” he blurts out quickly, not even letting you finish your sentence.

you gape at him, still processing his words, unsure if you had heard wrong.

“... sorry?”

his face was reddenning by the second, yet his eyes remained firmly on yours the whole time.

“let’s go watch the new movie in the theater. i heard it’s quite popular already despite releasing only last week.”

“oh… okay, i can ask nobara if she wants to com-“

“don’t!” he says a little too loudly, clearing his throat after as he regains his composure.

“i mean, i- just, you.”

“just.. us?”

he nods.

silence fell again between the two of you, unsure if he was asking you what you thought he was asking you. you decide to test the waters cautiously.

“man.. it’s almost like you’re asking me out on a date, megumi?” you tease lightly, expecting a ‘tch’ or an, ‘as if’.

“so what if i am?”

now that was an answer you weren’t expecting.

“you’re.. joking, right?”

megumi sighs, moving closer until his body was mere centimeters away from yours.

“i’m serious.”

“do you... like me or something?”

he stares at you blankly. “would i ask you on a date if i didn’t have feelings for you, idiot?”

you only just realize how stupid your question sounded, trying to find a response until he reaches up to cup your cheek with one hand.

they felt soft, yet slightly gruff from constant training and fighting, large enough to cover one half of your face. they were warm, slightly trembling probably from nervousness, yet made you wish he’d never take it off.

“it’s okay if you don’t want to. we can forget this ever happened.” his own cheeks turning slightly pink, yours probably even worse as the space between your faces closed in slowly.

“but i don't think i can do this anymore, so just let me be a little selfish this once, okay?”

barely registering his words before he moves in to kiss you, soft lips moving against the other as his hand tightens against the side of your cheek. you barely register your own actions anymore, hands reaching up to tangle themselves in his hair, moving down to his neck, and finally finding home cupped around his face.

he groans against your lips, pressing you down until he was now hovering above you, never breaking the kiss even once in the process. you lost track of how long you both had been making out in your bed before you hear the front door open from downstairs.

frantically, the both of you separated in fear of your mom catching you in the act, catching your breaths while still processing what just happened.

you hear shuffling from downstairs, standing up to escape megumi before you were pulled back into a warm chest.

“wait—“ his arms wrap around you to trap you from leaving his grasp, your eyes looking everywhere but his, and suddenly your wall was the most interesting thing in sight.

“are we… really going to pretend that didn’t happen?” you finally gather the courage to look him in the face, almost melting at the soft pout set on his (now slightly redder than before) lips.

“ilikeyoutoo.” you get out quickly before you lose the chance to say it again.

he stiffens against you, eyes lighting up almost like an excited puppy receiving treats. “you like me? i didn’t hear you, so can you say it again?”

you huff, trying to wriggle your way out of his arms, only resulting in him pulling you closer to sit on his lap. he presses his forehead to yours, chuckling at your futile attempt to escape.

“i said— i like you—!” you ram your head into his, making him groan in pain, loosening his hold on you. the perfect chance for escape.

you saw the opportunity, dashing to the door, twisting the knob, almost getting it open until—

“nope,” megumi’s hand stops the door in time, instead twisting you around until your back was now flat against the wood, both of his palms placed beside your head.

“y/n? megumi?” your mom’s voice calls from downstairs, but all you could hear was your heartbeat thumping loudly in your chest.

“megumi! move, my mom’s home,” you place your hands on his chest, trying to push him away to no avail.

he grabs your pushing hand and places it on the left side of his chest, letting you feel the soft but fast thumping of his heart, almost matching the pace of your own.

“this is all your fault. you’re not gonna take responsibility for it?” he inches closer to your burning face, making you huff and grab his face.

you press your lips to his, feeling him immediately return the kiss, but you pull away after a few seconds, leaving him still trying to kiss you again.

“nope, my mom’s home, and i’m hungry.”

you open the door, seeing your mom begin to set the table with plates of food downstairs. you look back at megumi, who still looked sad after getting his kiss cut short.

sighing, you take his hand in yours, intertwining your fingers together before pulling him down the stairs.

“come on, it’s time for lunch. you’ll get more later.”

you feel him perk up, giving your hand a squeeze as he follows close behind.

you steal a glance at your wrist, still wearing both the hair ties. good thing he hadn’t noticed you stuffing one into his bag this morning.

[thefanficmonster]

Love For The Faceless

Corpse Husband x Youtuber!Reader(Female)

Warnings: Swearing

Genre: Fluff 

Summary: Y/N is a YouTube gamer who has recently gained a much larger following thanks to the streams she does with her friends. Naturally, considering her faceless and bodiless nature, people are starting to get curious about her. When she finally follows her friend Corpse’s example, a lot more than her hands is revealed.

Requested by anon, you know who you are 😉 Thank you so much for placing a request and hope this fic fulfills the expectations you have for it.

“Hey!“ I greet the lobby as I finally hop into the Discord call after quickly saying ‘hi‘ to my audience.

I’ve been a YouTuber for four years now and I’ve only recently started streaming, encouraged to do so by my best friend Rae. She’s the one who got me in multiplayer games such as Among Us and Phasmophobia which led me to meet her amazing gaming squad that consists of some of the most famous names on the platform. They are all wonderful people and I will forever be in Rae’s debt for introducing me to them. However, becoming friends with Felix, Sean and the rest of the team brought not only a more fulfilled life, but also a small boost in following. Who am I kidding, it wasn’t small. It was overwhelming, terrifying even.

My YouTube channel had a little over a million subscribers at the start of quarantine and now....now it’s closer to three million. Speaking of three million, I’m about to reach it any day now and it’s really hard to believe. I’m a gaming youtuber and I’ve never considered changing my genre despite expecting to not get any attention whatsoever, with all the big names on the platform. I was convinced not even as many as a hundred people would stumble across my videos and now here we are.

My OG subscribers are very supportive of my sudden growth and are defending me when my newer fans ask for a face reveal or whatnot. While we’re on that topic I might have to mention that not even my YouTube friends, and that includes Rae have seen my face. I’ve been faceless and bodiless for the entirety of my time on social media. Some claim I do it to grab more attention or for dramatic effect, but the reason is beyond that. I’m not shallow. Actually, shallow people are the reason I don’t show my face. I’ve never been the prettiest, but my middle school bully thought that I wasn’t lacking self confidence enough. As a result, I ended up with a not so handsome scar on my right cheek that starts from the corner of my mouth and nearly misses my eye. Yeah, it’s a long and pretty noticeable scar that has thankfully become less and less obvious as the years have progressed. Still, it’s not something I’d like to show to my viewers.

Eight ‘hi’s greet me back, each making my smile grow wider. “Sorry I’m late guys. Technical difficulties.” 

“Don’t worry.“ Rae’s voice dominates over the rest, “Corpse still isn’t here so we’re waiting for him.“

I mute myself on the Discord call and take a look at my comments. I’m most flattered by the comments about my voice. Seeing as how they don’t have much to compliment about me other than my content, they make the nicest comments about my voice, personality and humor. Those comments are the ones who warm my heart most. Even when people in my day to day life compliment my appearance I can’t find it in me to believe they are being genuine. I’d like to believe these amazing people are being one hundred percent honest when they tell me they like me for who I am and not for what I might look like.

“Sorry I’m late guys.“ A deep voice causes me to even physically jolt, switching my focus from the comments to the Among Us lobby where my eyes land on the newly materialized black avatar.

“Hi Corpse.“ Rae greets him.

“Hello mister who broke Twitter!“ Sean laughs, provoking the laughter of the rest of the players.

“Yeah, congratulations man. That’s a big deal.“ Felix chimes in.

“Thanks guys, but I think you’re forgetting we’re talking about a picture of my hand.“ Corpse chuckles timidly. I have noticed how shy he gets when someone gives him a compliment - like a snail slowly withdrawing in its shell. I find it adorable.

“That’s what makes it even better!“ I unmute my mic, sending my own congratulations.

“While we’re on that topic...“ Rae begins, waiting for the rest of us to shut our traps, suggesting she has something important to say. “Y/N, do you ever plan on doing a reveal like that? Not a face reveal. Just a body part reveal.“

I have no problem talking about the subject with friends but I get nervous when I’m supposed to discuss it with my fans. Seeing as how everyone, including myself, is streaming right now, I get a bit of a stutter in my speech. “Haven’t thought about it yet. But I guess a body part reveal is harmless.” I cringe immediately after letting the words leave my mouth, “That sounds so weird.”

Rae knows that I’m not too fond of my face, but I haven’t told her about my scar yet. I let almost all people I’ve met online think I’m using my lack of appearance for effect. For the mystery of it all. Mysteries attract people which equals attention. Attention equals views and the domino effect continues.

“Just a suggestion. No pressure.“ Rae adds quickly, knowing full well I get anxious when the subject is brought up in front of cameras. “Let’s get this game started, shall we.”

                                                          * * *

The idea dwells in my mind, sitting on the back burner even after I disconnect from the Discord call. I’m sitting in my gaming chair, which was a gift for my two million milestone, and weighing out the pros and cons of the action Rae suggested I take.

“It’s a picture of your fucking hand, dummy. How bad can it turn out?“ I say out loud, shaking my head at my indecisiveness. “You’ll be fine.”

In a blur, two pictures are already posted on my Instagram. The first one captioned ‘Took a leaf from my friend’s book. Did I do it right @ corpsehusband?’ and the second ‘Thanks, Rae. These are on you.’

Rae’s POV

As I’m watching a movie in my living room, I get a notification from Instagram, informing me that Y/N has posted for the first time in a while.

I scoff, “More like the first time in forever.”

The first thing that comes to my mind is the possibility of her reaching that three million milestone that’s been long time coming. I bring the glass of water that’s sitting on my coffee table to my lips, taking a sip as I tap the notification. The picture I see makes me hurry to put the glass back down so I don’t drop it. Y/N’s hand. Her fingers are covered with several thin rings each. And here I thought Corpse had too many rings, this girl has at least two on every finger! 

Then my eyes land on the second picture she has posted only minutes after the first and my heart drops. I struggle to get the water that’s been sitting in my moth down my esophagus while my mind is struggling with the task to comprehend the picture I’m looking at. 

Another hand is resting on top of Y/N’s. A hand also covered in rings but fewer and larger. The nails are painted black. 

I think I know who it belongs to.

Before I can even finish the thought, I’m dialing Y/N. She picks up after the second ring, sound cheery as ever as she greets me. “Hey Rae!”

“Don’t you ‘Hey Rae’ me!” I practically scream. I hate being kept in the dark about anything ever so this is just driving me mad. On top of all, she’s my best friend, for fuck’s sake. “Is that Corpse in the photo with you?!”

“Ugh....“ the cheeriness to her voice is all but gone now.

I go on with my rant, not giving her the time to reply. Not that she would reply. I bet she doesn’t know what to say. “So he knows where you live?! Or was the picture taken at his place?! He knows what you look like?! You have seen him! He has seen you in real life but me, your best friend, haven’t!!! You are breaking Covid 19 protection laws to take pictures?! Are you fucking serious, Y/N?!”

There’s a long moment of silence which frustrates me even more but I literally have run out of things to yell and the power to be angry. I mean, I still am, I just can’t express it.

“Rae, sweetheart, please calm down. You’re scary when you’re mad.“ This girl has some fucking nerve! She’s on the verge of laughing!

“Listen here you...“ 

“Rae, please stop scaring my girlfriend.“ That oh so distinguishable, oh so familiar voice interrupts me.

I am flabbergasted, for a lack of a better term.

“Now that we’ve got you quiet, I can explain.“ Y/N pics up the conversation, “Corpse and I have been dating for six, almost seven months now. We started dating around Easter after talking for quite some time. We moved in together at the end of September. All thanks to you, Rae. You’re the best.” She pauses to breathe in real quick, “There, all caught up?“

I’m in no less shock than I was before she explained. Actually, I think I might be even more confused now. It all just feels like a fever dream. “Yes...no. I don’t fucking know! I need details, Y/N!”

“Details later.“ Corpse makes his presence known once again, “We’re watching Family Guy right now. Talk to you later.“

“Love you, Rae!“ Y/N calls out before the line goes dead.

My arm goes limp, dropping my phone on the couch next to me. 

“Motherfuckers” I mumble under my breath.

Y/N’s POV

It’s been a week since Rae has stopped talking to both Corpse and me. I know she just needs some time to cool off. In the meantime, the rest of our friends were informed and, as oppose to Rae, were nothing but supportive and overjoyed. I bet Rae feels the same way though. Sean, Dave and the rest of the gang have confirmed that she’s incredibly happy for us and says she noticed a spark between me and him since day one, but she can’t help but be mad at us, and especially me, for not telling her sooner.

“Any regrets?“ I remember Corpse asking me when we hung up on her after dropping the bomb.

“Not being able to see her face when she saw the picture.“ I beam at him, feeling as content as ever.

He laughs, agreeing with me before leaning down to kiss me.

@susceptible-but-siriusexual  @simonsbluee  @save-the-sky  @hacker-ghost  @itsminniekat  @bi-andready-tocry  @imtiredaffff  @jazzkaurtheglorious  @hereforbeebo  @fandomgirl17  @chrysanthykios

[versadies]

Helloooo, Can I have Capricorn with Kazuha, hc scenario?? Thank youuuu Stay safe ^^

poems of you (hc scenario, high-school!au)

penpal: stay safe as well anon! hope you don't mind me making this req into more of a modern!au theme <3

prompt: capricorn the sea-goat, first-word au

pairing/s: kazuha x gn!reader

sypnosis: hc on how you meet your soulmate, kazuha.

includes: high-school!au, fluff/no-angst, lots of haikus being mentioned

when it comes to writing precious haikus, kaedehara kazuha's inspiriation is his soulmate.

anyone who's close to the reserved and mysterious guy would agree that all of the haikus they've seen from him are all about his destined other, with different words and theme that makes each and every poem unique from one another but all have the same direct topic. though, they'd all admit that it's getting old. (and one of them being irritated with how they’d have to listen to kazuha’s haikus.)

however, kazuha could care less if his poems are boring or not new to tohers. all the poems he wrote with his heart are all precious to him, especially since his own soulmate can say the same thing as well.

"your poems are nice." are the first words that will come out from his soulmate's mouth to him.

if his lover thinks his poems are nice, he'll think so too.

the moment kazuha started making poems, he bought himself a notebook that he brings around with him should he ever think of a new poem to write and write it down on the notebook.

he wonders if his soulmate would ever read his poems that lies in his valuable book.

there was never a single night where he doesn't think about his soulmate. his mind often made scenarios of his first encounter with his soulmate, scenarios of which includes his soulmate hearing him read his poem out loud to the class for a presentation, or his soulmate curiously reading his poems if he trips and drops his notebook down– either way, all the scenarios ends up with going out together to eat in a certain restaurant that kazuha likes.

however, none of the scenarios are not what his actual first encounter is like.

it was another day in class. while his teacher is chatting away about the new student standing next to her, kazuha finds himself writing yet another haiku, not paying attention to the discussion without a care.

he was so focused on finishing his haiku that the student didn't notice that classes has ended.

"oi," scaramouche, his classmate, calls out with an annoyed huff. "aren't you going to go to your next class with me? or are you at it with that stupid poems again?"

his classmate's question falls on deaf ears as kazuha continues to focus deeply about his next words for his stanza, not noticing his friend standing beside him with an irritated look plastered on his face.

scaramouche suddenly closes kazuha's notebook, causing him to look at his classmate in confusion. "what are you–"

"are you seriously not noticing how everyone's no longer in this class?" scaramouche asks, scoffing in disbelief. "come on, let's go to alchemy class before professor timaeus starts nagging about how important alchemy is when he notices that we're late."

before kazuha could protest, his friend suddenly drags him up from his seat and starts walking towards the door with kazuha, the two not noticing the notebook that was left behind on the white haired student's desk.

kazuha immediately noticed his notebook's disappearance as soon as he and scaramouche sat down on their seats in their next class.

to everyone else around him, he looked distracted and not paying attention, but internally, kazuha is panicking about the situation.

what if the janitor picks it up and throws it away? what if someone sees it and steal it for no reason? the student prayed and begged to celestia above that his beloved notebook is still on his desk waiting for him to pick it up and continue writing his unfinished haiku.

he'd rather give his life than let the notebook that holds all of his dear poems disappear.

by the time class was over, kazuha immediately rushed outside and head towards the other classroom that was far from his recent one, his heart pacing at the thought of what happened to the notebook, ignoring scaramouche calling him in confusion.

the moment kazuha opens the door, his eyes widens at the sight of another student standing by his seat.

the man wouldn't be phased by the student's presence in the class, had it not been the fact that the said student is holding his notebook.

the two of you continue to stare at each other in surprise, unsure what to do or say to one another.

it took a solid minute for you to realize what kazuha was here for, glancing at the still-shocked student and back to the notebook you just read out of curiosity.

kazuha felt embarrassed to say the least. although he doesn’t mind his close friends to read his haikus, it’s quite embarrassing about the fact that someone he doesn’t know has read his haikus.

you then laugh nervously, closing his notebook in an awkward manner. "your poems are nice." you complimented, hoping it would uplift the awkward and tensed atmosphere in the room.

it felt like kazuha got hit by a train.

what did you say?

"...did you say my poems are nice?" he asks. it can't be, can it?

he watched as you're taken back by surprise from his question. "...no way."

kazuha took a few steps forward, his heart was beating so fast that it felt like it would get out from his chest. "you're... i didn't expect you to be in the same school as me." he admits.

you smile. "i honestly didn't think i'd meet you this soon. who knew curiosity could bring me to meet my soulmate?"

he copies your expression, feeling like time has slowed for the both of you. he honestly didn't care about the fact that he's probably late for his next class, what mattered to him is the fact that he finally met you after years of yearning and writing.

"so uhm," you felt your cheeks start to warm as you look away from his gaze. "what do we do now?"

kazuha's eyes lights up even more from your question. "...for starters, we could talk in a restaurant nearby after our last period. it's on me, of course."

you look back at your soulmate and nodded. "i'd like that..?”

“kazuha,” he clarifies for you. “my name is kaedehara kazuha.”

unnoticed by the two of you, scaramouche was standing outside of the room, listening to the room with a relieved look on his face.

"thank god i don't have to hear him reading his haikus to me anymore." he mumbled to himself before walking away from the room.

[princess-of-inarizaki]

Heyheyhey!! Can i request manager birthday and the team forget about it for seijoh, inarizaki, and shiratorizawa bcs tomorrow ma birthday hahah. Thank youuu and i love you

Anon-chan!! This is SUCH an important birthday request and I am beyond honoured to write it for you :D 💖💖💖💖✨

Our birthdays are so close too👉👈 mine's next week. (Exactly ten days apart from yours!!)

Anyways, happy birthday Anon-chan!!I hope you have a beautiful day, filled with lots of happy things, and a wonderful year ahead. you're wonderful, and I hope you always remember that !! 💖💖💖✨ I love you so very much <3

The teams forgetting their manager's birthday

Characters: Seijoh, Shiratorizawa, and Inarizaki

Warnings: none

Oh btw!! since the type of manager is not specified, I'll go with my default fem manager :D she's cute and sweet (like you, Anon-chan 😺😆💖) and the boys adore her a ton. She's also very capable, smart, and confident, and she loves being physical with the boys, which constantly flusters them!

Seijoh

The Seijoh boys would be so busy practicing for an upcoming match, they kinda forget everything that's happening around them.

Lots of focus. You smile fondly, because that's what makes them such a good team. Their ability to focus on their goals and eliminate all distractions.

Until one day, Yahaba is just scrolling through his phone's calendar when he sees “Manager Chan's birthday, 19th November.”

And he's just so shocked and guilty. He immediately calls the rest of the team and tells them what he just realized.

The team feels so guilty and disappointed in themselves. They're a day late to wish you, and they desperately want to make it up to you.

You're their precious manager after all, the one who bandages their injuries with a smile and who always gives them the motivation to do better.

How could they possibly forget such a precious human being's birthday?

That same day, they create a group chat excluding you, and begin to plan something special for you.

They break themselves up into teams with specific tasks of getting things ready for an impromptu birthday party for you.

Iwa-chan is in charge of ensuring everything runs smoothly, and he makes sure to do it with zeal, hoping to make it the best birthday ever for you, eventhough it's a bit late.

The next day, you walk into the gym, and it's absolutely quiet and dark. The boys aren't there yet, which is pretty odd, considering practice should've started a few minutes ago.

You stand in front of the gym and dial Oikawa's number, because he's always quick to respond to your calls, but the number goes straight to voicemail. You're confused, and a little curious as to where they are.

Suddenly, you feel someone's hands covering your eyes, and Oikawa's voice saying “y/n-chan, don't be scared. We have a surprise for you.”

You laugh, realisation washing over you that the boys probably planned something because they forgot it was your birthday yesterday, and follow Oikawa as he guides you inside.

When he finally uncovers your eyes, you see the boys holding a huge, slightly odd looking cake, lit with candles.

Oikawa hugs you from behind and you pull him closer to you, snuggling in his embrace.

You then blow out your candles and make a silent wish. I wish to always be by their side

Iwa-chan is already hitting Oikawa for hugging you before the rest, so you hug Iwa too, then Matsukawa, Hanamaki, Yahaba, Kunimi, and even Kyotani, albeit him being slightly rigid.

“thanks guys, this is an amazing surprise!” you say softly, as your eyes tear up. It's obvious that they made the cake themselves, and eventhough it wasn't perfect, your boys, made it for you.

Your heart squeezed as you cut slices for everyone, and handed it to them, as they sat on the bleachers to enjoy it.

You sit next to Yahaba and leaned on his shoulder. “Thanks for remembering” you said softly.

He blushed. “how did you know?” you explained that Kunimi told you, and he smiled at you and ruffled your hair.

“We're sorry for not remembering sooner, Y/n-san. Thanks for being the best manager ever” said Iwaizumi. He seemed to be nonchalant about it, but his eyes and smile betrayed him. He was fond of you, and genuinely glad that you enjoyed the small celebration they had prepared.

You smiled and kissed his cheek as acknowledgement, which caused him to blush and Oikawa to throw a small tantrum.

You laughed as you looked at them bantering with each other, Hanamaki and Matsukawa teasing Kyotani, and Yahaba and Kunimi next to you. You really did love these boys.

Shiratorizawa

So I'm pretty sure it's exam week, and these boys are just so studious and hardworking, they're totally immersing themselves in their studies and books.

Until it's their calculus exam and Tendou just suddenly remembers “Oh my God, it was Y/N's birthday two days ago!!” as his pencil flies across the room, much to the sensei's disapproval (haha, miracle boy is so cute)

He pulls the other third years aside after the exam, like Ushijima, and Semi, and tells them what he just remembers.

Ushijima is just stoic, but internally he's like "how could I forget? I never forget important dates like these? Is something wrong with me?" And Semi's just so sad he wants to scoop you in his arms right away.

Tendou then proposes the idea of taking you somewhere after school to surprise you, and they agree, and run off to tell the rest of the team.

Goshiki is just close to tears he hates that he forgot his favourite senpai's birthday, especially when you remembered his (and the entire team's) and never failed to make it a special day for them.

So after school ends, you're getting ready to go back home, when Semi just scoops you into his arms and carries you to the rest of the team.

You're not all that shocked, since Semi does this pretty often, and so you let him. “where are we going?” you ask, and he just casually answers “to celebrate the end of exams”

You laugh silently. They're definitely planning more than that, but you decide to humour them, and smile at the team when Semi lets you down gently.

“let's go have udon” says Shirabu with a too-big smile. You and the team walk to an udon shop near the school, and enter quietly.

Goshiki sits next you, and he looks like he wants to say something, but can't, as he bites his lip. Ushijima sits in front of you, and rest of the team take their places and begin ordering.

You notice Tendou talking to the shop owner intently, with Shirabu next to him. Ushijima knows that you might suspect something, so he tries getting your attention by asking you about your exams.

Suddenly, Tendou brings a cake to the table and team begins singing happy birthday for you. You smile happily and wait for them to finish before making a wish and blowing off the candles.

You smile happily at the team and their hearts grow warm, seeing you so happy like that.

“We're sorry for not remembering sooner, y/n-senpai” says Goshiki in a sad voice. Your heart tugs at seeing him so sad, so you ruffle his hair and assure him that exams are tough on everyone, and that it was better to celebrate it after they ended anyways.

You and the team eat the cake after having udon, and talk about the week together. They start reminiscing about memories with you, as they talk about their first impressions, and cute memories with a soft smile on their faces.

Tendou retells the story of how you first came to the team and how much you've grown ever since then.

At some point, Semi sits in your place whilst you've gone to the ladies room, and pulls you to his lap when you come back.

The team laughs when they see you desperately refusing, worried that you'll be too heavy, whilst Semi reassures you that you won't.

Goshiki adoringly smiles at you, and Semi pulls you closer to him. Tendou feeds you small pieces of strawberry left from the cake, as Shirabu records everything, excitedly typing in a caption on his social media.

Meanwhile, Ushijima is just carefully adding in a small reminder in his phone calendar, so he'll never forget your birthday in the future ever again.

Inarizaki

My sweet little fox babies! I think they would be excitedly counting down for your birthday, you're their precious manager-chan after all (and I can't bring myself to say they forgot 😅😭) when Atsumu suddenly sees a friend of yours post a "happy birthday y/n!!" on their Instagram story.

Atsumu immediately jumps on his brother's bed and wakes him up, whilst texting your friend. “Isn't y/n's birthday five days from now?”

Your friend replies. “no haha, it's today!” which cause the twins to desperately call Aran, Suna, Ginjima, and of course, captain Kita!

The boys are hurriedly awoken a few minutes after midnight, and absolutely frazzled! They had all planned something special, but now they would have to change the date, and some things (like the cake and venue) weren't ready so soon.

Osamu groggily got out of bed and began taking out eggs, butter, flour, and other baking ingredients. Eventhough it was extremely late, and he had a tiring day, nothing could compare to his love for you. And so, he started mixing the ingredients at one a.m.

Kita tried to remain calm, but internally freaks out. He and Suna are trying to brainstorm ideas of places they could take you to make your day enjoyable.

Atsumu was busy wrapping the gifts they had all got. He got way too many papercuts and had a bit of trouble, but it was for you, and the thought alone of you smiling was enough to motivate him.

Aran and Ginjima made their own preparations in their own homes for the next day, and Aran even facetimed Osamu to keep him company throughout the baking process.

They were determined to make your birthday a happy one, and genuinely wanted to let you know they loved and cared for you so much.

The next day, six terribly sleep deprived boys arrived at school, with the needed arrangements set. The cake was safely secured with Osamu, and Suna took the bag of gifts from Atsumu.

Kita went to go find you, and he saw you waiting by the entrance of school. “Y/n-san, let's go.” said Kita with a mysterious smile.

You were a bit confused. School was the other way and he was dragging you away from it, but you trusted Kita and followed him.

He led you to the rest of the team, and gently places his hand on your back. “Let's go, y/n-san. We're going to the beach.”

You were super confused. “but school?”. Suna gives you a sleepy smile. “Kita and me have already handled that. We told your teachers you'd be absent today, now c'mon.”

Atsumu gently holds your small hand in his and you guys walks to the subway. As you dig for your subway card in your pocket, the boys get seated. There's one less seat, so Atsumu pulls you to his lap, much to the rest of the team's disapproval.

They're all so jealous, Atsumu laughs silently, and pulls an oblivious you closer. Osamu just rolls his eyes, but internally seethes.

Two stops later, the team motions to exit, and Aran shyly comes closer to you, taking your hand this time. You smile at him and make your way to the small beach you sometimes spend time in, with the rest of the team.

Kita finds an empty picnic table and everyone sits down, placing the items they had brought with them down, and looking at you expectantly.

“Happy Birthday, y/n-chan.” they chorused together. Suna ruffled your hair from the right side of you, and Osamu begins lighting up the candles on your left.

You gratefully thank them for going to the trouble of bringing you here, the fresh beach air and breeze immediately putting you in a cheerier mood.

They then start singing you a happy birthday as you blush silently and blow the candles out, making a wish. I wish to be able to love these boys forever.

You lean over and kiss Osamu's cheek. He blushes red immediately. “Thank you for going to the trouble of baking this, Samu'” if only you knew, he thought silently, as flashbacks of him almost falling asleep in front of the oven came to mind.

Kita cuts the cake and gives you the biggest slice, much to your happiness. The boys all eat their cake and joke around about all the memories they've made with you.

“I can remember when y/n-chan just came. She was so small and sweet, Osamu said she reminded him of a macaroon” said Aran.

Kita fondly smiles as he gives you a pack off green tea from his grandmother.

Ginjima gives you the gifts the entire team had picked and you begin tearing up, much to everyone's dismay. You're just so grateful to have them.

Suddenly Atsumu leans over and swipes frosting from the cake on your face. The mood is once again lifted, as Suna takes a ton of pictures, and contributes to the frosting on your face too.

“hey that's enough now” says Kita. He looks firm, but his eyes betray him. The slight sparkle shows that he thinks it adorably hilarious how the boys are annoying you.

The water seems to be calling you, so you pull Suna to the shore and lean down to the water.

The rest of the day is just filled with the boys and you doing random things by the beach, like eating popsicles, and finding seashells. You're unable to actually get into the water, due to your school uniforms, but seeing an excited you gush over the seashells and smile happily over ice cream is enough for the boys.

At the end of the day, you and the team watch the sunset together, and swear to work extra hard for the upcoming nationals.

As they see you looking up at the sunset adoringly, their hearts squeeze in their chest, so grateful to be a part of your life.

Taglist: @osamusriceballs @k-sakusa-old

[hugespace]

Therapy helps rhett realize that all of those "I'm dead" UFC moves were actually just a way to fulfill his need for physical intimacy at a time in his life where he didn't feel it was acceptable to ask for it, especially from another man. Now that they're both adults and completely different people than they were in college, rhett decides it's time to explain it all to link and let him know that he actually misses that physical contact with him.

It took me a really long while, but I finally finished this one! I really loved that prompt, so thank you so much for giving it to me, lovely Anon. I was initially going to write it as a platonic/romantic friendship kinda story, but it seems I'm determined to write a hundred different first kiss + feelings realisation scenarios, I simply enjoy those way too much.

*** 2,5K ***

Let me hold you

He’s done it again.

Not so long ago, Rhett promised himself not to bring it up in front of cameras or a microphone unless he talks it out with Link, privately.

Especially not as a joke.

And he’s failed already, he scolds himself short after the Ear Biscuits episode is recorded and they’re both out of the room, heading back towards their office.

He thinks he could have just omitted it, shouldn’t have mentioned anything. It simply wasn’t necessary to mull over it again, even with the topic of the episode revolving around their college experience. It wasn’t a big deal, he said it himself, countless times. Every time they talked about it on the show.

So, every time.

There’s never been a conversation in private about that incident or anything that preluded it, never in the absence of people to entertain, never not around at least one recording device. Because why would there be? It wasn’t a big deal. A funny story, s’all.

He’s also never been able to just let things go, though, and thanks to that inability, the lore of wrestling and the “I’m dead” move had to live on. It was an innocent story, a funny albeit embarrassing one – their unofficial brand after all, an easy misunderstanding and a fun little anecdote, not his carefully curated version of what happened, nor a watered-down one, not just a part of the entire story devoid of any feelings associated with it, not a big deal-! And most of all, not… true. Not true.

Rhett isn’t sure if Link has been consciously going along with that wordlessly agreed upon version of what their UFC phase looked like, repressing the truth behind it, or… simply never realised what it meant for Rhett and genuinely thought of it as a humorous yet insignificant part of their friendship in the past.

Most likely the third option, he has to assume. After all, why would Link attach any meaning to it? It’s not like anything actually ever happened, not outside of Rhett’s mind at least. Frankly, he himself went decades without understanding his own motivations, more than once confused by why the memories of wrestling with his friend and laying on top of him felt both shameful and deeply comforting. Why even long after they grew up, stopped being kids, and as a result retired all their UFC moves, the only way he could describe what he felt thinking about that time was longing.

Until therapy happened.

Just like with many different things in his life:

There was something in the darkness, and then therapy shone a light on it.

It was like there were countless situations he navigated solely on instinct, without paying much thought to the reasons behind why he acted a certain way, and once therapy equipped him with the ability to do so, he unearthed an entire deep layer of feelings and emotions that were always there. Just hidden, even from himself.

The wrestling being one of those things.

So, he thinks Link doesn’t know.

And he’s finally determined to change that.

Why now, when he’s had so many chances to talk to Link over the years ever since he started being more in touch with himself? He doesn’t really have an answer; it’s just that after talking about it with such levity again, after repeatedly making a joke out of it, it feels like he might explode if he doesn’t say anything, doesn’t confess to Link what it was really like. And most of all, it feels like the yearning has become stronger lately, and the conversation yet again playing it all off as them being young and silly only ignited it, made the flame inside of Rhett burn brighter, threatening to make his heart combust.

“I need to talk to you about something that’s been on my mind.” Rhett says easily once they’re in the office. It’s not an unsure statement or a nervous plea with words tumbling out of his mouth before he can lose his cool and change his mind. It would have been all that and more a couple of years ago, sure.

But he’s a different man now. He’s not afraid to tell the person who’s been with him for almost the entirety of his life what he feels.

Link, however. He does look unsure, a bit alarmed even, when he looks at Rhett and responds.

“Sure-? What is it? Do you wanna talk now?”

It’s just like him to worry. Run a hundred different scenarios in his head, most of them negative, trying to prepare himself for every possible outcome of a serious conversation before it even began. It’s an anxious survival instinct that makes Link resilient to even the worst that life has to offer and able to face it all head on. But right now, it’s nothing scary. Rhett doesn’t want his friend to be worried, so he quickly says as much.

“Don’t worry, s’not bad. Just something we talked about on the podcast today.” The blonde sits down on the couch and pats the cushion next to him, hoping he appears to be as calm as he truly feels inside and that it might dissolve some of Link’s concern, still written all over his face.

The other man takes his place on the sofa and looks at him expectingly.

“Right. So-“ Rhett’s calmness doesn’t completely evaporate once Link gives him his full attention, but it’s suddenly laced with some nerves. “About the wrestling. You know, in college. And before that. And- Especially about my ‘I’m dead’ move. I’ve been thinking about it, and-“

“Rhett, I swear, if you made me sit down for a talk only to tell me you’d like to make it a part of our conflict resolution again, then ha-ha. Very funny. I’d like to go get myself some coffee now.” Link cuts him off with an unamused look in his eyes and almost makes a move to stand up.

Rhett is quicker though and grabs the brunette’s arm before he can really move, effectively making him stay in place.

“What? No. That’s not what I’m saying. Like, at all. I-“ He realises he’s still holding onto Link’s arm and instinctively wants to retract his hand, but that same feeling that led him to initiating this conversation in the first place makes him reconsider. “I’ve been thinking about what it all meant and why I did that, especially when we fought or you were angry with me, and-“

“Because we were young.” Link quickly answers what wasn’t even a question. “We had too much energy and neither of us really wanted to hurt the other by punching him or- or fighting in earnest. What else would it mean.”

“Link can you let me talk? I’m trying to say something important.” Rhett squeezes Link’s forearm. “So, as I was saying. I mostly did it when you were angry or I was feeling unsure, and I didn’t realise it back then, but- But I know now, that I just… needed reassurance. You know, physical contact.” He explains, looking straight into Link’s eyes and trying to interpret his reaction before it comes.

When nothing happens, and the brunette just stares back at him with a furrowed brow, he feels compelled to continue and elaborate.

“Like when people… hug after an argument-?” His brain almost challenges him to make a different comparison, presenting a parallel between laying half-naked on top of your best friend and another activity people often partake in to make up after a fight. But that’s not- It’s not what he’s trying to say. It’s not like that.

The face in front of him frowns in confusion, blue eyes squinting and mouth opening and closing again, only letting out a puff of air and no sound at first.

When Link finally responds, his voice is unsure, like he suspects that he’s not understanding something right. “Are you trying to tell me you wanted to hug me when we bickered, so you pushed me to the floor and laid on me till I was even angrier, instead…?”

That’s not fully what Rhett meant, but it’s close enough, so he nods.

“What the crap, Rhett-? You're not making any sense.”

“Okay, listen…” He decides to go for a different approach. “We still don’t hug after arguments. We never hug hello. I think I could count on my fingers how many times we’ve actually hugged each other as adults, outside of the show!”

“Yeah! That’s just not what we do! We’ve never done those things, it’s just not a part of our relationship- I still don’t know what you wanna tell me here Rhett.” Link throws his hands in the air in a gesture of resignation.

“I want it to be a thing we do, okay?! I always did, but I was afraid to ask for it so I just took what you could give me without talking about it. Can’t have actual intimacy? Make up a UFC thing so I can be close to you! Can’t hold you when I’ve made you mad? Better lay on top of you till you give up and have no choice but stop!” Rhett pauses to finally take a breath.

“That time that guy saw us- I’m sure you remember I stormed off right after-? I panicked, it was like him seeing us and thinking there was something else happening almost made feel like it was something else, and since I started it, it also felt like I wanted it to be something else. I got so angry at myself for even trying and I never did it again. I’m sure you remember that, too!” Words flow out of Rhett in a hurried and increasingly loud cascade, while Link’s eyes grow bigger and comprehension dawns on his face.

“I know how stupid it sounds. But you know how I was. We were well into our thirties when I still refused to get close to you. And it’s not that I didn’t want to, it was the opposite – I wanted it a lot, man.”

„But I thought...?” Link seems to be turning a thought over in his head. “I thought you just never liked it. That the wrestling thing was about you… asserting dominance. That’s what it felt like at least. Like you trying to act like an older brother or somethin’.”

“No- It was me wanting to be close to you and not knowing how to ask for it. My very convoluted way of expressing love, you could call it. And I’m sorry it took me-“

“What changed-? I mean, what made you wanna talk about it?” There’s urgency in Link’s voice when he cuts Rhett off.

“I… I realised I miss it. I told you, we still don’t really hug or get intimate, however that sounds, and I’m not gonna just topple you and pin you to the ground again. We’re too old for that. For once, I don’t think either my back or your shoulders would survive if we started wrestling every time I wanted to be affectionate. But also- We’re over forty, Link. What does it say about me if I can’t just ask a person I love and have loved for almost four decades to hold me when I need it and would resort to, well, aggression-? That’s not how it should work.”

Link ponders Rhett’s words for a few beats before opening his mouth again, only to let three breathy words escape. “You love me-?”

It seems like the wrong thing to focus on, Rhett just opened up to say he not only craves physical intimacy now, but also struggled with that same need when they were younger so badly, he had to invent an entire intricate system allowing him to be closer, and Link questions the one thing he knows already. Because of course he knows, Rhett’s said as much dozens of times, of course he loves him. But it appears he has to say it anyway, judging from the weird look in Link’s eyes.

“I do, of course I lo-“ The blonde begins, yet he doesn’t get a chance to finish and ask whether Link heard the other part of his confession at all, because at once, his mouth isn’t free to keep talking and there’s no air left in his lungs as the man who was just sitting right next to him plunges forward and collides with him, lips first.

Oh. Rhett manages to form one more coherent thought despite being startled and entirely taken aback. Link misunderstood. That’s why he got hung up on the love confession. That’s not what Rhett meant, that’s not what he was trying to say, it’s not like that-

He feels like he should clear things up as quickly as possible. Logically, he should be panicking, racking his brain for a way to straighten things up, to explain to Link that it wasn’t what he was trying to say without making things worse, without ruining everything and making his best friend feel miserable and embarrassed, until…

Until Rhett realises his body went rogue and started responding without his conscious decision, his lips are moving against the other man’s, one of his hands is cupping Link’s face, while the other strayed away and is caressing his back. And it feels like his heart is trying to break out of the ribcage with how hard it’s pounding in his chest, along with his stomach doing wild summersaults. And he’s not panicking, not at all. And it’s not a misunderstanding, how could it, when he loves Link with his entire soul, with his whole being- And exactly like that, it hits him. Starting this conversation, he thought he already understood everything, but he didn’t– there was still that last puzzle piece missing.

They come up for air, panting from the intensity of that first kiss, foreheads flush with each other. Rhett finishes the sentence he began before Link’s move changed everything. “Of course I love you.” He means it now, he means it exactly like Link took it and can’t comprehend how he didn’t think of it before, but it’s perfectly obvious now.

So he hugs Link. He encircles the man’s body with his long arms, squeezes, and holds him, feels his friend snuggle into him, nuzzle his face into the crook of his neck and breathe deeply, holding Rhett's larger body in return.

All he needed was ask for the closeness.

He asked, and he got it.

He got all he wanted and so much more.

So, so much.