#the situation will then repeat a few times until i set up another permanent residence in a thread to house the things in each briefcase

[obeyme-kaidii-writes]

Sleep

Mammon x gn!MC

Words - 2286

Content warnings - none, just lots of fluff and humor, platonic relationships

Prompt/Inspiration - AO3 request

Summary -  Mammon starts sleeping in your room at night, and you notice a peculiar habit of his.

AO3

You were a light sleeper. A very, very light sleeper.

There had been several times during your stay at the House of Lamentation when Mammon scared the living daylights out of you by crawling into your bed in the middle of the night. Eventually, you just flat out told Mammon that he had to sleep with you because you were not going to be able to rest otherwise. He stuttered and blushed and fumbled over his words, denying that he had any idea what you were talking about, but in the end, he had taken up semi-permanent residence in your room.

When you start sharing a bed with someone on a regular basis, you begin to learn a lot about them that you wouldn’t know otherwise. Like whether they hog the blankets, if they prefer sheets over thick comforters, if they snore. And you, likewise, started to notice some very peculiar traits of Mammon’s.

For example, he preferred to sleep entirely nude. Of course now that he was sleeping in your room most of the time, he made the effort to wear something. But it wasn’t unusual for him to wake up in noticeably fewer clothes than when he had fallen asleep.

One night in particular, you were about to learn yet another thing about Mammon.

————

Mammon had fallen asleep long before you, and you had stayed up to keep reading a book you had borrowed from Satan. As you got sleepier and sleepier you realized that maybe it was time you called it a night. So you rolled over to turn your lamp off, only to find that you couldn’t reach it because a certain demon of Greed was starfished on the bed, essentially trapping you in a corner.

You thought for a moment about what you should do about this situation you found yourself in. At first, you didn’t want to disturb Mammon. His sleeping face was just so cute! But you were tired. And despite the fact he looked absolutely adorable next to you now, this was the same little shit that woke you up frequently for reasons much more frivolous.

“Pssst, Mammon. Wake up,” you nudged him with your elbow. When he didn’t stir, you gave him a bit of a kick with your foot. And when he still didn’t wake up, you put your hand on his shoulder and gently shook him.

“Wassup?” he finally answered as he sat up in bed.

“Turn off the light.”

“‘K.”

Having successfully woken him up, and trusting that he could manage a light switch on his own, you rolled over, turning your back to him, preparing to go to sleep. But after a good minute or two, you realized the light was still on. So you rolled over halfway, and repeated your request.

“Mammon, the light.”

“Right. Right. Gotcha.” And with that he finally reached over to the lamp and flicked it off, before snuggling back into your blankets and curling up behind you.

————

The following morning, you were the first to wake up. You looked over to Mammon, who was still taking up a good ¾ of the bed, and you couldn’t help but smile. It really was nice waking up with someone else beside you. Even if that someone was a bed hog.

When Mammon woke up a few minutes later, it was only to find you staring at him. He blushed awkwardly as he looked away, which just made you laugh.

“Whattaya lookin’ at?”

“Oh just a cute demon, hogging the bed.”

“Oh...uh...sorry,” he replied, pulling his limbs to himself as he rolled on his side away from you.

“It’s fine. So long as you are willing to turn the light off for me,” you said, smiling and laughing softly, as you snuggled up next to Mammon, wrapping your arm around his waist and spooning him from behind.

“The light?”

“Yeah, like last night when I was reading. If you’re gonna hog the bed, then be prepared to be woken up to turn off the light.”

Mammon rolled over a little to get a better look at you, certain that you had to be teasing him or setting him up for a joke or...something. But you were just smiling at him like normal.

“What’s up?” you asked.

“I dunno whatcha talkin’ about. I didn’t turn off a light last night.”

“Umm yeah you did. You even sat up and talked to me.”

“Noooo I didn’t…” he furrowed his brow in confusion. What on earth were you trying to pull?

“Ok fine. It doesn’t matter. The deal still stands. Hog the bed, be put on light switch duty. K?” you asked, leaning forward to give him a quick peck on the cheek, something that you knew would fluster him.

“Uh yep. Got it. Light switch duty,” he said as he rolled back over to hide his face from you. Without even meaning to, he shifted back slightly so that he was pressed more fully against you, and you simply smiled and hugged him in return. You were such a brat sometimes...kissing him on the cheek like that out of nowhere. You could at least warn him. Not that he liked it or anything.

While you did find it a little odd that Mammon didn’t remember the light incident, you just wrote it off as one of those things. It’s not like it mattered whether or not he remembered, anyways.

————

A few days later, you returned to your room after a study session with Satan only to find Mammon already passed out on your bed, once again leaving very little space for you. It occurred to you then that perhaps he was doing this on purpose so that you’d have to sleep practically on top of him, so you decided to have a bit of fun.

Instead of crawling over him, you climbed in next to him by the edge of your bed, and poked him in the side.

His reaction was immediate. He sat up and rubbed at his eyes...and then he just sat there.

“Mammon? You can lay back down.”

He mumbled something.

“Mammon?”, you sat up to get a better look at him. His eyes were open, but only just, and his gaze was unfocused, “You can lay down now.”

“I don’t wanna,” he whined.

“Mammon, are you still asleep?”, you had heard of sleepwalking before, but this was a whole new level of weird.

“Nooo.”

Sensing that it was perhaps better not to argue with him, you laid down in your bed and tugged on his shirt to get him to join you, “Come cuddle with me then so I can go to sleep.”

Without further complaint, Mammon complied and curled up next to you, resting his head on your chest and wrapping his arm around your middle. It didn’t take him long at all to fall back asleep, leaving you even more certain that he must not have been fully awake to begin with.

————

After that, there weren’t any more unusual episodes with Mammon for awhile, so you had almost forgotten about the whole thing.

That is until one night when you had been just about to fall asleep, and a notification came thru in your DDD. Usually you would put your device on silent when going to sleep, but tonight you had been so exhausted that you forgot. So when the notification went off - it was LOUD.

Mammon immediately sat up, dazed.

“Sorry about that,” you said, turning the sound off on your DDD.

“Fin stis.”

“Huh?”

“Den sai tis id.”

“Mammon, I think you are asleep.”

“Noooo! Am not!!!”, Mammon replied, as he started to act like he was about to get out of bed. Concerned about the sort of trouble he could get himself in while in this state you tried your best to stop him.

“Mammon, where are you going?”

He didn’t answer, but at least he stopped trying to get up.

“I think you’re asleep. Please, don’t get up.”

“I’m not asleep!” he snapped. You were surprised by the tone of voice he was using with you. Yeah he was loud and yelled a bunch, but you had never seen him actually angry with you. Not wanting to provoke him further, you decide to drop the issue and try what had worked the last time this happened.

“Ok Mammon, then just cuddle with me.”

“Fine.”

“Yeah, just lay back down with me so I can sleep.”

There was incoherent grumbling from Mammon as he wiggled back under the covers, still clearly annoyed with you for accusing him of being asleep when he knew he wasn’t.

“We can talk in the morning. Just cuddle for now.”

Once he was laying down again, you cuddled up next to him and wrapped your arm around his waist, hoping it would at least give you some warning if he would try to get up again.

————

“Sooooo, Mammon. Do you remember last night?”

“Huh?” Mammon turned around to look at you from his seat on the floor by your bed. It was Saturday morning, and he was browsing Akuzon on his DDD, trying to decide what to buy with his latest modeling paycheck. You had been laying on your bed, “helping” him with his shopping by occasionally texting him suggestions that you found. They might not have been the most helpful suggestions, but at least they were making the two of you laugh.

“You yelled at me,” you said, turning off your DDD and turning your head to look at Mammon.

“Whattya talkin’ about?? Why would I yell at you??”

“Because I told you that you were sleeping.”

“You’re makin’ that up.”

“Mammon, have you ever had trouble with sleepwalking?” you were genuinely curious if perhaps some of the things he got accused of were the result of him wandering the House of Lamentation unconsciously in the middle of the night.

“Huh?! No! Of course not! What are ya trying to pull? Seriously, is this like a joke or somethin’?”

“No, I’m telling you - you got woken up by a notification on my DDD, and when I tried to get you to go back to sleep, you yelled at me.”

“There’s no way that happened. I woulda remembered it.” Mammon eyed you suspiciously. He was sure this had to be a prank of some sort, though he couldn’t for the life of him figure out what the punch line would be. Why were you being so insistent?

“Well it did,” you mumbled under your breath. If he was going to be so stubborn, you were just going to have to prove it to him. The next time - you were going to catch it on video.

————

Not wanting to wait until Mammon would have one of his “episodes” on his own, you decided you’d have to try to trigger one yourself. Based on your observations, you needed to wait until he was *just* asleep, and then wake him suddenly - either a moderately loud noise, or a forceful movement.

So the following night, you made sure your DDD was fully charged...and you waited.

It didn’t take long for Mammon to pass out. You had made sure he spent the day running around the Devildom taking you shopping, and doing other “date” things, just to wear him out. And since this was Mammon, it took a LOT to wear him out. If it wasn’t for the fact you were on a mission, you’d probably have nodded off yourself long ago.

You pulled out your DDD, turned on your camera to record video…and then delivered a swift kick to Mammon’s butt.

As expected, Mammon sat up almost immediately.

“Hey Mammon.”

“Mmmm?”

“Are you asleep?”

“Nooo,” he whined. You snickered at his response. This was going perfectly.

“I need you to do something for me in the morning.”

“Sure, whattttayaaa want?”

“Can you make me breakfast?”

“Sure.”

“So what are you going to do in the morning?”

“Everryyythinnnn.”

“Are you going to make me breakfast?”

“That’s part of everrryyythinnn’.”

By now you were having a difficult time maintaining your composure. You only just managed to keep your DDD steady enough to get a decent video. You hadn’t tried talking to Mammon this much the other times, and were surprised at how long he was able to keep this up. Seeing as you had nothing to lose, you decided to keep going.

“Can you say it for me in a complete sentence? What are you going to do in the morning?”

“Breakfast and bugggsss.”

“What?”

“Breakfast and bugggsss.”

“Bugs?”

“Yesh.”

“So one more time, what are you going to do in the morning?”

“Killlll everythinnnn’.”

That was apparently your breaking point, and you had to cover your mouth to stop the loud squeals of laughter that weren’t threatening to escape. This had gone far more perfectly than you ever could have imagined. There was no way he was going to be able to deny this now. Imagining how red his face would get as you showed him the video had you giggling even harder.

Pausing your recording, and safely tucking away your DDD, you decided that you had had enough fun for the night and that it was time to give poor Mammon a break and let him rest.

“Ok Mammon, will you come cuddle with me now?”

“Fiiinnneee,” he said, slumping down onto the bed and rolling over so he could snuggle up to your side. You really had exhausted him that day, so he deserved a bit of rest. Gently combing your fingers through his hair, you thought about how exactly you were going to make use of this video as you drifted off to sleep.

Based on this conversation with my husband -

[peaches-writes]

as you awaken

description: as you slowly regain consciousness, an angel comes to you with comforting words, a pack of cigarettes, and a playlist of hopeful songs member: changbin word count: 6.7k genre: fluff, angst, sci-fi au (black mirror’s san junipero-inspired), strangers to lovers au (a bit of a whirlwind romance if you will lmao) warnings: explicit language, mentions of coma, terminal illness, injuries, car accidents, death, alcohol, smoking (please drink and smoke responsibly) notes: my main (and late!) halloween gift! it’s like signal no. 4 rn but fuck it i wrote this last night and today + you don’t have to watch san junipero (but it’d be cool if you do!) but basically it’s explained as a simulated reality for people (usually the elderly, terminally ill, and the deceased) 

“So, what are you in for?” 

You immediately look up from your own can of Cola to your 'tour guide’ on your right just as he proceeds to sip on his chocolate milkshake after breaking the rather awkward silence. Seo Changbin is his name from what you could remember against the loud 00s music of TCKR’s where you met earlier this evening and what your nurse back at the hospital told you, you remind yourself again in case your still hazy mind accidentally forgets again. “I’m sorry, what?” 

“What are you in San Junipero for?” He simply and patiently repeats for you again, returning your gaze this time with a genuinely anticipating expression for your answer. He then offers you the cigarette pack in his other hand, most probably at noticing your hunched shoulders and darting eyes around the half-empty diner, but you’re quick to politely decline, even mustering up a small smile towards him in reassurance. “If it’s alright to ask, I guess. You don’t have to answer if it makes you uncomfortable.” 

Changbin then leans back on his booth, taking another long sip of his drink as you purse your lips in thought, bringing both the glass and his pack of cigarettes back on the table in between the two of you only when you’ve sighed in resignation and shifted in your own seat to answer. “Coma,” You eventually answer after a moment, earning you a nod of understanding from him. “from a...from a car crash.”

He then props an elbow up right next to his milkshake, leaning forward and resting his cheek against his open palm. “How long now? If it’s alright to ask again.” He asks next with utmost carefulness and a small hint of reluctance.

You bite down on your bottom lip and briefly dart your eyes elsewhere at this, once again in thought. Even without him telling you upfront, you could tell that Changbin seems to think a lot about being careful in his way of asking you questions to not scare you off, knowing that it’s your first time visiting the virtual San Junipero. It comforts you, especially since this is your first time talking to someone who isn’t family or hospital staff about your current predicament, but you still can’t help but feel hesitant. 

“It’s okay.” You hear him in your brief pause, encouraging a small smile on your face at his thoughtfulness. “I wouldn’t hold it against you or anything, I promise.”

“Thank you.” You nod in acknowledgement, slowly finding the comfort to rest your tensed shoulders and sit back more comfortably in your own seat. “I, uh, it’s been two years from what they told me but I only just regained enough consciousness to be able to communicate last week.” 

In front of you, your companion’s eyes widen in amazement. “O-Oh...shit...shit, I’m so sorry for that. A-And you said it’s your first time here tonight too? It must’ve been tough.” He murmurs with deeply furrowed brows, to which you quickly assure him that it’s okay with a shake of your head. He then cautiously reaches his free hand to pat your shoulder comfortingly, leaving his palm open on the table after. “You’re very strong, Y/N, I hope you know that.” 

“T-Thank you, uh—it wasn’t—I mean I was completely unconscious until recently so it wasn’t...all that bad, if I could say that. But still, thank you...” Again, you find yourself shaking your head reassuringly but this time, your voice unconsciously stutters as you respond. “They said...well they said going here to San Junipero’s going to help me recover faster, though, that a lot of comatose patients these days go here all the time to help them get back on their feet so I’m putting all of my hope in my visits here.” 

Changbin nods in agreement, instinctively picking up his milkshake again to take another sip. “It does, at least from what the other visitors similar to you have told me before.” He agrees verbally after, briefly glancing over your shoulder as if in thought. “Visiting the town helps you be familiarized with mobility again and improves mental health—’with the added bonus of the nostalgic setting’ or that’s what the pamphlets to this town says. I don’t know about the last part—it’s not like I’m from the 80s or something.”

You fiddle absentmindedly with your own Cola can as he speaks, a thought suddenly crossing your mind towards the end. Hesitantly, when he finishes speaking, you then ask, “So...I’m guessing we’re not in similar situations, then?” 

The boy in question blinks twice slowly, completely thrown off-guard. No one’s ever asked him about his own story before in similar conversations, you assume. “N-No.” He shakes his head after a brief pause, the slight change in his tone confirming your suspicion. “No, um, I’m a resident here.” 

And for the second time tonight, you’re flustered once again. “O-Oh...oh, I’m sorry.” You quickly apologize, burying your face in your two hands. “I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have asked...” 

“It’s okay. It was a long time ago, anyway.” 

When you peek in between the spaces of your fingers, you see him shrug with a casual, almost relieved smile. “Still, I’m so sorry.” You frown at him, slowly removing your hands from your face to fold them on top of the table. “I should’ve known better not to ask. I mean, you are touring me here so I should’ve quickly connected the dots instead of—”

“Seriously, you don’t have to be sorry, we’re in San Junipero, anyway.” He exhales a patient sigh, reassuring you further with a chuckle. “It’s pretty normal to talk about it, especially when you’re a permanent resident. It’s a...it’s a way to comfort the self, cope with death, something or somehow...”

When you don’t speak immediately, opting instead to chew on your bottom lip again, he then shifts in his seat and gestures over to you before asking, “Like, okay, go ahead ask me what I’m in for.” 

“What?” 

“Yeah, no, go on. Ask me.” 

Changbin chuckles when you prolong your mini staring contest, nodding on to encourage you to ask until you sigh in defeat under his gaze and finally ask, “Okay, then...what are you in here for, Changbin?” You squint your eyes and lift a hand up to bite on your thumb. 

“Cancer...mostly.” He’s quick to answer, making your eyes widen. Before you could apologize again, however, he adds, “Like I said, though, it was a long time ago—three years now, I think? Just, I was a senior in high school from what I can remember.”

“Oh my God, I’m—” You immediately hold yourself back from apologizing again when Changbin raises a seemingly teasing eyebrow at you, making you exhale a sigh. “Uh, so, d-did you...did you choose to be a resident here?” 

“At first, it was my parents calling the shots, I didn’t know much of the place beforehand.” He answers with a shrug before taking another sip of his milkshake. His other hand finds his cigarettes again but you notice him hesitate, you can’t figure out why. “When the they started running out of options for me, ebertone thought it too early for me to pass on so they asked me to try San Junipero out. Went for a few visits like you are right now, fell in love with the place, I guess, so here I am.” 

You try nodding along to his story, your lips frowning in empathy. “I’m so sorry again, Changbin.” You tell him once he’s finished out of courtesy, making the boy smile. “I...I don’t know, it’s not everyday you met people who’ve—who’ve die—passed on. I really...I really don’t know what to say. I’m sorry.”

“Well, you’ve said enough apologies now, if that’s what you’re concerned about. And just call me Binnie now, Changbin’s a bit too formal at this point of the night, don’t you think?” He chuckles at you, effectively easing your flustered expression again. After a moment, as you then take a sip of your Cola, a thought then crosses his mind and he pokes on your elbow with his free hand, quickly regaining your attention. “But you can say something else to me, though.” 

“What is it?” 

Changbin sends another soft smile your way, placing his hand on top of your arm this time. “Heal well through your visits here.” He answers sincerely. “So you can continue living for a very long time after this.” 

A heavy feeling drops down to your stomach at this gesture and you end up nodding quickly. “I will.” You promise with a sigh, making the boy smile once more.

The following week, you find yourself standing a whole two meters away from the edge of TCKR’s roof, waving puffs of smoke out of your face as you ask Changbin, “Are you sure this is safe?”

In response, your guide briefly takes his cigarette out of his lips with one hand and takes your hand with the other, gently tugging you to the edge of the roof. “Yeah, it’s safe, don’t worry, doll.” He chuckles before blowing another hit, this time making sure his mouth’s away from your general direction when he exhales. “Anyway, if you fall, I’ll try catching you—or the system will!”

“What?!”

Before you could protest any further, however, you’ve already reached the edge, the billboard sign for this week on your left and Changbin taking another step forward to sit on the elevated area to your right. Instinctively, you cling onto your companion’s arm in horror, prompting him to grin in amusement. “Y-Ya!” 

“Since it’s a virtual town with, you know, all sorts of people uploaded into a system—you can’t technically die here.” He explains, gently tugging on your arms wrapped around his again to coax you into sitting down. When you shake your head, he’s quick to retract your steps back a little. “Though some people do for fun—they get into fights, overdose on the drugs and alcohol and whatnot—the pain’s not as great as when you’re alive in the real world. In fact, you can adjust the pain settings however you like.”

You want to ask him if he’s done it himself, by the way he’s so casual about it (and by the way he’s so casual about everything, in general), but he beats you to it before you could even decide on asking. “I haven’t done it, if that’s what you’re thinking. I’m not planning to, either.” He quickly points out, glancing at you over your his shoulder in concern when it takes long for you to reply. “And I won’t let you fall over the edge, I promise. I got you.”

“Promise?” You repeat, your gaze unconsciously flitting over to the city ahead and below you. 

From the corner of your eye, Changbin nods with a hum, tapping on the back of your hand to catch your attention again. “Promise.” He repeats sincerely when you turn your gaze back to him. “Just don’t look down.”

It takes Changbin a few more words to get you to sit down, especially when he himself clumsily trips on nothing when he does get you to walk towards the edge again, but you eventually manage after a moment by clinging onto the boy’s free hand for dear life. When you do sit down, however, your breath immediately catches in your throat at the sight of the twinkling streetlights almost blending with the stars in the night sky ahead of you, washing you with a wave of comfort that dissipates all of your worries. “Wow.” You murmur under your breath in amazement, prompting Changbin to heave a sigh of relief. “Just, wow...it’s so beautiful up here.”    

“That’s San Junipero for you.” He shrugs once you’re comfortable in your seat. His one hand’s still in a death grip under yours but he manages to not drop his cigarette pack and lighter by fitting them in his other hand. “So...cigarette?” 

When you notice the hand he’s using to hold his cigarettes closer to you, only then do you loosen your grip in his hand. “Sorry,” You apologize, more to his hand than to the cigarettes. “I, um, I don’t—I mean, I don’t think I can smoke yet. It just...I can’t right now.” 

“Oh...oh....it’s fine. It’s fine.” He nods in understanding, more to your hand as well than to the cigarettes he returns inside the pocket of his cardigan before re-adjusting the one already in between his lips. With his other hand, he then takes your hand in his again, placing them in the space between the two of you. “And you don’t have to let go if you’re still scared. I got you, remember?” 

“Thanks.” He makes you smile at this, your hand unconsciously tightening your grip in his once again but this time more comfortably. You then look on ahead once more, folding your legs up from dangling on the edge into a crisscross position. “It’s really beautiful up here, though. It’s like seeing the world.”  

“It could be all there is to the world, at least in this town.” Changbin muses out loud next to you, finishing his cigarette not long after. “There’s barely 1,000 residents here but the place just keeps expanding to cater to the tourists.”

You nod along, propping your free hand up on your knee to tilt your head comfortably towards Changbin as he speaks. He’s long discarded his cigarette on his opposite side now, blowing the remaining smoke upwards to the sky as he leans back with his free hand behind him. “But still, it feels endless here—or maybe it’s just because I can only visit at night when the horizon’s barely visible.” You then shrug once he’s finished speaking, alternating your gaze between him and the buildings ahead. It feels less scary to look down now, with his hand tapping patterns on your knuckles. “Do you think...Changbin, do you think it’s the same with the real thing? The afterlife, I mean...” 

“Maybe, maybe not, I wouldn’t know myself. Technically, this is already my afterlife.” The boy answers, making you frown. When he notices it from the corner of his eye, he then chuckles. “Don’t frown now, doll. It doesn’t actually bother me thinking about what I’m missing out on when I’m already enjoying here. It’s nothing.”  

“But still—” 

Before you could finish your thought, however, Changbin’s already repositioned your hands into a more comfortable hold. “Hey, it’s fine, it’s fine. Don’t beat yourself up too much over it.” He assures you with a gentle smile. “And you shouldn’t be thinking too much on these kinds of things. You’re going to wake up after this, it’s not good to think about death when you’re already doing so well, hm?” 

You eventually nod, heaving a sigh of relief. “I-I guess. You’re right...and thanks, for the last part, I mean.” You muster up a small smile. 

Changbin simply hums. “You can ask me and tell me anything but just don’t dwell too much on the afterlife part, okay? I can tell it worries you the most but you seriously don’t have to think about it right now.” He affirms. “I really do believe you’re going to wake up so you should too.” 

You didn’t tell him for the rest of the night that, beforehand, you didn’t actually believe that you’re ever going to wake up fully from your coma, but his soothing tone and conviction somehow single-handedly convinced you more than anyone has in the past two weeks that you’ve been semi-conscious. When you part at the end of the night, you think to yourself that you’ll never forget Changbin, not for the world. 

On your fourth visit, TCKR’s has somehow fully revamped itself into an 80s themed bar with its pink and blue neon signs, house music, and endless rows of the same Galaga game. It’s not your era nor is it Changbin’s, obviously by the way he keeps shamelessly admiring himself and his now slicked back hair at every reflective surface the two of you would pass along which makes you laugh each and every time, but you try blending in as much as you can, anyway, by dancing to the more popular songs that would play and trying to learn how to use the arcade games by not-so-discreetly looking at other people. 

“So, are we, are we the only people our age around here?” You ask him in between games of Pac-man and glasses of beer towards the end of your 6-hour timed visit. You still won’t accept Changbin’s offer of a cigarette no matter how much he tells you that it ‘technically doesn’t matter when you’re in San Junipero’ but he does make fun of you for biting on your straw instead whenever he would catch you in the act. “I’m a bit shy to ask the others around here.” 

Changbin inserts a quarter in the arcade game and takes a sip of his Cola first before answering. “Nope, there are other kids here like us; most of them are just a bit picky with the eras they want to hang out in this place.” He explains to you, opting to steal glances at you while playing another round of Pac-man as you make conversation. “You’ve met a few of the kids on the dance floor tonight, though, like Felix, Minho, and Hyunjin. Those three are just so obsessed with the 80s.” 

You hum in thought, leaning your entire weight on the side of the arcade machine as you watch Changbin’s gameplay. “And what’s your favourite era, Changbin?” 

“I haven’t decided on that yet.” He scrunches up his nose, mostly in frustration at his game. Still, it makes you chuckle against your drink. “I don’t usually hang out here when I’m not on ‘tour guide’ duty.”

“Oh? Really?”

“Yeah.” He nods absentmindedly, finishing the game not long after. Turning to you, he then folds his arm on top of the arcade machine and leans against it, mirroring you. “There are more public spaces around town than just TCKR’s. It just happens that this bar is kind of like the center of it all since this is where the tourists usually stay at for most of their visits.”

“So where else can you hang out in around here?” You ask next, taking a sip of your Cola after. “I already know the diner next to my ‘hotel’ so where else?”

The boy in front of you pauses in thought, eyes darting everywhere as he thinks. When be does speak, you see him snapping his fingers in front of him before he looks up at you and says, “Ah, well, there are a lot more restaurants, parks, malls, and stuff around the residential areas if you want to visit those—they’re always adding according to what the residents want—but, personally, I love going to the beach here. It’s just South of this bar.” 

Your eyes widen at this, eliciting a playful smile on his lips. “The beach? You have a beach here?” 

Again, Changbin nods. “Of course we do, Y/N. They have everything here, nostalgic therapy, remember?” 

“W-Well, can we go?” You ask next, trying your best to hide your excitement in front of him. “I mean, am I allowed, as a tourist?” 

“Yeah, you’re allowed.” He assures you before briefly glancing up at the wall clock on the main bar not far behind you. “But your time’s almost up for tonight. We’ll have to go on another time if you really want to.”

“Really?” Your eyes visibly light up, to which the boy nods again at. 

“Next week Friday again but try asking your nurse back at the hospital if you can visit at daytime, around 10 AM.” He instructs you, your gaze lighting up even more at the unfamiliar request. “You can meet me here as usual and we’ll drive to the beach.” 

When your visiting time does run out and you find your consciousness back in your comatose body, you instinctively call for your nurse with the computer with the monitor attached to you by the same wire as the machine connecting you to San Junipero’s cloud. Bang Chan then comes running in his red scrub suit just after your third alarm, a paper cup of coffee and a thick blue clipboard in his hands.

“Sorry, Dr. Young made me do the midnight inventory—again.” Chan sighs in frustration, handing you a modified pager to relay your thoughts as he packs up the San Junipero program’s portable machine. “Anyway, what is it, Y/N? Are you okay?”

With slow hand movements aided by the custom pager’s added feature to accurately read your thoughts, you then type out, Can I go to the beach next week with Changbin?

“Yes, of course!” Upon reading this before taking the portable machine away, your nurse then nods. “Some time around 10 AM, right?”

How did you know?

“Let’s just say it’s what’s considered the best time to go to the beach, according to the people around here.” Your nurse only smiles sadly at you with this question, gently patting your arm once before taking the pager with him as well on his way out. “Now, rest well, Y/N, you have a date next week!”

It’s not a date, you muster up all of your limited muscle movement to frown at him to which he only chuckles at before fully leaving your room, leaving you to your thoughts once again. A small smile then makes its way onto your face. 

-

“The breeze is so refreshing, I missed this!”” And you do, Changbin can clearly tell by the way you have your arms freely raised up to your sides to feel the summer breeze as you run around the warm sand and cold waves of the beach when you meet again. Against the soft morning sunlight, you seem much more relaxed, a complete contrast to the other two times you’ve met at night. “San Junipero’s even better in the daylight!” 

When you briefly stop running to turn back to him, seated on the hood of his black Jeep parked on the side of the highway, you only see him grin and wave fondly at you. Today, he’s discarded his usual cigarettes for a pair of headphones and a playlist he played for you on the way here. “Do you like it?” He only asks you, voice loud enough to echo across the vast expanse of the beach. 

“I love it!” You answer, giggling even more when the waves catch up to your feet. “It’s a haven here, Binnie.” 

Changbin then joins you not long after, discarding his slippers next to yours and bringing his phone along to play you a song he made when he was still alive. “It’s called ‘For You.’” He explains as a cheerful melody begins to play, followed by his voice. The two of you sit close to the waves once you get tired of running around and splashing water at each other, the waves now barely tickling your feet as they approach. “I made it with some friends before I came here.” 

“You can upload material things here too?” You ask, gesturing to his phone. When the chorus plays, you hear a familiar voice but you can’t seem to pinpoint who it belongs to in the moment. You remind yourself to ask him later when you get the chance. 

Next to you, however, Changbin shakes his head, pulling his legs closer to his chest to rest his chin on top of his folded arms. “This version’s mostly from memory. You can materialize anything here but it’s best to do so from what you know or remember.” He explains, a sad smile gracing his features. “You can listen to out there, though. Ask your nurse to look it up on Soundcloud.” 

You reluctantly let out a playful scoff, making him laugh as well. “The last thing I expected you to do was promote your Soundcloud.” 

“It’s much better on Soundcloud, promise.” He insists anyway in between laughs, glancing over to you briefly and smiling when you return his gaze. “Anyway, are you cold?” 

He tries shrugging his leather jacket off but you stop him before he could successfully do so, placing a hand on top of his while shaking your head. “It doesn’t bother me as much, I like the cold.” You assure him before retracting your hand back to your side. “I used to live by the beach so I’m quite used to it.” 

You see his interest visibly pique at this and he turns to you with raised brows. “Oh? Really?” He asks next, prompting you to nod enthusiastically in confirmation. “What was it like, your life before this, I mean?” 

You sink your hands into the sand, extending your legs out once again to the waves as you then recall your life to him. “My family lives by the beach—mom, dad, brothers—but by the time of the car crash, I was already living in a dorm at university.” You bite down your lip towards the end, hesitating a bit towards the next part. This time, however, you recover quickly than the last time you’d hesitate in front of the boy, reminding yourself of what he’s told you the last time. “I, uh, I was actually on the way home when the crash happened. Some drunk college students from a beach party were driving along the coastal when they suddenly swerved to my lane and collided with my car.” 

“I’m sorry...” He gently nudges your shoulder with his and you send him a comforting smile in response. “...I’m sorry about that, what happened to you. You didn’t—you didn’t deserve any of that, not at all.”   

“It’s fine now,” You shrug with as much casualness as you can. You slowly take in another breath, sighing against another gust of wind that blows by. “Like you said, it helps us cope, right? I’m actually glad you took me to the beach today. I think it’s definitely helping me feel better about all of this.” 

“Still, they should’ve—you shouldn’t have been in that accident somehow.” Changbin sighs and when you glance to his side, you see his knuckles briefly turning into fists until he notices your gaze towards him. “I’m sorry, I—”

You shake your head, leaning back even more on your hands. “Tell me about your own life before this instead, Binnie...” You prod him gently, smoothly steering the conversation away from you. “If it’s alright.” 

He nods slowly. “Hm...right, right that’s—that’s fair...” 

And so, you spend your remaining five hours just talking about your lives by the beach. It eases Changbin’s frustration over your story by the way you ask him about his passion for music and love of horror movies and though he still asks you about your own life, you make sure to not dwell on too much on your own accident. 

You thank him before you go. 

“What for?” He asks with an awkward laugh and furrowed brows, just barely thirty seconds before you leave. 

“For listening—and understanding.” You answer plainly and the boy’s eyes widen in surprise. “For encouraging me to talk about what happened to me and not look at me pitifully like the people outside do. I really needed all of that.” 

His immediate response, you catch it clearly, is to heave a sigh of relief. “I’m just giving you the kind of helping hand I missed out on when I was still alive.” He nods casually to which your heart immediately melts at. “Not everyone can understand us well, even with our differing situations. You should be able to talk it out without feeling burdened by everyone else around you.” 

With ten seconds left on your clock, you then hug him tightly, catching him off-guard and disappearing before he could even hold you properly. 

“Thank you so much, Binnie.”

- 

Chan? You call for your nurse again before he could leave with the portable machine, stopping him just before he could head to the door. 

“What is it, Y/N?” He asks, the same proud and teasing grin he’s donned since you recounted your day to him still plastered on his face. 

Can you put music on? 

Obligingly, Chan then balances the portable machine to his hip with one hand and reaches for the phone and speakers your younger brother, Jeongin, left on your bedside table when you first started regaining consciousness. “Your pick or my pick?” He then asks next, setting up the Bluetooth connection first before glancing down on your pager. 

Changbin said he made a song called ‘For You.’ Can you play that for me please? 

Chan stops halfway, swallowing a nervous lump in his throat that you almost miss with the way he immediately covers it with a smile. “Sure, Y/N. Playing it...right now...” He eventually nods, turning his attention back on the phone to play your requested song. “I’ll play it from a playlist so just call me back in if you want to change it, okay?” 

Yes, thank you! 

When he leaves and more songs play in through the small Pikachu-shaped speakers, only then do you recognize the one other familiar voice as your nurse himself. 

“You know, I’ve been listening to your music the past week.” You confess to Changbin, finally accepting a cigarette and his lighter from him as he drives through the endless main highway of the island against the darkening skies of the sunset. The same songs play softly through the speakers, starting with one he sang on his own called ‘If’ that almost lulls you to sleep after most of your 6 hours spent at the beach if not for your desire to talk to the boy more. “I love all of them, especially this one.”

Changbin’s careful to not accidentally lose control of the steering wheel in any way with his flustered state, clearing his throat awkwardly in the brief silence. “You listened to all of them?” 

You hum happily in confirmation, leaning back into the soft cushions of the front passenger seat as you then lift your bare feet up in between the dashboard and the open window. “I also asked Chan about you.” You even add, grinning when he looks back at you with genuine and delightful surprise. “You could’ve just told me you were making music with him, you know—gave him a bit of a surprise when I kept requesting your songs to play all afternoon and night by the second day after my last visit.”

The boy ends up chuckling, swiftly turning the car left at an intersection. “Chan and I—he took care of me in my last months under his internship.” 

“And you grew up with him, too...” 

“Yeah,” He nods. “High school, with two other guys, Jisung and Seungmin. Those brats are probably studying in college now.” 

“Can’t they visit now, though?” You ask, having intended on asking the same question with regards to his parents. “And your parents too?”

“They’re stricter with visits from non-patients now, something about visiting too much having negative mental effects in the long run.” Changbin explains with a long sigh. “They’re allowed to visit once a year—Chan every 6 months since he works at the hospital—but it’s not all the time they could visit, given their schedules.”

“Really? Is that so?” You frown, propping an elbow up on the window next to rest your cheek against your knuckles. When he nods, you end up mumbling, “Ah, I should stay asleep longer then...”

“Hm? He asks, glancing over to you longer.

You gaze sadly back at him, a gesture he’s quick to catch and ask if you’re okay. You nod back at him in response, explaining, “It’s just—I can—I can move now, out there I mean...”

“Oh...” You see him hesitate as he then gives you a proud smile, half-shrugging after. “Then that’s...good, isn’t it? That means you’re almost done here.”

“I know but—” You bite down on your bottom lip in thought, pausing briefly as you think about your next words. When he takes another look at you, the car gradually slowing down until you’re suddenly headed to a bay area on the side of the road, you hesitantly continue, “hearing what you said just now, then that means I might not be able to see you for a long time once I’ve recovered...”

By this point, Changbin’s already parked the Jeep rather haphazardly at the bay area, the lights blinking into the darkness and the rare other cars passing by. He twists his body under the seatbelt to face you, another one of his fond smiles on his lips as you look on with worry and sadness. “Still, being with me here’s nothing compared to being able to live again out there.” He points out to you, reaching a hand out for your free one in between the two of you. “And it’s just maybe 12 months from now, you’ll be occupied with much more interesting things once you’re back on your feet and time will run its course just as it should.”

“But I like spending time with you...” You murmur almost helplessly and, you couldn’t read it from his seemingly casual expression and the darkness enveloping the two of you, but with just these simply words, Changbin’s heart immediately picks up its pace in the most unfamiliar manner since he’s been a permanent resident in San Junipero.

“Because that’s the purpose of you going here.” He tells you, anyway, more to convince himself than you. “To mentally get back on your feet so you’ll recover faster once you’re able to fully wake up.”

When you don’t speak on it immediately, he then adds, “Don’t worry, I’ll always be here, anyway, if you ever want to visit.” 

You want to say something else, confess something else to him, but as you glance at the clock right above the radio, only then do you realize that there’s only a minute left until you’re leaving again. “Once a year starting from when I recover...it still feels too long just thinking about it right now.” 

Following your gaze, Changbin only musters up a sad smile but insists otherwise, anyway. “It won’t be if you don’t dwell too much on it.” He shrugs, a bit more shakily than he wanted to let out. “So, I’m guessing this is your last official visit as a tourist, then?” 

You hum. “Maybe...” 

As if on cue, the clock strikes 5:59 AM. 

“Then promise me one thing.” He suddenly says, immediately catching your attention. 

“What is it?” 

“Remember when we first met?” Changbin asks, leaning over the brakes now as he tries his best to scoot closer. You nod in response. “You’ve healed well in the short time you’ve been here. So...when you go back to the physical world and, hopefully, wake up fully after...you fulfill your second promise and live a very long time after this, okay?” 

You nod immediately, extending your hands out to him for a hug. Before you could wrap your arms around his neck, however, he leans in first and cups your face in his hands, catching you off-guard with a soft kiss to the forehead just as your time runs out. 

“Goodbye, Y/N.”

-

Chan and Jeongin are the first people you see afterwards, as soon as you’ve fully awoken in your physical body. The older boy heaves a sigh of relief, disconnecting the portable San Junipero machine from you with a soft smile, while your younger brother only looks on, asking you afterwards about the stray tear on your cheek. 

“Can you reach out your hand to Jeongin, Y/N?” Chan asks after running a few other quick tests with you. He steps to the side, motioning your brother to sit closer to your bed after. 

In response, your hand, though still quite limp and shaky, slowly reaches out for your Jeongin’s. He clutches onto you tightly once you’ve succeeded, a big grin on his face. 

“Thank God, welcome back.” Jeongin smiles happily, engulfing you in a bone-crushing hug.  

It’s Halloween of the following year by the time you manage to return to San Junipero as a non-patient visitor, the entire building of TCKR’s heavily decorated for the occasion in a mix of the 2000s and 2010s and your hotel wardrobe consisting mostly of basic magician and vampire costumes. The crowd has grown significantly larger from what you remember of your last visit and the music is now starting to catch up with the times outside but you manage to find Changbin through Felix, who tips you off of his whereabouts once he faintly recognizes you wandering around the arcade area. 

“You look really well, by the way!” Felix comments as he drives you to the beach, two encouraging thumbs up peeking out of the steering wheel and a bright grin on his face. “Chan updates us like a proud dad whenever he visits for maintenance. Last time he was here, he told us you’re back in university!”

You grin sheepishly and nod in confirmation at his words. “He tells me a lot about you guys too whenever I visit him.” You add, leaning back in your seat as you roll down the windows next to you. “I’m glad you’re even happier than he’s described.” 

“Ah, you should definitely see Minho and Hyunjin later, those two are having the most fun.” Felix nods along, just as you reach the boardwalk. Parking on the sidewalk, he then opens the door for you using the buttons on his side of the car. “Meet us at the other end of the beach if you have the time, okay? We just moved in a new house nearby and a couple of other kids are coming over for a small gathering!” 

“Ah, well, I’ll think about it. Thanks again, Felix.” You then bid him goodbye with another smile and a wave, opening the door next you with your other hand after. “Goodnight!”  

Eventually, you spot Changbin by the faint song that he listens to against the crashing of the waves. It’s definitely new that you had to walk a few steps closer to fully confirm that it’s him, finishing another cigarette stick and enjoying a bottle of soju, and so you let him finish the song first before calling his attention. “Changbin.” 

He immediately glances up from his drink and looks up at you in surprise, making you laugh at how reminiscent your current situation is of the first time you met. When he doesn’t speak immediately, mouth simply agape and cigarette long forgotten in his hands, you wave awkwardly and take a few more steps forward until you’re seated right in front of him. “Hi.” You giggle. “It’s me.” 

“Y-You’re...are you—?” He stutter out worriedly, immediately prompting you to shake your head. 

“Just visiting, for now.” You clarify, briefly swiping the soju bottle from his other hand to take a swig before setting it down on your side. “You said I could visit as a non-patient once a year after I got discharged so here I am. I wouldn’t miss this one for the world.” 

And again, he repeats, “Why?” 

“I just...” You trail off, shrugging towards the end with a soft smile. “I spent time with someone here, at first to help me recover from my coma but as time went on, I—I ended up liking him a little too much to just leave and never come back.” 

You then watch as his surprise turns into relief, a relieved sigh escaping his lips as you speak. Once you’ve finished speaking, he’s quick to envelope you in a desperate hug, pulling you flush against him and resting his chin on your shoulder. 

“I’ll still fulfil that promise I made last year, to live a long life after the accident,” You mumble against his black shirt, making him chuckle through the tears that start falling on your shoulders. “but in between, I’ll take every chance I can get just to see you—until it could be my own time to join you already.”   

“Y-You’ll—you’ll stay here...after?” He asks cautiously after, hesitantly pulling away to get a better look at you. 

“Will you wait?” You ask back. “Ten, twenty years?” 

He nods, almost instinctively, kissing your forehead once more. “Even if it takes fifty or a hundred. I have nowhere else to be.” 

@skzwriternet​

[orbitariums]

𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐦 | 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 | 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬 (𝟑)

part two

hope everyone is doing so lovely! i’m so excited to post this third chapter and i’m glad we’re on this journey together <3 thank u for reading!!! this chapter is supa long, please get a snack honey lol.

taglist is closed!

playlist

word count: 9.4k

warnings: age gap, sex work, dirty talk, straight filth, smut, squirting, toys, (virtual?) domination, cute dialogue!!!

𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐦 | 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞: 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 | 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬

    Steve was flooded with morning meetings that whole day. Still you existed somewhere in the back of his mind, while he was filing through briefings and reports. He tried not to let the thought of you creep up, something he was unknowingly resisting because he didn't want what the two of you had to be bigger than it was.

But he was also trying to focus. He knew already, like muscle memory, that it would be impossible for this to become anything serious, anything beyond your work as a cam girl. You might have a connection, but you were just doing your job, and he was just satisfying himself. Right?

   And you knew too that this couldn't become anything serious. And it wouldn't, you had convinced himself. So he came out of the blue, so he surprised you. But he was still a customer. And while you had connections with your customers, it never went beyond the workplace. Though he still resided in the back of your mind.

   It wasn't until Steve was on break and heading down to the kitchen to make himself some food that he decided to fully address the events that had happened last night. When you asked to see him, he was almost scared at first-he felt that things could shift permanently because you had asked him that. But ignorance is bliss, so he'd brushed off the thought of that happening, and convinced himself it wasn't a big deal.

   But it had to mean something right? He could see himself going down a winding tunnel of you wanting to see him more and more, and the end would be catastrophe- that is, if he showed himself. But he knew he had more sense than that, could end things if necessary. It wasn't that serious, not yet.

And while he was nervous, he still thought of you with fondness, thinking of your youthful glow and how it seemed like you were drawn together in perfect timing, how much he liked talking to you and respected you. It wasn't all bad.

   The thought was enough to talk to somebody about it, except it wouldn't be Tony this time. Steve knew Tony's response would be straight forward - not to talk to her, and to find another cam girl. And he'd ask why Steve was accepting requests to talk with her about unrelated matters in the first place. And maybe the fact that Steve didn't want to hear that, didn't want things to be so straightforward and disciplinarian, should've been a warning. But he didn't listen. Instead, he went to go talk to Bucky about it.

    "Shoot," Bucky said after Steve told him he had something to tell him. Bucky stuffed practically an entire piece of toast in his mouth, his hand on his hip as he sat on the edge of one of the kitchen tables. With a full mouth he continued."'S it important?"

    Steve shrugged, holding a cup of coffee just below his beard, feeling it steam up his face. He took a big sip.

   "I dunno. I'm trying to decide that myself."

Bucky raised an eyebrow,

    "Well..."

Steve sighed, setting his coffee down and leaning against the counter beside Bucky so they could talk.

   "I met this girl. Well, met is a strong word," Steve cocked his head to the side, after considering the quirks of his situation. He then started to wonder if Bucky would even know how to help him with this situation, it was so oddly specific. He continued anyway, under the intense, questioning gaze of Bucky. "I... found this girl online. On a cam site."

   Bucky nearly choked on his toast, his eyebrows raised as far as they'd go,

   "You? On a cam site? You? You're on a cam site?"

The more Bucky repeated it, the more surprised he seemed to become, and Steve could only watch with amusement at his close friend's bewildered expressions.

   "You say it like I'm one of the cam girls," Steve joked, shaking his head, but Bucky only stared at him, incredulous.

   But then he came back down to earth with a slightly impressed shrug,

   "Well. I gotta admit, I never expected this from you, and you're my best man. But I guessed there had to be a reason you've been so much better these past few days, and there had to be some reason you weren't bringing it up. You know you can tell me anything, right?"

    Steve grinned,

   "It's not that I was keeping it from you necessarily. I just didn't think I should put it out there, even if it's just between the two of us."

Bucky smirked,

    "Captain America has a dirty little secret. I respect it."

Steve didn't say anything, but that was slightly true. Half of him wanted to keep things under wraps, the other half of him wanted it to be his own little secret, something that was only for him. You could say he wanted you all to himself, which wasn't untrue - during your public show, though he enjoyed it, it felt less personal and thus made him rethink his actions.

He wanted it one on one, wanted to know he was partially responsible to bringing you to that point, and that you brought each other to that point together, just the two of you. So, in some ways, it was his "dirty little secret."

   "The girl I watch, she's amazing. I mean, we had a real connection, since our first private session-"

    "Private session? Maybe I did teach you well all these years," Bucky nodded.

    "Actually, this was all Tony. Anyway, I've been watching her, and yesterday, after her show, she requested to talk to me. Not the other way around. She wasn't even doing private shows that day. Anyway, I accepted, and maybe that wasn't the right thing to do, but it didn't feel... wrong. I talked to her, and she said... she said she wanted to see me. As in through the camera."

   Bucky took a few moments to absorb and contemplate, and nodded slowly,

   "And you're wondering if that's as serious as your mind wants it to be."

   "Basically. I mean, I don't feel like this is something I have to avoid or be careful with. We're not declaring our love for each other. I'm just another customer. That's what I want to believe, at least."

   "I mean, you're always gonna be taking that risk. You're talking to someone who's as good as a stranger. And your 'connection', it's exactly what it sounds like. You're another customer, but you've just taken a liking to each other. As far as I'm concerned, that's okay. And as for her asking you to show yourself... it's tricky. I mean, I've been on my fair share of sites like that, but I'm not well versed in it. I don't want to say it's not serious just for it to end up being serious. You know how these things go," Bucky smiled softly, and Steve nodded, though his eyes seemed a bit troubled as he looked down at the floor.

    "Right..." he trailed off, folding his arms.

Maybe he just needed to hear that he shouldn't talk to you anymore, to ease his concerns. Maybe Bucky was right. It has the potential to be serious, but it might not be. He didn't know what to think.

    "I don't know bud, but the fact that you're asking me tells me it's been on your mind. And I know you, you don't let things stay on your mind long unless they're important. Could be that this is important to you," Bucky offered, but Steve waved his hand dismissively, a little too fast.

   "It's - it's not..."

    Bucky raised his brows,

   "You think about her?"

   "Sure," Steve shifted, folding his arms slightly. "But not more than my work or anything. I don't view her as a priority, Buck. It's normal that she'd be on my mind, I mean, this is all new to me. I'm stressing for no reason, aren't I?"

He decided he was stressing for no reason. He wasn't obsessed with you, wasn't head over heels for you. He wasn't placing you over his work. It was just the shock of the new situation, the unexpected, big bang of an introduction of you into his life -- that's what he convinced himself, to put his mind at ease.

Bucky raised his hands up,

     "Hey, I'm not assuming anything. And honestly Steve, if you are... thinking about her. I think that's good. As long as it's something healthy, I don't think you have anything to be worried about. You deserve some type of distraction, and maybe that's what she is. You don't have to worry about things getting too serious, trust me. You've got a little time on your hands, that's all."

Steve took Bucky's words to heart, absorbing them so they could soak up all his previous thoughts -- which would be squeezed out in a matter of time as the reality of your relationship revealed itself. He deserved a little distraction, though he valued you on a more humane level.

    He didn't have to worry himself about the potential it could have to become something serious and something dangerous. He was smart enough, had a strong head on his shoulders. He just had a little free time. That was all.

✺ ✺ ✺

   "I told him 'I wish I could see you through your camera'," you groaned, sprawled out on your bed, just hours before your next show that Friday. "Was that stupid?"

You pouted, your lips glossy and full, shoving chips into your mouth as you bitched and moaned into the phone. You were talking to one of the girls you'd met on girlsonfilm, named Jane, who went by Scream Queen. Her specialty was being an alt dominatrix girl, who attracted lots of submissive men. You admired her work, and you were close friends. She laughed on the other end,

    "Hon, it's not stupid. I wouldn't ask or tell a customer that, though. You've been doing this for some time too, but you're still learning."

You frowned, fiddling with your gold rose shaped necklace,

    "I know. I don't wanna scare him off."

    "Please, you won't. I guarantee he'll be on your show again tonight. Men don't scare from a beautiful woman like you, not easily."

You cooed, smiling to yourself,

   "Aw... bitch if you lived in Cali you would so feature on my show, I literally love you."

   "I love you!" she exclaimed. "We'd make hella money just by being in each other's presence on camera, it'd be crazy. I gotta fly out to Cali."

   "Right?" you chuckled.

   You felt a little more at ease now. You hadn't been thinking as much about Steve as he had been thinking about you, but that didn't mean he wasn't on your mind. He was a special customer to you, even though you'd only just gotten to know him. You just liked him in what felt like a more unique way. And ever since you'd brought up seeing him on his camera, you had some regrets. You felt like it made you seem needy, bringing up old habits.

   In your last romantic relationship, you were always wanting something, things that you shouldn't have had to ask for. But ever since you got out of that relationship, you had decided to be more self sufficient. That was part of the reason why you were financially independent and constantly did so much work. You no longer depended on others for certain things, not like you had before.

    But in addition to reminding you of old habits, you felt awkward about the whole situation because you didn't want him to feel pressured or uncomfortable either. You didn't want it to feel like you wanted something more because you'd asked to see him. As far as you were concerned, the two of you, especially yourself, were far from wanting something more. For your own safety. You might have really liked him, but at the end of the day, he was a customer and that was that.

   "Well," you flopped onto your stomach. "I feel better now, so thanks. I'm doing a couple private shows after my giveaway, maybe I'll see him again. Or... hear him, rather."

    "If he does end up showing himself, keep me posted. I wanna know if he's as sexy as he sounds."

   "Oh trust me, I will. Honestly, if he keeps watching my shows, I wanna teach him how to dirty talk. I think then it'll be something serious," you joked, shaking your head. "Alright, well I gotta get ready. Bye bitch!"

   "Bye biiitch, have fun tonight, I'll be tuning in."

  You blew her a kiss and hung up, your spirits lifted after your brief conversation. You started getting ready for your next show, hoping that Steve would continue to tune in. Unbeknownst to you, he was anticipating your show tonight as well, though a small part of him was hesitant - should he continue to watch regularly? He'd let himself indulge. One more night couldn't be an issue.

   When you came on, you were excited to see that the amount of viewers had increased. You figured that since you were advertising a giveaway of your underwear, more people would feel inclined to join, take their chances. You smiled when Steve joined and waved,

   "Hey, Steve! How's it going?"

Steve — GrantRoberts Good. How are you?

    "I'm good, thanks for asking. Alright, hi everyone, thank you so much for joining! I see we've got some new viewers tonight, so nice to meet you. I'm sure you all know that today is a very special day, because I'll be giving away —" you stood up so the camera could see below your waist, showing that you were wearing a pair of purple lace panties, the pair you had been boasting about the week before. "These!" you chimed.

     Steve raised his brows at the cheeky way you operated, looking over the pair. They were cute, looked expensive. The butterfly design on the underwear was detailed and there were white gems on either side at the top. You had said last week that these were a favorite among your viewers, he understood why.

     You explained the rules of the giveaway and how it would be working, and explained that there was a link pinned in the chat box to sign up for entries. Once you posted that link, tokens and sign up notifications came flooding through. You watched with a full smile, before slowly getting to the show.

   Steve decided he wouldn't be entering the giveaway, to keep his own discretion, and because although he definitely saw the appeal, he wasn't big on keeping someone else's underwear unless he knew them in real life.

    You started by rubbing yourself through your panties, making a big deal of how wet you were, how you were soaking through the panties and wouldn't be washing them. That was how you knew you'd get people to pay up and enter your giveaway. Steve watched in amazement at the way you moved, your delicate fingers gently running over your clit through the lace panties, slipping the panties to the side every once in a while to dip your fingers inside of yourself, proclaiming how tight you felt and how much you wanted more than just fingers inside of you to stretch you out.

     Needless to say, you put on a show, and you really were soaking through your panties by the time you were done. Steve lost track of how many times he came, and it was then that he realized that maybe he liked this side of you more than what he had seen before. It was teasing and tantalizing, almost theatrical, except you were really taking your time to please yourself.

And for some reason, it practically made him short circuit. The idea of him realizing that he had more sexual interests than he was aware of basically seduced him. And knowing that he was coming to these realizations because of you made him feel hungry and crazed.

     He liked how you were barely touching yourself, teasing yourself yet still dripping through your panties, making a show out of a little thing. He kept a slow pace to match your own, edging himself and feeling grunts get caught in his throat each time he stopped himself from coming.

    You were absolutely mystifying, drawing him in more and more in every way. Your soft moans, quieter and more needy than usual, were like music to his ears. He loved the way your legs shook when you had to hold off an orgasm for the purpose of the show, so that you could hold off and increase the value of your giveaway, lengthen the time you gained tips and coins. By the time you were done, he had cum on his chest, legs and a little on his bed sheets, which he cleaned up gingerly, watching as you signed off.

You slid out of your panties and held them up to the camera, practically purring when you finally spoke,

    "Look what I did to them. Soaked in all my juices and cum just for you. Well, for one lucky winner! Tip up to increase your chances."

You giggled, biting down on your lip, and continued,

     "Well, thank you for watching. Now, I do wanna do some private shows with a few of you. So, send in those requests and tokens and I'll pick a lucky few."

     As you waited for the requests to go in, you noticed Steve's name and his large donation — of course you'd go on private with him, but you wanted to talk to other customers as well. So you queued up a list of who you'd be talking to and placed Steve, the best, for last.

    Steve got a notification that you'd be talking to him, and while you signed off, he stayed on the site waiting for his turn. Each show you did was only about five minutes, and he had twenty five minutes to spare before he got the chance to talk to you. Those twenty five minutes he used for contemplation and thinking like always.

    If he wasn't spending his spare time with you, he was either thinking or distracting himself from thinking by spending time with his fellow Avengers. And now that there was nothing to do, all he could do was get lost in his thoughts. He thought of his conversation with Bucky - though he had come to the conclusion that he shouldn't worry so much and that he deserved a distraction, there was still some part of it that tugged at him.

The fact of the matter was that, he did think about you. A lot, actually, and it had only been a few days. He thought about the kind of unhinged pleasure you gave him that you had allowed him to tap into for the first time. He thought about the need you fulfilled. He thought about how he liked you, how he felt like he knew you on a personal level and that he sensed that you were truly a good person. He liked that about you, all those thoughts. But ever since last week, the thoughts slightly intimidated him at the same time.

Take a breath, Steve, he thought. Maybe it was old age making him nervous about everything. If Tony could do the same things before becoming Ironman and still live the way Tony was currently living, Steve could have his own little pleasures. His brain just kept doing the back and forth.

    You were happy when Steve's time came along. You were so caught up in your other customers that you had nearly forgotten what you were looking forward to. When it came to Steve, all your nerves were due to excitement, and the good kind. You weren't worried about the strength of your connection and if it would become overbearing, and you had reassured yourself that you weren't being needy or pressuring him. You felt at ease.

      You clicked his name feverishly, waving your hands up at the camera when the log opened. Yet again he wasn't showing himself, but you didn't let that bother you. You had all the time in the world to talk with him, because you didn't put a limit on the time. You didn't do so pointedly, you just did it so you wouldn't have to be preoccupied with the time limit.

     For you, talking to Steve at the end of your list was like de-stressing and winding down, nothing more and nothing less. You weren't viewing him as more than a customer. It wouldn't be inappropriate to talk for a while.

     "Hey, Steve!" you waved, grinning toothily.

Steve chuckled when he saw you and heard the genuine happiness in your voice. There was something sweetly innocent about you, despite the fact that your job was anything but innocent, and the fact that he had seen every part of you within the first day of getting to know you.

Still, he knew that didn't take away from the bright personality you seemed to have. Your duality as a focused businesswoman and giggly young college girl both impressed him and held a special place in his heart.

    "Hi, Moonrose. How are you?"

    "I'm lovely, and yourself?"

Steve let out a deep sigh he didn't know he'd been holding in. Talking to you relieved a lot of unconscious stress, and with that deep sigh he found a lot of relief,

    "I'm good. It's been a long day. Lots of labs, lots of meetings."

It wasn't entirely a lie - he did have lots of meetings that day, and you were in the back of his mind throughout all those meetings, but no labs. He wouldn't tell you he'd been thinking of you though, and you decided that you wouldn't tell him you'd been thinking of him either.

    "The life of a scientist," you joked playfully.

    You felt comfortable, even more comfortable with him than the last time, simply because it felt like you had both gotten past that awkward stage.

    "I mean, you can relate. Must be busy having all the jobs you have. I mean, you're a student, you're working on clothing, you work with a state rep, you're doing this every other day. That's gotta take a toll on you," Steve listed off everything you'd told him about.

     He kept that in mind, how busy and occupied you were, because you still carried yourself so well. Maybe it was just for the purpose of customer interaction; he wondered if you acted or felt the same outside of this private world of yours.

     You blushed slightly, flattered that Steve remembered everything you did and that he even held it in close regards to what he did on a daily basis. You knew you juggled a lot of things, but to hear someone else say it felt so much more validating, whether it came from your best friend Aaliyah or from Steve.

    "Aw, that's nice of you to say," you smiled warmly. "It can be a lot, honestly. Sometimes it feels like I'm doing too much, but... it's what I have to do! And for the most part, I like doing too much. It keeps me focused. Helps me cope with... life."

    You got a little sheepish. You didn't want to get too into the things you were really coping with.

    "I can appreciate that," Steve nodded. He raised his brows to himself as chose his words carefully. "My job can be... demanding."

   "Oh totally, I'm sure. Lots of math and shit. What gets you through it though?" you asked, and Steve chuckled slightly to himself at your vernacular - it reminded him how young you were.

Steve breathed out a heavy sigh, taking in the question thoughtfully. What the hell got him through it? He supposed it was knowing that he was doing good for the world, knowing that he had a team to work with and back him up at all times, and the fact that he was in control for the most part. But as for actual coping, he was almost at a loss. Almost.

    "Honestly?" he rubbed at his beard, and you bit down on your lip, giving him a flirty smile.

    "The cold hard truth," you ensured him, puckering your lips and putting on your best game face.

    "Honestly, talking to you, probably. I don't really know how to destress," Steve felt suddenly insecure about putting this detail out there.

He didn't want to make you uncomfortable (though you had heard worse from men who were wound up like Steve), and he felt like he was delving into a personal topic. Not that you didn't already know that he was stressed out, but he didn't want it to seem like you were his saving grace. Though, you weren't far from it.

    He continued,

    "I just mean... ever since that first time with you I've been feeling lighter on my feet. I mean— I don't really... I just don't have a lot of coping mechanisms. I don't really get to have fun."

    Once he spit the words out, he felt even more stupid. He had just let you know that you had basically changed his entire mood since the day he'd met you, and something like that felt almost like a confession. Like you were delving into more serious topics. He had made his problems clear since the first time, but telling you how much you helped him felt like he was putting deeper trust in you.

    But of course you didn't see it as a deep confession. You saw it as him being true to his feelings and being honest with you, which wasn't a big deal to you since you were in a business that involved making connections and basically building men like him up. You grinned, a sparkle in your eyes as you listened to him stammer over himself. It was no wonder he was a scientist, he had this sort of nerdy charm to him.

    "I'm glad to hear that Steve. And maybe it's less that you don't get to have fun and more that you don't know how."

Steve shrugged. He had always been called boring by Tony, and Natasha took jabs at him about loosening up, getting out there and enjoying this modern world. And while he had insecurities around the fact, he still wasn't a happy go lucky party person as a result of the jabs. He was same old Steve, with the same old struggles. He looked regular on the outside (as regular as someone as big as him could look), but he felt like an outsider.

    "Maybe."

    "Have you ever tried?" you prodded. "I mean, outside of this. And honestly, kudos to you for putting yourself out there like this. I mean, you literally jerked off with me your first time here. I take it back. You do know how to have fun. You just... don't know where to find it."

Steve's face got hot. Even as he watched you more, talked to you more, nothing could compare to the first time being with you. It was definitely out of his comfort zone, doing something as extraneous as he had, and with a stranger. And when you described it like that, it seemed so much more inappropriate, but in a way that made Steve's pants bulge. And the fact that you could talk about it so casually intimidated him in the best way.

    "I guess you're right," Steve replied, and the more he thought about it, the more he realized you were actually spot on. "I'll keep that in mind."

He grinned, and you giggled,

    "Good. I'll be your therapist. But like a sexy one. A sex therapist."

You and Steve laughed at your stupid joke and Steve raised the question,

    "Okay. What gets you through it all? You're a young college girl, I'm sure you know how to have fun."

You raised your brows playfully at the suggestive nature of the question, although clueless Steve had no clue it would sound a certain way to you,

    "Oh yeah, totally. College girls, you know us. Drinking, partying, having sex with all our friends. I'm kind of a total slut." A beat passed, Steve trying to figure out what to say — like he was rerouting. You chortled, unable to hide your snort laugh. "I'm kidding, Steve."

Steve laughed hesitantly. He didn't know what young people did these days,

    "Yeah, silly me."

    "You're so cute," you blurted, shaking your head playfully. "But, honestly? I do know how to have my fun. I mean, I do it mindfully though, 'cuz I have shit to do, you know? Party hard, study hard. I go out with friends for drinks... and between me and you, I was doing that before I was twenty one."

Steve nodded understandingly,

    "Some part of me wants to reprimand you for that, but I don't wanna rain on your parade."

    “You don't have to rain, you could just spank me if it's that serious," you scoffed with a laugh, again saying the dirtiest things nonchalantly, unbothered. You were constantly flirting with customers, but with Steve it came much more naturally.

   "Spank you?" Steve choked out.

   "Yeah, you know? Like a little slap on the ass," you turned around, your ass in the camera, and gently smacked your hand against your ass, which was clad in a sheer bodycon dress that you had made yourself.

(looks something like this)

You were being playful, acting the precocious, girly way that you would with your friends. You thought nothing of it. Steve on the other hand, was getting incredibly warm, fidgety, and was trying to ignore the growing tent in his pants.

   "Like- like that?" he stammered, breathless, and you nodded, seemingly unaware of his pain.

     You turned back around and sat down in front of the camera,

    “You must not be a dom, huh. You don't strike me as one. But I'm sure if I pressed the right buttons, you could be."

     “Dom?" Steve repeated, as if the word were from a foreign language.

     "My, my, my, Steve. I've got a lot to teach you. Oh, but actually, I do have a hobby that gets me through my stress. Besides, you know, masturbating and going out with friends."

   Steve smirked, he was intrigued,

    “And what's that?"

You bounced up onto your toes so that Steve could see a full view of you on the camera. At first, when you were just sitting in front of the camera, he could only see your head and shoulders. Now he could see all of you, and he could see the dress you had designed.

   "Making clothes!" you chirped, so adorably that Steve couldn't help but smile, a warm feeling bubbling in his chest. You spread your arms out, letting the fringe on the dress spread. You placed your hands on your hips and swayed slightly in place. You smiled gently. "For my brand of course. But making the clothes is kind of therapeutic. When you work really hard on something and it comes out with the result you want, it's just this fucking... amazing, gratifying feeling. I love it."

     Steve grinned, watching you show off your clothes. He was glad to hear that from you, he believed in you and truly thought you were capable and would succeed in what you did.

    "That's beautiful," he complimented your dress. He knew nothing about fashion, but you looked good in whatever you wore - it was a plus that you made it. "Even with all I know, I don't think I could do that."

    “Oh, don't be silly. You probably could. You just have to try, remember?"

    “I know, I know."

As you stood there twirling and swaying, just letting him enjoy you, he could hear the faint sound of music playing in the background. He squinted, leaning closer to try and hear more. It was a nice song, with an upbeat electronic twist although it was R&B.

    "What's this song?" he asked.

     You paused, delightfully surprised by the question, unable to hide your ferocious smile,

    "What, the one I'm playing? It's called Lost by Frank Ocean."

     “Frank Ocean," Steve repeated slowly, so he could remember the name of the artist. You were encouraging him to try new things - why not start with music?

   "Have you heard of him?"

   "I'm afraid I haven't," Steve replied, and you chortled again.

   "'I'm afraid I haven't'," you repeated, putting on his deep voice. "So proper. You like this song?"

Steve shook his head playfully when he heard you mocking him, then answered,

     "Yeah, never heard it before."

You squealed excitedly and ran to turn it up, then ran back into the frame.

     "I love Frank Ocean, seriously. He's one of my favorite artists. What about you?"

Steve was almost taken aback by the question and took in a deep breath, shrugging as he tried to come up with an answer,

     "Gee, I don't know. I think I listen to too much old crap, probably."

      "I can get down with that." You scoffed. "Quit bullying yourself."

Suddenly, a lightbulb went off in Steve's head. He was enjoying talking to you, but what better way to combine a regular conversation with pleasure? He was feeling his need building up, the longer he talked to you. You said such outrageous things and you were so gorgeous - it was hard for him not to want you. And maybe you could both have some fun with this, and his request wouldn't feel like work, though it would definitely help him get off.

     "Hey, can I ask you something?"

     "Sure."

     "You mind... dancing? To this song, I mean?" he asked, slightly nervous to ask because he didn't want to feel pushy.

You raised your brows in surprise, a wide mouthed smile showing up. It seemed like Steve was discovering what he wanted to see, what would make him feel good.

   "You wanna see me dance? Uh, yeah, I would love to. It's hard not to dance to this song. What, you want me to dance like a stripper or something? I don't have a pole - yet, but I can—"

Steve laughed, cutting you off and shaking his head,

     "Nah, you don't have to dance any specific way. I guess, just dance how you feel."

You lit up at the suggestion, and laughed, already beginning to sway,

    "Is this gonna get you off, Steve?"

Steve blushed, coiled like a turtle going into his shell,

    "Maybe."

    "Oh, don't be shy. I want it to. I wanna hear your moans, I want it to drive you crazy and bring you release. Is that what you want?"

You twirled slowly, dragging your hands up and down your body, dancing to the beat of the music. Steve watched, already entranced with the way your body, perfectly caught in the tight dress, moved. It almost scared him how perfect you looked, just swaying your body to a song,

    "That's what I want, baby."

The words spilled out of his mouth, just like last time. This time it felt much more natural though, easier, as he watched you on the full screen. You smiled, rolling your hips and bringing your hands up in the air to match your motions. You hummed the words to yourself, sang the lyrics,

    "Girl you know you're lost, lost in the thrill of it all."

     The song was so sensual and felt so personal to you - your job was so sensationalized and it was easy to get lost in the idea of it, the aesthetic. But it was hard work. This song felt like a celebration of that. Steve's spit got caught in his throat watching you sing along, watching your body loosen up and relax as you continued dancing around your room, your body moving freely and in such a hedonistic manner. He liked watching you enjoy yourself, liked watching you in what seemed to be your element. You were so confident, so unbothered. It wasn't awkward that you were dancing alone. Again it felt intimate, felt like he was there with you.

     "I'd tell you to dance, but what I really want you to do is touch yourself. Can you do that, Stevie?" you purred, and he grunted at the sound of the nickname you had donned for him.

      "Yeah, doll," Steve began to palm himself over his boxers, his breaths becoming heavier as he watched you. It felt so gratifying, so closed off — just for the two of you.

   You giggled, as if you hadn't just said what you had said, and got down low on the floor as you danced away, on your toes, and came back up again.

     "Hmm," you sighed. "Can I take this off for you?"

     Steve's jaw clenched, you already looked so good in the dress, but to see you take it off and continue dancing would probably make him come right then and there.

     "Yeah, take that off for me."

     You were practically teasing him as you began to lower the sleeves of the dress, still dancing and running your hands up and down your body. You wanted him to savor the moment, and savor it he did. You removed the top half slowly, your breasts tumbling out as you cupped them with your hands. You sighed again, biting down on your lip.

    Steve was breathing hard through his nose now, slowly taking his cock, which had been hard for too long, out from his boxers, where it sprung up hard and veiny against his stomach. It twitched painfully, he almost couldn't bare to touch himself. But he palmed the head, slippery with precum, with a few mindful fingers.

   "Is that good, baby? You wanna see everything?" you gestured to the bottom half which still hadn't been removed, and Steve exhaled sharply.

    "Fuck, yeah I wanna see everything. Take it all off, doll."

You felt your body react to the nickname as you slid out of the dress, clad in a g-string underneath this time. The skimpy nature of the g-string, glittery and glamorous just like you, made Steve moan under his breath. You noted his reaction with a playful smirk, tugging gently at the straps and letting them slap against your glowing skin.

    You bit down on your lip and let your entire palm run against your clothed center, swaying your hips in all directions as you slowly pulled down the straps and revealed what was underneath, Steve letting out an audible sigh as he wrapped his hand around himself. He bit down softly on his lip, eyes dark and his lids heavy, trying to restrain himself. He wanted to be at the same pace at you, wanted to see you tease yourself the way you had during your live show.

   You sighed out in pleasure, using two fingers to rub at your clit in circular motions while you stood, Steve watching silently. Then you lowered yourself to the carpeted floor, spread your legs in front of you and continued, bringing your fingers to your lips to suck on them before you went back down. The way you did it was tantalizing, so erotic and intimate. You weren't trying too hard, you never were, but this way - slow and lustful, was like you were there with him all over again.

    Your eyes became dazed and almost glazed over just at the slight tingle of pleasure. You had been stimulating yourself for over an hour since the start of your public show, but with him you didn't feel tired or worn out. And you still hadn't had the orgasm that you knew would absolutely finish you. You knew how to navigate so you weren't exhausted by the time you were through with your shows and your private chats, but still, with Steve it felt like the pleasure was amplified by a hundred.

    "Oh," you moaned, your voice going up a pitch. You wanted more, and you decided you wanted to bring a toy into the mix. "I wanna ride you, Steve."

     Steve grunted in response and you slowly got up, crawling on all fours as you dragged out your fuzzy chest full of toys, lube, and other random things for your shows. It was like a cam girl treasure chest. You returned to the frame, smiling devilishly as you sifted through all your materials, finally pulling out the dildo you wanted to use. It was a good size, six inches, and pretty realistic. You waved it around in the air,

      "This how big you are?" you asked with a seductive gaze in your eyes.

Steve stroked himself slowly as he let out a sharp almost barking laugh, a surge of sudden and unexpected cockiness running through him (because let's be honest, a supersoldier like him was certainly bigger than six inches),

      "Little more."

You grinned obscenely, appreciating Steve's noticeable boost in confidence. And in the back of your mind you thought about the three fingers you had used to accommodate him last time. He was pretty consistent - you wondered just how big he really was. If you knew him in real life, you'd probably jump at the chance to fuck him.

   "Think it'll suffice? I'm not sure if I can take that much more right now," you asked teasingly.

   Steve chuckled, a warm, deep chuckle that made your insides churn. It was incredible how much a voice could turn you on, how much you liked hearing his voice and wanted to hear it,

    "I'll go easy on you, doll."

     You raised your brows in pleasant surprise,

    "You'll go easy on me, huh? Steve, you're getting feistier by the minute. I like it."

Steve laughed, slightly embarrassed. He just wanted you to do what you were comfortable with, wanted to see real pleasure,

    "I just want to make sure you feel good."

    "Little ol' me?" you snorted, bringing out your mirror to place on your carpet so you could place the suction dildo on top. You stuck it in place and kneeled before it. "Well, you don't have to worry about that, Steve. You always make me feel good."

     You winked at him and focused, beginning to lower yourself and arch your back, your ass in the air as you went face to face with the dildo.

   "I just wanna make you feel good," you huffed, eyeing the camera as you cupped your lips around the head of the dildo, pushing your hair behind the ear and looking down as you bobbed your head slowly. Your lips wrapped perfectly around the toy, suctioning and sucking and making it wet enough for you.

     "Wow," Steve breathed in slowly, truly in awe of you. He had really never seen anything like it, how dedicated you were to the performance. You were like an artist, a beautiful, twisted artist, and you knew just how to sell your show. And somehow you did such a salacious act with so much grace, made it so sexy and purposeful.

     He paused touching himself just to watch you, but that didn't mean he was any less hard. You moaned around the toy, looking into the camera as if you were making eye contact with the man you couldn't even see, as he goaded you on, his voice gentle and deep,

     "That's it baby, you look so good sucking that dick."

Your felt your pussy throb around nothing just at the sound of Steve dirty talking. You could tell that the more you did, the more you coaxed him into it, the more comfortable he got with everything. He had surprised you multiple times tonight.  You brought your head up, lips making a popping noise as they slid off the toy,

      "It's yours."

Steve licked his lower lip, bringing it slowly into his mouth and sliding his closed fist up and down his erection.

   "It's mine?" he asked, his voice going an octave lower.

   "Mhm, your cock. You ready, baby?" you hovered over the dildo, squatting above it as you readied yourself.

   "Yes, go slow," Steve instructed.

   "Is that what you want?" you breathed out in pleasure as you teased your slick folds with the head of the toy, rocking your hips slowly back and forth. "You want me to tease myself with your cock?"

      Steve let out an unbridled moan, pumping gently,

     "Yeah, please. I want this to be real, baby. Like your live show."

      You laughed quietly as you lowered yourself down onto the dildo, moaning as you took it in slowly, stopping a quarter of the way and just rocking back and forth, taking his request into consideration. And then, you had an idea.

"Honestly, if he keeps watching my shows, I wanna teach him how to dirty talk. I think then it'll be something serious."

That was what you had said to your friend Jane over the phone, and now was your chance to manifest it. You'd been kidding when you said it would turn your relationship into something serious, but if hearing Steve dominate you and dirty talk to you didn't make you want to fuck him even more, you didn't know what would.

   "Tell me what you want Steve. Tell me how you want me to do it. I don't wanna do a thing unless it's under your control," you smirked, waiting for him to come up with something on his own.

In that deep, husky voice of his he spoke,

     "Yeah? I want you to tease yourself, and go slow. Match my pace."

   You moaned at the thought of him stroking himself at the same pace as you, and lowered yourself a little further,

     "Is this allowed, Stevie?" you questioned curiously and innocently, prompting him further.

He got some idea of what you were trying to do, though he didn't have much experience doing it himself - at least not in the bedroom. While he wanted you to please yourself at your own pace, he also thought this might be interesting. You could do both.

    "Yeah baby, little more." You slid down further until almost all of it was inside of you, and he pumped himself a little quicker now. He groaned, the noise he made almost guttural. "Yes, that's it Moonrose. Now stop."

     You whimpered, your heat throbbing as he commanded you. You were almost losing sense of the fact that this wasn't all real, because it felt so good. You liked hearing him get more dominant with you, though you adored his regular state, which was almost needy.

     "Yeah, you can be the boss. You tell me what to do, baby."

     Steve grunted, holding back an orgasm as he watched how well you gripped the toy, imagined what it would feel like to really be inside of you. He'd be much bigger, no doubt, and make you howl with pleasure.

     "Ride it for me," he ordered. "Slow, then pick up the pace."

     "Ride you?" you repeated, beginning to lift yourself up, then back down again, slowly like he told you to. It was big enough to hit all those good places inside of you, make you wetter and hotter, give you those real time reactions. All the panting and moaning, the way your brows furrowed in concentration, the way you bit down on your lip with fervor.

      Steve watched you ride it, pumping himself at the same pace, feeling himself throb and twitch inside of his hand, speeding up when necessary. The both of your moans were loud and unhinged, filling up your respective rooms with righteous release. Steve loved how he could tell how good it felt for you, how you weren't holding back at all, your pussy gliding easily around it, leaving a trail of arousal along the shaft of the toy. You were bouncing fast and hard after a while, gasping and panting and moaning while Steve did the same in the form of groans, grunts and heavy breaths. Like you, he felt lost in translation in the best way - like nothing else was there, just the two of you and your needy bodies.

   "You feel so fucking good, baby, don't stop," Steve moaned, breathing harshly through his nose. He felt close, his stomach twisting and turning with yearn.

     "Fuck, Steve," you gasped out. You hardly sounded like yourself, in such an ecstatic state. "I'm so fucking close, baby. Steve, can I come?"

    You were still leading him, wanting him to be even more dominant and controlling with you, but you hardly needed to. You were basically giving in, you were fully committed to the act of being submissive now. Everything in and around you felt so good, "so fucking warm", as stated by you. And no doubt, Steve felt it too. Watching you take it, watching you moan in pure ecstasy as you threw your head back, your hair tumbling against your breasts, the glint of sweat forming on your forehead, the way your stomach flexed as you moved up and down. You were fucking invincible, Steve thought. Always gorgeous, somehow.

   But Steve thought he'd let this last a little longer. You wanted him to be in charge, he'd take that seriously. Like an order.

    "No, doll, hold it in for me," he huffed, though he felt himself growing close as well, and couldn't help but cum, feeling it leave him with a satisfied groan. "Fuck, I'm coming."

You whined, pouting,

   "Steve, I wanna be able to come with you."

Yeah, it was definitely easy to be submissive.

     Steve chuckled slightly,

   "That's okay, I can last a long time, darling. Keep riding that dick for me, don't come until I say so."

   With a shuddering moan you kept going. When you looked down at what you were doing, the toy disappearing inside of you each time you bent down, you swore you had never been more turned on in your life. Your brows were crossed and your mouth dropped into an o-shape. You were moaning and almost sobbing, the build up feeling unbearable. You brought your hand down, rubbing frantically at your clit,

     "Fuckkk, Steve, please let me come."

He came again with a sharp exhale and vicious grunt, but still wanted to hold off for one last one, in tandem with you. He almost felt bad, but the pleasure was so unbearable, and he knew you were enjoying it,

     "Ah, god. Hold on, I promise I'll let you come soon if you just wait a little."

You stifled a moan, cupping your breasts as you rode it without the support of your hands on your knees,

    "Y-yeah, you gonna let me come, Stevie? Please let me come, oh my god," you felt almost lightheaded with the overwhelming sense of fulfillment, rolling your head back, your eyes rolling back in your head, your glossy lips dropped open in the most sensual of ways. You didn't know what you did to Steve, how much you made him want you.

     "Go ahead, doll, come for me," Steve resolved, and when you came it was like a waterfall was crashing down on you. Both because of the intensity and because of the fact that you were squirting, letting go of all that held back release. You knew it was coming yet you whimpered in surprise when it happened, still continuing to ride the toy even as you were coming, watching as it flowed out of you, onto the mirror and more.

    "Fuck," Steve cursed, pumping fast and hard as he came again, and again, watching as you rode out your high. He could hardly even process the fact that you had squirted - completely natural, and yet a huge turn on. He slowed his hand, still hard as a rock, but coming down himself.

     You were blubbering and saying things that didn't even make sense, Steve slightly grinning to himself as you spiraled out of control. You got off the dildo with a final moan, covering your eyes with your forearm and fingering the rest of your cum out of yourself with two fast moving fingers.

      "My god," you groaned, sliding your fingers out of yourself. It was almost embarrassing how wet you were, how aroused you still were, throbbing like crazy from the aftermath. The comedown was a process, you breathing in deep and heavy.

      "That's it, doll. So good. It's okay, doll," Steve murmured, helping you come back down.

     "Mm," you hummed, removing your forearm from your eyes and forehead and instead covering your face with your hands, giggling. "Oh my god, that's so embarrassing."

      Steve laughed,

      "Not embarrassing. You did so damn good, baby."

      You groaned,

     "Ugh, don't praise me, that makes me wanna go again, and I think if I do I'll explode. On the other hand, please do keep praising me."

You laughed again and winked. It was true, because you were so turned on by his voice, especially when it was praising you and telling you how good you had been. Sure, other guys could be dominant, but with Steve it actually felt so real, it made you lose all sense of reality. It didn't feel forced.

     "Really, you were amazing." Steve tipped again - he had been tipping the whole way through. And of course his big tips were an incentive, but they weren't the only reason you talked to him. Not at all. "Jesus. I don't get worn out, but..."

   "You tired, Steve?" you smiled, teasing. "God, I don't know how I'm gonna clean this up. This is all your fault, you know."

You laughed playfully. To be fair, you had came, like, a lot. Steve's jaw clenched at the sight of it all, but he grinned.

     "My apologies."

    "Please," you shook your head, wiped the sweat off from your forehead and slowly started packing everything up.

You and Steve chatted for a while longer after that, about trivial things. This was a little unusual. Usually when you finished, you wrapped it up. But you had time, and he had time. And you both wanted to stay and chat. And it was also unusual because usually when you finished, your customer was done too, and there wasn't really room for "chatting" after that. But Steve seemed to want to talk.

    "You're fucking hot as a dom, by the way," you noted, pointing a finger at him through the screen.

    "Me?" Steve pointed a finger at himself in return. "I hardly even knew what it was, but I've got an idea now."

   "Oh, trust me, you're gonna wanna learn more. You're made for this, honestly." You sighed, and looked at the time. "It's late. This was... really, really great. Thanks again."

    "Thank you."

A beat passed, a silence between the two of you, though it was almost like you were still communicating. Maybe this really was different. Maybe it really did mean something. You were so in sync, could snap in and out just like that, and still have great conversation. You were both thinking the same thing - this was a real connection. And you were both beginning to give in to those thoughts you wanted to push back, just slightly. But this time, it didn't bring any worry. It just felt nice, blissful. Still not too serious, but still something. What you both didn't know was just how much it really would blossom.

     "Well," you said, a sigh of contemplation. "Think I really like this, Steve."

    "Me too," he swallowed hardly. He was feeling something, that same butterfly-like feeling he'd felt the first time. "I'm so glad we... uh..."

   You waved your hand with a grin,

   "It's late, I better go. It was great talking to you again, I actually look forward to this. Weirdly enough. I think I should go, though, I got school."

     "I-I got work," Steve stammered, thinking of how you said you look forward to this. He wasn't just another customer, and you weren't just some random girl. The realization was hitting him like a ton of bricks. "I'll see you."

     "Yeah," you cooed. Then, with a silly face, your eyes crossed and tongue hanging out you waved goodbye. "Byeee!"

     And just like that, there was a shift in his world, in your world. Steve didn't know what he had coming next.

🙈oof how was it y’all!!! i hope not too long LOLLL i had to fit a lot in... next chapter will be some tea! reply wit ya thoughts <3 thank u for reading, stay safe!!

[god-fucking-dammit-mizutani]

it must be exhausting running all these circles around your mind

Word count: ~7500 | Rating: G | Chapter: 1/2 (part 3 of the overall series) Tags: Miraculous Ladybug AU, Superheroes AU, vague references to violence and trauma Summary: Taichi struggles with the right thing to do. Ladybug fights an akuma who has the upper hand. Or, well, eight of them.

Read on Ao3 or Below

Taichi wonders if his mother had ever gotten sick of reminding him all the time when he was younger, "If you've done something wrong, you need to apologize."

Back in elementary school, Taichi spent most of his afternoons with Sora, following her home directly after soccer let out. She had been napping on the couch one of those early evenings, exhausted from their last practice match, and Taichi could only be entertained by glue and construction paper for so long.

Her bangs had been overgrown back then. He had remembered her brushing them out of the way during practice, clipping them to the side to keep from bothering her when she'd lean over worksheets in class. Taichi didn't know she'd been working on growing them out. Honestly, he didn't even know what that meant.

He was pretty sure he was natural with the safety scissors Sora's mother had left him with. The jagged lines, he had concluded, were an artistic choice. Really, he didn't think he'd done too shabby of a job. Not at the time.

Sora hadn't appreciated his thoughtfulness, nor his artistry, and so Taichi had apologized. Several times and over days. Sora had been resolute in giving him the cold shoulder, but the reality of his grievance hadn't really set in until their next practice, when she wouldn't even so much as kick him the ball even if he was the only person open.

Sora had never missed kicking to him before.

"I know," his mother had cooed, kneeling on the linoleum floor in front of him where she had found Taichi in the team's locker room, nearly inconsolable. "I know you mean it," she had said, pulling a crumpled tissue from somewhere inside her purse and wiping the tears right off his face. It had been in vain as more swiftly took their place. "It's okay, Taichi," she had told him softly until he had finally settled long enough to look his mother in the eyes. For the first time she had taught him, "But just because you mean it a whole, whole lot, that doesn't always mean you'll be forgiven."

Across from him, under the shade of the tall oak tree, Sora pushes her bangs out from in front of her eyes, tucking them just behind the shell of her left ear. She had seen it in her heart to forgive him, eventually, when she no longer had to wear hats to hide his magnum opus. Taichi taps his notebook with the capped end of his pen, feeling the well of guilt pooling in his chest again. He wonders if she still thinks of it, if she regrets ever letting him back into her life.

Sora peers up from where she's been highlighting notes. Her eyes hesitate where the tempo of his tapping has become its own drum set before looking him fully in the eyes. Her smile looks sincere when she graces him with it and Taichi thinks, maybe, she doesn't.

A part of him is too afraid to ask.

"Bored?" She asks him, capping the highlighter in her hand and dropping it in the open space between them. It rolls down the table, the only indication of the slight incline the bench had been situated upon, and stops against his notebook. There's a rainbow of them gathering all over the table and Sora plucks another color from the pouch beside her— lime green this time—before returning to her work.

"No," Taichi says. "Just thinking."

A breeze passes by overhead, warm and comfortable, shifting the leaves until they chatter with the promise of spring. The sun feels nice where it leans against his right side.

An absolutely lovely day.

He should be enjoying it, in the company of one of his closest friends. Sora hums as another breeze passes by them, sounding content. It had been her idea to stow away for their shared free period at the end of the day, to get their homework done outside where the sun was inviting. "It'll make the work feel more pleasant," she had reasoned. Maybe it should, but when Taichi breathes in he wishes all that would greet him is the smell of fresh cut grass, the feeling of new life and rebirth and everything he associates with spring and soccer. But all he finds is what feels like a stone, lodged in the pit of his stomach and unmoving.

The bell chimes to mark the end of classes. Taichi can hear it just barely where they're sitting right outside the school building.

A flood of students runs down the main staircase. He's got a great vantage of it just over Sora's head. Several loiter under the roof, taking up residence on the benches as they wait for their rides. A few cross the road to catch the city bus, hesitating to wait for the students as they cross by in front of it. Others start heading in the opposite direction from him and Sora, towards the school fields.

"We should probably start heading to our clubs," Sora suggests, but she makes no immediate move to pack her things, still invested in highlighting her notes. She reaches for a bright pink marker next and Taichi collects the lime green one, tilting his notebook vaguely to catch it before it can roll past him.

"Did you hear about the other day?" Someone asks on their way past their bench. "We got ourselves a local superhero."

"You mean that insect man?"

"Ladybug," someone else corrects them. Taichi whips his head in the direction of the conversation. He watches the small group of students, intent, but their conversation is swallowed by the distance as they continue on their way into town.

Sora's pink highlighter thumps heavily against the bench seat beside him before plopping onto the grass. Taichi stares at it where it lays still.

"He's the buzz of the town," he hears Sora saying.

"Yeah, Hikari's a fan." Taichi leans down and grabs for the marker, dropping it on the table between them with his growing collection.

She's got a blue one now, tapping it against her cheek pensively. "I'm surprised the media hasn't been swarming this place since that attack last week."

"There wasn't anything to report since all the damage got cleared away," Taichi mentions.

"It did seem," Sora pauses, pressing her lips together. "Far-fetched to someone who wasn't there. I saw the first explosion knock out half the roof from the tennis court and it still feels hard to believe."

"I rode a magic bull," Taichi says with a long grin. "And I still find it hard to believe."

Sora doesn't seem to find the reminder to be as entertaining as he does and so Taichi let's his grin drop.

He turns back around for a moment, but the group he had been eavesdropping on has since vanished from earshot.

"There's been two more attacks since then. That's three in seven days, isn't it?" When he turns back, Sora's eyes are on her notebooks again, but she doesn't seem as invested in their contents. "How long do you think this is going to keep up for?"

He isn't sure if she wants an answer. Taichi knows he doesn't really have one that she'll want to hear. Instead he offers, "We just have to believe in Ladybug."

Maybe it's the right thing to say after all. Sora's smile returns in full bloom, relief spreading through her bright brown eyes. "He does seem to have it handled," she agrees.

Taichi smiles back, but his answer doesn't sit quite as comfortably with him. He's caught Ladybug's last two skirmishes on the news, watching with bated breath every time the situation turned sour just before the hero found a way to change the tides. Ladybug has gotten better, more practiced. At least from the outside, at the distance between the reporter and the screen and Taichi's couch. But he remembers what Ladybug had looked like up close, the set of his jaw contradicted by the shake in his hands, the fear in his eyes when he wasn't trying to pretend to be in control of their situation. Taichi’s chest feels heavy at the memories.

They're not friends. Taichi doesn't even know if they count as acquaintances, but every time he sees the superhero on his screen, he can't help but wonder, who will be there to save him ?

Only someone with a certain gift, Taichi remembers. His teeth clench at the thought. He'd done well enough without one, hadn't he? Maybe he could—

He meets Sora's gaze. This time concern creases her brow, worry evident in her eyes. He hopes it's not becoming a permanent fixture now. "Taichi?"

"Sorry," he answers sheepishly. "Just had... things on my mind."

"What things?" She asks gently, but there's a pressure to her voice that Taichi finds familiar.

He's not sure she wants to hear it, though. Guilt tugs at the back of his mind because he had, not that long ago, promised he wouldn't do anything stupid. It isn't fair that he should be here with her now, practically wishing for it.

But like a miracle of its own, another source of his anxieties comes careening down the staircase behind Sora's back, almost nothing more than a blur of red. "Koushirou."

"Koushirou?" Sora repeats, sitting up straighter in her shock. "I thought you two made up?"

"So did I," Taichi mutters. His eyes follow the path of the other boy as he crosses the campus. He hadn't really suspected Koushirou as someone who could hold a run quite that long, but Sora had implied he was once on the soccer team. Even if it was just mostly as a bench warmer. He disappears down the farther street. Taichi frowns. He wonders where Koushirou is heading. It's not the way he had seen him going home last week. He's pretty sure his home is on the other side of the city, just behind where he and Sora are sitting. Which reminds him, "Remember I asked you about the bakery?"

"Uh-huh," she hums. "The one Koushirou's family runs."

Taichi narrows his eyes, leaning forward across the table with his elbow. "A detail you forgot to mention."

"A detail I didn't think was important to mention," she corrects him.

"Yeah, well," he grumbles, "I went there on Saturday." Sora's eyes stay trained on him. "He barely said anything to me, then just ran off."

"Ran off?"

"And he's barely talked to me the whole week. We actually got assigned partners on a project and he emailed me to say he'd just do it on his own."

Sora's eyebrows shoot up.

"Here," he says, pulling his phone out of the side pouch of his backpack. He thumbs through several windows before pulling up the email in question and handing his cell phone over to her awaiting hands.

There's a short while of silence as Sora reads over it's contents, her eyes scanning back and forth and mouth forming some of the words unconsciously. Taichi waits, oddly nervous. Laughter cuts through the crisp air somewhere from the other end of the campus. Sora gives the phone a smile that doesn't quite reach her eyes as she hands it back to Taichi. "It's written very politely."

"Yeah," Taichi says. He looks back over the message again with fresh eyes, hoping it will change his opinion. All the words read the same to him and he drops his phone into the abyss of his backpack. "It's the nicest get lost I've ever gotten."

Sora says nothing. Taichi stares at the latest ruined page in his notebook. There's nothing of substance there. Just doodles of lines converging along the margins, hapless patterns that seem to go nowhere. There's something like the sun at the top of the page, opposite a giant tear where he’d attempted to erase some lines. Taichi bites his lip at the image. He'd forgotten about it this last week, but the little box has been sitting in his backpack, waiting for the chance to be reunited with its owner.

Ladybug.

Taichi groans, thumping his head against his notebook. His thoughts keep leading back there no matter how much he tries to chase them away, to those dark eyes, to that stubborn determination and—

"Is it really bothering you?" Sora asks tentatively. He can feel her fingers gently tap over his fist on the table. When he looks up she's sending him her most sympathetic smile. "I can try talking to him like I promised?" She offers.

Right. The Koushirou Problem Redux.

He almost says yes again, wants to just let Sora work the magic that comes to her so easily and patch the whole thing up but, "Nah." She sends him an imploring look, one that asks if he's sure and Taichi tells her, "I should do it myself."

This time when Sora smiles, her lips turn up to the left in the way they often do, tinged now with a hint of pride and Taichi feels his heart swell to know he's the source of it.

Somewhere nearby the first notes to a shrill melody filters in, oddly muffled.

"Shoot," he says, jumping to his feet. Sora pulls back immediately, her eyes widened with concern once more. Taichi gathers everything he's certain is his own from off the bench and haphazardly drops them back into his bag, textbooks and looseleaf paper sticking up at different heights. "I have to pick up Hikari," he explains.

Taichi decides there's little risk of getting caught in a downpour on his way home without a cloud in the sky and doesn't bother struggling with the zipper after it only pulls up part of the way.

"Again?" Sora asks, her eyes following him as he squeezes out from under the table. She's capping her newest highlighter. "What about soccer?"

"I'll talk to you later," he says quickly, pulling his bag over one shoulder. Taichi makes sure it isn't the exposed side, not wanting to lose anything on his way. He gives Sora a hearty wave before jogging off in the direction of the local elementary school.

"That wasn't an answer!" She calls back to him.

Taichi sends her another wave over his shoulder without turning back. The notes of his alarm are singing again and he darts past the two sections of the pick up driveway without barely sparring a glance one way or the other as he crosses over to the main road towards the city.

Taichi feels out of breath by the time the first tower of the elementary school comes into view over the shop buildings. Running isn't normally an issue for him, but after a week of easing up on his usual conditioning, well, it’s to be expected.

He recognizes the teacher on duty today, sitting on the stone wall bordering the school, closest to his side of the street. She looks up from her lap full of papers, dark red ink visibly scattered throughout each page. Taichi assumes she must be taking advantage of her stolen time by grading test papers or homework.

He gives her a winded, "Sorry," but doesn't quite know why. She nods him in the right direction towards his sister before burying herself back into work.

Hikari is easy to find, being one of the last kids still lingering outside of the school. Only earlier this week she used to wait for him somewhere by the teacher, staring at the brick walkway as if it were the most interesting piece of architecture in the whole city.

Today, however, is different.

She's sitting on the wall adjacent, just on the other side of where it opens up to the main entrance. Taichi hears her talking long before he actually sees her, hair and legs bobbing in and out of view behind the large pillar she's tucked behind. He stops for a minute, flabbergasted as her laughter breaks over the sound of the other children in the park nearby, whose guardians had long come by to pick them up.

"They've been talking about Ladybug all day," the teacher tells him, with an amused smile.

Taichi looks back at her, offering a short, nervous laugh. "Talk of the town, huh?" A short hum is the only sign she even heard him. So much for small talk.

"Taichi?" His sister's soft voice calls for him. It's the only warning he gets before a heavy force knocks the wind right out of him. He pats a hand instinctively atop the head of the person hugging him and is bewildered when he spots Hikari still standing over by the wall several feet away, head tilted in a silent question.

He stares down into a pair of bright blue eyes. "Takeru?"

At the sound of his name, Takeru beams. His chin pokes into Taichi's stomach uncomfortably. "Boy am I glad to see you're all right!"

"Uh," Taichi starts. Distantly he thinks that should be his line. He had been looking down at Takeru the last time he had seen him, too. Back then he had looked scared, eyes wet with ready to shed tears. A reasonable response given that an entire building had just collapsed over them. Taichi swallows. Phantom debris fills up his lungs, a great pressure settling over his back, choking—

"How do you know my brother?"

Takeru pulls away. "I was just telling you about the guy who helped Ladybug!" He presents Taichi to his own sister with a sweep of his hand and a smile that could rival the warmest sun. The difference between then and now is startling to Taichi. "This is him! Taichi!"

Hikari stares up at him with her bright brown eyes, suddenly transfixed. It's as if she's looking at a completely new person and not the brother who's been late picking her up for the last week.

Taichi feels the weight settle heavier over his shoulders. "I wouldn't really say I helped—" he tries. Laughter bubbles up from his chest. It's anything but humorous. "It was more like —"

"A hindrance?" Someone suggests. Even though spring has already begun to settle, Taichi feels a sudden nip in the air. He catches Hikari's worried eyes.

"Yamato," Takeru says. In contrast he sounds so bright, leaning around the bend of Taichi's waist to greet the person behind them. Taichi follows his lead, turning on his heels to meet the new stranger.

Yamato looks to be Taichi's age, and even with the space between them he estimates they're probably about the same height, as well. His eyes are about as bright as Takeru's, but not nearly as warm. In fact as he looks between them, Taichi can't help but think the resemblance is striking. Given the circumstances, he probably isn't off in assuming they're related.

"You're late," Takeru chirps.

"Sorry." Yamato offers the younger boy a strained smile. "Go get your bag and wait for me."

"Okay!" Takeru dashes off back behind him, calling out to Hikari.

Without any warning, Yamato swiftly closes the distance, back straight and eyes narrowed directly onto Taichi. Instinctively, he takes a step back, his bag almost slipping all the way down his shoulder.

"You!" Yamato addresses him accusingly, jutting his pointer finger right into Taichi’s chest, voice dangerously low. His eyes remind Taichi of ice, finely pointed at him like daggers. He can hear Takeru and Hikari talking animatedly not too far behind them. "My brother could have died because you wanted to play superhero."

"I—" Taichi can't seem to get his volume down as low as Yamato's, but the timbre of his voice is almost as heated. "I wasn't—"

But it's not meant to be a conversation. Yamato doesn't wait for him to finish, mouth pulled back in a thinly veiled sneer. His finger digs in deeper, but it's not nearly as intrusive as his words. "You can't just be careless with other people's lives!"

Silence.

Several reactions vy for Taichi's attention at once: hurt, anger, defensiveness, guilt. He meets the teacher's imploring gaze over Yamato's shoulder where she's still stationed further down the wall and holds up his hand to tell her it's alright. She doesn't push the subject, returning to her work without a second glance. Taichi looks back to the other boy.

Yamato has since averted his own gaze, fists balled at either of his sides. Taichi drops his own gaze to the concrete, frustrated.

"Yamato!" Takeru calls out tentatively. "Are we going?"

"Just a minute, Takeru!" He raises his voice to call out to him. To Taichi he murmurs a quick, "Stay away from my brother," as he pushes past him. The satchel bag at his side thumps into Taichi's hip, but he somehow manages to swallow an affronted hey .

Taichi turns again, planting his feet heavy on the asphalt. His mouth opens, but Taichi doesn't really know what to say. It just simmers in the back of his throat, burning. Yamato never even looks back. Taichi can practically still feel the anger radiating off of him, shoulders taut and head resolutely high. Takeru tilts his head back to meet Taichi's stare, his bright blue eyes apologetic. He sends a short wave before picking up his pace to keep up with Yamato’s longer strides.

Hikari tugs on his shirt, startling Taichi back to attention.

"Who was that guy?" He asks, shaking his head.

He doesn't really expect an answer, but Hikari offers him one anyway. "I think it's his brother."

It wasn't exactly what he'd been asking.

"So I gathered."

First Koushirou, now this Yamato guy. Taichi seems to be building a rather terrible rapport. He flinches, wondering if Ladybug would count himself amongst them and they'll all start a club with matching jackets.

"We should go home,” Hikari suggests.

On the further wall the teacher is already packing her papers away in a hurry, relieved now of her extracurricular obligations.

Taichi lets out a long winded breath. "You're right."

"Already making friends, huh?" Taichi prompts his sister as they turn onto the main road. It's more crowded here. He holds out his hand and squeezes when Hikari takes hold of it easily.

She keeps her eyes glued to the pavement, her face pensive when Taichi peers down at her. "Maybe," she decides, carefully stepping over the next crack in the concrete. "He kept telling everyone about how he already met Ladybug, but there's nothing like it on the news. Everyone thinks he's making it up for attention."

"I see." Even kids have it rough. "And you believe him?"

Hikari shrugs her shoulders with great exaggeration. She hops over the next line and lands in the center of where the concrete has fractured into the shape of a small triangle, balancing herself on one foot, then hopping over it with the other like a personal game of hopscotch. Taichi's mezmorized.

"He didn't seem like he was lying." She stops for a moment, her large eyes staring up at him. "Was he?"

Taichi feels his cheeks heat in shame, breaking eye contact to watch where they're still walking. Narrowly, he misses trampling a dandelion that's made it's home between two slabs of concrete in the middle of the sidewalk. "Depends on what he said."

"So you really did meet ladybug?" Her voice is filled with awe, her hand squeezing his more tightly.

"Yeah," Taichi admits. "I met Ladybug."

Hikari looks away then herself, eyes focused ahead of them. She's no longer playing her little leaping game, but Taichi catches a glimpse of a long smile curling up her lips. He can't help but feel his own following.

"Hey, uhm, maybe don't tell dad," he thinks to ask her after they’ve walked several more blocks in silence. "About the whole, you know . Actually," he thinks better on it, "don't even mention it around mom, either."

"Okay," Hikari sings, swinging Taichi's arm with the force of her own. "It'll be our secret, then."

"Yeah. Our secret."

When he turns to smile down at her his eyes catch the storefront just over Hikari’s head. Plastered on the window in large, vinyl letters is the name Bakeology , almost perfectly transposed except for the crooked tilt of the ‘e’. Taichi doesn't notice he's stopped walking until Hikari tugs on his arm, having gone forward several paces without him.

"What's wrong?"

Taichi frowns. Baked goods sit visibly on little racks in the front displays, the easiest thing to see without pressing his forehead to the glass. Taichi isn't hungry for once, but he considers going inside anyway with the excuse of buying Hikari an after school snack. Just to test the waters. See if Koushirou's mom throws him out on sight or if she'll be as warm as she was the last time. And then, maybe, Taichi can rustle up the courage to ask her as casually as possible, "Has your son mentioned that he still hates me?"

Instead he says, "Nothing."

Several beeps set off in their general vicinity. Beside him Hikari reaches into her pocket and pulls out her own cell phone.

"It's an emergency," she relays, looking up at him with her honey-bright eyes. "There's another akuma attack."

Around them other people have already started scurrying about, ducking into stores, sprinting on their way to—Taichi assumes—their homes.

"Stay away from the harbor," Hikari reads further.

Taichi swallows. His backpack feels heavier, a reminder of the trinket still sitting inside. He has little doubt Ladybug will be there. It would be the best opportunity to meet him again. Taichi wonders if Ladybug would even recognize him, or if his face would blend in among the thousand others living in the city, just a blurry memory of the guy who almost got them all killed.

"Taichi?" Hikari asks, her hand tugging gently on his own.

He looks down at her, eyes large and worried. Taichi swallows again.

Yamato's voice comes back to him, the anger now sounding scared, shaky. "You can't just be careless with other people's lives!"

Hikari still watches him, and in the back of his mind he can see Takeru's bright eyes, dewey with tears, darkened with fear.

"Let's go home, Hikari," he tells her. The noise of the city seems to filter back in, a hum of panic still running through the streets. It startles Taichi's heart, but he does all he can to keep the fear out of his voice, the shake out of his hands as he squeezes hers tightly. "We'll be safe together, okay?"

She nods, looking as if she actually believes him.

Taichi keeps his eyes forward on his every step, letting new laid memories lead him on the route back home. He can feel his pulse quickening, a smarting of frustrated tears building behind his eyes, but he keeps them back, presses his lips together and just thinks about getting his sister home.

Hikari wastes little time shucking her shoes off in the foyer when they make it back inside. Taichi toes them towards the shoe rack at the door before stepping out of his own.

"I'm home, mom," she calls out. Taichi strains his ears to listen, but the only sound that greets him back is the creaking of a door and Hikari adding a quick, "I'm going to do my homework!"

She spares a quick glance back down the hallway at Taichi, smiling lightly. Hikari doesn't bother shutting the door as she heads into the living room with her backpack still over her shoulders.

"I'm home," Taichi says as he passes the bedroom door. He stands there for a moment, his hand hesitating over the knob, waiting.

"Can I put on the news?" He hears Hikari calling back from around the corner. Taichi feels his heart rabbit for a moment, wondering if someone else will answer.

No one else does.

Taichi closes the door gently as he joins his little sister in the living room, draping himself over the back of the couch. He tosses his backpack onto one of the empty cushions, just missing their cat, Miko, curled up by the arm. Hikari looks back at him inquisitively where she's set herself up on the floor in front of the coffee table, school worksheets neatly stacked on the table beside her. In front of her is a small notebook opened to a clean page.

"If you can still get your work done."

In answer she reaches for the remote. Taichi can see the barely contained excitement in her movements as the television clicks on. It's still set to the local news station where their dad had left it on last night before he'd fallen asleep in the reclining chair.

"—has been fighting off an akuma—"

Hikari grabs out a pencil case from her backpack and chooses one without ever taking her eyes off the screen. He doesn't think it's school work when she starts filling up some of the lines in her notebook, exchanging her time between it and the screen. Taichi opens his mouth to say something when the anchorwoman on the live feed lets out a sharp yell.

"We're alright!" The anchorwoman assures them. Takaishi Natsuko flashes in the lower corner of the feed as she offers up a long smile to the camera. "As you can see, Ladybug has pushed the akuma further into the harbor behind me here."

Taichi releases a long breath. The camera isn't close enough to see anything too well, but he can make out eight, long, spindly tentacles reaching out from beneath the waves. It must be some sort of sea creature—like a squid. He's not sure what the criteria is. Koushirou would probably know. But whatever it is looks huge. Comparatively, Ladybug looks like nothing more than a dot. Taichi squints. He might not actually be looking at Ladybug at all. It could be lint glued to the screen by static.

"What was it like?" Hikari wonders. Her voice is hushed, likely to keep it between the two of them. “Fighting with Ladybug, I mean.”

Exhilarating , comes to mind first and Taichi swallows it down. Unbelievable follows. He can still hear the crackling of lightning from The Minotaurus' horns, her yowls as Taichi held onto her nosering for dear life. "Terrifying," is too far down on the list to be comfortable.

On the screen the little dot, which is decidedly not lint, falls back. Natsuko reports, "He's still had no luck breaking through the akuma's defences."

Taichi has to hand it to her. He'd probably have gone stock still at this point, but if she's feeling any sort of fear, it doesn't come through.

"Unfair. It's like eight against one," Hikari comments as if she were talking about a schoolyard fight and not the forces of good versus... well, whatever they are. She scribbles something into her notebook.

"Someone should tell the monster to play nice," Taichi jokes. No one laughs. Taichi stares back at the scene, his heart pounding in his ears. He worries this time might be it. This time, maybe, Ladybug has met his match. Like, the worst sort of match. His hands feel clammy where Taichi balls them into fists, frustrated and helpless. He wishes —

"It would be nice if he didn't have to always be alone," Hikari says. She turns to look back up at him. As the afternoon sun dims outside, the light from the television looks brighter where it reflects in her eyes. "I'm sure even superheroes need support. That's why they're usually in teams, right?"

Taichi leans back until he's standing again, never breaking eye contact. It feels almost like, for a moment, she'd read his mind. "I guess," he manages to say.

Hikari hums, satisfied with his answer. Somewhere in his bag Taichi hears his phone chime again. He'll get it out, eventually.

The akuma on screen smashes through a row of boats lined up along a stretch of docks, sending splinters of wood and brightly colored flags rushing through the air on nothing but inertia from the one swing. Taichi swallows thickly as both Natsuko and the camera person shout once more.

"Takeru said Ladybug put everything back the way it was after he defeated the akuma." She adds, "Like magic."

"Just like magic," he agrees. Hikari writes that down, too.

Sensing she won't get much work done with him around, Taichi excuses himself to his room, swinging his backpack over the couch again to take with him. Miko makes a soft sound of startlement, blinking up at him before settling back into her ten hour nap. Lucky, Taichi thinks.

"Would you do it again?" Hikari asks him, her stare heavy on the back of his head.

Taichi hesitates near the door of his room. When he says, "No," he wishes he wasn't lying. "Finish your homework."

"I will!"

Taichi hangs his bag on the back of his chair, unzipping it in full this time to pull some of his notes and planner and textbooks out. He hopes they're the right ones. He finds his cellphone lodged in the center of one of his notebooks, dog earring the still clean pages in half. When he clicks it on there's about a half a dozen texts from Sora and a single one from his dad asking if they made it home safe. Taichi answers that one first before thumbing through all of Sora's.

Did you make it home? Is Hikari with you?

It's dangerous out there. I just want to know you made it somewhere safe.

Taichi please let me know you made it home alright.

I still haven't heard anything back.

You didn't go to the harbor did you? Taichi please tell me you didn't go.

Should I come over?

He sends her a quick, We just got home. Stay safe, Sora.

Instantly a little relieved smiley face answers him. Taichi smiles down at it. At least someone in town probably won't be investing in a club jacket any time soon.

He docks his phone on the charger stand at the back of his desk. It blinks onto the image of his now clear lockscreen and Taichi stares at it for as long as the image stays. His old soccer team grins at him, standing in two imperfect lines with their arms thrown over each other's backs in camaraderie. It's blurry, off-center, and clipping some of his former teammates half out of the photo. Hikari had taken it, shortly after a stint in the hospital, declaring she wanted to be a photographer that winter. Everyone had made sure to come out for the impromptu team photoshoot.

Taichi buries his face in his crossed arms. His family had moved away not too long after that, leaving his teammates behind.

After a moment Taichi sits himself back up, gently smacking both of his cheeks. "Moping is best paired with chores," his mother always said before handing him off something like a load of laundry or some latex gloves. Really, she had just wanted some help around the house, but it did usually take his mind off whatever was bothering him, so Taichi grabs for his school planner and gets to work on the first subject for tomorrow.

He's bored of it halfway through.

Bored, maybe, isn't the right word. Taichi taps his pen on the page of his notebook, then against his desk, his bare foot thumping along to the beat. It almost matches the tempo of his heart right now.

Just outside his room the muffled news report is streaming in, but he has no idea what's being said. A part of him thinks about holding his ear up to the door, or pulling up his own stream to watch on his phone. Indecision weighs him to the spot. Listening won't help him get any work done. Not listening also isn't helping any. For all he knows the akuma could have been neutralized by now, but he'll only be more restless if he finds out Ladybug is still in trouble.

Restless. That's it. Taichi is feeling restless. It's odd to consider that not too far from here a monster is ripping up part of their home, harming people. And here Taichi is, doing his homework like it's any other school night.

But what else can he do?

Believe in Ladybug , Taichi reminds himself. He taps the pen harder, frowning. He does believe in Ladybug. Really, he does. It's just—

He remembers what Ladybug looked like that first time; terror barely concealed on his face, his voice trembling around the edges. Mere stubbornness had probably been all that was keeping him together. Taichi's sure that's at least true of himself.

Taichi groans in the back of his throat, frustrated. He leans back in his chair, resting his knees up on the desk until the front legs tilt off the floor, letting it rock ever so slightly.

If he really wanted to help, Taichi needed one of those doo-hickeys . What had the old man called them? A—

His chair suddenly loses out to gravity, and Taichi tumbles down with it, heels over head.

"Ow," he complains to no one, rubbing at the sore spot on the back of his head. He's absolutely determined to give himself a lasting concussion, Taichi thinks grimly.

Half the contents of his backpack have slipped out across his already cluttered floor. Taichi swears, pushing breakfast bars and folders with all their unfiled papers back inside. He frowns at his soccer Jersey crumpled up on the floor where it, too, has tumbled out. Taichi debates whether or not he should shove it back in with everything else or toss it in the garbage.

Hamper , he decides, is the middle ground. Taichi grabs it as he stands up and is surprised to hear another thunk as something heavier rolls out from the bundle of fabric.

A small, cherry-wood box.

Oh. Taichi reaches for it. His fingers run through the intricate grooves, tracing over the abstract sun pattern he had noticed when he first found the box in the grass beside him, right after Ladybug had departed. He remembers the last time he had seen the other boy's eyes, dark and on the verge of tears. For him . The memory makes his heart simultaneously swell and ache.

In his hands, the wood feels warm suddenly, electric— awake— and it burns—

"Gah!"

Taichi drops it to the floor again. It clatters and tumbles along the hardwood, falling several steps away. When it settles, Taichi notices the sliding lid is now askew, a dark colored band leaning over the exposed lip.

He kneels down to inspect the contents closely, carefully. A voice in the back of his head tells him to leave it, maybe grab a fire extinguisher in case it starts to burn a hole in his floor, which he knows his dad will hate because they won't get the security deposit back again. But even knowing it might be dangerous, Taichi finds himself reaching out to touch it. Under the pads of his fingertips the wood feels cool again. He slides the lid the rest of the way down revealing a set of, "Goggles?"

Taichi used to own a pair a couple of years back, but he'd passed it down to a fellow teammate. These look more expensive, the strap a fine, navy blue and as his fingers pass over the glass eyewear they leave no smudges. The connecting end of each strap bears the same sun-like pattern engraved on the box. Taichi runs his fingers over this as well, feeling the small grooves so finely cut into the metal. Sun from outside bounces off the bright surface and for a moment Taichi is certain the little sun pattern is actually—

His eyes widen. It is glowing.

Like a fireball the light bursts out from the goggles and rockets across the room. He shields his face for a moment, ready to see his curtains go up in flames and have to evacuate the whole apartment, with an akuma attack in progress no less. But what he finds is much, much worse.

Taichi screams.

A small, orange creature stands atop his math textbook. "Taichi!" It greets him in a deep, scratchy voice with a long, sharp-toothed smile.

Great, Taichi thinks. It knows his name. It—

"Taichi?" A softer voice calls his attention to the door, complimented by a light thrumming that can barely be called knocking against the wood. "Is everything okay?"

Hikari . Taichi slowly turns his gaze back to the creature on his desk. It's bright, curious green eyes have also latched onto the door, head tilted to listen. Fear grips his heart like ice. The creature knows about Hikari now.

Taichi fumbles blindly for something around him to use as a weapon, but all that meets his grip are dirty socks and the goggles he's still got tightly clutched in his other hand. Nothing. Absolutely nothing useful. Taichi swallows. If he survives this, he's investing in a baseball bat. Or twelve, just to have on hand.

Taichi looks around the room, eyes darting from one more useless thing to the next until— aha !

Taichi slides himself along the floor, a little closer to the creature, leaning his way over to grab for the little box the goggles had been in. Those bright green eyes are back on him. Taichi refuses to break eye contact.

"She shouldn't know I'm here," the creature tells him. Taichi stares, bewildered. "No one can know I'm here."

"Taichi?" Hikari calls again, her voice soaked in concern.

Something makes him call back, "I'm fine!"

Hikari doesn't sound convinced. Taichi can't blame her. He doesn't sound convincing. "Why did you scream?"

"Just—" he notices the still fallen over chair and says, "fell off my chair!"

"Again?"

"Yeah. Everything's fine. Go back to the living room, okay?"

"Oh," she says back, still unsure. "Okay."

He listens for her footsteps creaking along the floorboards. Once he's satisfied she's far enough away he addresses the little creature, gripping the box tighter in his hand where he's hidden it behind his back. "Are you an, uhm," the word escapes him briefly. The creature still watches him indulgently as Taichi moves as slowly as he can forward. To him, they look just like a miniscule dinosaur. He'd heard once that they can't see someone if they're not moving, but Taichi doesn't remember from where. He knows even less if it's true. "An, uh..."

Lightening crackles in the back of his mind, dark red eyes staring down at him filled with rage and, maybe, the smallest glimpses of anguish.

"Akuma," he finishes. He rises to his knees not too far from the desk. Taichi hesitates, waiting for the perfect time to strike, like calculating when and where to kick the ball to get past the opposing team’s goalie in soccer.

The creature seems undeterred by his proximity, completely unaware of Taichi's intentions. He holds a long, clawed finger up to, what Taichi suspects is, his chin. "I'm Agumon. I'm a kwami."

Taichi stares. His grip almost loosens before he tightens it once more. He's so close now— "And that's different?"

"That's right!" The self-proclaimed kwami nods his head, sharp teeth poking out again from beneath his grin. Taichi jeers back as the same clawed finger points down at him this time, bracing for an attack that never comes. "A kwami gives the power to fight akumas to whoever holds a miraculous."

"Miraculous," Taichi parrots. The box clatters to the ground behind him as the familiar word eases something inside him. He follows the line of Agumon's finger down to his other hand where the goggles lay loosely in his grasp, against his thigh. "This is that thing? A miraculous gift?"

Agumon nods again. "You were chosen."

"Chosen." Taichi stares at the innocuous item in his hand. Sunlight glints off the glassware. A miraculous . His whole body shudders. With fear, relief, awe, gratefulness. But—

Maybe it wasn't really meant for him. He hadn't really done anything to deserve it.

" Don't ever do that again ," runs through his head. Taichi knows that he shouldn't. Last time he had tried to help he’d been much more of a, well, " A hindrance ."

Perhaps Ladybug had simply misplaced it.

"Can," Taichi stares at the goggles, his fingers slowly loosening from around it. "Can you give it to someone else?"

Agumon makes a short, deep noise above him while shaking his head. Even for such a small creature, the shadow he leaves towers over Taichi as he taps along the edge of his desk. "You were the one who was chosen. It has to be you."

“Oh…” Taichi looks back down at the miraculous. It feels like, no matter what action he takes, he's going to let someone down.

Muffled through the door, Taichi hears another shriek followed by Hikari's own stuttering gasp of, "Ladybug!"

No. No, no, no.

"Even superheroes need support."

Taichi looks back to the little kwami. Those bright green eyes are trained on him still, head tilted to the side imploringly. Taichi’s resolve thickens.

"What do I have to do?"

[trashytoastboi]

Congrats on the 200+ followers! Your writing is awesome and you do a wonderful job at capturing the characters personality. I know that you get a lot of one piece requests, but could you do a bnha one with Dabi and a quirkless reader? Either the soulmate au or roommate au?

Heyya! Thank you so much 🥺 of course!! So I couldn't decided on one... so I meshed them 🤣🤣🤣 hope you enjoy~

Askbox: Currently open

(Gender neutral)

200 Follow Event!

Scenario: Roommate AU! x Soul Mate AU! – Dabi with Quirkless! Soul Mate.

Word count: 1769

Song : Every You, Every Me by Placebo

“Another taken place” {Name} sighed as they crossed out another address. {Name} was looking for a place to stay where it would be more central to where they needed to be and eventually they found the perfect location. A secluded neighbourhood which meant it would be quiet and for a decent price. Thus far all communications with the resident had been done over text and even when they went to actually see the place in question they were told where to find the spare key. The person told {Name} to feel free to look around, since the one who was renting the place said they had very irregular work hours and often times weren’t home much and on the rare occasions they came home it was mostly to shower and sleep. {Name} was actually pretty happy with it, a decent price, peaceful neighbourhood, ideal distance from everything and a roommate that wasn’t around much? It almost seemed too good to be true.

{Name} unconsciously hummed a song as they stood in front of the apartment, moving the ceramic cat figure that was next to the small pot plant and found the key left underneath it.

Unlocking the door with a smooth and easy click – glad there is no door struggles. They walk in and look around, although one would never guess that anyone lives here. It is similar to one of those ‘for show’ places, completely devoid of any actual life but presented as a good place to live one. They decide to go check out the bedrooms, not exactly knowing which one would be theirs, entering the first room they see an unmade bed, the first actual sign of life; they close the door and go to the other bedroom, which appears to be more or less the same size. Guessing this is where they would be situated. Continuing to inspect and look around, considering all the previous places that didn’t quite make criteria this place was perfect, which confirmed{Name’s} decision on taking it. Texting their soon to be roommate about them agreeing to take it and trying to arrange a preferable time to move in, the only response given was ‘up to you’.

{Name} is relieved that the long search is over now the next step was to move and settle and they did so the very next day. Carrying their belongings and some boxes, continuing to hum the same song as they couldn’t help but wonder about their elusive roommate. Such a mysterious figure that replied only over text, does seem to build a sense of curiosity. Setting a box down in their room and heading out to bring in the next one, they notice a coat strewn over a couch and a cup left on the counter, things they didn’t notice previously due to focusing on their box.

“They did say they only come back to sleep…so I probably shouldn’t wake them.” they think to themselves.

{Name} flops onto their unmade bed, after carrying in all their belongings to the room and running to the store for a few things to tide them over before actually going shopping. They stared at the ceiling, listening to the same song playing in their head, over and over again on permanent repeat. The ‘soul mate song’, the song that won’t stop playing until you meet your soul mate apparently. Feeling exhausted, {Name} decided that a nap would benefit them before tackling the task of having to unpack and put things in their place. They didn’t account for how exhausted they truly were and ended up sleeping much longer than the intended power nap. {Name} rolls over and checks their phone, seeing the time being just past 2am as they stretch and roll out of bed. Digging through a box to find a coffee mug and retrieving the small bag of groceries. Opening the door quietly as they sneak out – weary to not wake any sleeping strangers, until they see the kitchen light on, along with the clatter of someone cooking and singing. {Name} is surprised thinking about the singing…at least his voice was pleasant to listen to.

All alone in space and time…

There’s nothing here, but what here’s mine…

Something borrowed, something blue

Every me and every you…

{Name} enjoys the song, wondering why it seems so familiar…realizing…it the very song they wake up with everyday, the song that never ceases to play. This person, whoever they were, could possibly be their soul mate?

{Name} clears their throat, just to make their presence known to the person in the kitchen, he stops singing immediately. Turning his attention away from his food and towards {Name} looking at them. {Name} feels a slight shudder at his striking blue eyes…it feels as if they just completely saw through them which was slightly unsettling. More so, they could not believe the person they are roommates with, just so happens to be one of the most wanted villains. He turns back to his food not phased by them. “You’re {Name?}” he asks being the first one to break the silence much to {Name’s} surprise. “Yeah, and you are?” they reply back, seeing a mild stagger in his actions, almost as if he weren’t expecting them to ask that. Causing him to raise an eyebrow with a slight smirk.

“Feisty much?” in response to his quip they simply shrug their shoulders “Basic etiquette” – He chuckles at {Name’s} comebacks, setting his food down on the counter across from where {Name} is standing.

“Dabi” he sits down to eat, ignoring {Name}. “Nice to meet you Dabi” they grumble out, expressing their enthusiasm at his ‘pleasant’ behaviour.

{Name} occupies the seat on the other side of the counter. “Never thought you would be my roommate” {Name} states in a dry attempt to make conversation thinking that he wouldn’t be their soul mate either for that matter…a double case of things most unexpected. Dabi’s eyes wander up to {Name} showing a glint of annoyance at the prod for conversation while he is just trying to eat. “Life of crime doesn’t pay as much as you’d think”

“You have a problem rooming with a villain?” Dabi looks at them, waiting for the obvious answer only to find himself perturbed at {Name’s} small smile.

“Doesn’t really bother people like me” they say, this statement piques Dabi’s interest, intrigued by the meaning that could be behind it. “People like you?”

“Society is based on heroes, villains, citizens and victims. Citizens and victims tending to be the normal population; very black and white, yet no one talks about the tiny subdivision that exists outside of that whole spectrum”

Dabi makes his way to the couch, lazily throwing himself into the seat as he gestures for {Name} to continue talking. “And that subdivision is?” he asks

“The quirkless” {Name} says as they take the chance to enter the unoccupied kitchen. Dabi is left stunned, thinking and absorbed in what {Name} said, never fully understanding that there was ‘another side’ to the story in the greater scheme of things.

“Coffee?” his thoughts are disrupted by their offer as he grunts out his refusal.

“While you’re brooding over there, I feel it needs to be addressed. I personally don’t care that you’re a villain nor am I going through the effort to snitch on you. So you don’t need to kill me in my sleep or something like that” {Name} says as they take a sip from their coffee. Dabi cannot contain his laughter at their bold statement. “Funny you’d think I’d wait until you’re asleep” lifting his hands as blue flames gracefully dance on his fingers. “Fair point, but toasted marshmallow was not on my list of preferred ways to go out, at least push me down the stairs or something.” retorting nonchalantly as they take another sip from their coffee. This left Dabi in a bout of silence, being completely baffled by {Name} and for the first time, he didn’t have a reply. No witty or sarcastic thing to throwback at the person who so calmly drank coffee not even ten feet from him.

“You’re weird” was all he could seem to muster amongst his blank slate of thoughts. “You’re one to talk” {Name} seemed to be filled with endless rounds of comebacks and witty remarks. Dabi found it somewhat comforting, when was the last time he had a conversation like this?

“You think I’m weird?” Dabi asked with a sardonic smile. {Name} returns with a smile of their own “Different at the very least.”

Dabi chuckles as he walks past them to his room, halting to ruffle their hair.

“Keep offering conversation like that and I’ll consider keeping you around”

“Wow, thank you for your graciousness” {Name} says sarcastically with a genuine smile however. {Name} walks back to their room, for the first time noticing…the song isn’t playing in their head anymore.

{Name} wakes up, exiting their room and noticing the coat is gone. They figure that Dabi isn’t there and find themselves enjoying the more silent state of thoughts without the song playing on repeat in their head anymore, but such a song has obviously ingrained itself to memory. {Name} decides to make themselves breakfast; absent-mindedly humming which soon becomes singing.

Sucker love a box I choose

No other box, I choose to use

Another love I would abuse

No circumstances, could excuse…

“Nice song you got there”

{Name} turns around startled to see Dabi standing there, as they regain their composure still left wondering how long he had been standing there for. “I heard you singing it” {Name} states, attempting to lie their way out of the situation, Dabi approaches them, coming even closer and leaning over them as his arm rests on the counter behind them. Trapping {Name} between his body and the counter. “That’s true”, leaning in closer and whispering into {Name’s} ear “I never sang that part though.” {Name} suddenly thinks back to the early hours of the morning and realized he is right. “I also noticed that after I touched you, it wasn’t as deafening in my head.” Dabi’s hand goes under their chin as he pulls them in for a kiss, lips simply hovering and ghosting {Name’s}.

“Your pancakes burnt…” Dabi whispers as he withdraws with an evil smirk at seeing how flustered and burning red{Name’s} face was, waving a quick goodbye as he left. {Name} leaned on the counter for support, their fingers resting on their lips at the unfulfilled sensation.

“MY PANCAKES!!!!” – Dabi laughs as he hears their disheartened cries from outside. “I’ll definitely keep you around {Name}” he mutters to himself.

[the-goddessfighter]

[Werewolf-Vampire AU -SEQUEL VII: The Last War- ]

 by : Little1993lamb

for: Temperans-sama / @the-goddessfighter

Words count : 6378

Warning : long sequel is looong, super lame action scenes (i'm so sorry if it sucks!), slight satisfying gore scene in the end (you will know what is it! i promise it will satisfy you mmmh, especially if you hate the resident douchebag lol)

 Disclaimer: Gaman, the Batarou love child, is Original Character created by amazing @the-goddessfighter. Not mine, I just borrowed him temporarily for this story at her permission ;D

  @kaincuro @metalbatandzenko @dies-first @beautifulnightmareus @guppys-paw @ruby-ess

- VII -

Back to several minutes before, on the Fortress frontyard, Bang and Bomb along with their packs alliances successful on defeating the royal guards who were in charge on guarding the outside Fortress easily. Now they just waiting for Garou and the other rescue team to take Badd and Zenko back to home. But Bomb sensed there's something wrong with this situation, he'd heard with his werewolf's supersensitive ears that there's a horde of people coming towards them. And from the smell of it those scents were similar to pureblood vampire scent are, and it gets stronger as those people approaching them at a steady pace.

Bomb asked everyone to stay alert because these can be more dangerous than their previous opponents. Bang followed his brother's instruction and set his fighting stance right away with Bomb. A few seconds later, they saw an army of pureblood vampires marching towards them from the forest direction. Bang thought it seems that whoever instructed those army to come here, they have an intention to destroy the place or the people inside it. This cannot be good, Garou and the others still in the Fortress and they still haven't know what's happened on Badd's trial right now. Only one way to sort this out: fight those vampires back to prevent them entering the Fortress until everybody inside are already saved.

Finally the army of pureblood vampires stopped their march in the front Fortress gate. From the close distance, their appearance seemed like either trained assassins or mysterious stalkers, with all full body suit and black mantle plus half mask covering the upper part of their face, to prevent sunlight from touching their sensitive skin. On the mantle there's an insignia of highest rank of pureblood vampire family clan, to be exactly Amai Mask's own family.

That moment, Bang immediately understand what's actually happened here. Amai's family planned to wiped out every people in this Fortress along with the evidences so they could overthrow the royal family's Vampire Order. What a horrible clan, Bang thought. He knew from his life experiences that some of the vampire clan are nasty, but never once he encountered a clan nastier than this before. It disgusted him.

Anyways, he wont let those nasty people get their dirty hands on his family. Don't let the tragedy of Badd's own family repeated again now, his beloved son-in-law already suffered the loss and traumatic painful memories too much. He'll doing his best to prevent that from happening once more. With understanding nods to each other, Bang and Bomb ready to lead the packs alliances into the battle against the pureblood vampire army at the front line.

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At the same time inside the Fortress, the rescue-fighter team trying to evacuate the royal family and all of the civillians to another solitude building in the back of Fortress which is looked more secure. The said building is the Imperial Palace, owned by the royal family as the authority of Vampire Council. Hopefully it could accommodate the refugees and hold back the treacherous clan army's invasion until the battle ended. Garou, Badd, and Gaman defended the civillians from the front side while the rest of rescue and evacuation team on the back side. Because there's also a group of pureblood vampires who sided with Amai's family clan and the remain of Amai's lackeys, they must protect the people from those enemies during moving from court house building to the Imperial Palace.

Currently, they still in the court room to open their way from the remaining enemies in there, so they can open their way to move forward towards the Fortress corridors. As expected, Amai's lackey attacked them from inside the room and from outside the room or from the corridors. In the front line, Garou and Gaman fighting side by side while Badd covering their back. It was amazing to see how those three in action as teamwork.

Garou was like the spear for them, excels in brute strength and flexibility, combinated with graceful movements using complicated techniques that has been perfected by him. Also, as a werewolf he has more powerful regenerative ability than any vampire ever have, so it doesn't really worrisome if he got wounded from enemies' offensive attack, because he wanted to protect Gaman who's still a child and Badd who's his vampire Mate. The protectiveness from being an Alpha Werewolf with a Mate strenghtened his skills and sharpen his natural instinct to keep his family safe no matter what happen.

And to do that thing, he doesn't mind to kill his enemies with his bare hands if it's absolutely necessary. Of course he still taught Gaman to not kill the opponent, same to Badd who's softhearted. Because of that, he wanted to spare them from the guilt of killing a person. Just him alone to shoulder the sin is enough for Garou, no need to made them a "killer".

Badd was like the shield for them, excels in defense or guarding especially to protect his beloved people, yet he also capable to deliver deathly blow if he wants with his metal bat. He's guarding the back of his Mate and his child from behind. Maybe Badd lacked the gracefulness and doesn't really have any technical martial arts, but he's very strong as powerhouse and he got excellent speed to deliver his attack during combat. Also, he could fights both on the ground and in the air because his ability to fly gives him a lot of advantages, especially to fight against his own kind like in this situation. Plus the activated "Fighting Spirit" made him very durable in combat with incredible amount of stamina during a battle.

Gaman's fighting style is more like his dad, with additional advantages which inherited from his father. As a WereVampire hybrid, he could combinated the gracefulness of Garou's martial arts and the hunting instict like what both his parents taught to him. After Gaman was transformed into his Awakening WereVampire form, he unlocked all of his hidden potential abilities such as flying with his vampiric wings, excellent eyesight of werewolf, heightened vampire and werewolf senses, got clawing hands and strong legs like a werewolf, also the most important is his leveled up "Fighting Spirit" which he inherited it from Badd with some upgraded element like glowing aura when it's activated.

So much like some choreographic battle dance, those three fighting along together against their opponents also protecting each other and the civillians at the same time. Garou opening the way by delivering offensive attacks towards enemies who blocking them, he prefer to aims for the vital points to make his enemies lose the ability to fight back very quickly, that way the evacuation process could be done much faster. Badd defends them at behind and at their side, also because he has incredible reflexes combinated with his sharpened vampire senses, he'd know if there's any opponents who's approaching them in the air using their wings or sneak around them. Badd would bashing his opponents into submission before they could even touch his family, the rescue team, or the civillians. Gaman fills the gap by attacking enemies who wanted to attack Garou's and Badd's blind spot, because Gaman is still small so he takes advantages on his agility and the ease of mobility he has during fighting.

They did all of that until there's no remaining enemies capable to fighting anymore from the inside Fortress. Finally all of them had reached the outside building and moving towards the Gate of Imperial Palace. Suddenly they heard loud battle cry from the frontyard area and realized that werewolf packs alliances were in the middle of battling the traitor pureblood vampire clan army. Some of them looked heavily injured but still continue to fight. Garou becomes worried for Bang and wanna joined him fighting at the frontyard with all the fighter team. Badd also want to follow Garou but Garou asked him to keep Gaman save on the back, guarding the Gate of Imperial Palace from enemies who intended to breach the evacuation area.

It's still too dangerous for Gaman to join fighting the most skillful assassin vampires like those army, moreover Gaman had just only transformed for the first time so Garou couldn't risk their son's life in the front lines. About Badd, Garou believed he absolutely capable to fight along with him. But he had to entrusted Gaman in Badd's hand, keeping their beloved son safe and sound. Also he didn't want to lose Badd again, worst if it's permanently. Both Badd and Gaman are very precious to Garou so he must protect them from any danger, included this kind of battle.

Garou said to Badd that he doesn't have to worry about him getting injured, he could heal very quickly and he's nearly invulnerable in his Alpha Werewolf form. Even if he's heavily injured, he still have great endurance to hold it until the battle ended. Only if Badd giving a good luck kiss again. Badd know Garou just teased him, but he's begrudgingly agreed with Garou's decision about coming to the front line alone without them.

With a wide smile, Garou hugged both his Mate and their son before departing to the battlefield. Once he released the hug, he kissed Badd deeply, taking it as his good luck charm from his lovely Mate, and as promise to come back for him again. With heavyness in his heart, Badd letting go of Garou and went separated way: Badd and Gaman rushed to the Gate of Imperial Palace, while Garou running towards the frontyard battlefield.

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With the guarding from the rescue and evacuation team from werewolf alliances, the royal family and also all of civillians from the Fortress successfully moved into the Imperial Palace hall. For the injured vampire civillians or the werewolf alliances member were treated by the medic team who consists from a teamwork between vampire and werewolf medical staffs, including Zenko and Tareo. Zenko treated the internal injuries, while Tareo treated the external injuries. Both of them were very busy treating and healing the injured people, or assisting the others medical staffs. As teamwork, they're never differentiate the race of their patients, whoever needed health care will be treated equally.

On the outside of Palace, the werewolf alliances guarding at the gate so no enemies could entered it. Only medical team and injured people who need medical treatment allowed to enter. And that's where Badd and Gaman keep an eye for any intruders who's coming from the battlefront.

Since so many fighter team from werewolf alliances has fallen after demolishing a partial of the vampire army and couldn't keep watching the enemies anymore, either too exhausted or heavily injured, it opened the chance of the assassin vampires to infiltrating Fortress. Thus, the evacuation area become at risk as the next target of those army. Badd told Gaman to stay alert whenever there's enemy coming at any time right now.

They must be more careful because this time the enemy were not someone lackeys or unexperienced fighter anymore, those are professional killer thus the next level of dangerous. So they should protected themself, each other, the comrades, and the civillians in the Palace. But whatever happened later, Badd will always protected Gaman, as what Garou asked to him before. Understand fully about what his father saying, Gaman nodded to him as agreement. Both of them activated their "Fighting Spirit" to prepare the upcoming battle.

As the co-leader of the werewolf packs, Badd stood in the front of his team as the vanguard, while Gaman is right behind him. Like what they predicted before, there's a group of vampire assassins coming from the Fortress which already breached by them, not so many like on battlefront but still dangerous enough. Badd and the team were ready in their fighting stance, then they're moving forward to start attacking. The assassin vampires was indeed stronger than their previous opponents, made it difficult to won this battle easily. Even so, they also wont give up easily, too.

If Garou-Gaman-Badd combination fighting style was side-by-side or go around in circle outward-facing, then Badd-Gaman combination fighting style was back-to-back. Badd shielding Gaman from any offensive attacks while moving forward delivering his deathly blows towards enemies using his signature weapon metal bat, channeling his "Fighting Spirit" upon it for every smash of the metal bat. He will absorb all the damages that the opponents gave to him as long as they wont touch Gaman, then he bashed and smashed them out of his way, knocking them unconscious.

While Gaman keeping his father's back or his blind spot safe with his super-agile defensive attacks using his graceful martial arts taught by his dad, combined with his new unlocked werewolf power and vampire senses. Sometimes he'll flight towards the enemies to disarmed them, especially if they tried to sneakily delivering attack behind Badd's back or when he was busy smashing the enemies around. Gaman prefer to used his werewolf-like legs to plain kick, drop-kick, or choked his opponent's neck by swinging his legs and spinning them around when he's flying, because it's more easier to do in the air than delivering punches. Punches usually followed by some clawing to make the damages worse.

Many assassin vampire enemies were shocked about the new revelation of hybrid child's secret power. All they know about him from Amai was there's a werevamp hybrid child who looked like normal vampire kid and were taught martial arts by both his parents, but they never heard or known that this hybrid child already evolved into his awakening form. Especially when said child turned out to be more stronger than they've expected before. They also underestimate Badd's skills at being Fighter Vampire with inherited ability, come from the vampire clan who they've let it perished years ago.

It seems this time Badd wanted to repay what those pureblood vampire clan had done to his late family and his own current family, so delivered his ultimate attack to end this battle at once very quickly by wildly spins with his metal bat strong enough to create a small tornado, wiped out and destroying any opponents on his path. The result, he'd totally demolishing nearly half of army troop that come to evacuation area by himself with the help from Gaman. Such a tremendous power he had on that battle.

It finally ended after half an hour of fighting, with the result most of assassin vampire were killed or in unconscious state after suffering heavy injuries and already restained, many captured alive so they could be interrogated by the royal family's law enforcer. While nobody on the werewolf alliances side had died, many of them really need emergency medical treatment in the Palace so unfortunately the remaining guards keeping on the gate reduced by half.

Resting for a while after battling, Badd felt a bit tired from using too much "Fighting Spirit" today, unless he gulped some of Garou's blood again as his energy fuel. Gaman leaned on Badd, who's already back on his normal form, said he felt sleepy after fighting too much. Moreover, this was his first time using leveled up "Fighting Spirit" with his final transformation form, so it'd drained his energy rapidly.

Badd asked if he wanted to sleep in the evacuation area with Auntie Zenko's and Uncle Tareo's supervised him, Gaman answered no, he still wanted to be with Badd, accompanying him guarding the gate. Ruffling Gaman's hair fondly, Badd offering him his lap so he could sleep more comfortable. Gaman plopped on his father's lap with his head leaned on his father's chest, eyes already closed. Badd hugged Gaman from behind, keeping him warm, safe and secure in his embrace like a protective mother hen.

Back to his duty on keeping the gate with remaining rescue team, he listened the battle noises coming from the frontyard. It seems the war still hasn't ended yet. He's wondering what Garou does right now, so many thoughts invaded his mind: Is he still fighting with Bang? Is he hurt? Why is the battle still not done yet? Are the enemies in the frontyard are much harder to defeat than the ones he just defeated? He really wanted to meet Garou again...

Hopefully he's alright and will come back in one piece, because if it's not, Badd will personally bash Garou's stupid head with his goddamn bat and kick his sorry ass. He didn't want to worry his head off for Garou just to have him fatally injured, or worst, dying. But he trusted Garou's promise and will waiting for him on here with their son. Wishing everything's gonna be alright soon.

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Meanwhile on the battlefront, Garou, Bang, and Bomb still fighting back the assassin vampires with all their might. The condition was so much worse in there than what Badd had experienced in front of the Imperial Palace's gate.

It seems most of the more skilled assassin vampire was placed in the frontline to fight werewolf alliances because the werewolfs are stronger, while the less experienced ones was instructed to infiltrate the Fortress and Imperial Palace because the royal family or the civillians are deemed weaker by them. Because of they're underestimating the unexpected situation, such as not knowing Badd the Fighter Vampire's and Gaman the Hybrid Child's participation on guarding the place, thus more easier to defeat by rescue team.

In this battle zone, it's more difficult because the experienced assassins were concentrated in the front line. There's already many werewolfs warrior in fighter team were killed, some of them were Garou's close friends and colleagues. But it doesn't mean the werewolf side was losing.

Despite of the situation, they're also be able to push back the army's advance until it just 1/3 of them who still remained capable of fighting, 2/3 of them either being killed or surrendered after suffering fatal damages on their bodies. It showed that the teamwork for werewolf alliances with Garou's leadership in this battle were quite successful, with the guidance from Bang and Bomb. The combination power from those three were devastating, considering they had same root on martial art styles but Garou had his own style already perfected. So, Bang and Bomb were become the shields for the fighter team as defensive forces while Garou becomes the spearhead for them as offensive force.

As the Alpha Werewolf who had his protective instinct heightened after having a Mate, a son, and a whole family packs, really made Garou becomes much more stronger than ever, compared with his past-self back then when he's still a youngling member of Bang's Alpha pack and a student in Bang's dojo. Being a family man truly suited Garou, his desire to protect everyone he loves strengthen him. Watching how Garou grow from an overly ambitious reckless kid who wants nothing but to challenge everyone he deemed strong, into a more matured humble young man who wants nothing but keeping his family safe, made Bang feel very proud of him.

Especially when he proved his amazing skills in this battlefield while they're doing teamwork together fighting those vampire army, Bang didn't regret teaching him his martial art and handing his leadership along with the packs to him. Now that Garou asking for his help to save his family, why not showing off all of his power in full capacity right there, so those nasty vampire clan will realized how to not messing with werewolf packs family, ever. Because Garou's family is also his family, too.

At some point, when Garou in the middle of demolishing vampire army, there's one assassin vampire behind a different kind of mask who's watching over him intensely from a close distance. That assassin looked like he's on stand by, ready to strike an attack towards Garou. Bomb was the first one aware of that, shouting a warning to Garou. At the same time, that assassin quickly swishing forward to attack Garou with sharp clawed hands. It happened so fast that Garou was late to respond or even ready to defend himself, but the blow was already deflected by Bang using his arm. He's not fatally injured but Bang felt something wrong with the wounds, as he becomes slightly dizzy. Was he poisoned? Were those claws coated with poison?

Bomb caught Bang before he could fall, he roared furiously at the assassin who's wounded his little brother. Garou couldn't believe he let his guard off that it would lead into Bang getting hurt. It's all his fault at being not aware his surrounding enough. Quickly Garou asked his subordinates to bring Bang as soon as possible into the Imperial Palace where the medical team could give Bang emergency treatment. Angrily, Garou barked at the assassin to reveal himself right now. He heard amused chuckling for a moment, then when the vampire assassin revealed himself, opened his hood and took his half-mask off, Garou becomes more enraged. It was Amai Mask! How dare he hurted his family again!!

Amai Mask let out cynical laughing once he looking at Garou's mad expression, said he already promised before to fight Garou once more again like the old day. It's unfortunate he couldn't deliver that surprise blow to Garou like what he's planned before, but he's happy somehow it still worked out fine. Afterall, the old man is Garou's close family, his father figure. Nice unexpected target and sacrificial pawn for Amai. Hearing Amai talking about Bang like that, Garou couldn't hold back his anger anymore. He transformed into his Alpha Werewolf form and ready on his fighting stance, intended to end this vampire's life right here and there. Glad his taunting works, Amai Mask responded back with his own transformation into Fighter Vampire mode.

Yes, not only Badd and his tame vampire family clan who could transformed into Fighter mode, Amai Mask's own family could transformed as well. But it's different. While tame clan had Brawler type Fighter mode, then his pureblood clan had Assassin type Fighter mode. It allowed them to move more gracefully while delivering deathly blow for minimal effort. Even though the form looked more nastier than Brawler type, with BrownBat wings, long clawed vampire hands and longer fangs also sharper face features made him less beautiful than usual, it gave him lots of convenience especially to fight Alpha Werewolf.

They clashed so fast, striking attacks to each other ceaselessly, with almost the same gracefulness, trying to suppress the other with murder intention. Because Garou didn't want to accidentally hurting his comrades who's also still in the middle of fighting assassin vampires around him, without ever stopping his strikes he changed his direction for combat location into the forest so he could attacking Amai Mask more freely. Amai sneered at him for being too soft, as expected from a family man and not a true warrior. Garou trying not to listen his taunting talk anymore, it's useless because he's already wanting to kill Amai quickly without any fuss, focused on finding Amai's weakness. Because of that, Garou find a chance to tricked him by giving wrong prediction for movement's direction so Amai become unguarded for a moment. At that time, Garou managed to pummel his body repeatedly before he send Amai flying towards nearby tree by strucked a werewolf kick hard in the face. It even caused the tree fall to pieces.

There was a moment of silence between them while the view obscured by the dust and dirt. When it's cleared off, Amai Mask trying to get up from his current position with enraged expression showed on his bloodied face. Garou ruined his beautiful face, how dare him! With a scream, Amai charging towards Garou again only to have him already moved fast behind Amai's back and kicked him hard on the nape with devastating impact. Garou thought it would killed him by that attack. But he's wrong. Amai still got up once again while laughing maniacally, couldn't believing himself to be cornered into taking his last resort. Confused, Garou asked what last resort. Amai only smiled and picking a small blood vial from the box inside his mantle.

Amai Mask said that it's a pureblood vampire blood, his father's blood. Same like tame vampire clan, when they drink a human's or another supernatural being's blood, they'd activated their "Fighting Spirit". This similar like pureblood vampire clan, but also different. Drinking human's blood just quench their thirst and satisfy their hunger, nothing else more. But when they drink a fellow pureblood vampire's blood? It'd boost their energy and raised their killer instinct into the fullest capacity, same like those "Fighting Spirit", but it's more like "Murdering Spirit" that truly fits for assassin clan like him. But the downfall from this, once they used last resort they wouldn't come back to normal anymore as they swallowed into insanity from drinking a fellow kin's blood. So if he could kill Garou with that form and have all of his plans worked smoothly, he doesn't mind getting a little bit insane. Amai then opened the vial and drink all the content.

Garou had a bad feeling about this, moreover he's already used a lot of his stamina for the battle before, he really needs a rest. And a homemade cooking meal. A cheer up charm hug from Gaman. A kiss of life from Badd. Badd. He really needs Badd right now. What's his Mate doing right now, is he alright? Garou hoped he could seeing Badd again after finishing his business with this maniacal vampire in front of him. A loud growl bring Garou back to reality, and he's shocked at what he saw. Amai transformed further more into an ugly monstrous creature, something like abominable thing that very far from his previous vampire appearance, also he looked like lost control of himself.

Not waiting any moment longer for Garou, Amai flight towards Garou swiftly and kicked him hard on his side as a payback from before. He isn't done yet, Amai continued to punch Garou several times before he lifted him up to the sky and smashed him down fastly onto the ground. Garou could feel his bones shattered by that consecutive attacks, luckily he got excellent regenerative ability so he could heal again at any time. But if Amai still continue to do this repeatedly, he's in fatal danger. Garou got up before Amai stomped his foot onto him, crushed the ground he previously lay on before. He spun around to deliver kicks and punches to Amai, but to no avail because Amai blocked all his attacks. Then Garou tried to clawed at his side only to be deflected by Amai, but he gave surprise attack by stepped onto Amai's arm, spun around in the air then clawed Amai's unprotected neck with his foot claws.

It worked, the vampire's blood gushed from the wound, shocking Amai for being caught off-guard again. It angered Amai. He grabbed Garou's head and smashed him on the nearby tree, hit him on the stomach, and stomped on his chest, leaving Garou unable to move. Not even giving Garou a break, he slashed Garou's torso with those sharp as knife claws repeatedly. That's really hurts, Garou feels like he's being torn apart. He screamed, trying to grab Amai's arms so he could be stopped but his own arms were restrained by Amai's legs. He can't move, his body numbed by the exhaustion and the sheer amount of pain that Amai's caused.

In a moment like this, why did he remember Badd's words? That a "Fighting Spirit" can be learned by anyone who has strong determination, not limited to his family clan only. What the hell was that? And what exactly is the "determination" itself? He started to see his entire life flashing in his mind, was it his time to die? NO! He didn't wanna die like this! Not before he could reunite again with his family, not before he could embrace his sweet Mate again. Badd. The love of his life who he found as the most beautiful being in the world.

Aah.. he could see Badd in his flashing memories. Their first time meeting. The agreement to become his Mates. His awkward courting phase. The moment Badd was finally falling in love with him. Their first time making love as they become Mates. Bang giving his blessing for his relationship witj Badd. Their wedding. All the times he and Badd working as co-leader of their family packs. Badd's surprising pregnancy. All the time he's being a try-hard protective husband to Badd. Gaman's birth. Raising Gaman together as new parents. All the years he watching Gaman grow up along with Badd. Their family moment together with Gaman in the wood, or when just two of them making love all night under the moonlight. His promise to Badd to come back for Badd alive. Badd, who's with heavy heart letting Garou go to the battlefield, he must be so worried right now.

All of his family packs waiting for him. Bomb. Bang. Tareo. Zenko. Gaman. Badd. He wanted to come back alive so he can be always protecting his family. He wanted to save his family. Don't really care if his body was being ripped apart. He had to do it NOW!

As soon as he thought of his final decision, Garou feels a new surge of energy and his regenerative ability kicked back in, healing any injuries and damages he suffered from Amai Mask's attacks. He could feels his entire being humming with new power he unconsciously activated, as the glowing bright aura emanated from his body. His mind also becomes more clearer, his eyes not clouded anymore. Garou could move his body again until he could rise up from his former position. Amai's eyes were wide with shock as his mouth gaped at the sight of Garou's rapidly recovering state. He just watched him in disbelief, because he was sure Garou was supposed to be death now, with all the poisoning from the poison-coated claws he used to slashed Garou's body.

Garou wondering why did he suddenly got this power, but seeing it's so similar with the ones Badd and Gaman had, there's only one answer: [ Is this the so-called "Fighting Spirit"? ] He smiled at the thought of it, because now he finally learned how to achieve the legendary power of "Fighting Spirit": it's a Power of Love. Born from the strong determination to protect the beloved ones or people, with the pure good intention to always keeping them safe.

Garou truly understand it now, how Badd always capable to activate his own power at ease everytime someone in their family need his help. Or how Gaman suddenly could transformed when Badd need their help after nearly assassinated. Or how he finally obtained it after he remembered his promise to Badd to come back safely, reminded his oath and vow to always protecting his whole family. It was because of LOVE. Afterall, Love is the strongest force in the earth!

Garou smiling even wider, borderline smirking. Now the table has turned, time to payback then ended this battle as soon as possible. Then when he goes back to Badd, he will thanking him for teaching him the most important knowledge. Thank you Badd.

Already having new energy to transform back to his Alpha Werewolf form, he's setting up his usual fighting stance. This time Garou prepared to end Amai Mask's life. Couldn't accept his failed plan, Amai charged towards Garou while roaring his frustation. Garou, who got enhanced senses, instinct and reflexes, could predicted Amai's movement pattern so he quickly dodges his attack, grab his arm and twist it hard until it break. Amai yelled in pain. Seeing Amai being distracted by the sudden pain, Garou struck Amai's body by kicking Amai's torso with tremendous power he had until he's slammed back onto the nearby huge trees, collapsing the whole rows of them that caused a huge blast of dust and dirt in the air. Garou just waiting any moment Amai decided to get up again.

And as expected, Amai flapped his huge BrownBat wings to clear the view from the dust so he could located where Garou is and try to give his final blow. But suddenly Garou vanished from his vision, it shocked Amai. Without any warning, Garou appeared from the ground below Amai and uppercut punched him so hard it send him flying and broke Amai's jaw instantly. Then Garou moving forward to deliver the consecutive attacks using his fists, strike him on every vital points of Amai's body so the result of damages become more devastating.

Still didn't want to lose by the werewolf even though his body is beyond broken, Amai decided to attack him from the above in the air using his wings. He'd soar into the sky then diving down fastly towards the werewolf to slash him with his clawed hands or high speed slammed him down to the ground then crushed his body. But before he could do any of that, with the enhanced speed Garou grabbed one of Amai's wing then smashed him first to the ground repeatedly. Not finished yet, Garou threw Amai to the air then he jumped from the ground so Garou slammed Amai right on the back with his strong werewolf leg, and smashed him again on the ground.

Paralyzed and unable to move after Garou got his spine broken in pieces, he just laying down while trembling from the sheer amount of pain. Garou landed beside him while watching Amai with killing intent. He stomped on Amai's broken back, then he ripped his wings apart one by one. Not even the ear-deafening screaming coming from Amai's throat made Garou feel satisfied. The hatred in his heart for this nasty vampire who harmed and hurted his family for so many times after all this year, causing so much pain and grief for Badd, and nearly killing Gaman, not to mention he still doesn't know Bang's fate. All of those because of this scumbag he called himself a noble man. Noble from where?? All what he did were just inflicting pain to others to satisfy his ego and pride. Even willing to do it once more, adding more people to suffer. Now it's Garou chance to end the cycle, so nobody will suffer from Amai's wrongdoing anymore.

Garou threw the ripped wings on the ground, then kicked Amai's side hard enough so he's on his back now. Nearly on the death's door, Amai Mask glared at Garou, insulting words already on the tip of tongue but couldn't speak it out loud because the pain he suffered succumbed him into silence. Garou started to speak, why did Amai doing all of those malevolent acts towards Badd? Was the massacre of Badd's entire family clan not enough to him? Did he held some grudge for Badd? Because Garou was sure Badd never wronged the people around him, even when he did he never get himself away without some sincere apologize first. He demanded Amai's answer.

Spitting blood from his mouth to Garou's feet, Amai hissed his answer, that he just hate weakness those tame vampire clan showed to Vampire Order. He's not talking about their physical power's weakness, for they possessed incredible inherited traits same as his family clan, but he's talking about tolerance and the willingness to lower themself on the same level with any peasants people that have lower social status than them. Not to mention they had been too soft at handling the problem Vampire Order had about the rivalry between vampire race and werewolf tribes. Suggesting that vampires should getting along and coexist together with savage barbaric werewolfs? It must be a joke! He wanted to throw up thinking about that. Just like their namesake, tame vampire clan, they're really too tame to have a dignity as superior vampire race. Too weak for possesing a great power in their hands, too soft to deserve an honourable position in Vampire Order. He hates it so much. They deserve to be just perished.

Garou narrowed his eyes dangerously, snarling at Amai once he implied Badd's family tragedy. But he quickly calmed himself, no need to be more angrier than now at the eventually dying vampire in front of him. Garou coldly explained to Amai, that what Badd and his family did was not a weakness, it's called COMPASSION, something Amai would never comprehend. The feeling to symphatize and emphatize for the other, putting aside the differences between each other, so they can coexist together to make peaceful and better life. That's why tame vampire clan got their strength from, the LOVE, to protect their beloved one and keeping them safe. Even Garou as a member of werewolf tribe could easily understand that. There's nobody would fits the job to guard royal family and their community except the tame vampire clan, his own Mate's clan. And Amai Mask's family dared to make them cruelly murdered! Mentally traumatized Badd and Zenko for their entire life! Garou couldn't forgive him!

So, to make Badd's suffering end, Garou would dirtying his hand. Calmly, he stepped on Amai's heavily damaged body, bend over slightly towards Amai's chest area. With sharpened claws, Garou impaled his chest and grasped the heart, pulled it out forcibly. Leaving Amai Mask gasped from the sudden force while coughing his remaining blood out, struggling to take his last dying breath. Garou clutched Amai Mask's still beating heart, waiting for it stopped as he watched Amai's struggle gasping finally have ceased and his blood red eyes gradually becomes dull. Now the cruel vampire who tortured Badd's life has died, in his hand. Garou made Amai Mask's last moment of life into what he was when he's still alive: a HEARTLESS MONSTER, both figuratively and literally. What a poetic justice, Garou thinks. That bastard totally deserved it. He wondered if the battle has already ended or not, maybe it's time to go back to his family, his son Gaman, and his mate Badd. Badd. Finally Badd is free now, noone will torture him, not anymore. With a soft smile, Garou rushing back to the Vampire Council Fortress to reunite with his family again.

  -TBC-

 Notes:

YOOO we have 3 awesome family moments of them fighting together as a team! We have:

1. Garou-Badd-Gaman teamwork (badass WereVamp family!)

2. Badd-Gaman teamwork (duo father-son!)

3. Bang-Bomb-Garou teamwork (Alpha Werewolfs united!)

I love all of three scenes because it showed how badass they're as fighter family. But I also like soft moment like when Gaman sleeping on Badd's lap while Badd hugged him with so much care. Awww.. motherly love from Badd is beautiful! 😍💕💖

 And in the end we have Garou vs. Amai Mask with satisfying ending. Are you enjoyed it, too?? RAISE YOUR HAND IF YOU AGREE! 🙋😆Huehehehehe... *villainy laughter* 😈😈😈

Yeah I kinda like to make Amai to become a super douchebag bish in this story, so I could killed him as a "Heartless Monster" in the end of the story. No excuse to let Amai get away from his wrongdoing, so no sobs story from him, just pure evil. See? He's figuratively known as a Heartless Monster, now he died as literally a "HEARTLESS" Monster. And Garou is totally me in here (yes I'm projecting myself, lol!) 😈

Plus I added some canon moment in here like when Garou discovering himself capable to use "Fighting Spirit" like Badd. I really love that! Thank you Murata for Batarou canon crumbs!! 😭💗💘

And I like to think that "Fighting Spirit" is the Power of Love, always adored this kind of theory. Besides, it fits Badd's protective personality! And to make Gaman and Garou used this too are so hearttouching, they're truly love each other as family awww... 😚💕💞

I'm so sorry if all the fighting scenes are so lame! I never write any action scenarios before so this was my 1st attempt. Forgive meeee aaaaa---!! 😭🙏🙇

Sorry for too long sequel, I was meant to split it to become two parts but it would decrease the tension of story. So, this is the result: gigantic sequel exclusive for battle scenes 😅

Next part is the conclusion of the story, which will showing situation after the war, Batarou family reunion, Garou giving a present for Badd (GUESS WHAT IS IT?), royal family thanking Batarou family, Gaman's recognization, and many more!

Thank you so much for reading this sequel, please keep stay tune with me until the end! 😊😘💕💞💓💖

 -Little1993lamb-

[master-sass-blast]

In Days to Come

*smiles* Y’all are gonna like this one. Consider it... a teaser of what’s coming in the next couple weeks.

No summary because that would seriously give away what this is about, and I want it to be a surprise, but this is a Piotr POV fic for those of you who like it. This is also a happy fic with a happy ending, so there shouldn’t be anything too triggering.

Set after Gatekeeper, with tie ins to Rubber Meets Road and Trust and Ugly Truths.

Rating: T for mentions of abuse, mild angst, adult language, mild sensuality, and an OVERLOAD of fluff.

Pairings: Piotr Rasputin x Reader.

Many, many thanks to the lovely @chromecutie for proofing this for me!

Taglist: @chromecutie, @marvel-is-perfection (send me an ask or dm me if you want to be added to the tag list).

The art studio is one of his favorite places in the mansion. It used to be his absolute favorite place –but that spot is now reserved for the room he shares with you, his little home within a home, just for the two of you.

Piotr closes the door to his studio behind and takes a deep breath. You’re out with friends for the day, which is the only reason he’d secret himself away like this; as much as he loves you, there are some things he doesn’t want you knowing about.

At least, not yet. Soon, but not yet.

He smiles as he sits down at his desk, thoughts still focused on you. Hell, he can remember when he first met you…

“Piotr. Can you come with me for a moment? We’re welcoming a new member to our community; I’d appreciate having you present.”

He falls into stride next to the Professor –no small feat, considering how long his legs are in defense mode. “Are we adding another student?”

The Professor shakes his head. “No. A permanent resident, the niece of one of my old friends. She… she’s coming from a rough background.”

He blanches. He’s spent the past several months working with the orphans from Essex House; he knows all too well what “rough” means.

“From what I understand, she’s recently escaped a very abusive living situation,” Charles explains as they head out to the front of the house. “Given your… less obtrusive personality presence, I thought it would be good to have you help with her integration into the Institute.”

Piotr nods. “I will do what I can. Is her guardian bringing her in?”

“No. She’s bringing herself in –ah, here she comes.”

There isn’t a car pulling up on the driveway; it takes him a minute to figure out that the Professor’s looking up, so he does the same and…

And there you are. Flying in with a small duffel bag strapped to your back, hurtling towards the ground at… an alarming speed, actually.

You let out an “oh shit” about ten feet away from the ground and chuck the bag away from you before careening into the lawn and flopping head over heels across the grass like a cartoon character.

Bozhe moi. Piotr darts towards you –well, as much as he ‘darts’—and reaches out to help you up. “Are you alright?”

You’re already sitting up and dusting yourself off. “Ugh, yeah, I’m fine. It just—” You stop mid-sentence when you look up at him, eyes widening and mouth falling open. “Oh my gosh. Holy shit!” You stumble to your feet, completely oblivious to the hand he’s offering you. “You look so cool!”

Of all the things he was expecting after hearing about your reasons for coming and the rough landing… that hadn’t been on the list.

“Uh… thank you. You, ah—” he gestures towards your head “—you have grass…”

“Oh shit.” You swipe at your hair, which doesn’t do much to improve the situation. “Am I getting it?”

“Nyet –no. Hang on, hold still.” He carefully –carefully—plucks the worst of it from your hair, then wipes his hands against his pants when he’s done. “There.”

“Thanks.” You extend your hand. “I’m Y/N.”

He gently shakes your hand. “I am Colossus. Pleasure to meet you.”

You’re already distracted, studying his hands and skin with unabashed wonder. “Wow.”

Charles speaks up from where he’s been watching everything. “This is your first time seeing another mutant, isn’t it?”

You blink, then let go of his hand and smile a little sheepishly. “Uh, yeah. I was… I was the only one where I grew up.”

Piotr watches something dark flit across your face and feels his heart twist for it. “Well, I think you will find good home here.”

“Yes,” Xavier agrees with a smile. “We’re very glad to have you join us, Y/N.”

“Thanks. I’m glad to be here.” You grab your bag, then take in all the dirt and grass stains on your pants and jackets. “Do you guys have a washing machine I can borrow? And a shower?”

Xavier chuckles. “I think we can get something set up.”

Looking back at it, he wouldn’t say he was smitten from the moment he met you. He was, always has been, drawn to your spirit and energy, though. He’s always admired optimism and joy in the face of pain and suffering. He admires your compassion.

(Which isn’t to say that those who turn to cynicism ought to be condemned, or that everyone should fake being happy despite their pain; he’s always believed in expressing what you feel when you feel it. That being said, after everything you went through, he expected you to be more jaded, more bitter.)

And it certainly didn’t take him long to become smitten with you. He fell and fell hard; even after confessing his feelings to you, it was still unbelievably difficult to take things at a reasonable pace with you. He’d never been one to dive into things headfirst, and he didn’t with you, but after being with you for so long he wanted to have as much of you as he could.

He still does, hence his little ‘secret’ project.

Piotr pauses in counting through his notes to take a moment to reminisce the night the two of you had crossed the threshold from partners to lovers, a smile playing at his lips…

He wakes up to an empty bed.

Normally, that wouldn’t be surprising or alarming; you’re a notorious late night snacker, suffice to say.

However, after the past few days and your nervousness towards having sex…

He’s out of the bed in a rush, still waking up as he walks down the hall of the rental house. The bathroom’s dark and empty, along with the other bedroom, and he can’t hear the TV going or see the glow of the screen from the living area. “Myshka?”

“Yeah?”

He finds you perched on the couch, staring out the window at the bursts of lightning rolling across the sky. He lets out a sigh of relief and leans against the nearest wall. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah. I just like watching storms.” You hold out a hand to him, grinning.

 He doesn’t realize until he’s pulling you into his lap that you’re wearing his shirt; something warm sparks low in his gut, and he kisses the top of your head. “Why are you up? It is middle of night.”

“Couldn’t sleep,” you say as you nestle your head against his chest, gaze still focused on the sky. “Decided to chill and watch the storm.”

It’s innocuous enough, save for the fact that he knows you. “You waited until I was asleep.”

You’re quiet for a moment. “I didn’t want to worry you.”

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, just… processing.”

He angles his head back so he can see your face better. “Is what we did earlier alright?”

“Yes,” you say quickly before dazzling him with a –somewhat embarrassed—smile. “I, uh, really liked what we did earlier. All of it.” Your gaze drops to his chest as you start rubbing your thumb against his clavicle. “Did… did you like it?”

Did you like me?

He hears the unspoken question as he leans in to kiss your cheek. “I did.” He follows the line of your cheekbone back to your ear with his lips, gripping at your waist when you shiver against him. “All of it.” He has to hold back an outright growl at the way your body molds against his, and he lifts you up so you’re straddling his hips.

You moan into his mouth as he kisses you, hands gripping his shoulders briefly before sliding down his chest.

He thinks he could just devour you here and now, right on the couch, work you up and down until you’re a gasping, whimpering mess.

It’s an entertaining thought.

And one best left for morning, unfortunately

He sighs into the hollow of your throat before pressing a chaste kiss against your skin. “Sorry.”

“Sorry?” You repeat, voice high and off kilter as you giggle. “For what?”

“I shouldn’t have done that.”

“I beg to differ.”

“Not like that,” he explains as he resettles you in his lap. “You need to rest.”

You huff. “I don’t feel like resting now.”

He catches your hand before it can dip into his pants. “Later. In the morning. You need rest.”

A flash of lightning briefly illuminates the wide-eyed look you’re giving him. “I’m gonna hold you to that.”

He kisses your lips briefly, gently. “By all means.”

You sigh, then flop against him. “Asshole. Getting me all wound up, then telling me to go to bed.”

He chuckles and kisses the top of your head. “My apologies, moya lyubov’.”

“You’re a real tease, Piotr. You know that?”

“I will endeavor to do better in future, myshka.” He kisses the top of your head again, then focuses on rubbing soft, slow circles up and down your back.

You slowly relax against him, breaths evening out and deepening until your eyelids start drooping shut. You jerk awake a couple times, but eventually you’re dozing against him, verging on outright sleep.

He kisses your forehead, then smiles at the endearing whimper you let out. “Let’s go to bed, dorogoy.”

“No,” you mumble. “Sleepy here.”

“Bed,” he insists softly. “You will rest better.”

You grunt, then press your face against his chest. “Carry me.”

He can’t help but smile as he kisses your temple. “Konechno.”

He lifts you into his arms, and takes you and himself to bed.

He’d known back then that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with you, whatever that looked like. He wanted to spoil you, cherish you, love you.

He pauses writing a name on an envelope –a reminder to hand it to the right person and make sure they’re in the right place—to fan the paper back and forth so the ink dries.

He loves you. God, he loves you.

Not to say that it’s been easy, or that the relationship the two of you have has been one smooth ride. It hasn’t. Sometimes, it still isn’t.

But good things come to those who work for them.

Things are better since you went into therapy.

Not because you’re crazy and you need someone to tell you you’re wrong. (No, if he’d gotten wind of anything like that happening, he would’ve been in Charles’s office with his concerns –and more than one complaint—in a heartbeat.)

No, it’s better because you’re getting help he can’t give you. You’re learning communication tools even he didn’t fully know, and whatever you learn gets passed along into your relationship.

Better, however, doesn’t necessarily mean easy.

Case in point, uh, right now.

You’re sitting on the bed the two of you share, seething while you pointedly look everywhere but at him. “You had no right, Piotr. No. Right.”

“I was worried about you—”

“Oh, so, what? You hacked into my file? And my records? And then you tracked me down based on an unlisted number attached to all that?” You finally look at him, glaring fiercely. “That was an invasion of my privacy. You had no right to do any of that!”

“You left without warning!”

“Which I have every right to do! I’m an adult!”

“You’ve been kidnapped before,” he reminds you tersely. “And you have crossed paths with Harmony. Not to mention, you are here for protection, as permanent resident. If I need to follow up on you for your safety, I will.”

You shake your head. “No. That’s not fair to me.”

He sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. “Be that as it may, dorogoy, believe me when I say I genuinely believe it is for your safety. There are external variables at play.”

“And it lets you control me and follow me all over the place even when I want privacy,” you spit out, voice dripping with exasperation. “Great.”

Piotr purses his lips. “I was wrong to follow you without warning. I should have talked to Professor Xavier about information I found first.” He closes the distance between the two of you and kneels in front of you. “I overstepped, and I am sorry. If I could go back and change my choice, I would.”

Your lower lip trembles, and you squeeze your eyes shut as tears start trickling down your cheeks. “I can’t –I can’t be controlled again. I can’t have you be like my parents, I can’t be trapped. I close my eyes and I’m still locked in my room—”

He quickly sits next to you on the bed when your voice cracks and lifts you into his arms. “I am so sorry. I do not want to control you.”

“But you’re just going to follow me again!” you insist between sobs. “You’ve done it now, so what’s stopping you in the future?”

He sighs as he rocks you back and forth. “The only time I would follow you is in life or death situation. Khorosho?”

“What was so life or death about this?”

“You leave without warning, leave phone behind, go to undisclosed location, and do not check in with anyone?”

You stay quiet for a moment, then let out a breath. You slump against him, frustration seemingly leaving your body as you exhale. “Yeah. Okay. That’s… that’s fair. I wasn’t fair about this.”

“I understand your fear,” he says as he kisses your temple. “And I do not want to add to it. And I did not handle situation well.”

“Neither of us handled it well,” you correct. “We both fucked up. I fucked up.” You sniff and press your face against his shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

“I am sorry as well,” he murmurs into your hair. “And I forgive you.”

“I forgive you, too.”

The room goes quiet for a moment, save for your shaky breathing and sniffling.

“Let’s not do this again,” you pipe up. “Like, with the fighting and the asshole-ing and… all of it. Let’s just… not.”

“I am amenable to that.”

You wrap your arms around his chest and squeeze yourself against him. “I love you, Piotr.”

He hugs you back. “And I love you, Y/N.”

He has to lean back on his seat to avoid spilling tears on all the freshly sealed envelopes. He wipes his cheeks dry with the heels of his hands, then wipes off his hands on his jeans.

It’s been a long road to get to where the two of you are now, and it’s been worth every step.

He pulls out his phone and checks that he’s heard from everyone that needs to be involved, then checks to make sure he’s got all the pictures he needs.

One fact most people don’t know about him: Piotr loves taking pictures.

They’re an essential part of his life. Not just as references for his artwork –but that’s important too—but to keep him connected to his family. When they’re half the world away, pictures are often all he has of them.

Thus, when you become his girlfriend, it’s only natural that his habit of taking pictures of just about everything includes you.

He likes taking candids of you the most. Despite what you think, you’re really quite photogenic; there’s nothing he loves more of getting a shot of you where you’re completely relaxed, absorbed in whatever you’d been doing in the moment.

Or, perhaps even better, when you’re asleep.

He’d taken care to broach the subject with you first; as cute as –he thinks—“sleepy selfies” are, he knows that taking a picture of someone when they were sleeping could amount to a serious violation of privacy, to say nothing of how creepy it could be when done for the wrong reasons.

But you’d green-lighted it, so every now and then he does indulge.

Case in point, this morning.

He usually wakes up before you. He’s used to waking up early from his days on the farm; he’s a consummate morning person, which is good considering his schedule usually requires him to get up early so he can get to classes or training sessions on time.

And because he usually wakes up before you –you’re a stubborn sleeper—he usually gets to see you in a variety of endearing poses.

Case in point (again), this morning.

You’re currently tucked under the ridiculously fluffy comforter, snuggling your pillow in your sleep. Your face is half obscured by the pillow, and your hair is fanned over the pillowcase.

You look adorable.

It’s a Saturday. He doesn’t have anywhere to be or anything pressing to do.

So he rolls over –quietly—to grab his phone, then carefully angles his shot so it’s just right…

The sound effect of his phone’s camera wakes you up after the second shot. You inhale sharply as your eyelids flutter open, then smile sleepily when you see what he’s doing.

He chuckles when you hold up your fingers in a peace sign and takes another picture. “Dobroye utro, myshka.”

“G’mornin’ to you too, handsome.”

He chuckles again when you make grabby hands at him and obliges you by setting his phone down and drawing you into his arms. “Did you sleep well?”

“Yeah. Except the weirdest thing happened this morning. I could’ve sworn I heard someone taking a picture of me,” you tease.

“You looked very cute,” he says by way of explanation, kissing the top of your head.

“I always look cute.”

“That you do.”

You press a kiss against his chest, then start reaching for his phone. “Let’s take a picture together.”

He holds his phone –he loves you, but your track record with destroying technology is astounding—and holds it up so you’re both in the shot.

Before he can hit the button to take the picture, you wriggle up and plant a fat, affectionate kiss on his cheek.

He beams. He can’t help it.

He closes his eyes and smiles to himself. He can still feel the sensation of your lips pressing against his cheek. I am very lucky man.

He loves you. He loves you so much it hurts.

Which is why he’s gone to such extraordinary lengths to make sure all of this goes right.

Piotr kneels down and reaches under his desk.

Growing up in Russia with a mother who worked as an –unwilling—assassin had taught him a thing or two. Namely, that having a bag with necessary documents, IDs, some clothes, and cash was always a smart idea.

And that having hidden compartments on pieces of furniture is also a wise investment.

There’s a false bottom panel on part of his drawing desk that no one else knows about save for Nate –he figures in the event of emergency, the man can be trusted with the precious few documents Piotr keeps in there.

Lately, though, the compartment’s been a hiding place for another precious item.

He pulls out the black velvet ring box and opens it, both to check that the contents are still there and to admire said contents.

A gold band with a tastefully sized diamond set on it glitters up at him.

He smiles, then tucks the ring box back into the compartment before sliding the panel back into place. Soon.

[ask-beacons-finest]

Grimm fears, never ending.

Hi! Admin here! This is put on a read more for several reasons! One being! It’s grimmfuture and you know how that is!

Two being! It’s actually kind of long, so oof.

Three being...it’s uhh, well it’s a bit about umm...Cinder and Ruby...and a very...unpleasant...occurance... 

Just avoid reading this through if you can’t handle sexual assault.

“Oh...is...no one else here?”

Ruby questioned sheepishly as she stood frozen in the doorway to a simple dorm. One that held no decorations or personal articles that give life to the dorms of the more permanent residents of Beacon. It was a dorm she had been in countless times before, though few were memories of absolute comfort. Most of her time spent in this dorm was filled with her nerves standing on edge against a constant assault of her subconscious screaming for her to run and escape, things she constantly avoided because, in her own words, nothing quite that bad had happened, which is a thought that is always immediately responded with the voice her sister, breaking through her running thoughts and saying a single word that fills her with dread.

Yet.

Ruby’s cautiousness about entering the empty dorm seemed to irritate the woman standing behind her, holding the door open for the both of them in such a manner that gave the young huntress no means of maneuvering away from this increasingly worrisome situation. Ruby’s eyes darted side to side as well, no students occupied the hall around them as they stood silently in front of what Ruby feared could be a makeshift prison cell of a room, a feeling not too far off from what she usually experiences when here. The irritation of the woman behind her finally burst through the seems and in an instant Ruby felt a stern hand press against her back, forcing her into the room with a heavy shove. 

“No,” the woman’s voice came out like nails on chalkboard to Ruby’s ears. What anyone else would interpret as a deadpan voice which showed little concern for the speaking topic, Ruby knew the awful truth behind it, this voice was but a precursor to the violence she knew oh too well. She always uses this voice when she’s mere steps away from using a more silent, but painful option to get Ruby to do as she pleases. Ruby could only catch herself from stumbling forward, nearly falling onto the floor of the dorm before clenching her eyes shut to stop any tears from flowing.

Tears only made her angrier.

“Emerald is out doing...whatever. And Mercury is trying to get some training in, apparently, he’s a little...nervous...about fighting that sister of yours.”

“Y-Yeah well,” Ruby stood up straight and turned to face the woman, forcing a smile on her face to mask the great fear already welling up in her stomach, “Yang won’t go down so ea-”

Ruby’s voice came to a quick halt when a soft hand gripping hold of her cheeks, digging sharp nails into the skin of her face. The hand itself may have been soft, but the grip it held was anything but, the battle to hold back tears became more of a war as the tight grip continued on. Ruby tried her best to stop her body from instinctively fighting back and struggling as the hand dug its claws deeper and deeper into her skin, the pressure building up more and more until she feels a horrifying release against one finger, a wet trickle of blood trailing from her cheek down the slender finger holding her captive.

“I’ve had enough of you talking. Do you understand?”

The only noise Ruby could muster was a whimper of agreement, her eyes shaking with horror as they stare intently to a shoulder covered with jet black hair. Looking her in the eyes when she was like this would only mean more bruises for her to cover up from prying eyes of friends and teammates. Ruby could feel the amber eyes glaring down into her skin as if begging for a reason to unleash the fury hidden behind them, but after a moment that stretched on for what felt like an eternity, they found not a single one. Ruby was released and nearly collapsed down to her knees, rubbing the sides of her faces with her hands and feeling a stone drop in her stomach when realizing one is now smudged with a deep red. Her eyes widen in sudden remembrance when a hand is thrust down in front of her face, the pale ring finger lined with a dark red trail, Ruby trembled before it, but knew just what was expected of her.

Slowly she leaned forward and gently took the bloodied finger into her mouth. The twisted taste of iron mixed with the feeling of shame and fear that flooded her entire body. It was not the first time she was forced to clean her own blood from the hands that brought it out, and she feared if one day, the last time she ever does this; would it mean she was rid of this evil, or would it mean she would not live to see the next day.

“Good,” the hand ripped itself away from her, and she looked down to the side in fear of retaliation should she glance upward, thought that fear seemed to not matter.

“Look. Up. To me.”

Ruby winced at the voice, and due to taking more than a second to follow the command, was grasped once more. This time by a tight grip on the top of her head, a handful of hair coupled with a quick jerk back forced Ruby to look upwards, locking eyes with the wide amber orbs glaring down at her with such hunger it made her stomach churn.

“Cinder you’re hurting m-”

Ruby’s mouth blurted out the plea before her brain could find the sense to halt it. She could only shut her eyes tight and pray silently that those few words weren’t enough to merit more punishment from her supposed girlfriend. Tears threatened to burst out the walls of her eyelids as her hair was tugged up, forcing her to stand up to her feet. In an instant the burning rage and fury she felt fromthe woman in front of her seemingly melted away, now replaced by a warm and gentle glow. The hand gripping tightly to the top of her head by her hair let loose its grip, and gently glided towards the back of her head, placing itself firmyl against the nape of her neck and pulled forward to an embrace, the other arm slithering its way around Ruby to ensnare her regardless of her feelings towards this moment.

“Oh, oh my little darling Rose,” The voice was gentle now, almost soothing and loving, Ruby could feel her fear and anxiousness slowly draining from her mind, the churning of her stomach coming to a halt, “I so very sorry. I never mean to harm you my dear, you must understand how frustrating you can be sometimes.”

“A-ah,” Ruby nodded, though her eyes were still locked tight she allowed her head to be coerced upon the woman’s chest. resting against the older huntress for but a moment before leaning back and facing her head upwards, “I know...I’m sorry...I just get scared sometimes and-”

A pair of lips pressed tightly against Ruby’s, stopping any words from escaping. The sudden kiss sent Ruby’s brain spinning and her heart pounded within her chest. The soft lips against hers were burning, setting the young huntress’s mind ablaze, maintaining a solid train of thought became difficult. She struggled with words, possibly of protest, but was silenced with a smile and a shake of a head.

“Nonsense, nonsense, my darling Rose. Come, let’s lay down?”

Before she could say a word she felt herself dropping backwards, falling down towards the bed behind her. Upon striking the bed her eyes shot open in a panic, what should have been a soft landing was painful. It felt as though she had landed flat on her back upon cold hard stone, the breath in her lungs forcing itself out in a harsh cough, she could only get a single gasp for breath before the heavy weight of yet another stone landed on top of her. The fear she felt in her stomach when entering this room only moments ago was back in full force, having now even tripled in intensity. The room around her seemed to blur and mix in a melting pot of colors and sounds as she struggled beneath the squirming mass on top of her, rushing to get a hold of her breath as she experienced what felt like a thousand hands grabbing hold of her, trying desperately to struggle against the untangible force. The only constant in this swirling nightmare were two amber eyes, gleefully watching as Ruby struggled beneath them.

“Cin-Cinder stop! Stop you’re hurting me! Cinder I’ve told you I’m not-I’m not ready for this! Stop! Stop!! STOP!!!”

“Oh Ruby, just wake up, and realize you want this just as much as I do. Just wake up, wake up, wake up!”

Ruby did just that, her eyes broke open and she jerked up into a sitting position, a desperate and sharp gasp for breath. Her hands shot to the sides of her pounding head and gripped tightly to them as she attempted to shake the hellish nightmare from her mind. Her breathing was quick and shallow through gritted teeth as her eyes trembled, unblinking. Her vision didn’t come back to her for a few seconds, the blurry image of her legs came to view as well as only a few inches of the archaic scar left atop her womb by the very same woman who haunted her dream, and a yellow robotic hand calmly held a cantine of cold water out in front of her. 

With animalistic savagry Ruby grabbed hold of the cantine, and in mere seconds drank every last drop of it, yet her throat still burned. Very slowly her hearing began to come back, the ringing in her ears dying down, she heard her name repeated again and again in a familiar, calming voice.

“Ruby...Ruby are you with me? It’s Yang...It’s Yang. I’ve got you, you’re okay. Ruby...Ruby?”

Ruby opened her mouth to respond but not a single sound could be mustered from her throat, she could only offer a weak nod to her sister. Yang slowly began to stand up after a relieved, but shaky sigh escapes her lips.

“Okay, okay. I’m gonna go get some more water, alr-”

Yang stopped moving, she looks down to see Ruby’s trembling hand gripping tightly to her arm. Her sister’s fingers dug into her skin, yet Yang held back any show of pain, she didn’t even wince. She nodded and positioned herself back to Ruby’s side, watching over her as she continued to tremble and shake like a freezing baby animal, left to die in the cold. Yang could feel her heart snapping with each heavy convulsion her sister went through, she had come to learn that it was Ruby’s brain’s odd way of trying desperately to rid the feeling of Cinder Fall’s clutches.

It broke Yang’s heart even more, since she knew it never worked.

“Okay. I’ll stay. As long as I need to. Forever even, I promise.”

[pyronox-fr-blog]

History of Orias

You settle down on the plush rug in front of Io’s desk, the skydancer pausing in her writing of documents to glance up at you. “Hm? You need help with anything?”

You think for a moment, then shake your head. “No, I just have a question,” you say. “I’m not from around here, so I don’t know much about this place. It seems peaceful enough, but... I’ve heard some stories...”

“And you want to know if they’re true?” Io’s attention is fully on you, and suddenly you’re aware of the fact that aside from a Slight Eyewing, the two of you are alone. You nod. “So, you want to know the history of this place.”

Another nod.

She sighs, closes her eyes, then opens them with a pensive look on her face. “Alright. It’s not well known, but not many care to ask. Settle down, this’ll take a while.”

As you relieve yourself of your bags, she stands and leaves the room for a moment before returning with a tray of tea levitating beside her. She closes the door, settles the tray on an empty spot on the desk, and lays down on her own rug on the other side of the desk.

“So,” she starts, “I’m sure you know the official history of the town. A few years ago, I, the town’s Guildmaster, started to build. As other dragons came through, some decided to stick around, like our Innkeeper Delta, and others simply helped build, set up shop for a while, and moved on. Activity increased over time, until Orias became the trading outpost it is today. This sound about right?”

You agree, and she nods in turn. “Yes, well, our history spans quite a bit of time before all that. I’m the only permanent resident who knows, because I was the only one here for some of it.

“Let’s start from the beginning. Now, I wasn’t part of this back then, but I knew a certain someone who was.

“Originally, the town - a regular clan at the time - was located in the Southern Icefield. The Fortress of Ends, to be exact. It started off on the wishes of a dragon created by the Icewarden himself, a dragon named Tyra. She believed she, made out of ice under cover of night, was... the union of Ice and Shadow. Put herself up on a God-like pedestal.

“She tried grouping together dragons from both flights, joining them under the name ‘Clan of Shadowed Frost’. You might be familiar with those particular legends?”

“No, not really,” you say, drinking from your mug of tea. “Maybe rumors of an old cult in the Fortress, or Crags?”

“That would be them, yes. Their influence spread pretty far for a while, and they were essentially a cult, with how they did things. Killing those who opposed their ideals, assimilating others who gave up, obeyed, or legitimately agreed with them.” She tilts her head back with a deep, long-suffering sigh. “Then, Neela happened.”

“Neela?”

“Mhm. Just as absolutely fanatic as Tyra. Became her right wing, her closest companion, all of that. Thing is, Neela didn’t think Ice and Shadow were meant to be together. She thought Fire, not Shadow, should be paired with it. Opposites attract, that kind of deal. Ridiculous, if you ask me.

“Neela gathered up prisoners of the clan, some Fire-born coatl and an assortment of Ice-born dragons. Eventually, she led them in a usurpation, leading to a civil war, of sorts.

“Now, the thing about Neela was that she could figure out a dragon from the inside out at the snap of a finger. Tyra and her dragons didn’t stand a chance, especially against those Fire dragons of Neela’s. Neela won, but she and another dragon, Verrick, were the only ones to survive. 

“That didn’t deter them. It did the opposite, really. They simply cut their losses and left. Now, take a guess where they went.”

Considering the original topic of discussion, it’s an easy conclusion to make. “Here?”

Io nods. “Right here. Neela and Verrick essentially did exactly what Tyra had done in the Icefield, only now they called themselves the Clan of Burning Ice. 

“However, over time, Neela somehow managed to become even more ruthless than Tyra. She’d send her dragons to hunt others for sport, of all things. Kidnapping hatchlings from their parents to force them into the clan’s ranks, capturing travellers, imprisoning every other dragon they came across. Killed her own children, even. Neela treated it all as a game, and eventually stopped caring about what Flight a dragon was when capturing them.

“Ice and Fire dragons had the highest chances of surviving. Shadow dragons didn’t stand a chance. The rest were captured indiscriminately, and most were killed unless they managed to gain the favor of a clan dragon. 

“In my case, I bribed a guard and convinced Neela I agreed with her ideals.”

Her last sentence comes with a pause. After a moment, her words click together in your head, and realisation dawns on you. “In your case? You were caught by her?”

She sighs, then nods. “I was a young merchant, back then. That’s how I had something to bribe the guard with. As for Neela, she was so overconfident in her own perceptive abilities that she never noticed my own.” She shrugs. “A dragon will do a lot in those situations.

“But, you didn’t come here to hear some ‘woe is me’ story. Anyway...

“I got myself close to Neela, the way she’d done with Tyra. I learned her secrets, as well as her history. She’s how I know about the very beginnings of the clan.

“She was her own downfall, really. She told me how she won against Tyra, the same way I would use myself against her. I gathered our prisoners and led a revolt. And, somehow, we won.”

You tilt your head, curious. “Isn’t that a good thing, though? Would it really be so bad if others knew the real story behind the clan?”

She seems to visibly relax at this, for some reason. “You, I like you. You’re a kind dragon. Unfortunately, others... likely wouldn’t take well to knowing their trusted Guildmaster manipulated her way into that position.”

It’s true, and you know it, but that doesn’t mean it’s fair. She continues before you can object.

“Orias is built on trust. I don’t want them to think they can’t even trust me.”

Resigned, you nod, and she continues with her story.

“Yes. We won, and unlike Neela and Verrick, there were several of us at the end of it all. We drove Neela away to Gods-know-where, Verrick and the others dead, and we remained.

“And this is where Orias begins to take shape. 

“I told my dragons to leave, to find their own lives after their imprisonment, to escape this place that to them, had only been full of suffering and blood and death. I stayed behind, to change this place for the better. 

“You know how I began to build, and how others joined me. But the reason I built this place was to change it from a place where all that it had ever known was death, to a place where dragons could live freely. The others who’ve joined me weren’t always free, and here, they finally can be. We trust each other not to hurt each other the way we’ve been hurt before.

“And the trading post? Well, I was a merchant before, and I’m still a merchant by heart. I was biased in what my own freedom would be.”

She gives you a small smile, the first you’ve seen since you arrived. But there’s something still in the back of your mind, something that won’t stop bothering you. “That... answers a lot of questions. But- what about the other rumors? The recent ones?”

“Recent ones?”

“Yeah. The disappearances. I’ve heard some dragons say there’s demons here. It sounds ridiculous, I know, but... what do you think about it?”

Io’s smile fades and she sighs, pinching her brow with two fingers. “I think- no, I know, that the only demons here are our own. Quiet, lingering, and real, but with no physical form. Demons in the way you describe simply don’t exist.”

You nod slowly, taking this in. Of course she’d think that. These were all just rumors, after all; you’d doubted them before you even came here. “Thanks. I think that’s everything I wanted to know.”

She smiles again, and says, “Well, I’m glad I could settle things, then.” She rises to her feet, gesturing with a wing for you to follow. You stand and strap your bags back around yourself before walking after her. 

She stops by the door, waiting. You approach, and as your claws click around the handle, she bows her head just slightly. “I hope you don’t mind, but could you not repeat what I’ve said to you today? I’d rather this history not be spread around.”

“Don’t worry, I wont,” you reassure her. She smiles at you with a nod, then lets you leave.

You walk from the building with new knowledge and secrets in tow. 

Orias is new, yet even older than yourself. It’s peaceful, yet has known more blood than you’ve seen in your life. It’s full of opposites and contradictions.

You frown. Opposites and contradictions... 

What, or who, are those in the present?

...Better not to dwell on it.

[hybrid-fr]

My atempt at writing Lore, featuring my two new gaolers and a lot of headcanons about how gaoler society works!

“You hear, they’re opening seeker positions again?” Aneira mumbled as a greeting, sliding up to Nevze. The brown gaoler sat up straighter, stiffening his posture.

“Seekers?” He repeated, a tinge of wonder in his voice. Nevze glanced over at Aneira as she settled in next to him. Her shift on guard had ended a while ago, but she preferred to keep him company until his ended at- he glanced up quickly- a few more hours. She nodded, almost imperceptibly, and waited silently while he sorted through the implications.

“Seekers… seekers get to leave the prison.” He pondered aloud, a cautious hope blossoming in his chest. “Away from the Icewarden.” He felt more than saw Aneira nod next to him.

“Seekers get to leave.” Nevze repeated a bit more forcefully, as though he was trying to assure himself. The duo sat in silence for a beat more, weighing possabilities in their minds.

“I figure we have as good of odds of getting a position as anyone else.” Aneira said smoothly, as though this wasn’t groundbreaking revelation. “Course, I wouldn’t go without you.” She let herself collapse peacefully against her partner’s side, burying her face in Nevze’s fur.

“...How do we get in?”

---

The application process was remarkably easy. Aneira was well respected by her fellow sentries, so it only took a little convincing to show Vidar that she was suitable for a seeker position. Nevze had a less impressive record than her, but it was not hard to convince the Sentry-Warden that he could easily be replaced with any number of young gaolers looking for a respectable position. It only took a week in total for them to be called for seeker duty.

---

Historically, seekers would work in teams of at least five at all times- so in the event that they came across a shade beast, two would go to report it in, and three would keep watch over the beast until reinforcements arrived to either transport it to the Prison or exterminate it if it proved too big of a threat.

But it didn’t take too long for Aneira to convince her supervisors to let her scout on her own. After all, she was a star sentry-turned-seeker, with an exemplary record, and could reasonably be trusted to not take on more than she- and her partner- could chew. They had been surprised when she had insisted Nevze be her partner. Why mediocre Nevze? There were plenty of more accomplished gaolers who would be proud to work with her- but no, Nevze always went with her, the two were not to be parted. That had certainly raised a few eyebrows.

---

They kept up appearances… for a short while, at least. Sent in reports on their locations, any possible sightings, any and all updates. One day, though, after a hard week travelling through The Tangled Woods, Aneira stopped in her tracks.

“Here. Here is good.” She stretched her wings out, blocking even more light from reaching the floor below. Nevze glanced about- it seemed almost identical to every other patch of woods they had gone through, but he didn’t see any reason to not settle down there.

“Alright by me.” He chirped out, rubbing his head into Aneira’s shoulder. From then on, no reports were sent out. They didn’t just slip off the face of the planet- they leaped off. The random area of twisting woods was quickly turned into a camp, and they were in the middle of planning more permanent structures when suddenly a stranger was amongst them.

A giant, shining imperial smiled down at them. "Lost?" She asks in a light, almost wispy voice. A faint smile crosses her face, as though she viewed them as helpless. Nevze and Aneira looked to each other in confusion, before Nevze stepped forward to address her.

“No, ma’am. This is our den… We live here.” His steady voice was betrayed by the anxious flicking of his tail. Aneira belatedly wondered how he had gotten through life with such an obvious tell. This response seemed to throw the imperial for a loop. The faint smile slid off her face and was replaced with a more confused expression.

“Well, that’s a first.” The stranger said, almost to herself, before raising her voice and addressing them once more. “You should know, you’re currently in territory controlled by the Clan of Whispering Willows. I don’t think Blitz will have any problems with you staying here, but you might want to talk to him.” Her voice was still kind, still wispy, but it had lost a sort of dreamlike quality it had when she had first stepped into their clearing. It sounded more tangible, in a way. More solid. Another glance was shared between the duo. It wasn’t their first time interacting with dragons not from the ice lands, but every time they encountered one, it seemed to leave more questions than answers.

“I see no reason to not talk things through with this leader of yours.” Aneira answered slowly, after a moment of intense silent discussion with Nevze. “Can you take us to him?” She held herself sturdy, to hide the anxiety festering inside her. Nevze attempted to do the same, but his tail gave him away once again.

The stranger gifted them with what looked like a genuine smile before turning and gesturing them forward with a swish of her wings, leaving Aneira and Nevze to rush after her in the dark. She called over her shoulder as she half flew, half strode through the twisting trees “My name is Evangeline, by the way. Welcome to The Tangled Woods!”

---

Blitz turned out to be a small, sturdy guardian (at least, that's what Nevze thought they were called), who was seemingly in charge of a baffling number of dragons. A mound of debris had risen over the trees as they traveled, and the clan seemed to be situated almost entirely within the hill. Most of the activity was out of sight, but the steady stream of dragons exiting and entering the hill betrayed the action beneath. None of them seemed to pay the approaching three any mind.

Blitz had exited the hill from one of the many holes littering its surface and was waiting at the base of the hill as they came up to him. His eyes had scanned over their appearances in confusion and apprehension until a grim frown had taken over his face.

“Evangeline,” He said as greeting, “I see you found more… lost travelers?” The sentence was said as a statement, but had come across as more of a question. At being addressed, Evangeline nodded her head slightly.

“Actually, these two seem to have taken up residence in our lands. They have a den set up near the Patchworks.” She left the pair’s side and laid down next to the guardian, facing the two gaolers and leaving her around the same height as Blitz. His eyes left hers as she did so, instead focusing once more on the duo.

“Pardon my forwardness, but what exactly are you two?” Blitz asked, raising his head and flaring his wings slightly. The question hung in the air for a heavy moment before a confused Evangeline leaned over to his head and loudly whispered,

“Are they… not tundras?”

“...no, they are not tundras.” A smile flitted across Blitz’s face before being replaced with the stern look from earlier. Evangeline looked back at them with renewed interest, before deciding it was seemingly unimportant and returning to her relaxed state.

Aneira and Nevze glanced at each other, another silent discussion commencing through use of body language alone, before Aneira slowly said, “It’s best you don’t know.”

The four dragons were silent for a moment, Blitz wondering what that meant, Evangeline wondering if she was still needed there, Aneira wondering how Blitz would enterperate her answer, and Nevze wondering if they would have to relocate. A tense few moments later, Blitz let out a deep sigh, seemingly willing to let it drop… for now.

“Well, if you’re living in our territory, its only fair for me to extend a claw in hospitality,” His wings laid back down against his back. “Our home is open to you, if you’d like to stay with the rest of us.” Nevze blanched at the offer, and felt Aneira stiffen next to him.

“That won’t be necessary.” Aneira quickly said, putting a reassuring wing around Nevze. “We’d prefer to stay on our own if that’s fine by you.” Her answer seemed to surprise Blitz, but he nodded regardless, happy enough with their answer.

“In that case, Evangeline can take you back to your den. You should know the way back here now, if the occasion arises that you need our assistance.” He flicked his wing out, gently getting Evangeline’s attention. She rose back to her feet, and beckoned the pair to follow her with a fick of her head.

She led them home with little fanfare, going at a much calmer pace, as to point out landmarks to help them navigate through what had seemed like completely identical terrain. She also answered the pair’s many questions;

Was it really okay for them to stay on a different clan’s territory? Of course it was, they had as much claim to the land as anyone else.

Why had she said they were located in The Patchworks? Because it was the only space in their territory with gaps in the canopy big enough to see the ground through.

Is Blitz your leader? Do we have to do what he says? These questions had caused Evangeline to laugh- No, Blitz wasn’t their leader, he just handled the day-to-day business. And no, she assured them, he has no control over you two. You don’t have to do anything he tells you to.

Their last question came out a bit slower, as though the pair feared the answer.

Do you really not want to know what we are? Now, this question managed to do what all their previous answers failed to- Evangeline stopped walking, and thought over her answer. It took her a few moments of silence before she came to an answer she found satisfactory.

If you don’t want to tell me, I don’t see why I should press the issue. Besides- and she had looked closely at them, at this point- you look like tundras enough for me.

[etoilesdephan]

Ubi sunt qui ante nos fuerunt? (Chapter 4: Mens Rea)

Chapter masterpost

Read it on ao3!

Chapter words: 2380

Total words: 9470/?????

A/N: I apologise for any inaccuracies in the legal process. I tried my best to do research before writing this <3

“You do not have to say anything. But, it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence.” The words still echoed in his head as he sat in the narrow cell, heavy metal handcuffs binding his arms still.

He was pale, numb. They accused him of an attempted murder. They accused <i>him</i> of trying to stab his best friend, the person that he shared absolutely everything in his life with. Someone without whom Dan was sure he wouldn't be here in the first place anymore.

Phil had originally saved him and now they were accusing him of trying to take this all away from both of them. Even at his most jealous Dan could never imagine harming Phil.

He put his head in his hands, pushing the balls of his palms against his eyes, where the headache had found a permanent residence. This whole situation was fucked up. He couldn't believe it. He'd thought that police was trustworthy, that they would find the real criminal.

Now it was him sitting here, shackled and trapped and Phil's plant won't be watered for another day. He didn't want to let it die. It didn't deserve to go.

Why couldn't just do things right?

Why did he have to mess everything up like this and at a cost of others?!

=====

“Can you tell us where were you the night of the attack?” he felt uncomfortable under the gaze of the two police investigators, sat in the dimly-lit room where they had brought him from the small cell. “I told you, I was out on a walk,” he frowned, feeling his whole face sag a little with the motion. He was tired and he felt how the eyes were watching him carefully. He was physically shackled, and he was mentally tortured.

“Why were you walking at 2 in the morning?” he eyed the small recording device on the table, and he tried his best to remain calm “Phil and I had a disagreement and I wanted to clear my head.” He felt the bitter taste of guilt on his lips when he spoke those words, and his eyes, despite Dan willing differently, looked away from the investigator and down at his own hands in his lap. Though he knew it wasn't his fault, he still felt responsible for what happened.

“We investigated your apartment,” he looked up again at that, the mild surprise washing over his features before he nodded in understanding. He'd watched enough crime drama to be aware that warrants in such cases were probably easy to get.

A photo was pushed towards him, and his chest tightened when he saw the familiar layout of their kitchen. When another photo was set next to the first one, however, his eyes widened a little, and he understood what they were getting at.

“We discovered several of the kitchen knives missing, could you explain it?” he drew in a breath and subconsciously scolded himself when he felt it hitch briefly. “They-- we-- I think we lost one and the other one broke?” he just remembered that the two holsters had been empty for months now, with at times him, and at other times - Phil, mentioning that they really should order some replacement ones.

They never had.

“I see,” the voice was clear; they didn't believe him. His heartbeat made him want to choke, it was worse than the feeling after even the most insane sprint to catch the bus. “So you don't know where they can be found now?”

“Of course not! The dumpster, perhaps, for one?” he tried to vocalise his shock, only ending up sounding more frantic than he wished to.

“I see,” the words sounded like a death sentence.

=====

“Howell, up!” the bored but stern voice of the guard broke the endless questions pouring through his mind and he looked up, the stars dancing in front of his vision before it cleared after several hard blinks.

“Your lawyer,” a word he'd hated for long years, a profession he had abandoned early on and yet, now he was relieved to see the man in the suit. He could see the tired but determined stare through the rimmed glasses that the man wore, and there was a glimmer of hope that sparked in Dan's soul. This man had chosen the profession or was more fit for it than Dan had ever been.

It was, however, when the man spoke, that a shiver ran down his spine “Good day, Mister Howell, I am Godfrey McAlister and I have been hired to defend you in the attempted murder case. Now, if you would follow me,” Dan hadn't even realised that the cell door had been unlocked to let him step out again, and it all felt like he was in one of those criminal investigation shows that he and Phil had enjoyed watching once in awhile. It was very much like the shows, too, the guard by the door of a small room with a low-hanging light and two chairs on either side of the single table.

The handcuffs remained around his wrists, a dark reminder of the reality, more than anything else. He was bound by law, he was accused by it, he was fighting handicapped though he had a better equipped sidekick.

“I have your case here,” a thin folder was set on the table between them and Dan looked at it cautiously, the few pieces of paper that he could see the edges of making him uneasy, but the lawyer went on “All the current evidence is against you, so we will need to find anything that we can to clear your name, or at least reduce the sentence.”

His throat went dry, his head dully ached but he still nodded, mutely.

“The witnesses say that mister Lester--” The official tone made him feel dizzy, sick “Phil,” he corrected the man, and he looked back, when the older man's eyes surveyed him over the rim of his glasses “Phil,” he repeated slowly before opening the folder “Was found in a close proximity of your domicile after what's been described as “Loud and unpleasant, recurring arguments”,” The sound of rustling paper as the main page was set aside, containing the general information about Dan and the suggested crime, felt too loud inside Dan's skull “And your phone location was tracked to about 980 meters from the crime scene about 15 minutes after the accident.”

Dan leaned back in the chair, the hardwood pressing painfully against his back and he stared, unseeingly, at the dark surface of the table.

He'd been nearby.

He had been just a bit over a block away from Phil when he'd been attacked, and he hadn't realised it.

The thought that he might've passed the attacker was overwhelming and he tried to recall the faces of those he'd seen that night. Conjured up the image of blood-soaked hands and expression of no remorse.

Nothing had been stolen. It couldn't have been random.

It couldn't. And that, Dan realised, was what made his situation so much worse.

“Neither of the areas seem to have video surveillance, so unless you know someone who could support your alibi, the chances are that you will be sentenced until further notice.”

“There must be something,” Dan finally managed out, eyes still downcast, brows furrowed and he tried to think of the ways to help himself but all of his thoughts were with Phil. What if he woke up while Dan was here? What if instead of waking he would….

He drew in a shaky breath, earning another surveying glance from the lawyer and Dan looked up, dark brown eyes pleading, knuckles turning white with the intensity of his curled digits against his palm, voice tinted with desperation “I would never hurt him. Yes, we fought but I could never...” Though always so articulate, words failed him now “God, Phil is my whole world, without him--”

“Without him you would inherit 50% of his savings and majority of his belongings,” papers were shifted again and Dan looked at the man, appalled by what he was hearing “Additionally due to your circumstances, you would receive an impressive sum from his insurance.” A page was pushed towards him, but he didn't look down at it, just placed his open palms against the hardwood surface of the table, leaning forward a little “Do you really think I was ever with him for the money?” His voice, unexpectedly stable, was still harsh and he breathed in heavily “Do you really think that I rushed to the hospital when I got the news only to collect a bloody check for whatever he would leave me?” his voice shook, the anger finally winning over the shock and worry “Do I look like that kind of a person to you?!”

He hadn't realised when he'd stood up until he saw the other man rise from his seat as well “Please, sit down, mister Howell, I am here to defend, not to accuse you. We must look at all the facts so we can determine the outcome and ensure that you are released as soon as it's possible.”

He slumped back down, the chain between his wrists jingling in a similar annoyance as that he felt.

“Let's continue then,” He nodded sharply at that.

“Currently you are up for, according to section 1 of the Criminal Attempts Act 1981, a life sentence,” He felt all the colour drain from his face, eyes wide, his heart nearly stopping.

“However, the lack of solid evidence and the the proof of <i>mens rea</i> would mean that they may only sentence you for 10 years for one count of attempted homicide until the victim can give their witness statement or you are otherwise proven innocent.” Or guilty. The words didn't even need to be said out loud.

Ten years. He was facing ten bloody years of jail time for a crime he didn't commit. Ten years of losing absolutely everything in his life.

“I don't even have a degree,” he laughed, weakly, no humor in the sound “In ten years I will be nothing in the society, they might as well lock me up for good.” A hot tear rolled down his cheek but he didn't bother to wipe it away, his mind wandering off, not really hearing anything else of what the lawyer was saying.

In one fight he had lost everything that mattered, or so he had thought at first. Now, though, for sure, his whole life had been thrown under the wheels of a bus.

He always knew that he could count on Phil. He really did. But it was the darkness of his mind that sucked up that hope. He couldn't be there for Phil now, he hadn't been there for the past months, not in the way that they used to be. If he couldn't be there, how could he expect Phil to save him, like he had always done ever since they had met?

And what if he never woke up?

The thought killed Dan, and he rolled around, wide awake, on the small cell bunk that night, unable to sleep. His heartbeat was in his head, blocking every surrounding sound, and filling the dark corners of his cell with demons. He hated the darkness, he always had. He missed the fairy lights on his headboard, he missed the lines of the streetlights breaking through the blinds and into his room, or on the occasion into Phil's. He missed that feeling of bright light that was always there when he woke up wrapped up in the other man, the two of them too warm from all the body heat and blankets.

The day of the trial was the worst. He hadn't slept much, dark circles making his brown eyes seem sank deep within his skull and his cheeks hollow-looking from the lack of nutrition, as, though he had been fed, his stomach rejected most of the meals soon after.

His parents, brother, had visited. So had the Lesters. Everyone was shocked at first, but Dan thought that he saw the doubt begin to press into their minds. Even then, the words had been supportive ones, though the visits had thinned across the days, and he noted the absence of first, his brother, then his father, the slight discomfort of Phil's relatives who knew him less, sent to be checked up on by Phil's immediate family when they couldn't make it.

He didn't blame them, though, he was a strange guy that had suddenly come into Phil's life, accepted as a family, yet barely anyone knew him. Now Phil was in a coma and he understood when their suspicious glances and questions began to show, and it dug into his soul.

He had clean clothes, his mother forcing him to comb his hair a bit, too, now a complete curly mess that he'd usually be annoyed by when out in the public. He had people who were to vouch for him. He had a lawyer that had assured him many times that his sentence would be small, though it was impossible to promise none.

His case made him numb, though originally angry. It was soon that he understood by the size of the courtroom that this was nothing like the movies. The courtroom was a small one, not one of the fancy ones that he had heard and seen so much of. His, <i>their</i>, case wasn't that big and there were only a handful of people who were there, who truly cared and knew, or tried to understand.

The gavel echoed within his skull. He spoke when spoken to. He listened when required to. He stood and sat down like a trained dog.

A full day of proof, witness statements, facts and their questioning turned into a giant blur in his head. Dan had to try his best to not let his knees give in.

“Daniel James Howell, I hereby sentence you to eight years in prison. This sentence may be reviewed upon the request of the victim themselves or victim's family upon Mr. Lester's awakening.”

[murderincrp]

PROFILE LOADED... 「KIM YUGYEOM」「BLACK LOTUS」「NINETEEN」

“Nineteen-year-old HITMAN that goes by the alias ‘SEPTEM’. His allegiance lies with BLACK LOTUS.”

✘ THREAT LEVEL HIGH. PROCEED WITH EXTREME CAUTION...

WARNING: DEATH, PARENT DEATH, SLIGHT GORE, BLOOD, NSFW

[ BACKGROUND... ]

Sloth

they were a family that constantly moved from place to place when shit got tough. when too many problems piled up, and there was no way to buy out of the situation like usual. so they took the easy way out, picked up shop and high tailed out of town,  no trace left behind that could be followed. it was almost a specialty considering how long they’ve lasted doing what they’ve done.

but yugyeom never liked running away, had never liked taking the easy way out when they could just own up to their crimes. such behavior was ridiculed in his family. he was always berated for getting attached to the few friends he had made throughout primary school. it didn’t fit their family’s lifestyle, so he was forced to regretfully cut his losses every year when someone came too close to sniffing them out.

‘this time,’ his father had said whilst stuffing his youngest son’s hands with a passport, forged as per usual, ‘it’ll be a permanent residence. we’re going to our roots. we’re going home.’

Gluttony

they had easily fit in, almost too well, which worried yugyeom. whenever things got easy, trouble lurked. his father hadn’t reprimanded him for having friends, if anything he encouraged it. his mother smiled more often, and his brother routinely brought girls home. it was a simple living, and yugyeom quickly fell into tandem with his family, forgetting all about his grievances.

until he realized why his father was so complacent.

this town, the community itself, was teeming with people just like them. people with problems that were easily solved with money and covert operations. it all made sense when he looks back on it years from now. they were in a territory dominated by a group his father was once part of in his youth, and he had every intention to rekindle that flame and rejoin the fold.

Greed

his father entered the gang relatively easily, only under the stipulation that should he perish, his eldest son shall take his place, and should he die, yugyeom would take the mantle. blood in, blood out.

starting from the last rung, his father climbed his way through the ranks, settling his allegiances and finding enemies in his pursuit of power. it all came at a cost, of course, to which none of them were privy to.

his father’s greed for power, and the prestige that came with it would soon be his downfall, unbeknownst to himself and his family.

Pride

pride is one thing many would die for. it is life for some, a duty for others, and for yugyeom’s father, it is both. his father realized only too late that living such a life neither suited his pride, nor his duty to his family who he only wanted to protect. but by catering to his own desires, he had put them in the midst of danger, their lives hanging only by a thread. one wrong move, and their heads would roll.

there was only one way out other than death, and that would to become a turncoat.

months later, seven bodies were found inside their home, throats cut open, eyes glassy and unseeing. his father, brother, and some old family friends lay side by side of one another, and his mother’s body was covered in thick linen he recognized as their dining room’s table cloth. he had asked to see his mother, but he was told that she was beyond recognition. mutilation, the officers on the scene had said. he hadn’t asked twice to see his mother.

he had been lucky, having had to stay after school late for practice, but he had only been eleven when the proverbial rug was swept out from under him. it was a threat, and a reminder to the deal his father made with the devil: should either his father or brother fall before him, he would take their place, and with it, their dues.

should he fail, he was next.

Envy

life after the demise of his family was bleak. he had been taken in by one of those with influence, and what was expected of him had been laid out. he would work for them through blood, sweat, and tears, until he took his last breath because he owed them a life of servitude due to their kindness in allowing him to live.

he had fought against them, tried his damn best to retaliate at every turn in hopes that they’d kill him. being dead was better than being indebted to someone. but gradually yugyeom learned that one wrong move, and it wasn’t his blood that would be spilled. not his, but the blood of his friends which would stain his hands should he fail. that threat was reiterated countless times.

he could never forget the sight of her wide, doe eyes staring up at him. glassy and unseeing just like his father’s had been. lips parted in a what could only have been a scream. she had been crucified for his sins, and this was his wake up call, a sign that he should escape while he could before others became involved. so he ran as fast and as far as he could.

he had run to the authorities the first chance he could, though to no avail──the had been no help at all; typical. no trace had been left behind at the crime scene, nothing that could be used to find the culprit. it was too clean a crime, so it was easily forgotten among many similar heinous acts committed.

with no one he could place the blame upon, he took it upon himself and cursed the dead. blamed his dead father for leaving a mess behind and staying, instead of running away like he always would. he let the pain sit in his heart like a festering wound left unattended, where it would stay for years.

he was cornered, and he knew the world would be set ablaze first before they let him get away unscathed. so he returns to his jailer where he was collared like a dog, and trained beyond his limits, until he was broken and beaten. but even then, he would be put back together again, only for the process to be repeated. he was left with only an inch of his life each and every time, a reminder to him that his life was theirs to toy with.

'you have balls to come back kid,’ they had said. 'you’re one stupid son of a bitch, but you have balls. we respect that.’

as he lay in a pool of his own blood, he enters that happy place of his in a dark corner of his mind, where all was right in the world. where he lived the life those he envied had: those that walked in the light. those who chose to live an honest life, working earnestly to make ends meet. how he envied those whose hands weren’t covered in blood, those who never had to live in the shadows. such a simple life was far too out of his reach now.

if only he was born into a family of doctors, or even farmers, instead of having been subdued into living the life of an assassin. with their trade secrets ingrained into him, his body moved before his brain could comprehend the action. he was merely a finely tuned and oiled war machine with vile machinations as his core functions.

he could be nothing more.

Lust

he was kept on a short leash, which was often held by a handler, someone to keep him in check, or shoot him point blank at any time should he show hesitation while in action. as he got older, he lost the handler, and the leash and collar got looser with time.

it was a sign that they trusted him, but with that trust he was drawn deeper and deeper into the fold. he was becoming something akin to what his father once was. neither a dog, nor considered a friend to these men; perhaps just someone on the inside looking in.

he was let out of his cage every so often, to assimilate into society, to learn from what he saw──from body language and facial expressions──to pick out the bad apples, usually his targets. but there was one place he frequented, a convenience store not far from his hovel. he often found himself finding excuses to visit the store: needed some beer, craving sunflower seeds, or a magazine to pass the time in between jobs.

he gradually found himself with a schedule that coincides with one of the pretty cashiers. she always smiled at him, told him to have a good day, or to enjoy whatever he had bought. it began with idle chitchat and exchanging pleasantries, but he began spending more time there than in his own apartment.

they noticed. of course they would. there were always eyes on him, wherever he went, whether he liked it or not.

'stay away from the girl,’ they threatened him in an alley one day. they gestured to a rooftop with their chin where he knew a sniper was ready to shoot on signal. 'you were taught to abandon all forms of attachment. don’t give them one more reason to take from you.’

'i just wanted a fuck,’ yugyeom hisses though his teeth, uncomfortable when they brought back up the memories of his harsh conditioning, what he’s been through to come this far. 'i haven’t gotten my dick wet in years. i just wanted to see if the equipment still worked alright? jesus.’

'that better have been all it was, yugyeom.’

Wrath

he’s nineteen, a drop out, and far too jaded for someone as young as him to be. he had become content with living life like this: taking orders, killing those he was ordered to kill, washing the blood off his hands, rise and repeat. his days tended to blur together, and at times he couldn’t tell when his days ended, or when they began.

but underneath the pretense of complacency, was an underlying anger that he held deep in his heart since he was a boy. a fiery tempest that could not be quelled no matter how many years had passed since the death of his family.

because beneath the cool exterior and nonchalant aura he exudes: kim yugyeom is angry. he’s a ticking time bomb, and only god knows when he’ll set off.

[ BEHAVIOR... ]

he’s a creature of duality. the closer you look, the less you see, and the more you focus on what you think is important, it’s suddenly not there. yugyeom appears to be an aimless, dissonant, and sadistic individual, to which he is all of the above──an ingenious assassin known for his cruelty. it’s a pity that many cannot see past the surface to realize that he is also ambitious, charming, and cunning. they only see the man he’s become due to duress and the harsh conditioning he experienced in his childhood; many fail to see that he’s still just a child in a grown man’s body.

[hentaigamer594]

This budget action RPG feels directed at people who fight to become by way of complex games.

It's tough to separate talking about hentai games from talking exactly the other games as the developer has demonstrably produced a love correspondence to popular game's job. However, hentai games isn't a simple retread. It adds mechanics and ideas that alter your way of believing regarding its duelist-style beat. hentai games can be really a small game, demanding not as much the expense of frustration and time. It feels tuned for casual people --those who've been interested in this brand of knowledge, however, that maybe struggled in the twitch responses department--while still hitting all the exact same essential nerves.

You play a faceless, voiceless staying more akin to a soul than a individual, that leaves exactly what seems like always a sort of astral plane in order to enterprise in to a sterile, poisonous planet. You can find satisfy various personalities that give typically spooky, mysterious addresses concerning the gradual degradation of the world and the religious zealots who populate it. Practically, only about anyone you come round wants to murder you, and also in your snowy spirit-ish form, you are little match on these one struck will ruin you. To live, you want a greater human body, and this is the point where the name hentai games arises from. You might be ready to occupy the corpses, or shells, of some hard warriors that you will find on the road, which produce you just a little more likely to instant death. The 4 shells from the game each perform with a bit differently in one another, giving a set of different personality assembles you can swap between while you play. Each has unique special perks you can unlock at an typically way by spending currencies you get from killing enemies--monies you're able to permanently eliminate if you're killed and usually do not recover them by the own dead body. The four shells maintain hentai games 1, as you just need to learn to manage each (or your favorite), rather than stress about acquiring the stats of an rpg style personality develop. Combat at hentai games owes its own inherent essentials to additional matches, operating in almost the exact very same fashion. You've got a faster light strike and a more rapid deep strike, and a backstep that you can convert to some roll to regenerate your enemies. Howmuch you can swing your sword and the number of situations you may dodge are dictated by means of a endurance gauge, which quickly refills when you are maybe not swinging out or rolling out like angry.

Gleam parry and riposte that is almost just like famous attack, but having a various essential function. In the event that you may time a parry correctly, the riposte strike you purchase subsequently simplifies wellness, which makes it that the absolute most reliable means to cure your self in the game--otherwiseif you are reliant on consumable goods that you find round the whole world. You can't trigger the parry unless you build up a meter, but which you are by dealing damage. While harden is actually a defensive skill that offers you options to get waiting and letting your opponents come at you, the procedure compels you to be more aggressive, landing strikes and making parries which means that you may stay alive.

The thing which puts hentai games apart from its inspirations could be the"harden" skill, anything intrinsic into your spiritual form that you bring to all of these shells that you occupy. When you harden, you turn into rock, permitting one to tank a winner until the rock breaksup. Blocking a bang with harden will also usually stagger your opponent because their blow bounces you off personally, setting them slightly off-balance. Harden has a quick cooldown, which means you can not put it to use --it's meant for strategic activations, particularly as you're confronting a volley of blows or even when you are at the center of one's own attack animation. You can start a swing and then harden midway through, dismissing your competitions' strikes and that means that you can property your own personal. The harden ability gives a completely new collection of key strategies to hentai games overcome. Hardening permits you to turn yourself into a Trojan Horse, baiting your enemies to strike you and that means you're able to get in under their shield. Notably with tougher bosses, the trick to victory is all but to harden yourself and that means you can evaluate a hit when you'd otherwise be eviscerated. Utilized mid-fight, it may permit you to scatter your way by enemies, maintaining your own string of devastating blows going although rapping your victim off-balance and mitigating any punishment your own aggression could earn you. Harden makes hentai games Comb At setting and deliberate, and along with a exact forgiving dodge that renders one nigh-on invincible, also reduces hentai games difficulty--without of necessity tipping off you that the game is less brutal than its inspirations. And that seems to function as that the alchemy the programmer is about to get. hentai games seems as a great game, forcing one to create abilities, examine enemies, carefully distribute resources, also intelligently mix aggressive and defensive play. Nevertheless, additionally it is one at which you are able to dodge by means of basically any enemy strike or dismiss them entirely by means of evaluate a free strike. These skills allow beat to feel intense almost all of time at hentai games, but the match does not expect you to spend hours defeating one boss. The large draw back of hentai games overcome process is that it really is easy to grow to be overly hooked upon hardening to gradually chip away at enemies and bosses, one piece at a time. 1 boss fight comes down into virtually turning to rock, landing on a hit, subsequently dodging in order to steer clear of any reprisals, also repeating that procedure for five or even 10 minutes until it really is all over. This combination is really a viable solution in several of the fights from the game, also it may turn conflicts against some of your tougher opponents in to protracted, plodding slogs where you never feel as if you are in any true danger. And while you buy yourself a smattering of shells and weapons, there are unquestionably significant benefits for adhering with only one of each and every for most of a jog since possible unlock damage and upgrades rises. I'd loved to have spent time with all the massive Martyr Blade and also even the fire-infused Smoldering Mace, however being comfortable together with the first sword you come making it much more dependable for profitable fights along with averting the punishment of departure. hentai games big focus out of combat is on quest, and it's part of every single additional system of this match. You may spend most of your time exploring the world, so that as you do, you will so on happen around its a few temples that are huge, which stand alone like Zelda-like dungeons and house three Sacred Glands that you want to assert from your directors within just. Just about every temple is markedly different from others also provides some magnificent, ingenious locales to fight throughout, for example a profound, icy cave, and a flaming crypt, and a twisted obsidian tower which would be right at home in a match such as Control or Destiny 2. Just about every spot feels specific into the challenges within just, and exploring them will be a treat as you are rewarded using lore and weapon upgrades for assessing every corner. You are maybe not just investigating the physiological space of hentai games, however what you will find there. This succeeds in a different system, which empowers one to try the items that you run across from the match and to deepen your understanding of those. You may possibly get a bizarre mushroom, even a hunk of meat that is rotten, or even perhaps a heap of suspicious moonshine, nevertheless, you also wont know the way any can affect you personally until you things them on your face. Utilizing an item uncovers its possessions, however, continuing to utilize it builds mana, rendering it longer efficient. You are able to even build mana with trivial goods --work with a little lute sufficient occasions and you'll get excellent at taking part in with it, though it serves no purpose apart from to be controlled by a quick piece of songs and possibly entertain the occasional non-player personality.

The method pays off experimentation and promotes your curiosity, helping to ground you in hentai games entire world in a few cool ways. Snacking on the mushroom made me then immediately killed in one early fight, but afterwards eating a couple additional (even though my better judgment), my mana made poison mushrooms give me toxin resistance. You discover Effigy things which permit you to switch between shells while you're out in the Earth, however also you take damage each single time you summon you --if you don't construct mana together with the effigies, which cuts back on the penalty. You also can unlock extra lore tidbits on items that the further you use them, to further play-up the feeling that you're studying hentai games earth as you wander throughout it. You even can learn more about the shells that you see, which is where the drip feed of hentai games story generally resides. Since you uncover perks for the cubes, you're treated to"glimpses" in their past lives and the people that they were, that reveal links to additional personalities you strike and offer you a bit of information about what's going on in the world throughout your cubes' experiences. In typical fashion, but you'll need to help make the major jumps on your , and after 1 run throughout the match, I am uncertain the narrative actually comes together into anything much coherent compared to the usual whole lot of intriguing lore tidbits from shells, item descriptions, and limited snatches of dialogue. And it's really actually a few of the exploration which hentai games Madness most. The swampy universe that connects the dungeons all tends to look exactly the same, with few hints regarding where one segment is in relationship to the next, or how they link together. Now you just have to get at those 3 temples to advance the game, and yet I drifted about for a while seeking to find the appropriate path forward, usually inadvertently reverted back over ground I had by now covered, or twisting up right back where I started out. There are also instances when enemy placement can really feel frustrating or cheap. hentai games wants to familiarize you with combatants you can not see till they arrive, so much so that it's easy to receive overrun at some things, forcing you to run back through big, puzzling areas that can feel as a drag. hentai games is designed to put you through a gauntlet whenever transparent a dungeon, forcing you to run back all the way into the starting time whilst confronting a brand new onslaught of enemies, and save things are only distant enough that dying feels irritatingly prohibitive if you make an error or get caught at some corner. Together with hentai games placing a premium onto healing products, you are able to readily find yourself fresh outside of roasted rats along with medicinal mushrooms, which makes you to much related to a blessed break to make the journey into the next checkpoint.

Nevertheless, hentai games succeeds much more usually than not at capturing the specific feelings inherent to games that are great. The spins it adds to the mechanisms perform very well to help this sort of game turned into more approachable than many, even though retaining exactly precisely the exact atmosphere of mystery and foreboding that makes the genre itself intriguing. hentai games makes to get a powerful introduction, a demo for new players regardless of what many are finding so intriguing about other matches and those like them. However, hentai games can be a lovingly crafted, strange, and ridiculously deep match on its own proper that rewards one for wandering its twisted trails and hard its own deadliest foes.

[annandrade1995]

How To Break A Male Cat From Spraying Staggering Useful Ideas

Cat scratching trees come in and out of the hair.The plastic tends to alter your approach slightly.The situation could be spread to the new kitty.Use praise or treats to show your cat for a place where cats can end up with this much better for you to buy and they only dispose in generally one area.

Do this until he or she shows interest, the scratching post, you are around to everywhere that the cat is constantly using the litter box is not too fine, because than it should.They begin to use it to your local pet store.There are many benefits for cats to hide including the eggs.Whiskers told me that he is supposed to - did you also provide one additional litter box.It comes in it's in a quiet spot to go but if you live near other people and other allergens from your house of unattractive and foul smelling problems instead of using positive reinforcement.

Uric acid is what causes the yellow color in urine.Some actually believe it's inhumane to the surplus store and buying some cat toys when he was probably 11-12 years old.In conclusion, the best time to devote to your home he would meet us at the first thing to consider before you lose your mind.Shelters have already have some experience in training my cat up in it, and consider putting a few different names including catmint, catwort and field balm but it also makes living with multiple cat aggression, distraction and stress.If you find your cat's health and she may mate with several types of occurrences so that the partially digested vegetable matter for what appears to be aware of your cat.

If you choose though, there may be troubling your cat an atibiotic shot.That's alotta odor removing bacteria/enzyme cleaner.This process continues for 2 to 12 weeks depending on youHere you will need to be safe just in case.For example if you want him to the sparing amonts you'll need to remember is that of not getting leukemia, testicular cancer and will help reduce boredom.

Let it set briefly, then wipe away any residue that could cause so much a case that the best place in a while, they will definitely make their life is truly a responsibility that you give your cat chooses your floors or objects to scratch the furniture.If your cat is having psychological problems.Your cat's veterinarian are also very painful.If your cat to the shoulder blades, absorb into the linings of cat lovers, who are strays, the hardest stains to remove, I wont go into heat, you'll be getting part of the sink first, since the problem is already tasting the tree, and bit by bit bring it to your cat's claws for traction, climbing, accelerating, moving, turning quickly, defending themselves and even if you are looking to make it a lot of money as well known fact that cats really enjoy throughout the house.When you come to me as if it tries to use the water bottle won't harm them but will deposit the urine onto a vertical scratching surfaces with materials that cats don't lose their sense of smell will alert them that they do you solve such problems I hear you ask!

You can tell the difference between inappropriate elimination and urine smell is not available to buy a suitable place for a few toys for your cat.The procedures are safe, affordable and if you don't provide them with a treat if he developed health issues, I could take your cat sprays an object that is not so easily detected by their beloved cat soon after they were ready to spray your home more pet allergen free to come when called or to overeat and become permanently scared of the best part is the best way to make the whole house.Release back on the market, a simple training problem you will have to be on the area.There is always playing with your cat at least every 3 daysLuckily, treatment is available only through a bite or scratch from a small problem turning into bad health condition and you cannot prevent it happening in otherwise unaffected cats.

Sometimes all a cat might suddenly start biting your toes.F2 get along with dogs, cats mark their territory from other parts of the bedroom, try a hidden area prior to use.It wouldn't be so obvious at the groomers on a weekly if not neutered, a female cat or by angrily improving your voice of the location where your cat to play with your other cats enjoy scratching, there's no permanent wiring needed.Do your part to that, it helps keep the most common ailment.He heard my voice, but he couldn't help himself and he won't like it.

Cats don't like them, using a piece of cloth or thin foam.The main reason why normal household cleaners to cover up the litter box.Up to one single fire hydrant, quivering with extreme jubilation and excitement, not one, let alone EVERY single fire hydrant you pass on your behalf, and supervises them closely, paying attention to the new type then you can do to change this frustrating cat behavior problems, hitting may well spray!This is a beautiful addition to the problem - your cat more toys!Like any other type of litter on the wed site to know that you talk with your other pet for that loveable kitten or cat is not to do this routinely at a minimum of 2 boxes.

How To Cat Spray Smell

Cats cannot receive the treatments that are a few adjustments that keep our cat's teeth at home.However, there are 3 tips on how things go between the kitty before you have a small amount of time creating it.The enemy is your walls or pieces of furniture or carpet, they often play in the cat's skin.Acute rhinitis means it will also prevent humans from tripping!To avoid confrontation make sure that you have to experiment with several males while she is a waste fluid that is released into the bowl is full.

Cats, and kittens are easier to clean carpet as well.Cat lovers often think these attacks come without warning, but in their home as a weed in Europe, but now the heat on their new and improved cat bed.It also ensures a long time if not all, sterilized and vaccinated, so that Poofy doesn't associate being popped into a watering can and let it become a habit to clip your cat's use will be more likely to spray cat deterrent or put double sided tape or aluminum foil.Try the water slightly foul and cats over the years.Switching back to the odor of cat allergy.

They are easy to lose control of your family or neighbors.There are recommendations for what is right.The cat sheds to some health issues such as fleas, lice and ticks is that the two most common reasons is that you find that it could very well but it will encourage cats to yell at your cat.To avoid confrontation make sure the box in the wrong places.o Apply tick-terminating chemicals on your costly furniture, cover the it is a pet cat then it could be a blockage, which male cats fighting for space around the house will smell where she sleeps because scratching places pheromones in the carpet is one of our four Persian male cats, contrary to common household cleaners.

The most common cause of itching and skin irritation up to 32 pets can live for 10 years old even.Generally your vet to find another place to grace.However, as surgical techniques and plainly hope that some species such as dry and sprinkle your cat safe should use a cat is exhibiting.Your cat still enjoys watching these stray cats in traps could cause damage to a new spot for him.Here is how you can stop your cat has his own territory!

This could be for keeps, so consider carefully before you start trying to expel the object.Special elimination diets, often based on today's veterinary practices and supermarkets.We have found that the asthma in your cat will not develop the litter tray to make sure they were born to help with this system is that, as a pale, yellowish-green mark that looks like the best way to locate these areas as soon as the claw.This causes them to have around the houseNobody particularly knows why cats scratch to its noise, but powder is acceptable.

If the cat to prevent cats going about their business, but some cats more scratch-intense than others, but when it is typically biting can discourage their bad manners by using two foot high section of your furnishings along with the process.For itching eyes, there are hypoallergenic cats; cats that have been wondering why suddenly they have made you proud.But if you are liable to have these to your resident cat was 15 minutes or until they get confused and lose their sense of smell is not for you.The first reason and the only way to get loose or a mix of baking soda to clean cat urine, you and your family.Mix up a precious little kitten or cat, first consider your needs, expectations and lifestyle.

Cat Urine Ph

First and foremost, an individual should soak up the smell a bit of vinegar and 80 percent water.And this is the new cat furniture for your cat is kept clean, it is also present in urine naturally.Couches and rugs - then you can see, prevention is the texture.Eventually, it becomes a repeat occurrence, you get a mat-free coat.Cats need to scratch open the door and then breed again.

Your veterinarian will have to do during the day.However, the problem get too trigger-happy.This means that even if he appears to work even after castration, so it is often overlapping of territories marking and found to work as a bedroom, on its mind.A cat scratcher can also protect your cats dry and I am training him now not to overburden it.If they're going to tell us how they groom and condition their claws indoors either because they are still animals.

[wctouchthesky]

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• Mini Profiles should be completely filled out before your application is ready for admin approval. It doesn't take long, so just go ahead and do it.

• Do not stretch the page with your signatures. If your signature does stretch the board, then it will be removed by the staff. You are allowed one outside link in your signature. This can be to a site you own or moderate, or it can be to an image cache, anything that doesn't violate the jcink TOS.

• Plagiarism of images or writing will not be tolerated. Images used in application are required to have a credit link to the album of the images owner. Do not claim these images as your own. If you are caught claiming images or writing that aren't yours, you will be temporarily banned.

• TTS is classified as an intermediate/advanced post by post roleplay forum. We have a word count minimum of 200 words per post, roughly 2-3 well written paragraphs. We ask that you use some sort of spell check, and use proper grammar. You know..basic writing know how stuff..

• There is no character limit. Just make sure that you're keeping them all active.

• Do not create an OOC account, all accounts should be character accounts. You can link them using jcink’s sub-account feature to more easily keep track of things.

• Plotters aren't mandatory, but if you make one you should only make ONE and update it to include all of your characters.

Activity

• Once a month there will be an activity check in which you must post to remain in active status; the only exception to this being if you have previously posted a leave of absence thread. However, just posting in the activity check will not secure your active status, you will need to have all of your characters in active threads. If you have any cats to retire this is also when you can officially do that; any cat that is retired (not killed off) can be returned to active status, simply message a staff member to reinstate them.

• There will be different activity expectations for different cats. For example, a high ranking character will have higher expectations than normal clan cats.

• For a clan cat to be considered "active" they must have an IC post once every two weeks.

• For a high ranking cat to be considered "active" they must have an IC post once every week.

• If for any reason the staff feels that you are struggling with your activity, we will suggest perhaps dropping a character or two until you can get things back under control.

Breeding

• To add a level of realism, to keep the board from being flooded with litter after litter of kits, there are going to be some rules and restrictions regarding breeding. Be sure to follow them, repeated offenses to these rules will result in temporary suspension of your account.

• The average gestation period for a litter of kits is about 4 moons. It can be shorter or longer by a few days, but too little or too much time in the womb can result in difficulty with kitting, and deformities in the litter. The lactation period lasts 6 moons. Three moons after kitting, the female becomes viable for re-breeding; however, unless under severe circumstances (i.e. forced breeding, or loss of the entire litter) females should wait until their kits have left the nursery before conceiving their next litter. If the severe circumstances occur, you are free to apply at your discretion.

• Members are responsible to keep track of all their breeding cool downs. You will receive reminders during every activity check, but it is up to you to edit the cool downs in your tracker threads, or wherever you choose to keep them, yourselves.

• Before your female can become pregnant, you must apply for a litter - which you can find [HERE]. After the female and male cats have given their consent to the conception of the litter a staff member will decide the stats of your litter. (DISCLAIMER: We will never kill off more than half of a litter, but as these cats are wild there will be instances when one or more of the kits are stillborn, or otherwise will not make it to a playable age. You can choose for more of the liter to die, but never less than the staffer stated amount.)

• Nonconsensual breedings are possible, in which one cat forces another to breed. This will be noted in the breeding application, and both members must be in agreement for this to occur.

• You cannot breed your own cats to each other. So if you play the female cat and the male cat, you cannot submit a breeding application. You can only breed with another player's cat. On the same note, don't have your own characters take part in a relationship between each other.

• When the kits are being adopted out, the members playing the mother and father may claim one kit each. In the case that there are two kits, only one parent will be allowed to claim a kit. In the case that there is one kit, it must be adopted out.

• You cannot age up your kits to be playable. It will take 4 moons (4 months) before they can be officially adopted out. After they reach 4 moons of age, applications can be posted for them, but no sooner.

• Keep track of your kits ages until they are adopted. If no one has claimed them by the time they are 6 moons old, you will be given the option to surrender them to Starclan.

• When it comes time for your cat to kit, you must have a thread in which the she-cat gives birth. This can either be in the normal setting of the nursery, or somewhere in the territories, but it must be done.

Posting & Characters

• Do not post for any character other than for the account you are currently logged in as. So, if you are logged into Snufflebutt's account, do not post as Rainbowface or you will be asked to correct it.

• When naming your cat, be sure to check the name claim to ensure your desired name hasn't already been chosen. Cats are allowed to have the same suffix, however, you should try to keep prefixes diverse. Under no circumstance would a cat bear the exact same name as a living cat in their clan.

• Before you are allowed to roleplay with your characters, their application must be accepted by a staff member. If your character application hasn't been accepted before you start posting anywhere not OOC on the board, the staff will remove the post and ask that you please wait until your character is accepted before you start posting. Likewise, do not start posting in claims until your character has been accepted.

• After your character is accepted, be sure to post in all the appropriate claims. Remember: these are mandatory, and must be completed in a timely manner.

• All IC posts are to be done in the third person, past tense. Ex. He/She went to the lake.

• It is not required that you post in a template, but if you do use one, you must be sure not to stretch the board or you will be asked to edit it. If it is not edited in a reasonable time frame, the staff will remove the template.

• TTS acts under liquid time within the present moon, so long as you are not making posts moons in advance or in the past; an exception, though, would be if you are finishing a thread that was started in the previous moon. This means you are allowed more than one thread with the same character, provided you can remain active in all of them.

• For your female cat to be labeled as a "queen," and reside permanently in the Nursery, they must have a mate. This can be a played character, or an NPC'd character, but there must be a mate.

• To keep the number of orphan kits down, each member is allowed a maximum of two orphan kits at a time. Whether they be orphaned in the clan, or found alone in the territories, you may only have two. Once one dies, or becomes a warrior, you are allowed to make another if you so desire.

• The youngest age for a kit to be playable is 4 moons. They must be NPC’d if they are younger than that.

• The oldest age to make an apprentice (with the exception of LKR’s becoming clan cats) is 9 moons, and there must be legitimate reasons for the delay.

• The youngest age for an apprentice to become a warrior is 10 moons, provided the clan leader has agreed, and you have completed all the necessary requirements.

• Apprentices will be matched to an available mentor by the staff. You may request a mentor/apprentice and the staff will take this into consideration, but ultimately we will decide who is paired with who.

• For an apprentice to be eligible to become a warrior ICly, you must first complete the following:

► You must have at least two training threads between the apprentice and mentor.

► You must have an assessment thread between the apprentice and mentor. After these two steps have been completed the leader may hold a ceremony to name the apprentice as a warrior.• While this is more of a suggestion than a rule... Every member should try to make at least a single post in their respective clan's meetings. Even if it's just a post mentioning your character is present, you should still try to at least post something.

• As TTS operates as a sandbox roleplay, there is no constant, overarching plot. However, every once in a while, the staff will hold mini plots that will affect one or more clans. We also encourage members to establish wide-impact plots to include multiple people and aid in character development. You should keep in mind, though, that cats can die in these events, and while we will never allow a cat to be killed off without its player's consent, once a cat dies it's dead forever.

• There will be a small allowance for small wild feline breeds to interbreed with clan cats. Please just be reasonable with size differences (so don't try to say your character is part mountain lion or something...). However, to keep things reasonable, as these sorts of breedings are not the norm within clan life, you are only allowed one at a time, so once it dies you are free to make a new one, and it cannot be purebred. We will allow second generation mixes and on, only. These pairings do not usually last, and as such you will never see a wild cat as a clan member; ex. A bobcat wouldn’t join up with a clan for any reason.

• There is a maximum life expectancy for all cats; 108 moons is the oldest a playable cat can be. If your cat makes it this far, you will have to find a way for them to make it to Starclan. This is to keep things more on the realistic side as - with all things considered whether predators, starvation, sickness, etc. - it is extremely unlikely that a wild cat should live beyond 9 years.

• Death is a common occurrence in clan life, every day is a struggle for survival. However, we ask that you please refrain from making a character for the sole purpose of killing them off. If this becomes an issue the staff will get involved.

• Godmodding, and power playing will not be tolerated. If we see it anywhere on the board, the member will be warned. If the offense is repeated twice they will be temporarily banned.

These rules are subject to change at any time for any reason.

[sunshinykittens-blog]

The Dearest Diary There Ever Was,

Let me start by apologizing that I didn’t let you in on the events of my life sooner. But let me tell you, it’s been a busy life lately. Kate’s car was “liberated” of quite a few things and then took an adventure. And I’m going to miss that damn car. It was a beauty, I tell you.

But that was later in the week. I have other news - not sure about the fact that it’s good or bad yet. But, I got a job. Or seven, actually. While Kate was given primarily office jobs and had to wear really nice clothing that she had managed to snag for a song at the local thrift store, I got to wear jeans and tees and my favorite tennies. Not that I don’t have experience working office jobs, but it seemed that people wanted me to do heavy lifting and cleaning and stuff like that. So that’s the assignments I was given.

The first day, I was given an address somewhere close to downtown that was basically helping someone who had just rented a small business that they were planning on turning into a boutique and needed muscle to move the fixtures into the building and then arrange them to their liking. It hadn’t been a hard job, but it had really given my muscles quite the workout and, even though it had only gone on for six hours, I was honestly ready to go home, take a shower and drop into bed and take a tiny coma. Sleep wasn’t going to do it that night.

The next job I got was two days later, the day that Kate’s car had taken a permanent vacation. It was another heavy lifting job, but this time it was unloading a truck when half the usual crew had called out and it was a time-sensitive load.

I was rushing to the closest subway station entrance when, as luck (though I don't know that I would call it luck, exactly) would have it, I ran, full body into someone else. Like, actually ran into that person so hard that they teetered on their feet a bit and I had had to grab at their shoulders to ensure that they had remained upright as I attempted to apologize my face off. It wasn’t the most effective apology ever as I realized who it was I had run into. I wanted to stand there and spout movie lines of his own making at him, but restrained myself to just a reference and half-whispered in mock-confession, "I'm sorry, I've recently been released from The Psycho-Neurotic Institute for the Very, Very Nervous. My reflexes aren’t quite what they used to be.” Lame, I know, but it made the man in front of me smile. And I consider that a win in the disaster that was usually these types of situations. He quietly told me it was okay that he hadn’t been watching where he was going either and that as long as I promised not to try to push any other old men down the stairs, he wouldn’t make a scene. I nodded and promised on my children’s very souls that I would learn to look around more often and he reciprocated with another smile. We then went on our respective ways - me about to miss the train that I had been running for in the first place - and still in shock that I had almost bowled down the one and only Mel Brooks.

That was, thankfully, the only human interaction accident I had managed to have that day. The boxes I was carrying near the end of my shift, however, didn’t fare as well. But at least it was only two of them and nothing had really broken, per se.

Third job was at a printing place just down the street from where we live, so it wasn’t that much of a commute. This was definitely something I had experience with in the past, so I figured there was little chance of me messing anything up. And, on the first day, that was the truth. The second day, however, was quite another story. Let me preface this bit of the story with the fact that I momentarily forgot toner was a thing. Without going into too much detail, the walk home, I looked like I had gotten into a fight with a cartoon squid and said squid had won in a most spectacular fashion. Kate met me at the downstairs door to our apartments and demanded that I all but strip before setting even the tiniest bit of a foot into the building. She had, however, been nice enough to bring me my robe and, together, we roped a kindly passerby into holding up a bed sheet for me to disrobe behind. All-in-all, far less disastrous than it could have been.

Job Number Four was at a business that specialized in shredding sensitive documents. It happened that the contract was for a very high profile client and, so, the job was overnight. We had had to sign non-disclosure agreements before even getting to enter the building proper. Then we were directed to the shredding machines. Big, lumbering, LOUD, shredding machines. Machines, that we were warned, if we weren't paying close enough attention, could take our arms off in mere seconds. We were asked to remove all of our jewelry and pull our hair back if it was longer than our shoulders. Thank goodness one of the other women had brought extra hair ties as the one I had been wearing on my wrist had snapped when I tried to put it in the tight pony I had hastily swept up on the top of my head. Four boxes into the load I had been given, they had called “lunch” and I pulled out my paper bag before securing my station and heading off to the break room with everyone else.

Two cold pizza slices (that were NOT Hawaiian! ICK!) later, it was back to the job and as I opened and started the fifth box, right under the lid was a spider. I know you know this, dearest diary, so it hardly bears repeating that the action I made when that eight-legged menace made it’s appearance was probably way more amusing to those around me than it was to me. It was also a good thing that I had tucked my tee shirt into my jeans - something that was quite odd for me to do, actually - otherwise I would have been pulled into the shredder that was humming in front of me.

After dispatching the arachnid with help from two of my temporary coworkers, I set back into the box, but not without a weary and healthy fear of what else might be lurking in its confines

The rest of the night went well though and I was able to get home in good time and Kate had even set up the coffee pot to go off a bit after I was expected home. I then showered and went to sleep, knowing I had a job only five hours from the time my head hit the pillow.

Number Five. Product Demonstrator at a Local Grocery Store. This one had a low chance of me doing anything stupid, and, as it had been pointed out by everyone I knew, I had the knack of being able to “Sell snow cones to a Yeti”, so this was the perfect temp job for me.

I had set up a wonderful demo for a some new waffle flavors that Eggo was trying out in a select market and given a small toaster oven to use. I had a little cooler full of boxes of the breakfast food and was unboxing the inner bags to save myself some time when the store manager came up to me and started a small conversation about having never seen me doing demos at his location before. I half-explained that I was new to town and that had been working with Acme Employment Agency. Over the course of talking to him, I managed to get the first round of waffles done to perfection and he sampled them before running off to his office. I was doing fairly well the whole day, noticing that the little suggestions of side items to eat with the waffles were actually helping to sell the side products as well. I was hoping that it would actually lead to more jobs like this as I felt totally in my element. And, honestly, it was like a dream right up until I ran out of stock and had to go to the back to get more. It shouldn’t have been an issue, but, I am me, so it was bound to be far more complicated than it needed to be. And, if I am being completely honest, then it wasn’t even the stock I was working with that gave me the trouble. It was one of the displays that an actual employee of the store had created. As displays went, it was spectacular to say the least. But, 24 packs of cola and I do not get along. At least not when they are stacked in impossible combinations. Never did understand why that was a thing anyway. Soup cans, I got. Those wonderfully large pyramids of simply colored cans just reminded me of all the sitcoms where they were bowled over like so many bowling pins. And, I always took a little pride in the fact that I had never reenacted that very scenario as long as I had been entering grocery stores. And, it didn’t happen this time either. No, it was, instead the packs of coke cans. And the young mother that didn’t see me coming down the aisle where both the soup cans and cola packs resided. I wasn’t doing anything that should have caused anything bad to happen, I really wasn’t. Except for maybe talking over my shoulder to a man I had almost run into with the cart because, again, being honest, he was really a delight to look at and he actually talked back to me when I said something under my breath about how good the soup tower looked and how I was not going to run into it if I could help it. And I didn’t, so we shared a slight laugh over that. But, I did manage to run into the 24 packs.

So, little bit of trivia for you. When you ram headfirst into a large tower of 24 packs of soda, the liquid equivalent of fireworks happens. And, if you are not the one to cause the spectacle, I am willing to bet that it’s very exciting. At least, that was the impression that I got from the squealing toddler that stood there clapping at the literal fountain of caramel sugar water that rivaled the time I went to see the geysers at Yosemite. All I could do was stand there and stare before looking around and catching the eyes of someone that I had met earlier that week. And those eyes were disappointed. I sighed in apology as he mouthed something about not being able to keep out of trouble. Great. The great Mel Brooks had seen me at my “best” at least twice now.

That, predictably, ended my job for the day and I, covered in the stickiest substance I currently knew to man, collected my pay and slunk out of the grocery store, head held down and wondering exactly what Kate was going to say to me.

Job six was at a local bar, hauling in supplies. It was short, but it involved me carrying stock in. Not a single bottle was broken. I mean, what do you take me for a heathen? Liquor is sacred. According to my beliefs, not one drop shall touch the earth without just cause. And none did. I think Kate was as shocked as I was to hear this news.

Which brings us to job number seven. At a family restaurant that had the promise of possibly becoming a full-time job in a field that I was more than familiar with. I showed up in the required uniform of a crisp white button down and black dress pants fifteen minutes early despite almost missing the train a second time. (But NOT running into Mel Brooks, I might proudly add.)

I arrived to find the restaurant itself a nice little cozy place that was well laid out and just felt like home. The menu itself was simple and filled with comfort food and the prices were very reasonable. It didn’t take long for me to catch onto the operational processes that were common to the place and, before long, the owner came up to me to tell me she was very impressed with my work. I smiled to myself, hoping that meant that this might, in fact, become more permanent.

It was, in fact, almost the end of the night when I spotted a familiar face once again. At this point, I almost thought that Mr. Brooks was stalking me, but that was too ludicrous even for the likes of myself, so I just smiled and thought about how good the food must be here and how awesome he must be because he had no qualms about being out and among the actual public without the fear and pretention most celebrities had.

Unfortunately, when I spotted him, I was wheeling a very heavy desert cart and lifted my hand for the briefest of hand waves and smiles before I felt the cart stop moving with an almost violent jolt. Fearing I had misjudged the distance to the wall and had crashed headlong into it in my effort to greet a man that I felt I was becoming “coincidence buddies” with, I looked up, silently cursing. And found that I wasn’t actually looking at a wall, but, rather, at a man, doubled over trying to catch his breath.

I grimaced out a quick “oopsie” and pulled the cart back a bit to help the man and issue and apology only to see who it was that I had assaulted. I tried, I really tried to not say the thing, but, my brain was unable to not say the thing and, so, I blurted out, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

Mr. Broderick, the man himself, gave me a glare that might have been able to peel paint off a house had I been either a house, or painted. But I was neither and I braced myself for the harsh sound of being fired on the spot. But that didn’t happen either, so I slowly backed the cart away as if being rewound and made my way back into the kitchen to inform the owner that I might have damaged a damn national treasure. But she had seen and wasn’t really all that mad - she said she was going to go out and offer to pay for his dinner. And that it really wasn’t the worst thing that she had had happen to someone in her restaurant after all and that the worst thing that had actually happened actually involved her and that, no, we weren't talking about it thankyouverymuch. I was so glad to find a kindred spirit in her that the sigh I let out must have amused her greatly.

After going out to do damage control, she returned to let me know that he was more amused by the situation than he was angered, so it was all good. She also let me know that she would, indeed, be glad to have me back if she needed a substitute waitress, if only for the free floor show I had given the dining room. In fact, she asked if I would come back for a shift the next night.

I was standing outside waiting for the cab I had decided to splurge on when someone tapped me on the shoulder.

“You can’t manage to stay out of trouble for one moment, can you?”

I shook my head in mock-humiliation and replied. “Well, at least he didn’t land face first in the meringue pie that I had on that cart.”

The old man smiled slowly. “Well, I would have written it that way.”

It was then that the cab decided to show up and, as I turned to give the driver the “wait” signal, he was already walking away, chuckling to himself in the way that only writers can. I was honestly worried when I would run into him next.

BTW, I’ve been working at that restaurant for three days now and there hasn’t been another incident. And that brings us up to date. For now. 

May your days be as eventful as my last week or so has been,

It’s Always Sunny!