#then i got it back and my parents asked me about how i'm doing in college since they care about that

[changisworld]

Baby fever

Husband!Chan x reader

word count;3,200

Summary: Your husband, Bangchan has finally decided that he too wants a baby, after you constantly pestering him & getting it into how good parents you would both be.

-just HAD to write this after I got an ask about & then having my amazing 🪫 anon AGREEING which has now encouraged me to write this heheh,

18+, MDNI, SMUT WARNINGS UNDER THE CUT

©ANY translation, copy & paste, posting of my work is strictly forbidden for ANY posts/ writing i post.

main masterlist here

SMUT WARNINGS: PIV, oral(f rec), B R E E D I N G kink, creampie, lactation kink if you squint, nipple sucking, slight dirty talk, channie is BBBIIIGGG, bulge kink, body worship, marking, lovemaking, praise, aftercare but more off screen, 99% smut 1% backstory :3

You & your husband, Chan are just strolling around Walmart, doing some grocery shopping for your fridge & cupboards & you both end up walking past the small clothes section & your eyes land instantly on the cute newborn baby onzies & cute baby packs of socks.

"Channieeee, how can you even look at this n not want a baby? the clothes are so teeny & adorable!" you cheer, looking at him with a big smile & doe eyes on your face & chan just looks at you & rolls his eyes, smiling at you as he reaches out to touch the baby clothes, looking at all the cute patterns on them.

"Shhh! It's not that I don't want a baby, It's just scary! You say the exact same quote every time we walk past anything to do with babies I can rehearse it!" He giggles before putting his hand up & splaying it across the little onzie, comparing the size to it.

"I know but I'm just dyyying for a baby! Would you prefer a boy or a girl? & you've been saying you'll 'think about it' for monthhhs! We'd be the best parents on earth n you know it, I've seen you with kids & you'd be the best dad evverrrrr!" you cheer back, reaching out to ruffle his soft black hair & he kneans into your touch.

"I wouldn't care if about gender as long as I got a mini us & I knowww but still! You've came off the pill so now we just gotta see if it happens, can you get us some tomatoes? We forgot to pick em up." He questions you, putting both hands back on the cart & giving you a kiss on your cheek, making you blush.

"Doesn't mean much if you pull out Channie! I'll grab five." you sigh as you leave your husband & walk to go get what he asked you to. Chan watches you leave before he looks back at some of the cute baby clothes & he picks up three different onzies in different stripes & also polka dot patterns, he also picks up a cute little white baby hat before he buries it underneath the small mountain of items still in the cart before making his way to the checkout, texting you to just put the tomatoes back & meet him at the car.

⭑･ﾟﾟ･:༅｡.｡༅:ﾟ::✼✿　　✿･⭑✼:ﾟ:༅｡.｡༅:*･ﾟﾟ

"I didn't even realise that you'd asked me for tomatoes but while I was there I remembered you don't even like tomatoes!" You whine as you buckle in your seatbelt, turning to look at the man beside you, now laughing as he turns the key.

"I just wanted to see if you'd remember! You failed the test." he chirps back & you swat him on the arm jokingly & he just laughs at you again before driving back to your shared home.

The rest of the day goes without a hitch, Chan insists on putting the items away & you don't complain, deciding to just tidy up your shared bedroom instead, reorganising the room & making the bed before deciding to just do some laundry since you have the habit of letting it pile up.

You are sorting out your jewellery box, using your shirt to make each piece shinier before replacing each part, fully rearranging the box in front of you when your bedroom door opens & Chan enters the room, hands behind his back.

"Ah, what ya doin babe?" he questions, looking a bit antsy. "Just tidying, why? Wha'cha hiding?" you reply, your head nodding towards him, referring to whatever he is holding behind his frame.

"well eh, I couldn't decide if I was gonna hide it for a while longer or if I wanted to lay it on the bed with rose petals or something, make it all romantic but you caught me, can I do that or are you gonna be stubborn n make me show you now?" he hums to you & you frown your eyebrows at him, chuckling as you try move your head to see what is in his hands, but he is quicker & keeps moving his frame.

"You know me too well, I really am that stubborn, show meeee." you reply as you do as he asks of you anyway & you stand in front of him before closing your eyes & cupping your hands in front of the both of you.

He takes in a deep breath & you just know his hands are shaking behind is back. "Just know y/nnie, no pressure! I don't want you to feel like I'm putting you on the spot." he says in a soft voice as he places something in your hands.

You open your eyes after nodding at his words & look down & what is it you see? A few of the tiny baby onzies you were dreaming over just a few hours ago & an adorable tiny tiny baby hat laying on top of them.

You look up at Chan, nerves smeared all over his features, his adams apple moving through his throat as he swallows, not taking his eyes off you as his hands cup themselves over the outside of yours, his thumbs caressing your hands.

"Is this what I think this means, Channie?" you ask, your mind going at a million miles an hour & the butterflies in your stomach being that crazy you're convinced they're about to fly out of your mouth.

"Uh.. yeah, I've had my mind up for a while, just got a bit scared to directly say it I guess?" he replies, his cheeks a shade of rose pink as you can feel his hands slightly shaking & getting warmer against your as he keeps his on yours.

"Channie, you're so silly, there was nothing to be scared of when I've been begging you to knock me up!" you joke as you softly throw the small fabric on the chest of drawers beside you both before practically throwing yourself at him, connecting your lips together, he freezes for a second before melting into your touch & kissing you back passionately.

He ushers you towards the bed & you lay down once the back of your knees hit the edge of your bed & chan follows right behind you, putting his hand & forearm on the bed beside your head to hold up his weight as his tongue begins to break past your lips, tasting you deeper, which you have no problem reciprocating.

You worm your hands beneath one of his usual black shirts & you feel over his chiselled abs, making him squirm. "You really are desperate, aren'cha?" he teases as he takes the three seconds to take his top off before getting back into the same position he was in before, taking the time to admire your slightly reddened & spit glossed lips.

"Well why waste time when I've been begging for so long?" you chirp back as you wriggle yourself up the bed, making chan follow not long behind you.

Your husband just smirks at you before kissing the tip of your nose. "I love you, soooo much, you mean the world n more to me." he murmurs in a sweet tone to you before he begins to kiss your jawline before making his way down to your neck, nibbling on different spots of your neck before lightly suckling on the exact same parts of skin, leaving four dark red marks on the right side of your neck.

Chan bunches your shirt up at the top of your chest, not bothering to take it off as he wriggles himself downwards just an inch & begins to fondle your tits over your bra as he kisses the parts not covered by the fabric & you sit up just enough to unclasp it for him & he lets out a hum of approval before taking a look up at you, the both of your eyes completely full of lust, pupils blown out & your stomach does a flip.

He cups your right tit in his hand as he starts to tongue your left nipple, your nipples perking up even more than what the cold air caused. He takes it in his mouth & suckles on it, making your back arch off the bed & you let out a small hum as you let your fingers find their way into his hair, playing with it.

"Your tits are so perfect, can't even imagine these filled with milk, try save me some, alright?" he says, more to himself but he still takes the time to look up at you, his fingers not stalling on your right nipple before reattaching his pretty, pink, puffy lips to your nipple, sucking on it as if it's the last time he will ever do so.

"Channie with a lactation kink? who woulda guessed." you chuckle at him as he switches tit, repeating the action & you close your eyes, simply taking in the feeling.

He then stops his motions & gives yet another hickey to your left tit before kissing all the way down your stomach before pushing your shorts & underwear off your smooth legs without much struggle.

"How do you blame me, have you seen you?" he remarks back at your words, not even looking up at you this time as he now settles down at your legs before pushing them open, now looking at your pretty, now glistening cunt & he sighs, a dreamy look painting his features & your heart melts.

He wants to tease you but his own patience is wearing thin so after a few kisses to your thighs, working his way inwards, not missing the way you squirm & twitch beneath him as your thighs rest on his broad shoulders & he licks a long, slow stripe up your cunt which makes you shudder.

He uses the tip of his tongue to slightly tease you but mostly to get a deeper taste by licking the outside part of your folds before using his tongue to part them further before he works his way up to your clit & begins kitten licking it.

"Chan, like that, fingers please." you request, sucking a breath through your teeth, trying your best to stay still for him. "say please n I will" he teases to you before moving away from your clit, much at your disapproval & begins teasing your now leaking hole.

"Pretty pleaseee, Channie, please." You beg as you try push your hips towards him, giving him that little bit extra of your cunt on his lips & he obviously can't help but let out a muffled groan as he starts to grind his hips against the bedsheets, trying to ease even a tiny bit of the pressure in his cock as he listens to your pleas & enters his middle & index finger into your pussy, a small squelch being heard.

He picks up the pace on your clit as he begins to suck & nibble on it, not caring about how much spit is escaping his lips as his fingers match the same speed, doing a 'come here' motion & you begin grinding against his face, your hands reaching down to twist your nipples in your fingers as you begin to fall apart.

"Gonna cum channie, don't stop." you basically demand as your eyes scrunch closed & your legs close in on his head, but he doesn't budge & continues at the same speed, smirking into you & humming & moaning into you & your orgasm bubbles over not even five seconds later, moaning his name non stop.

He lets you ride out your orgasm on his tongue & fingers as he slowly slows down his movements until you begin to whine & he knows your body well enough to know it's the overstimulation setting in.

He pulls out his fingers & puts them up to his mouth & sucks the orgasm you just had off his fingers & groans to himself before licking his lips & then making his way back up to you & kissing you, allowing you to taste yourself on his tongue & you whimper on his lips.

"Taste as good as always, do you still wanna do this Channie? You can still pull out if you have any doubts." you reassure him, cupping his cheek with your hand & moving your thumb back & forth, giving him a warm smile. "I'd never back out babe, especially now that it's out in the open, lemme put this baby in you, mkay?" he chirps, nuzzling into your touch before allowing you to sit up so you can take your top off & he strips too, his cock slapping against his lower stomach as he helps manoeuvre you towards the edge of the bed & stands between your legs, jerking himself a few times, his tip already shiny with the amount of precum that has been leaking for the past twenty minutes or so.

He gives you a warm smile & he reaches down to hold your hand, your wedding rings beside one another as he begins to slowly push in, knowing he can't go too quick as he is aware how big he is, he knows he needs to allow a lot of time to stretch so he doesn't make it hurt any more than needed since no matter how much prep he gives you, it still makes you hold your breath for a second.

He buries himself to the hilt & he pauses, letting you get adjust as he kisses your ring finger, making you both blush as you look at each other, nothing but love & adoration in both of your eyes.

"You can move, 'm ready." you softly speak & chan hums as he moves his hips before softly moving them forward again, both of you letting out a moan in unison. "you're so tight, y/n, I'm fully convinced you're made for me." He says in a hoarse voice, biting his bottom lip, making you clench around him.

He begins a medium pace, hitting your G-spot each time & you can barely catch your breath as you both make eye contact, not one of you daring to break it as you can both slightly hear the wet, squelching noises of your cunt wrapping around his cock over your shared moans.

"Chan-nie, you're in my s-stomach, fuck." you yelp as he changes his position slightly, hammering into your spongey spot & kissing your cervix in a painful yet addicting way.

"Hmm yea? I can tell, look at it sweetie." he groans back, slightly breathless as he stands up, pace not slowing as he takes the hand which he is still holding & placing it on your lower stomach & you can't help but get giddy as you can feel his cock in your pelvis, making you clench around your husband more than you already were, making his pace falter.

"Taking me so well, babe, see? too bad we won't get to see it in your pretty belly once my cum sticks, can't say I-I'd complain though." he basically whimpers as he leans back over you, taking your lips in his own as he continues to destroy your poor hole & you yelp into his mouth with how deep he is.

"C-I'm gonna cum, gim-gimme it." you shriek as your hands reach onto behind his back & you dig your nails into his back, refusing to let go & chan just groans into you as he kisses you again, muffling both of your moans but only slightly.

You begin clenching around his cock & he stands back upright to be able to take in the whole sight. He reaches down to rub your swollen button with his thumb & you don't even have the right mind to even be able to warn him before your second orgasm hits you like a brick wall & your legs begin shaking as your back arches & you let out a shriek as you cum, this time all over his cock, your orgasm so strong it almost pushes him out of your hole.

He doesn't falter his pace this time & continues at the same speed & rhythm, throwing his head back but not for long as he feels his own orgasm starting to bubble up.

He looks down at your pretty, reddened face, a small shimmer on your skin, your tits bouncing along with his thrusts as you pinch your nipples again, not breaking eye contact with you.

"Cha-channie, s-so big I-I swear to f-fuck, please c-cum in me, gim-gimme your baby." you whine up at him, trying your best to ignore the overstimulation he is giving you for the sake of his own release & mostly focusing on just trying to push the simple sentence out.

"Wou-wouldn't dream oth-otherwise, beautiful, your pretty belly gon-gonna be so full for me, I know it's gonna s-stick, you're t-too good for me, my angel." he says, breathless & he takes your left hand in his again & he sucks on two of your fingers as he lets his orgasm take over, having to use all his strength to keep himself standing as he lets his cum coat your walls, you taking in the feeling of it too.

Chan lets his own orgasm come & then pass before he slowly pulls out, not failing to notice how his dick is so shiny you'd think he put lube on it & he uses the rest of his strength to help you lay at the top of the bed & he rests his back against the pillows, letting you lay between his legs, your back against his chest.

He grabs the bottle of water from his side of the beds bedside table as he always insists on having water there & feeding you it as he kisses the top of your head.

"Did so well for me hunny, you not sore or anything? I love you sooo much. want me to run you a bath n make food?" he questions softly as he reaches down with the hand not holding the bottle to rub over your stomach.

"I'm fine, more than fine actually, just daydreaming about out future bundle of joy! Just wanna lay here for now but yes, we can bath n eat soon, just lemme melt into you a bit more first." you half joke as you turn your head way from the bottle, indirectly telling him you're finished drinking & he just half laughs as he puts it back where he originally found it & cuddles you.

"Just gotta think of baby names don't we? It can't come soon enough, you can choose food since you'll complain if I order something for us if you give me the freedom to choose." he jokes & you just 'tut' at his words, smiling as you rest your head on his arms.

->Taglist:open!

->Anon list:open!

[seeingivy]

espresso

actor!ryomen sukuna x f!reader

**part of my dream girl fic

previous part linked here

songs mentioned: love is embarassing by olivia rodrigo (based on this npr tiny desk) and espresso by sabrina carpenter (based on this performance)

--

--

[eren]: like how irritated are you on a scale of one to ten? 

[mikasa]: ONE THOUSAND 

[eren]: i wasn’t asking you… 

[stacy, publicist]: ET team is asking for a comment on bad blood. let me know if there’s anything you want to say 

[megumi]: yuuji called me cute? but then he took it back, but it kind of seemed like he was too shy to be saying it in the first place? idk….

[megumi]: honest to god, do you think he thinks i'm cute? 

[leah]: call the parents when you get a chance! same old same old :/ 

you silence the ringer on your phone, before turning to your right, where your producer, will, musters the peachiest smile he can produce. and you can tell from the nervousness in his demeanor that he’s a little too cowardly to ask the question on his mind, unlike eren. 

you can appreciate that about him. that there’s some type of scarcity he holds in every interaction he has with you – like he’s intentionally picking out everything he says to you, in an effort to be careful. 

“you know how these types of things go. do you think i’ll get the first spot?” you ask. 

will doesn’t respond immediately - which gives you your answer – as you slump against his plush green couch, while his daughter ellie tasks herself with tangling in between your legs. 

ellie is will’s two year toddler with beautiful long eyelashes and a tiny button nose. you had met her when she was barely six months old and an expressive little bundle of blankets, when you first signed on as one of his new artists at dancing lady. 

you were still debating it at the time, deciding to go the singer-songwriter route and picking dancing lady over real sun. and while you were heavily leading towards the former over the latter, due to the lack of former victoria’s secrets models wandering around, it was will’s normalness that sold you entirely. 

do you mind if my daughter is here sometimes? i just got divorced and well…sometimes it’s kind of hard to find childcare…or afford it. 

it reminded you of your own parents, dragging you and leah to the side room of the clinic or leaving you in the spare classrooms on weekdays when you were a kid. and though those days are long gone, the feeling still remains. 

sometimes it still feels like you’re chasing that – trying to hold everything you’ve acquired desperately close to you, just because you know it can slip out of your fingers the second you look away. more specifically, what it feels like to feels like to have nothing. 

you were more than happy to oblige will’s request – and well, ellie was adorable. 

it was an added bonus that there was a familiarity that will exuded – and it was wholly comforting in the littered sea of plastic that you always seemed to be floating in. 

“three exclusive versions will boost their sales considerably.” will states, his tone miserable. 

you sigh, before reaching for your phone and scrolling the notifications away. and while it’s in entirely bad taste – scrolling through twitter was one of the worst vices you had. reading the think pieces, the timelines of all of your bad blood (you thought the timeline was a little bit on the nose), and worst of all – the hate comments that seemed to litter your feed. 

“you could always do the same thing.” he offers. 

“absolutely not. i’m a no remix, no features, and no multiple versions artist. it feels a little tasteless doing something like that just for a number one spot. i don’t want my fans to drop fifteen dollars just to hear exclusive versions of my songs when they’ve already paid for the original.” you state. 

“and you don’t want thing one and thing two to know that you’ve gotten under their skin.” will adds. 

as much as you cared about getting the number one spot – because deep down, you really did – letting kim know that she had settled under your skin and caused an irritation, for a second time now, was far worse than occupying a lower spot. 

deep down, it was really about getting your flowers. that’s what it all meant to you – the awards, the charts, and the fans – nitpicking each parts of your songs, getting to watch your life on display and then get to revel in your thoughts about it. 

it was the one place that you got to control the narrative. because while no one is there at the after parties or the award shows, or even in the room with you or on the date, what you get to put out there is the closest to that. 

and the second it’s out there, it stops being yours. and starts being everyone elses. it’s freeing that way – packing it into a neat box and dropping it on people’s doorsteps. 

you give up. there were always more songs. 

“yeah. that too.” you respond. 

will gives you a nod, before swinging back in his chair to mix the backing tracks on his laptop, as you turn your attention to ellie and place your hands in her dark brown hair. the braid that you did earlier is entirely messed up now, no thanks to the fact that she spent the last hour of recording running around to her heart’s desire. 

you give her a smile, tapping on the tops of your thighs and gesturing for her to jump up, as you comb through the tangled knots with your fingers, before fixing her soft hair back into the little flower hair tie you had placed in her hair earlier. 

“i’d love to take a flamethrower to the next awards show. melt some plastic while i’m ahead.” will mumbles, which earns him a hearty laugh from you. 

“and i’d help you free willy.” 

you press a kiss to ellie’s hairline before tapping the top of her head to signal you were done. and she gives you a giggly smile back before she returns to her usual shenanigans, by climbing under the glass table and sticking her feet up on the metal. 

“you’re so gross. don’t call me that.” will groans. 

you give him a smile instead. 

“how was studio eleven anyways?” he asks. 

“good. i got to see megumi after a really long time and historia was great. oh, and this god awful idiot tried to hit on me.” 

you’d be lying if you said you had stopped thinking about ryomen sukuna after you met him two days ago. that there was something intriguing about him, that you couldn’t exactly put your finger on – that led to you thinking about him far too much. 

all in all, there was one thing that you prided yourself on and it was being resourceful. being knowledgeable, taking the time to learn more, and keeping yourself informed. it was what kickstarted your career, being able to watch people and learn the sleight of hands, and more importantly, apply them. 

it’s how you got picked out of the group by fame as old as time – the lynch family. because it was one thing to be a pretty face, to have talent, but being able to sniff out the star and pick the needle out of the haystack – it wasn’t something that could be taught. and it’s something that you learned, at age eleven, fast. 

the entire income of your household depended on it. and that tends to foster some type of ambition. 

and while you’re no longer associated with the lynch family, having now run as far from them as you can, the ability holds. and in moments like this, it even turned out to be useful – being so resourceful. 

megumi, very lovingly so, called it stalking. and well, sometimes that’s exactly what it was. and in the two days you had to spare, you had learned almost anything and everything you could have about ryomen sukuna. 

he owns a coffee shop in los angeles, called play coffee, that he’s been working at since he was sixteen. and he offered to become the main investor after they almost went down under. he also loves to joke about how they almost fired him for how shit he was at making matcha lattes. 

he’s had a long and complicated history but there’s some pull that he has that keeps him around. because dating your manager, getting caught with weed at fifteen, and an anticipatory slander campaign – it would be enough to ruin someone else. or at the very least, kick them down. 

but not him. 

his fans speculate that he has twelve tattoos, his most popular being of the tarot card, the hanging man (which you then subsequently googled). upright, meaning sacrifice, release, and martyrdom. and reversed meaning stalling, needless sacrifice, and fear of sacrifice. 

his most recent release – as patrick zweig in challengers, which you rushed to watch with embarrassing speed (and consequently, got fan edits for that you can’t help but watch – is suspected to get him shortlisted for a selling star award, which is just one stop away from him winning an institute award next. 

all and all, he was on the come up. with the hit movie and now the expected hit show, one thing was clear to you. 

that sukuna was the one to look out for. mainly because there was something electric about watching him on the screen. because the way he moves, speaks, and walks on the screen – there’s something so mesmerizing about it that you can’t help but tear yourself away. 

“did you entertain it?” will asks. 

“no. he started off by blatantly lying.” 

will scoffs. 

“was he cute at least?” 

you roll your eyes. 

that was the understatement of the century. 

“shut up, will.” 

and the acidic tone in your voice is enough to pique will’s attention, as he now swirls around in the chair, and gives you the most irritating and accusatory smile he can muster. 

“i said shut up.” you repeat. 

“i literally didn’t say a single word.” 

“but you thought it. i can tell.” you bite back. 

“you’re a child.” will responds. 

--

--

sukuna wastes no time in arriving to the performance at the npr offices. and it works out considerably well – with your giggling fans questioning his presence and asking for pictures, accompanied by a blind item that he sent in to one of the biggest twitter accounts himself. 

[sukuna]: so what did megumi say? 

[yuuji]: IDK HE LIKE KIND OF LOOKED AWAY WHEN I CALLED HIM CUTE BEFORE I STARTED BACKTRACKING 

[sukuna]: …

[sukuna]: about y/n dipshit 

[yuuji]: WORD WORD 

[yuuji]: she is single. not talking to anyone yet. he kind of made it seem like she’s not that upset about her breakup tho? if that makes sense 

[yuuji]: apparently, she almost never is? not in a heartless type of way though, just in a…i’m not gonna let a man get me down type of way 

[yuuji]: that sounded more corny when i typed it that way…

[yuuji]: he said she just knows her worth. that’s all. 

sukuna hopes he’s worth a shot. 

it’s an entire somersault in his stomach when he sees you walk out, a lilac purple guitar in your hands that you set down, before giving an excited smile to the fans cheering for you at his side, blowing spare kisses to the people in the front. 

it’s hard not to stare full on. though he supposes for his purposes, that’s the exact type of thing he should be doing. and the plethora of information that he learned in the free time he had in the past two days swims in his head. 

you like silver jewelry and not gold. the ring on your middle finger is one that a fan gifted you in lisbon and you got your cartilage pierced at a tattoo parlor after taking one of your last finals in college. 

you took a few classes here and there at new york university – poetry, screenwriting, and women in politics. you were born and raised in new york, having started your singing career at the ripe age of sixteen before you were scouted at twenty. 

“hi guys! i’m y/n – i’m so flattered that npr invited me here to sing a few songs for you. it’s so cool to be here with all of you guys and kind of show you some of the new stuff i’ve been working on and play some old ones while i’m ahead. but yeah –” 

sukuna watches as you pause, making eye contact with him for the first time before you pick up the guitar and swing the strap over your shoulder. 

sukuna pretends that it doesn’t make his heart swell up in hope, that his presence was enough to warrant a pause from you.

“well, right. this first song is a new one that i’ve been working on for quite some time. it’s one of my recent favorites, i wrote it around a month ago after i went to this stupid afterparty from one of the events that my studio was holding and it’s about some of the company i’ve kept. it’s called love is embarrassing.” you state. 

I told my friends you were the one After I'd known you, like, a month And then, you kissed some girl from high school And I stayed in bed for, like, a week When you said space was what you need Waited by my phone like a goddamn fool

sukuna quickly realizes that there’s something about singing that does it for you. because your entire demeanor changes. you relax your shoulders from the tense position they’re usually in, swing your hips to the beat of the song, and make very expressive facial expressions that in his two days of research he hasn’t seen otherwise.

And now, it don't mean a thing God, love's fuckin' embarrassing Just watch as I crucify myself For some weird second string Loser who's not worth mentioning My God, love's embarrassing as hell 

and in the twenty minutes that follow your half and hour performance, he’s able to convince the body guards that he knows you – after providing an autograph, of course – and then knocks on the door of your dressing room before walking straight in. 

sukuna can tell that it startles you at first, as he walks in to find your wide eyes, before you visibly relax at the sight of him. and he delights in the smile that spreads across your face as you lean back in the chair as he takes his rightful spot behind you, placing his hands on the sidebars of your chair and leaning forward. 

“princess bubblegum. you again. to what do i owe the pleasure?” you ask. 

“figured i’d stop by, marceline. i’m a huge fan.” 

you smile back at sukuna through the mirror, biting down on the side of your cheek, as you reach for your lipgloss and toy with the cap in your shaky fingers. 

“you weren’t even singing along.” you state. 

“two of those songs were new. and i’m learning.” sukuna clarifies. 

you grin. 

“you’re doing your homework.” 

“i’m somewhat of an overachiever.” 

you push out of your chair, turning around to rest against the back of the vanity as you reach for one of the purple candies on your desk and pop it into the side of your cheek. 

“i’m guessing you didn’t harass my team, my social media managers, and two of my friends for tickets for nothing. you want something.” you state. 

“perceptive. are you always like this, dove?” sukuna asks. 

“does that bother you? it’s something you’ll have to get used to.” you ask. 

“quite the contrary. i enjoy a challenge.” 

you hum, twisting the plastic in your fingers. 

“really. what do you want?” 

sukuna nods, before crossing the way and leaning against the edge of your vanity at your side. 

“i think that you and i could be really useful to each other. i know that your song is about to get blocked by kim and her bullshit and well…” 

“your show is about to get tanked by whatever it is she has coming next.” you finish. 

sukuna grins. 

“you know about my show? have you been stalking me?” 

you feel your cheeks burn.

“because of megumi, sweetheart. nothing more nothing less.” 

sukuna feels his chest pang slightly, from the embarrassment. because of course you know about the show from megumi. 

“right, well. seriously. kim and aimee aren’t the biggest fans of you. and well, it would really piss them off if you started dating me, even if it was just for looks. what they don’t know won’t hurt them.” 

you sigh, pushing off the edge of your chair, as you stand close to him. and you’re able to smell it again, the minty musk, as you give him a smile. 

“i appreciate the offer. but, i’m not interested in getting tangled up with them again.” 

“they started it already. you don’t want to bite back?” sukuna goads. 

“i’m not the type.” you respond. 

sukuna pauses. 

“from what i’ve seen, i don’t necessarily think that's true.” 

“have you got me all figured out, sukuna?” you ask. 

he loves the way his mouth rolls off your tongue and the accusatory tone in your voice when you say it. you’re trying to get him to take the bait, like the two of you are playing a game. 

and he leans closer, smiling down at you as he wraps he cups your cheek with his left hand, before pinching at your cheek. 

“i’m almost positive that i do.” he responds. 

and he’s quick with it, reaching forward and tucking the stray strands of your hair behind your ear, before basically teleporting to the door. 

“either way, you know where to find me if you change your mind.” he states, before slamming the door shut behind him. 

--

--

“okay, so like why haven’t you just…asked him out yet?” you ask. 

you watch as megumi spits the majority of the shot he just downed back into the glass, before slamming it down and leaning forward on the table. 

“are you insane?” 

“i think you might be. i mean, he’s literally flirting with you in these texts.” you respond. 

you scroll through the chat again – noting the cute 0.5 picture of yuuji as the profile picture – earning you a glare from megumi before he snatches the phone back. you give him a pointed look, before shrugging and lifting your own glass to your lips. 

“i just…get really nervous.” he stutters. 

“well, i can give you a few pointers. first things first, when he tries to kiss you, don’t dodge him. and when you do actually muster up the courage, don’t bite him by accident.” 

meugmi shoots you a glare and you can’t help but smirk at him. 

there’s nothing as special as a first boyfriend. the novelty of it all – holding hands in between classes, texting the night before to plan a hug at dismissal, and in your case, having things tumble down when he starts sobbing after you kiss for the first time. 

“hey. are…are you crying?” 

you were positive that you did it right. the seven videos that you had watched the night prior and the excessive consulting from leah was exactly what you put into practice. closing your eyes, leaning forward, and pressing your lips against his. but you’re not sure what exactly happened, because two seconds later there was bright red blood coming out of your lips and an incessant amount of apologies coming out of megumi’s mouth. 

but after you had reassured him that it was perfectly fine and that it was an accident, there was something still lingering in the air. because in the few seconds that followed when you tried to initiate it again, megumi dodged it all together and nearly flopped on to the pavement as he put his head in his hands. 

there was something awkward about the entire thing. that weird pit in your stomach, the way your skin seemed to course in embarrassment at the fact that he didn’t really seem to enjoy it, and the metallic taste still lingering on your slightly swollen lip. 

“are you okay, megumi?” you ask. 

“yeah. yeah, i’m sorry. we can do it again.” 

you frown. 

“we don’t have to.” 

“do you want to?” he asks. 

you take him in fully – eyes wide and skin pale – as you reach forward, placing one of his hands on your shoulder. 

“well, not if you’re going to look at me all weird after. you’re kind of freaking me out, megs.” 

he sighs, before nervously rubbing his fingertips against his palms, as he gives you a shaky nod. it’s only then that you note that the scabs on his knuckles have barely peeled, an indication that he’s been picking at them. and really, an insinuation that something is bothering him. 

“i won’t stop being your friend if we don’t date anymore.” you clarify. 

megumi gives you a halfhearted smile. 

“well, that’s just because you don’t have other friends.” he mumbles. 

you snort, before shoving him in the side. 

“asshole.” 

“bitch.” 

and you’re not sure what it is, maybe the fact that the joke has broken the ice a little bit, but he leans forward, his hands shaking as he peers his steely blue eyes into yours. 

“y/n. can i please tell you a secret?” he whispers. 

“okay.” 

he pauses. 

“i don’t like you.” 

you pinch your llps in a line. 

“charming.” 

he shakes his head, almost like he’s frustrated. 

“i mean. i don’t think i could like you.” 

“wow. keep it coming, fushiguro.” 

he glares in response. 

“you know, you could try letting me finish.” megumi deadpans. 

“the opportunity was just too good. but really, do finish.” 

megumi bites at the sides of his lips, before taking a deep breath. 

“you’re like my best friend. i think you’re really funny, really cool, and sometimes you’re the only person i want to be around, even if we’re kind of just sitting around quietly. and you’re pretty so i figured that…that if i tried to date you, it would work.” 

“huh?” 

“like, you’re the best girl to do it. there’s no one like you. but…but if i kiss you and i feel nothing…maybe that means it’s not about personality or liking people….and more about the fact that…that you’re a girl and not a boy…and i guess i can’t get over that.” 

you pause. 

“why would i need to be a boy?” you whisper. 

and in the five seconds it takes to mutter those eight words, you clock the reason all together. 

it’s because megumi is gay. 

“i was like fourteen.” megumi deadpans. 

“and that’s no reason to forget the lessons you learned. no biting, no dodging, just –” 

megumi shakes his hand in the air, his face curled up in disgust, as he pushes another one of the shots towards you. 

“this is disgusting. let’s talk about something else.” 

while megumi pretends to be a larger than life hater of your resourcefulness, he’s truly the only person who can match your energy sometimes. which in this case, includes pressing your ear against one of the private rooms in the club, trying to catch the end of the conversation. 

“i can barely hear shit. the music is way too loud.” 

“yeah. this is making it sound all muffled.” megumi responds. 

you look to your left to find him crouched on the floor, the diaphragm of a stethoscope pressed against the wall as he leans forward to listen. 

“are you fucking insane? where did you even get that?” 

“lost and found.” 

“who the fuck brings a stethoscope to the club?” 

“it’s the first week of october, dumbass. some girl probably dressed up as a sexy nurse and left it on the floor.” 

“give me that.” you hiss.

“fuck no, get your own.” 

“they’re my ex-friends. and currently trying to stop me from charting. hand it over.” 

megumi gives you a glare, as you place the pieces in your ear, and the two of you lean forward against the wall again. and while it does little to help except piercing your ears. though all you hear is the shuffling of chairs, as you give megumi a wide-eyed look, to stand up and yank the earpieces out. 

and really, it is horrible timing because as the two of you stand up – with you linking your arms in with megumi’s to hide the stethoscope behind his back – as you shoot aimee and kim a peachy smile. and it’s a sickly sweet smile that aimee and kim give you, accompanied with a look up and down the length of your figure. 

“hi peach.” aimee states. 

you can feel your skin burn at the same old shitty nickname. 

“we were just talking about you.” kim starts. 

“likely thing for the two of you to be doing.” megumi mutters. 

kim shoots megumi an irritated glare, before reaching forward, and placing one of her hands on your shoulder. 

“i had a question for you. are you dating kuna?” kim asks. 

you pinch your nose in disgust. 

“what's it to you?” 

kim smiles. 

“we dated for a long time. just wanted to make sure he’s in good hands.” she clarifies. 

“it was barely three months.” you state. 

like always, kim sours quickly. 

“and it’ll be even shorter when it comes to you.” kim states. 

you roll your eyes. but before you can respond, she leans forward, pressing her fingers against your ear to fix your hair, before batting her eyelashes at you. 

“i don’t want you to get hurt again. and well, you better quit while you’re ahead, peach. guys like that won’t stick around for girls like you. you can’t exactly give him what he wants.” 

on the almost quiet drive home, with weary looks from megumi, you make seven calls, canceling your plans for tomorrow and making your plan while you’re ahead.

--

“you’re so skilled with balls.” 

sukuna rolls his eyes, only to turn to his left and find what might be his most agitating (and his secret personal favorite) co-star, satoru gojo. 

“you should invest in a tape recorder. listen to the tape back at the end of the day and do some reflection.” sukuna states, before lifting the ball into the air and watching it swish into the net. 

in their last few days of press, the marketing team for the show decided that the group of them were going to be participating in a charity all-stars basketball game. it was one of the most anticipated events of the year, with celebrities being on both teams, and special surprise performances for the halftime show. 

the combined sales of the tickets, signed jerseys, and meet and greets raised tens of thousands of dollars, and all in all, it was one of the better events that sukuna found himself being forced to attend. that and the fact that athletics were something that sukuna was skilled at – something reinforced by the fact that his team was almost ten up at the halftime mark. 

sukuna takes his seat on the courtside bench, satoru handing him a gatorade as the two of them lean forward on their knees. it’s kind of intentional – the two of them sitting together, posing the way they were – only because it made for really good press. 

he catches sight of kim and aimee on the other side of the court, posing for the camera by pressing a kiss to each other’s cheeks, before leaning back in their chair, entirely bored. 

“ladies and gentleman, please welcome our special half-time show guest, y/n l/n.” 

sukuna nearly jolts up in his chair as the lights flash in the center of the court – to the sight of you wearing a light pink crew neck and a white tennis skirt – with a light pink ribbon tangled into your hair. 

“was she always on the setlist?” 

“don’t think so.” satoru mumbles back. 

Now he's thinkin' 'bout me every night, oh Is it that sweet? I guess so Say you can't sleep, baby, I know That's that me, espresso Move it up, down, left, right, oh Switch it up like Nintendo Say you can't sleep, baby, I know That's that me, espresso 

sukuna supposes that it should be a bad sign that this is the second time in a few days that he finds himself being mesmerized by your presence. and that this time, satoru’s noticed. 

“dude. you’re like drooling.” he whispers. 

“shut the fuck up.” 

Too bad your ex don't do it for ya Walked in and dream came trued it for ya Soft skin and I perfumed it for ya I know I Mountain Dew it for ya That morning coffee, brewed it for ya One touch and I brand newed it for ya 

sukuna watches as you shoot him a wink, before throwing the sparkly microphone in your hand to one of your backup dancers, and turning around. 

and really, it’s one of the most overwhelming feelings he’s had – that wholehearted and blissful exhilaration that pounds in his chest – as he watches you pull your crewneck over your head, only to be wearing his jersey underneath. (that and the fact that the resounding cheers that erupt after the fact are music to his fucking ears). 

I'm working late 'cause I'm a singer Oh, he looks so cute wrapped around my finger My twisted humor, make him laugh so often My honey bee, come and get this pollen

Too bad your ex don't do it for ya Walked in and dream came trued it for ya Soft skin and I perfumed it for ya I know I Mountain Dew it for ya That morning coffee, brewed it for ya One touch and I brand newed it for ya

he can feel his heart drop in his chest as you spare a wink, before returning to your choreography. 

“so that’s why you’re fucking drooling.” satoru states, giving him a hearty smile as he wraps one of his arms around his shoulder. 

sukuna can’t even muster an irritated look to give back to satoru. 

“who fucking wouldn’t?” sukuna mutters. 

“that’s real cute, dude. the espresso thing.” 

“what espresso thing?” sukuna asks. 

“you know. because you own the coffee shop and shit? isn’t that what she means?” satoru asks. 

of course that’s what you meant. and it’s in that split second that every hunch that sukuna has – that you’re every bit of what he expected, that you were just like him, that you were the exact type he knew you were – as he stands up, crossing his hands over his chest as he gives you a smile. 

and he can feel his heart pounding as you pull the ear pieces out to hang around your shoulders before walking over to him, your hands behind your back as you give him a sweet smile. only to turn immediately to his left and look at satoru. 

“hi.” 

he watches as satoru spits the gatorade back into the bottle, before standing up and running his hands through his hair. it slightly irritates him, the slight change in satoru’s demeanor. 

“hi?” 

you extend your hand out.

“i’m y/n.” 

and sukuna’s irritation gets even worse as satoru lifts your knuckles to his lips and presses a kiss against your hand. 

“satoru.” he responds. 

you give him a smile. 

“that’s cute.” 

you try not to relish in the way that sukuna clicks his tongue in his cheek,  trying his best to hide his frustration, as you look up at satoru. 

“to be honest, i kind of came here with an ulterior motive.” 

“my favorite kind of motive.” satoru responds. 

you walk over to satoru’s side, linking your hand in with his, as you point to the other side of the court. 

“you see that empty black seat right there?” 

“next to aimee lynch?” 

“that’s my seat.” 

satoru looks down at you, as he leans forward.

“we can’t have you sitting there.” he whispers. 

“only if you insist.” you respond. 

satoru puts his bottle down and you watch as he retreats to the other side to retrieve the chair, as you turn over to sukuna.  

“hi lavagirl.” you state. 

sukuna grins in response. 

“her hair is a little more neon than mine, but it’s always a pleasure, sharkboy.” sukuna responds. 

you give him a smile, noting the flashing cameras at your side, as you bring your hands forward, holding the sharpie up in between the two of you. 

“what’s this?” sukuna asks. 

“i got one of the last jersey’s. it wasn’t signed.” you ask. 

sukuna feigns shock. 

“you poor baby. we can’t have that, now can we?” 

you shake your head as sukuna smiles, taking the pen from your fingers, before signaling for you to turn around with his pointer finger.

and it makes you shiver as he bends down, taking the time to move the hair to the side of your shoulder before scribbling on your back. and that burning warmth that pools in your stomach gets even worse as his breath tickles your neck, before he leans over and presses a kiss to the nape of your neck. 

“one thing.” he whispers. 

you swallow hard, the whisper in his voice sending a shiver down your spine. 

“what’s that?” 

you watch as satoru walks up, placing the chair right next to his, as you and sukuna shoot him a smile. 

“try to rile me up and it’ll be more than that next time.”

--

--

taglist: @porridgesblog @k0z3me @sugu-love @yihona-san06  @bsenpai @sweetenertea @skzismyhome @mykyoon @violetmatcha @rebeccawinters @luna0713hunter @shotenvinsoot @itzmeme @gojoswifeyyys-world @cutiejg @chilichopsticks @timmytimmytuckyy @dreamxiing @mamamamamarga @skunabby @meisque @hoseokslefteyebrow @thepurpleempath @shrimphutao4ever @monic19 @najaemism @haitanibros0007 @catobsessedlady @luvs4kim @ri-sa20 @thejujvtsupost @invisible-mori @satoruslipbalm @kyo-kyo1 @telepathicheartss @huhsthccvjh @sxnkuna @w31rdg1rl @lilalia3945 @multiplefandomthings @shotovhs @voids-universe @timetobegone @deeeeexx @livelovelaughisagiyochi @pelicanpizza @cowgirlikets @jeon-blue @phantomasmaniac @yoontaedotin @cowgirlikets @estrella-novella

[imaginespazzi]

nivi, we need another chaotic family drabble with kk reacting to azzi's post for ice when she never got one for her bday 😂

Unserious, unedited chaos back by popular demand 🤪:

It takes 5 minutes between Azzi hitting the post button and deciding to take a much-needed nap, before her door is being slammed open and KK comes roaring through it, face livid, Jana on the tip of her heels, and Paige following behind them both with an amused smirk.

"What. Is. This?" KK asks, shoving her phone in Azzi's face.

Azzi squints, "it's my birthday story for Ice?"

"AND WHY DOES ICE GET A BIRTHDAY STORY?" KK yells, stomping her foot to go along with it.

Before Azzi can reply, she's being tackled into a hug by a 6'3 koala, which sends her reeling about five steps.

"I KNEW I WAS YOUR FAVORITE CHILD," Ice bellows and Azzi flinches from how loud it is in her ear, suddenly nostalgic for the silence.

"I cannot BELIEVE," KK paces as Ice clings onto Azzi's back, "that you would differentiate between your children like this,"" she turns to Jana, "tell her Jana, tell her how much that hurt you."

"That really hurt my feelings," Jana recites and Azzi has to stifle a laugh, Paige doesn't even bother.

"KK-"

"IT'S KAMOREA TO YOU," KK holds up a hand and Azzi rolls her eyes.

"Okay then Kamorea-"

"I just-" KK lets out a dramatic, "I just wanna know why you know? What does SHE have that I don't mom? Is it the extra 2 inches-"

Ice scoffs, "you're barely 5-8"

"THAT'S NOT THE POINT," KK yells again and Paige snickers which gets her a pointed glare from KK, "what are YOU laughing at? She posted Lou too, when's the last time she posted you other than to get photo creds?"

Paige reels back at that, smirk disappearing as she turns to Azzi, "that's not the only reason you posted right? Right? I looked cute in those pics and you couldn't help yourself? RIGHT?"

"Right," Azzi nods, trying to prevent herself from rolling her eyes again, "that's exactly why."

"Girl boo, Don't believe her. She's a liar and a TRAITOR," KK stands defiantly in front of Paige, "besides we have to go find me a stepmother."

"Not this again," Azzi sighs, wondering why she doesn't lock her door more often. She still has all of Ice wrapped around her and it seems like the younger girl has not intention of getting off.

"Do you see, do you see how little she cares about you? ABOUT US?" KK puts a dramatic hand to her heart, "she doesn't even care."

"I don't want a new mother," Ice presses a wet kiss against Azzi's cheeks and Azzi can't help but smile despite the insanity, "I like this one."

"Then we'll do it parent-trap style, you get Azzi and I get Paige," KK says, nodding her head like she's making the most serious decision of her life.

Jana guffaws, "hello? Who do I get? Am I an orphan now?"

"You can come with us Jana," Ice volunteers excitedly, "you and Nés both."

"Absolute not. I am not losing my children and-" Paige cuts in, turning to Azzi with big blue eyes, "I don't want a divorce."

It's on the tip of Azzi's tongue to make a remark about how they're not married but she knows reason and logic are not her friends when it comes to this situation.

"KK-" she begins

"IT'S KAMOREA TO YOU," KK retorts haughtily. sitting herself down on Azzi's bed and crossing her leg.

Azzi lets out a deep breath, trying to muster as much sincerity as she can, "Kamorea I am sorry I hurt your feelings. Next year, I will post a story-"

"A grid post," KK demands.

"Right. I will make a grid post for you-"

"Because I am your favoritest child?" KK gives Azzi a look as behind her both Jana and Ice burst into protests.

"Because you are my child and I love you," Azzi concedes, "and I have an extra bag of of trufru that you can have."

A grins burst onto KK's face simultaneously with Paige's face dropping, "SHE GETS THAT BAG OF TRUFRU? SHE LITERALLY JUST GOT HOSPITALIZED FOR IT?"

"You said to fix it so will you just let me goddamn fix it?" Azzi says exasperatedly as Paige continues to sulk in the corner.

"I'm still mad at you," KK says slowly as she lifts off the bed, "but I might be less mad after I've had some time to think over trufru."

"My trufru," Paige mutters under her breath, following KK out of the door, no doubt on a mission to steal some for herself. Ice detaches herself from Azzi, practically skipping out the door with a happy grin and Jana shakes her head, sharing a commiserating smile with Azzi as she heads out as well.

This time, Azzi does lock her door, getting ready to finally take her now well-deserved nap, when her phone rings. Seeing Inés's called ID, she picks up the phone with a grin.

"Hi Nésy-"

"YOU POSTED A STORY FOR ICE???"

And that ladies and gentlemen, is why Azzi Fudd stays so far away from the grenade that is social media. Really, she'd much rather be asleep anyways.

[luv-sims]

our epic love!

౨ৎ⋆ ˚｡⋆

your epic love story with the infamous jake sim, your academic rival turned luv of ur life <3

jake sim x fem reader

warnings | kissing, angst (barely, like not even.)

2.2k

my second post!! I love this trope and I love jake :( pls cut me some slack btw I got lazy near the end 😭😭

The first time you met the infamous Jake, it was your first day at the prestigious Seoul Academy. Your parents had moved back to South Korea for work, and you found yourself thrown into a world of intense academic pressure and relentless competition. From the moment you stepped into the classroom, it was clear that Jake Sim was the golden boy.

He was sitting at the front of the room, surrounded by a group of friends, laughing at something you couldn't hear. He had an easy charm, a confident aura that made you feel small and insignificant. As you introduced yourself to the class, you could feel his eyes on you, assessing, judging.

"Another transfer student," he murmured to the boy next to him, loud enough for you to hear. "We'll see how long this one lasts." As his best friend Sunghoon chuckled,

The comment stung, but you refused to let it show. You had something to prove, not just to Jake, but to yourself. You had always been a top student back home, and you weren't about to let some arrogant dickhead boy in need of some ass-kicking get in your way.

From that day on, you and Jake were locked in a fierce competition. Every test, every assignment, every debate became a battleground. Jake was brilliant, there was no denying that, but so were you. Your grades were always neck and neck, the top spot constantly shifting between the two of you.

The tension between you was thick. You would exchange sharp words in the hallways, challenge each other in class, and glare at each other during school events. It was exhausting, but it also pushed you to be better, to work harder, and that’s all you needed.

One afternoon, you found yourself in the library, buried under a mountain of books. Finals were approaching, and you were determined to outscore Jake, even at the cost of your well being. You were so focused that you didn't notice him sitting a few tables away, watching you with an unreadable expression biting his lip.

"You're going to burn out if you keep this up," he said suddenly, breaking the silence.

You looked up, startled. "I don't need your advice, Sim."

He shrugged, leaning back in his chair. "Suit yourself. Just don't come crying to me when you crash and burn, while I get 100%."

You glared at him, anger bubbling up inside you. "I won't. And for your information, I don't plan on crashing and burning. I'm going to beat you Sim." Slightly pouting.

Jake's eyes flashed with something that looked almost like admiration. "We'll see about that." He says softly.

The competition continued, but something was changing. You started to notice things about Jake that you hadn't before. The way his brow furrowed in concentration when he was working on a difficult problem, the way he bit his lip when he was nervous, the way his eyes lit up when he talked about something he was passionate about.

You told yourself it didn't matter. Jake was still your rival, and you couldn't afford to be distracted. But it was getting harder to ignore the way your heart skipped a beat when he was around, the way you found yourself thinking about him when you were supposed to be studying.

One evening, you stayed late at school to finish a project. The building was quiet, almost eerie, and you were starting to feel a little uneasy. Just as you were about to pack up and leave, the door opened, and Jake walked in.

"What are you doing here?" you asked, trying to keep your voice steady.

"I could ask you the same thing," he said, raising an eyebrow. "I forgot some notes."

You nodded, turning back to your work. You could feel his eyes on you, and it was making it hard to concentrate.

"Do you ever take a break?" he asked after a moment.

"Do you?" you shot back, not looking up.

Jake sighed, walking over to your table. "Look, Y/N, I know we don't get along, but this is getting ridiculous. We're going to make ourselves sick if we keep this up."

You finally looked at him, surprised by the concern in his voice. "Why do you care?"

He hesitated, his eyes searching yours. "Because... I don't know. Maybe I don't want to see you hurt yourself."

The sincerity in his voice caught you off guard. For the first time, you saw a glimpse of vulnerability in Jake, and it made your heart ache. But it also made you scared.

“Don’t act like you care, Sim.” You say with a shaken voice before tearing your gaze away from him.

Despite your resolve to keep your distance, you found yourself working with Jake more often against your will even after that vulnerable moment. It started with a group project that neither of you could avoid, but it quickly became something more. You began to see that Jake wasn't just a rival, he was a person with his own struggles, fears, and dreams.

One evening, as you were working on your project in the library, you found yourself opening up to him about your fears and insecurities. Jake listened, his usual cocky attitude gone, replaced by a quiet understanding.

"I know what it's like to feel like you have to be perfect all the time," he said softly. "My parents expect nothing less from me. It's exhausting."

You looked at him, surprised by his honesty. "I didn't know. You always seem so... confident."

Jake laughed, but it was a bitter sound. "It's all an act. I'm just as scared as you are."

In that moment, something shifted between you. The rivalry was still there, but it was tempered by a newfound understanding and respect. You began to see Jake not as an enemy, but as someone who was just as driven and passionate as you were.

As the weeks passed, you and Jake grew closer. The late-night study sessions became a regular occurrence, and you found yourself looking forward to them. You would talk about everything and nothing, your conversations flowing easily.

But beneath the surface, there were feelings that neither of you were ready to acknowledge. You would catch Jake looking at you with a softness in his eyes that made your heart race, and you knew that your own feelings were growing stronger.

One evening, as you were walking home together after another late-night study session, Jake stopped suddenly, turning to face you.

"Y/N, there's something I need to tell you," he said, his voice tense with emotion.

Your heart pounded in your chest. "What is it, Sim?"

He hesitated, his eyes searching yours. "I... I think I'm falling for you."

The words hung in the air between you, charged with emotion. You opened your mouth to respond, but before you could, Jake leaned in, capturing your lips in a soft, tentative kiss.

Your hands lingered onto his soft hair, slightly deepening the kiss before he groaned in your mouth pulling you closer by your neck.

For a moment, the world seemed to stop. All the anger, the rivalry, the tension melted away, leaving only the two of you and the undeniable connection you shared.

When you finally pulled away, you were both breathless, your hearts racing.

"I've been wanting to do that for a long time," Jake admitted, his eyes filled with vulnerability.

You smiled with a gentle look in your eyes, your own feelings finally breaking free. "Me too, Jake. Me too.”

After that night, things between you and Jake changed. The rivalry was still there, but it was tempered by the growing affection you felt for each other. You found yourselves stealing moments between classes, sharing secret smiles and whispered conversations, and definitely not heated make out sessions in the corner of the library.

But as much as you wanted to shout your feelings from the rooftops, there was a part of you that was still scared. You had built your identity around being the best, and you didn't know how to let go of that.

One afternoon, as you were walking to class, you saw Jake talking to a girl from his study group. She was laughing at something he said, her hand resting on his arm. Jealousy surged through you, and you turned away, your heart aching.

You guys kiss and the next second he’s flirting with some random girl in your year?

Later that evening, as you were working in the library, Jake found you, his expression concerned.

"Y/N, what's wrong?" he asked, sitting down across from you.

You shook your head, trying to hide your emotions. "Nothing. I'm fine."

Jake reached out, taking your hand in his. "Please, talk to me. I can tell something's bothering you, plus you haven’t even spoken to me all day.. I miss you” he says with a pout.

You looked into his eyes, the words spilling out before you could stop them. "I saw you with that girl today. I know it's silly, but I couldn't help feeling jealous. And, I don’t know. I guess I feel a bit used…?”

Jake's eyes softened, and he squeezed your hand gently. "Y/N, you have nothing to worry about. She's just a friend. You're the one I care about. I’d never use you, don’t even think that baby.”

Tears welled up in your eyes, and you looked away, ashamed of your insecurities. "I just... I don't want to lose you."

Jake stood up, pulling you into his arms. "You're not going to lose me, Y/N. I promise." As you cry into his embrace.

As the final exams approached, the pressure became almost unbearable. You and Jake were both pushing yourselves to the limit, and the stress was taking its toll on your relationship, and it was definitely not for the best.

You found yourselves snapping at each other over little things, the tension building until it was almost too much to bear.

One evening, after a particularly heated argument, you found yourself alone in the library, tears streaming down your face. You felt like you were falling apart, and you didn't know how to fix it, like everything around you was drifting away.

Just as you were about to give up, Jake walked in, his expression filled with regret.

"Y/N, I'm sorry," he said, sitting down next to you. "I didn't mean what I said. I'm just so stressed, and I took it out on you.”

You looked at him, your heart aching. "I'm sorry too. I know you're under a lot of pressure, and I should have been more understanding." You say sniffling.

Jake reached out, taking your hand in his. "We both are. But we need to remember that we're in this together. We're stronger together, I love you remember?”

You nodded, wiping away your tears. "You're right. We can't let the pressure tear us apart, and you know I love you too..”

You say leaving a soft kiss on his lips, as he grins and kisses you gently again.

Jake pulled you into a hug, his arms tight around you. "We'll get through this, Y/N. Together."

The day of the final exams arrived, and the atmosphere at Seoul Academy was electric with tension. You and Jake walked into the exam hall together, your hands brushing lightly as you took your seats. You exchanged a look, a silent promise to give it your all, and no matter the outcome you would both be there for each other.

The exam was grueling, each question more challenging than the last. But you could feel Jake's presence beside you, a steadying force that gave you the strength to keep going. As you scribbled down your answers, you thought back to all the late-night study sessions, the whispered confessions, the stolen kisses. You knew that no matter what the outcome, you and Jake would face it together.

When the exam finally ended, the relief was overwhelming. You and Jake met outside the hall, the tension in the air dissolving as you fell into each other's arms.

"It's over," Jake said, his voice filled with disbelief.

You nodded, your heart pounding. "We did it."

Jake smiled, his eyes shining with pride. "No matter what happens, I'm proud of you, Y/N. We've come so far."

You leaned into his embrace, feeling a sense of peace wash over you. "I'm proud of us."

The day the results were posted, the school was buzzing with anticipation. You and Jake walked to the bulletin board together, your hands tightly clasped. As you approached, you could see a crowd of students gathered around, their expressions a mix of excitement and anxiety.

Taking a deep breath, you pushed through the crowd, scanning the list for your names. When you found them, your heart skipped a beat.

"Y/N... we're tied," Jake said, his voice filled with awe.

You looked at him, a smile breaking across your face. "We're both at the top."

Jake laughed, pulling you into his comforting embrace. "We did it! We really did it!"

As the crowd cheered around you, you felt a sense of triumph and relief. All the hard work, the late nights, the moments of doubt and fear—it had all led to this moment. And you had done it together.

With the final exams behind you and the results in hand, you and Jake began to look toward the future. You both had your sights set on prestigious universities, your dreams finally within reach.

One evening, as you sat together in the school's garden, Jake turned to you, his expression serious. "Y/N, I've been thinking a lot about what comes next. I want us to stay together, no matter where we end up."

You smiled, your heart swelling with love for him. "Me too, Jake. We've come this far together, and I can't imagine my future without you."

Jake took your hand, his eyes filled with determination. "We'll make it work. We can apply to the same schools, support each other through whatever challenges come our way."

You nodded, feeling a sense of certainty and hope. "We've already proven that we can overcome anything, as long as we're together."

Jake leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to your lips. "I love you, Y/N. And I always will."

Tears filled your eyes as you kissed him back, your heart bursting with emotion. "I love you too, Jake. Forever."

As you held each other, the sun setting behind you, you knew that your journey was just beginning. There would be challenges ahead, but you had each other. And that was all you needed.

epilogue

Years later, as you stood on the stage of your graduation ceremony, you looked out into the crowd and found Jake's eyes. He was standing with his classmates, a proud smile on his face. You had both been accepted to the same university, and your bond had only grown stronger with each passing day over the years.

As you walked across the stage to receive your diploma, you felt a sense of accomplishment and gratitude. You had achieved so much, and you had done it with the person you loved by your side, Jake Sim, the love of your life.

After the ceremony, you and Jake found each other in the crowd, your arms wrapping around each other in a tight embrace.

"We did it," Jake said, his voice filled with emotion. "We made it."

You smiled, tears of joy streaming down your face. "I couldn't have done it without you."

Jake cupped your face in his hands, his eyes shining with love. "And I couldn't have done it without you. We're a team, Y/N. Always."

“Always” you whispered staring at your engagement ring before wrapping your arms around Jake’s neck kissing him, as he wrapped his comforting arms around your waist.

As you kissed, the world seemed to fade away, leaving only the two of you and the love you shared. You knew that no matter what the future held, you would face it together, hand in hand.

And that was all you needed.

@luv-sims

[kiefbowl]

i made a string of really dumb financial decisions and now im in debt that might take me years to pay off, do you have any words of wisdom for me queen. like that feels bad. how do i even save up. imagine flushing a pile of money down the toilet thats what this debt it

I know how that feels, believe me. A lot of people do. I'm feeling the pain of my 9 month school loans, and credit cards I had already paid off back "on" again (one in particular is pretty high...whooooops).

Don't lose your cool, I have a couple of flexible suggestions that you take, use, and modify to your specifics:

Tithe yourself - if your job does direct deposit (which most do!), you can direct deposit your money into multiple accounts. Get it set up so your paycheck goes 90% into your checking account, 10% into your savings account so that you're not even thinking about it. You might feel the squeeze for a little bit but you'll acclimate to that "missing" 10% sooner than you think.

Ask for a raise - if you're working, ask for a raise. If you're new, or maybe not that "great", or they're penny-pinchers, or you're just nervous to ask, don't even worry about it. Ask for 3% - this is low, and most jobs will give it to you just for the convenience of getting you to stop bothering them about it (if they can't afford 3%, run run run). For context, if you make $10 an hour, a 3% raise only gives you $12.00 more each week. It's really not much, but not nothing! If you're NOT worried about asking a raise, go all in! Ask for 10%, maybe even 15%. Flex some negotiation skills. Maybe you'll walkaway with 7%, but every penny counts.

Get yourself on auto payments [at the smallest amounts you can] - if you've got credit cards, log in right now and get yourself on auto payments for the smallest amount. If you've got student loans, do the same thing. If you've got utility bills, get them on auto pay. These things take 3 minutes to set up, and there are phone numbers to call if you can't figure it out. These companies WANT you to do this, they will help you get it done.

Work off the smallest amount you owe first [aggressively] - Let's say you have a $60 parking ticket, a credit card you owe $400 on, and three student loans that are currently at $6,000 & $7,000 & $10,000. Forget the student loans right now, you've got them on autopay for the smallest amount you can get away with. First, pay off that $60 parking ticket with your next pay check before it becomes a $200 ticket and a court appearance. Now you can focus on the paying off the $400 aggressively. Your minimum payments will still go off, but every time you get a paycheck, long on and pay an additional amount to the credit card (something you can manage and will also feel good to your brain - $50 feels good when you're thinking of your debit in hundreds for example). Once you've got that paid off, now you can aggressively pay off your $6,000. Don't worry about the other two. Just focus on the smallest amount you owe. Each paycheck, payoff a chunk of your smallest debt. It'll get exciting after awhile, like yes I get paid I can make that credit card even smaller. Gamify it, whatever.

Stop worrying about how long it will all take - Only worry about the smallest amount of debt you owe and how (reasonably) fast you can get that paid off. That $400 credit card, if you can spare $100 each pay check - that's only 4 paychecks. That's not too long, right? That's the way to think of time and debt: how much can you spare each paycheck to pay off your lowest debt.

Ask for help - do not punish yourself by lying to your parents and friends. Tell your friends you can't do fancy dinners because you are paying off debt and can't afford it. Real friends will bring over a pizza to hang with you. Your parents might be willing to send you a check without you asking for it. Don't feel guilty about monetary gifts, just take it. Go to a bank and talk about their consolidation options. Bring a third party so you aren't dazzled by sales pitches. Consolidation loans aren't objectively good or bad, they can be a life saver if they have the right terms that work for you. Don't think it's over your head! Ask as many questions until you understand all your options.

Buy smart, stop suffering - this really should be like 4 different bullet points, but I'm going to be as concise as possible: you'll never get out of debt if you spend your money without purpose, and you'll never get out under the yoke of anxiety that you fucked up if you just squirrel your money away in fear. A lot of people will give you advice that you need to put yourself on a tight, punishing budget. Maybe, but I think those are doomed to fail for most people. And now you feel twice as bad. Don't do that to yourself. Learning the value of $10 is important. So it learning the value of $100, or $1,000. And the best way to learn is to practice buying and using your money - there's a cheap $1,000 and an expensive $10, and you have to learn how much value you are getting out of these amounts for these purchases. If you punish yourself all week, and then allow yourself a "little treat" on Sunday - that doesn't feel worthwhile to me. Those little treats will grow every day. Soon you're stopping at Starbucks every day for "just $10" and your Sunday treat has become a weekly blow out brunch with friends and then week to week you're scrounging to eat Top Ramen and lamenting your dreams are dying. Instead, save money by spending money on things worthwhile that make you budget for them. Go sign up for those yoga classes you want, go sign up for those guitar lessons you want, go sign up for those art lessons you want, whatever it is. Whatever brings value to your life. Your $70 a week yoga membership can now be valued against your $70 week at Starbucks, and as your pockets pinch one hopes you'll choose the yoga over the Starbucks because one hopes that the yoga is serving you better. Or maybe yoga is ass and you want to spend it on Starbucks, at least now you know. Though I recommend your local coffee shop, as Starbucks is a union busting piece of shit corporation :)

[danieyells]

hi! any chance you'd be able to post some of kaito's voicelines? I would love to see them <33

Our wanna-be knight and pathetic little best friend! He's just such a good boy lol. . .once again, another one who just wants to go back to a normal life, poor thing. Kaito's very much your vanilla, sweet boyfriend character with no frills attached, aside from his cowardice and his gambling habit of course. And his terrible aim. . . .

Copying all of them over isn't hard now that I've done it twice. Let's do it again for Kaito!

Default:

"{PC}! Over here! Hiya!"

"God, please don't make me go on any more missions... It's not like me being there is any help to anyone anyway..."

"Oh yeah, have you been on WickHive yet? Someone leaked next month's cafeteria menu! Oh wait... I-I already told you that, didn't I?!"

"Damn it... I could've taken {PC} to lunch with that money! God, why am I such a moron?!"

"Ask me anything you want to know! I'm pretty savvy when it comes to Darkwick!"

honestly the fact that he's a second year who doesn't wanna be here and doesn't wanna be doing all of this but he still knows like everything about the school is also kinda sus to me. . .surely he'd divest himself from as much of darkwick as possible if he didn't care

"Urgh... Limited time only, you are not my friend... Huh? Oh, I'm on TikTok. I really want this, but I'm pretty broke this month..."

You've got mail:

"Hey, new message. Better check it out, yeah? Or are you the type who's got like a ton of of unread inbox messages?"

. . .shut up /absolutely that type (and a sincere apology to literally everyone i know for that my adhd doesn't let me read and respond to their messages--)

Affinity 1:

"Ahem... Testing, testing... Morning! Heh, nailed it... Ack! How long've you been there, {PC}?!"

Affinity 2:

"Phew, should be safe here... EEEEEEEEEEK! Oh thank god, it's just a cat... I thought he found me..."

romeo oh romeo didn't you get into enough shit for this romeo? just make sure it's not Romeo cat. Because I'm sure it'll tell him somehow--

Affinity 3:

"Shit, it's Luca... Judging by the outfit he must be going to train. I better bail before he tries to rope me in too..."

Affinity 4:

"Eeeek?! Oh, it's just you... Geez, you almost gave me a heart attack!"

i know romeo is constantly on his ass, and I relate to the feeling of being scared the people you owe money will appear out of nowhere and get you, but. . .he's so jumpy lol

Affinity 5:

"Ugh, Romeo's texting me... Not gonna open that..."

Affinity 6:

"So your father runs a company, huh? Who the hell leads with that?! This is why I hate talking to Frostheimers..."

so the wording here is wonky because he's quoting a Frostheimer, but there's no visual indication that he's quoting them. But lore drop! Kaito's father runs a company! But I thought he wasn't well off. . .? Maybe his parents are separated or his father doesn't spend any of their money on him. . .or the company isn't doing well. . . .

Affinity 7:

"Argh, I want junk food! And I want to try all the new snack flavors!!"

my boy is so relateable--

Affinity 8:

"All right, time to man up and bite the bullet... Nope, absolutely not, can't do it!"

Affinity 9:

"How is Jin's skin so perfect? Fucking rich kids and their stupidly expensive fancy-ass toner!!!"

kaito really looking at jin like OH NO HE'S HOT

Affinity 10:

"(yawn) Guess I'll go brush my teeth..."

Affinity 11:

"Hey {PC}, you seem different somehow today. Did you change something? Or am I just imagining things?!"

Affinity 12:

"Noooo why does Tohma want to see me...? No way it's about something good! Could you come with me, {PC}?!"

Affinity 13:

"Crap, I fell asleep in class so I don't know what our homework is... Help me, {PC}!"

Affinity 14:

"(yawn) Man, my bed's like a freaking marshmallow. I can never get any good sleep on that thing..."

lol the Frostheim beds are too comfortable lolol I NEED A FIRMER BED TOO KAITO I GET IT.

Affinity 15:

"Huh? Oh, my pendant! You're always wearing it? Does that mean you've actually been paying attention to me?!"

once again the wording here is wonk because it makes it sound like the pc is always wearing Kaito's pendant. I'm pretty sure he's quoting the pc, who's commented that "you're always wearing it". It would read better as smething like "You noticed I'm always wearing it?"

Affinity 16:

"Hey {PC}, how 'bout we grab a bite?! I've got tons to splurge in winn... er, earnings, so it's all on me! Get whatever you want!"

your gambling addiction is really and truly going to get you in trouble. disregard that i play a gacha game.

Affinity 17:

"...Huh?! Man, nearly fell sleep without putting my phone on the charger... 5%, that would've sucked tomorrow..."

Affinity 18:

"Ha ha ha! Have you seen this yet?! It's all over TikTok. Ah man, it's killing me..."

Affinity 19:

"Whoa, when did it get so late?! Sorry {PC}, I didn't mean to keep you up... What? You're still good?"

Affinity 20:

"Morning! Hey, guess what? Luca's busy after class, so how about we hit up the diner? It's been ages!"

do you. . .do you really wanna go there. . .i mean the drinks seem to be fine but according to sho they can't make good food at all. . . .

Affinity 21:

"Sorry, I gotta stay after class today... (sniffle) This sucks, I really wanted to walk home with you..."

aw buddy. . .they could wait for you or come pick you up after your remedial lesson. . .!

Affinity 22:

"Hey I'm really sorry but do you mind if we stop by the campus store after class? I'm almost out of granulated sugar."

Affinity 23:

"Hey, do you like stars? Oh, um, I was just wondering 'cause there's this place where you can see them really well, so I thought maybe you'd want to go some time..."

he's overcoming his fears and being honest with himself and how he speaks and just. . .asking honestly, no bravado, no act. do it scared, kaito. do it scared, do it awkward, do it sure you're going to fail. as long as you do it. proud of you!

Affinity 24:

"Sure is dark. Reminds me of the closet where we first met. Remember?"

Affinity 25(max):

"I know I'm weak, and a coward. But I really do want to become your knight in shining armor, {PC}."

I love how comfortable and honest he starts to get as his affinity goes up. Still shy here and there, still scared, but he's not as jumpy and he starts treating you like a real friend. laughs with you about stuff, talks a little about hobbies and struggles. doesn't try and look cool for you. and then the honesty--i'm a weak coward, but i wanna be better for you. i wanna spend time with you. just!!! he grows!!! he realizes you like him for who he is and how he is, even if that's a weak coward--and that that's exactly what he wants! and it's okay for him to be that way because you won't be put off by it, even if it's something he'd like to grow from so he can be better for you--but he wants to be better for you as himself and--idk. i have feelings about characterization lol.

Spring:

"(yawn) Man, I wanna sleep, but I can't fail, so I gotta show up for class... Oh! I have Professor Nicolas next! Naptime."

does that mean you're good in anomalous medicine class or. . . .

"Grr! All those girls in the hall were looking at Luca! I'm so pissed off now I'm not even sleepy anymore!"

"It's finally warm out again, so I really want to go do something fun... Wish I could get an R&R permit..."

well maybe if you stopped sleeping in class and did good in class or went on a mission or something. . . . . .

"Mheheh... {PC}... You've got a petal in your hair... Zzz..."

Summer:

"Ugh, it's too hot to go outside... But I can sense a coming-of-age event on the horizon... All right, here I come!"

obligatory beach event? 👀

"Can't believe Professor Hyde still wears that blindfold in summer. Pfft, I bet it's really sweaty under— Eeeek! S-Sir?!"

"Hey {PC}, are you free after this? I was thinking of inviting Luca to let off some fireworks! I want to show him how we do summer here in Japan."

"I can't believe I get to spend the whole summer hanging out with you {PC}... (sniffle) Homework? Uh y-yeah, I finished it already..."

Autumn:

"Is it just me, or is it really cold today?! Guess I better get my coat out soon..."

"Have you had the chestnut rice from the cafeteria yet? They made it way too fancy. It's supposed to be comfort food..."

"Tohma's always reading something. Maybe I should too... All right, let's go with this! 10 Ways To Become Popular Overnight!"

well. . .it's something to read. . .never a bad idea to read.

"Apparently the moon is the most beautiful in fall since the air gets clearer. Want to go take a look?"

Winter:

"It's freezing out there! It's freezing in here! Frostheim sucks!!"

this makes me wonder what the warmest dorm is on average. . .probably jabberwock as long as towa's in a good mood? (or maybe warm jabberwock winters mean towa's in a bad mood. . .?)

"The cold can go to hell, but I guess there's outfits you can only wear this time of year..."

"I really want to go to Starbucks for the new winter drink! But I really really don't want to go on any missions!! Guess I'll never get to try it."

"Gram... No... No more mandarins... ...Huh?! Oh, it was just a dream... I haven't had a mandarin for ages..."

'gram' in this case is 'grandma' in case you couldn't figure it out haha and the mandarin(mikan)'s used to represent health and longevity and a long prosperous bloodline or something like that for new years. So i assume his grandmother would feed him a lot of mandarins every winter lolol

His birthday:

"Why did Jin, Tohma, and Luca give me all this high-end stuff?! It's freaking me out!! Thank you!?!?"

EVEN JIN AND TOHMA GAVE HIM GIFTS. . .FROSTHEIM FAM IS REAL. . . .

Your birthday:

"Happy birthday, {PC}! We'll make this the best one— Hey, give those back! Those are the cue cards I made yesterday!!"

ksjfkhesbfjh he made himself cue cards to give you a birthday speech with as little stuttering as possible. . . .

New Years:

"Happy New Year! Let's make it a good one! S-So hey, if, er, if you'd like, c-could we, um... could we make our first shrine visit together?"

Valentine's Day:

"C'mon Kaito, deep breaths. Girls aren't into guys with no chill. So stay cool... Stay— Are those chocolates for me?! I'll take them to my grave!"

everyone loves an enthusiastic boy lol

White Day:

"Do you like the cookies I made? Come on, no way they're that good, heh heh... Heh heh heh... Here, take them all!!"

god i bet he makes really good sweets too. like i bet he puts so much love and good spirit into them lolol

April Fool's Day:

"I'd never lie to a girl. Ah! That's not a lie, I swear! {PC}? Are you listening?!"

BAD THING TO SAY ON APRIL FOOL'S ABORT MISSION

Halloween:

"Trick or treat! See those carved pumpkins? I was actually the one who made them. What do you think?"

given his DIY skills i bet he's actually really good at carving too. i bet they look really good!

Christmas:

"Hey, uh, {PC}, do you, uh... Do you have any plans for Christmas? I'm actually totally free!"

Idle:

"Huh? {PC}? Am I being annoying?! I'm sorry! You're probably busy, right?!"

"{PC} seems kind of busy... I know! I'll find a video that'll help take her mind off things!"

the secondary idle audios replace the first ones after you hit a certain affinity, so it's cute to see that he eventually decides 'i'm not being annoying, they're just busy. i wanna help them' after they get closer o you. . . .

Absent:

"Ah...! Oh my god, you're back!! I'm so happy to see you!!!!  (sob) Please don't leave me again..."

he's so clingy. . .poor guy really missed you, considering you're one of the kindest and most normal people in Darkwick that he associates with. . . . also man 'please don't leave me again' with the whole loop theory stuff. . . .

I THINK I'VE SAID MOST OF MY THOUGHTS THROUGHOUT THIS BUT. He really is a sweetie. He really could have ended up a very plain and 'safe' character, but he's managed to be very charming and entertaining with his struggles and exaggerated behavior, while still being a simple and safe type. Really looking forward to seeing how he plays into the rest of the story, since it seems like his pendant may be kind of important. . . .

[jordyn14]

It Has Always Been You • Joe Burrow Mini Series

Chapter 1: “Hey, hey, hey. What’s with the staring?”

I'm Maisie, Maisie Moreau. The last name is in fact French. Before my mom and I moved to Athens, Ohio, we lived in Monaco. My dad was well known in Monaco because he was an f1 driver. My dad was amazing. Any chance he got, he was bringing me to the race tracks so I could either watch him, or climb in either him so he could show me what he see's every time he got in that car. Those cars that I grew up around, that I thought could do no wrong and were so cool, killed my dad. While he was coming around a corner, he lost control of the car and skidded off the track. Next thing I know, I was watching the car slowly becoming engulfed in flames. At the time I didn't really know what was going on, but my dad was trapped in his car and the rescue team didn't put the fire out soon enough. My dad died.

After that, my mom couldn't stand to live in that house...or in Monaco for that matter. Anywhere she looked, my dad was there, literally. Not only were there so many memories of him around the house or in their favorite restaurants or coffee shops, but there were pictures of him that people put out in remembrance of him. Don't get me wrong, it was nice to see that people were honoring him and his name after such a horrible accident, but we didn't want to keep seeing his face everywhere, it hurt too much. I was 7 when we left Monaco to come to Ohio. Don't ask me why we came to Athens, Ohio, though. Out of every single state that couldn't been home, she chose Ohio. The quiet, empty, high poverty and crime state. I would soon find out that that was the best decision my mom has ever made for us.

Coming into a new school as a second grader where everybody already knew everyone from first grade was scary-no, terrifying. My friends were all back at home and I expected to never find friends. Plus, even though I was raised around English and French, I kept forgetting how to say things, which just made kids laugh. I would come home crying most days asking my mom if we could go back home. I knew she felt terrible because it was a big change, Monaco...the richest country in the world, to Athen's, Ohio. That was until I met Arthur Burrow. Arthur saw me crying under the slide one day and asked me if I wanted to play with him and his friends, he said it was because I had a cool accent. The rest is pretty much history. We became instant best friends, and when I say best friends, I mean inseparable. Everywhere he went, I went, and everywhere I went, he went. Arthur even helped me with my English, even though I still struggle with it sometimes.

Not only did we become best friends, but my mom became best friends with his parents. I mean they kind of had to, Arthur and I wanted to hang out any chance we got. We spend all of elementary school together and when we finally were about to go into middle school, my mom thought it would be a good idea to take us all down to Monaco for a little vacation, even Arthur's parents and brother. My mom kept the house which led to a private beach because she couldn't part with it and frequently visited, so when we got back home, it was like nothing changed. It felt so good to be around people who talked like me. It was like a breath of fresh air. We spent that entire week pretty much in the water, where Arthur learned that he absolutely loved boats. I of course, only 11, asked my mom if we could take the yacht back home. She obviously told me that that was impossible.

I guess it's time that I should also mention Arthur's older brother of three years, Joe Burrow. When people think of Joe Burrow, their minds probably go to the quarterback from the Cincinnati Bengals, but not me. My mind instantly goes to my best friend's dreamy and charming older brother who always had our backs. When someone would make fun of my accent and the way I would forget some words in English, Joe was always there to put them in their place, girls or not. Joe wouldn't let anyone talk bad about his brother or me. You see? Dreamy. That was a crush that started off very very small, but soon got very very big. The first day I realized that I had a crush on him was when Arthur and I who were in 6th grade, went to watch Joe play in his first ever varsity basketball game. The way he ran up and down that court and shot the ball was like sugar rush to me...at least they felt similar.

While Joe was off at LSU being an amazing quarterback and proving everyone wrong, Arthur and I were figuring out ourselves and what we were passionate about. When I was 16, my mom got a call from a modeling agency, and just like Arthur and I, the rest was history. When I reached the age of 18, my name was getting a little bigger and I was modeling for more places than just local businesses. My first big modeling job was for Nike, yes, it may seem small compared to some, but Justice and Gap were even smaller. From there, I started to travel around a little bit for these modeling photo shoots and when I was 19, I modeled for Prada, which was like a dream come true for me.

When I was 18, though, Arthur and I both went to Ohio State. I went for fashion design and out of high school started up my own clothing business, which has skyrocketed these past few years because I really got my name out there with modeling. Arthur went first engineering and now has a big boy job making a lot of money, but obviously not as much as his brother who always teases him about that.

Also at 18, my mom decided to move back to Monaco. It was the second hardest decision's she ever had to make, second to moving to America after my dad passed away. My mom needed to move back, though. Not only to keep my dad's memory alive, but because she missed it so incredibly much. She missed her friends, going to f1 races, going on boat rides whenever she wanted, living near the ocean, and more. We all could tell that she wanted to go back, she just didn't want to leave me, but I wanted to stay. I couldn't leave my best friend. It was hard without her for a while, but we FaceTimed any chance we got, and I also visited whenever modeling, school, or work wasn't in the way. Lucky, I picked up a few modeling shoots with hermés and Dior in Monaco so I could go there for the shoot and stay for a weekend with my mom.

Another amazing thing that about being best friends with Arthur was not only watching his brother go from cute to hot and see him find himself, but also make it to the NFL. It was hard to watch him at OSU and being the backup to the backup. There were so many times where the three of us would go out to lunch and all Joe could think and talk about was football, and it wasn't positive things, really. It was about how he was always the backup and how he never got the chance to prove himself. It was hard on him and we hated seeing him struggle, especially when he hurt his hand and became the backup to the backup. It literally had been amazing watching Joe live out his dream in the NFL because of that. His football career started off extremely rough and not promising, but now he's doing amazing and is proving everyone wrong.

Not only did I get to watch my friend become amazing at football, but I got to watch him while having the biggest crush on him. It was hard not to. He wasn't just extremely attractive and amazing at football, but he was an amazing person. Time and time again he showed just how amazing he was. Whether it was standing up for me and Arthur, helping me with my English when Arthur couldn't, or literally just being himself, he was amazing. He was nerdy, funny, handsome, kind, intelligent. It was literally impossible not to have a crush on him. But at the end of the day, he was my best friend's brother, which meant I always had to push those feelings aside. It wasn't like I ever thought Joe would start to have feelings for me, because that was extremely impractical, but I didn't want anything to come between Arthur and I, and me having a crush on his brother could do that.

Just like we did in Joe's first year of playing in the NFL, we packed our bags and headed to Monaco for a week vacation where Joe could calm down and destress before the first game. Arthur and I always loved visiting Monaco because the legal drinking age was 18, meaning the day we turned 18, we took a trip over here so we could drink legally. Now, at 22, we didn't have to worry about that stuff. Currently, we were all on our yacht, soaking in the last bit of ocean before we had to leave and go back to Ohio. The new season starting back up meant the stress would eventually creep into Joe and he would be insufferable after the losses, meaning that Arthur and I were really soaking up the last bit of fun and stress free Joe. My mom and the Burrow's were all at the front of the boat relaxing and catching up while the three of us were at the back of the boat.

I let out a deep exhale, the sun shining on me feeling amazing. My eyes were shut and I couldn't help but smile. This life was amazing. From in front of me, I could hear Arthur doing flips off of the boat and into the ocean under us. It was moments like these ones that I wish I could live in Monaco. Not only did I love the ocean and the sun, I also loved being around people who spoke the same language as me. Arthur and Joe tried to learn, but they only know how to out a few sentences together. On this yacht, I could tell Joe could forget about the things he was worried about back at home and put his focus into having fun. "Maisie, come in! The waters great!" Arthur yelled up at me from in the water. With a small laugh, I opened my eyes and sat up on my elbows so I could look down and into the water a little bit. Unable to see Arthur, he swam back a little bit and came into view.

As soon as we made eye contact, I waved down at him and we both started laughing. As you can see, I am suntanning. I have a modeling shoot tomorrow before we leave and I want my skin nice and golden." I said with a little "hmph.' After hearing this, Arthur started swimming over to the ladder on the side of the yacht and started to climb out of the water, water trickling off of his body. Don't you dare. When he made his way over to me, he bent down a little so he was closer to me and started to shake his head and body, water getting all over me. "Stop it, you're like a wet dog!" I screamed in French while laughing and got up from the chair. "One, why are you always tanning, and two, slow down your French because I can't understand you." Arthur said and elbowed me in the side a little bit.

Usually when I talk fast or out of nowhere, I will accidentally speak French, which happens more than I'd like to admit, but Arthur just finds it funny. "One, it's a lifestyle, and two, I called you a wet dog." I said and laughed as I watched Arthur's face drop when he heard me call him a wet dog. Scanning Arthur's face, a small smile started to appear before he nodded to himself. "Don't you dare." I said and backed away from him, putting my hands out in front of me to shield myself. All of a sudden, he lunched forwards and grabbed me in his arms, lifting me up off of the ground. I started to flail and hit his back while we both laughed like crazy. "You let me go right now!" I laughed and flailed some more, but soon just accepted it as he got closer to the edge of the boat.

I let out one last scream as Arthur jumped into the water with me in his arms. As soon as my feet hit the water, I plugged my nose to stop any water from getting in it before I was submerged. Arthur let go of me once we were both in the water. After a few seconds of staying under the water, I started to swim to the top and as soon as I surfaced, I looked over at Arthur who was already fixing his messed up hair. "Now I have to wash my hair." I laughed and dipped my head underwater to get the hair out of my face some more. "Good, it looked bad anyways." He joked with me as he started to swim towards the ladder. All of a sudden, I heard the door on the yacht open up and stopped moving so I was floating in the water. I looked up to see Joe walking out. Damn.

Joe was in nothing but his swimming trunks, and obviously a pair of socks since he always wore socks-except in the water, that is. I couldn't tear my eyes off of him and the way every single muscle was showing right now. My eyes scanned over his thick thighs, his muscular arms, his toned abs with the perfect amount of love handles on the sides. I gulped a little at the sight of his perfectly tanned body as he strutted out to us, his chest a bit red from not putting on enough sunscreen, though his mom kept nagging him about it. I would be lying if I said this wasn't one of my favorite parts about being out on the yacht. I was pulled from my thoughts when Arthur started to climb out of the water. Following his lead, I started to climb out after him and crossed my arms over my chest when I couldn't find my towel.

"Your mom is going to start taking us back since you have a modeling shoot in a few hours. Unless you guys want to get in your workout and swim back." Joe said. Both Charles and Joe started laughing at that last bit, knowing I wasn't the best at swimming long distances. Arthur, still chuckling, looked me up and down a little bit and said, "Maisie would drown. She doesn't have the stamina for that." I rolled my eyes while ringing out my hair a little bit. A bunch of water fell onto my feet and onto the boat. I looked up at Joe and saw that he was carrying two towels. "Sorry, I'm not a football player and I'm not a gym rat like you." I said while shaking my head. Joe chuckled a little bit and said, "maybe you should go to the gym with Arthur...beef up those twig like arms while you're at it." I scoffed a little and looked down at my arms. They definitely weren't twigs, they just weren't as big as theirs.

"Thanks but no thanks. My arms are just fine. Plus, I do work out for your information." I said with a little smile and a shrug. Joe just chuckled and held out his hand which held my beach towel. Arthur already grabbed his and was currently running it over his hair to dry it off. "Here you go, Zie." Joe said. My face instantly flushed a shade of red as I heard him call me Zie. Yes, Joe's nickname for me was Zie. When I was younger, I absolutely hated it. Everyone either called me Maisie, May, or Maise, not Zie. I asked Joe just to pick one of those three, but he insisted on Zie because he wanted to be the only person that called me that. That nickname has been such a constant thing that now I even like hearing it because when I hear it, I know Joe said it since he's the only person that uses it. "Thank you, Joey." I reached out to grab the towel from his hand, but noticed Joes eyes go from my eyes to my breasts.

After I grabbed it from him, Arthur started to talk to me about something that I wasn't even paying attention to. All I could focus on was the fact that Joe was looking directly down at my breasts and not talking, just staring. After a few seconds of him looking down at them, he realized what he was doing and quickly looked away and cleared his throat. I wrapped the towel around myself and quickly grabbed my clothes from the chair I was sun tanning on a little bit ago. "Just make sure you don't fall in on the way back." Joe said and turned on his heal. I couldn't take my eyes off of his back muscles and the way his hair blew in the wind as he walked away from us and towards the front of the boat. I couldn't help but wonder what it would feel like to run my fingers over those muscles and through his hair.

"Hey, hey, hey. What's with the staring?" Arthur elbowed me a little bit, noticing how I was staring at him. I tore my eyes off of Joe and looked over at Arthur who was putting his shirt on. Deep down, he knew I found Joe cute, and I mean...who wouldn't. It's impossible not to be face to face with a tall, handsome man like Joe and not find him cute. But Joe wasn't just cute...he was totally hot. What makes him even more attractive is his personality and the way he respects everyone. He's gently, caring, compassionate, romantic-and I'm rambling. See what he does to me? That stuff shouldn't matter to me because he's off limits. I couldn't do that do Arthur. Still, it's hard to get Joe out of my head.

"Oh as if." I said and punched his arm. Arthur nodded a little bit and smiled. "Yeah, well, don't get any ideas." He said and wrapped an arm around my neck, pulling me towards him and into a head lock as we headed for the door that led inside where we could get dressed. After a little bit, we finally docked the boat and we walked home, which wasn't too far away. When we got to the house, Arthur and I ran inside to see who could get the best shower in the house firsts, which was the guest bedroom that he stayed in. Why did he get the best shower? I have no idea. All I know is that it's the best in the house and I needed a good shower since I have a modeling shoot soon. We both pushed past Joe who was walking in front of us, making him stumble to the side a little bit. "You guys act like children!" He called out after us as we raced each other, though I could hear him laugh after. "It prevents wrinkles, you should try it!" I looked back at him for a split second while running. Luckily I turned around when I did because if I didn't, I would've totally ran into an end table.

Before I knew it, I was jumping over the couch to get in front of Arthur and then he followed after me up the stairs. Finally, I made it to the bathroom before him and turned around to face him, looking victorious. "Haha, I win, loser. Now shoo. I need to shower quick so I can get to my photo shoot." I said, shooing him away so I could shower. Arthur glared at me for a few seconds before accepting that he lost and walking out of the room and probably another shower. I grabbed everything I needed for my shower including my clothes and then locked the bathroom door behind me and started to strip away my clothes.

Instead of my normal everything shower that took an hour, I showered in 15 minutes since I was in a little bit of a rush. Turning the water off, I stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around me as I shivered a little. Reaching over to grab my clothes which were in my usual spot, my heart dropped a little bit. "Damn it." I said to myself with a sigh, realizing that I forgot them on Arthur's bed. Now I was going to have to open the door and let all of the cool air in. Great. With another sigh, I swung open the door. "Arthur, I think Maisie left you without saying goodbye." Joe chuckles with his back facing me, expecting me to be Arthur. "Oh my gosh!" I said quickly, not expecting Joe to be in Arthur's room while I was showering. Joe looked behind him after hearing someone scream and looked just as shocked as me when he saw that I was in fact not Arthur and I was wrapped in a towel.

Just as soon as he faced me, he was turning around quickly and said, "I am so sorry, I thought you were Arthur." I gripped onto the towel around me so it didn't fall and backed up into the bathroom. I started to shut the door but made sure there was a big enough crack so I could reach my hand out. Just as Joe was about to walk out of the room and give me privacy, I said, "wait," quickly. Joe stopped in his tracks and turned his head to the side so his ear was facing me, but his eyes weren't. Part of me wanted him to look at me and never take his eyes off of me. "Can you hand me my clothes real quick? They're on the bed." I said nervously, feeling stupid for forgetting my clothes and making Joe look at me with nothing but a towel on.

Joe glanced towards the bed and when he saw my clothes, nodded and walked over to them. "Of course." He said and grabbed them, making sure not to unfold them. When he started walking my way, I quickly leaned back from the door so he didn't catch me staring at him and so he didn't see me. I heard his footsteps getting closer to the door and then he said, "alright, reach your hand out." I reached my hand out of the small crack in the door and felt him place the clothes in my hand. "Thank you so much, Joey." I said. "It's no problem, Zie." With that, I heard his footsteps again but this time they disappeared out of the room. I shut the door quickly and leaned my back on it after hearing Arthur's bedroom door shut. "Shit." I said to myself, slapping my forehead.

Once I got dressed, I walked downstairs to see everyone sitting down at the huge table eating a post yacht snack. I always call it a post yacht snack since every time we get off of the boat, we all snack so much. "Alright, shower is free Arthur. I'm going to head out soon. I'll see you all tomorrow." I said with a smile and towards the table. Once I got to the table, I hugged Jimmy and Robin from behind and told them bye and then made my way over to my mom. "Drive safe, sweetheart. I love you." My mom said once I wrapped my arms around her from behind. "I love you more momma." I said and kissed her cheek when she tilted her head near me and patted my arm. Once I pulled away from her, I walked over to Arthur who stood up from his chair.

I wrapped my arms around Arthur and hugged him tightly before we pulled away. When I walked away, Arthur flicked me in the shoulder. "You're a bitch. No wonder why you're still single." I said in French as I continued to walk. My mom started cracking up laughing while everyone else looked at me and then my mom, wondering what I said. "What did you say? What did she say?" Arthur asked me and then my mom from the table, Joe laughed and then said, "she probably called you a jackass, jackass, which is why nobody likes you." I looked over while laughing a nodded a little bit. "Honestly that was pretty close." I told Joe while laughing. I grabbed my Keys from the key bowl on the counter and headed for the door. Before I reached the door, though, I turned around and said, "I'll see you tomorrow. Bye guys!" I said and opened up the door, hearing everyone say bye as I walked out.

A/n: I know this one is short and pretty boring, but the next one is going to be way better, I promise! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! 🫶🏼🫶🏼

[jegulily-stuff]

It's been a while but I'm back with a ficlet. A little Reg and Lily conversation about predestination.

...

"You know," Lily says conversationally, "I found out yesterday that our Divination professor's first name is Claro."

"It's Latin." Regulus says still looking out over the balcony. "It means bright. Or famous."

That's kind of missing the point.

"His name is Claro Voyant. And he teaches Divination."

Regulus turns to her.

"His family have the surname Voyant because they were known for being Seers in the past - it means 'seeing'. That isn't a coincidence. He inherited a bloodline gift."

Nevermind, he just disagreed with the point.

"But Claro is still really on the nose, isn't it?"

"His parents probably went to a Name Augur, and she sensed that he'd reawaken that gift in their family and suggested an appropriate name. If you think that makes it 'on the nose' then I suppose it is."

Name Augurs, huh. Lily lets that sink in.

"You know, so much more makes sense now. I didn't know you had a whole system to name people after what they were going to do in the future."

Regulus frowns. Maybe at her ignorance.

"I think it's slightly vaguer than that. The augur is drawn to a name but doesn't necessarily see the child's life. Divination is rarely explicit."

Lily crosses her legs up on the bench. "How much of it is nominative determinism, do you think? You know, self-fulfilling? Like, does being named after something make you more likely to choose it."

Regulus hums.

"Sometimes I wonder if all divination is self-fulfilling." Lily continues, "Like if you think its going to happen, you're more likely to make it happen, or at least interpret that it did happen."

It's been bugging her lately. The free will thing. Whether her own intentions matter.

"I think," Regulus says, "That if a path is laid out before you, you ought to take it. The universe has a structure."

And we all have our places in it, Lily finishes. He doesn't say it though.

"Were you named like that?" She asks, to change the subject.

He frowns again. This time it's definitely because he thinks she's said something silly.

"My family have a set naming tradition. We share our names with stars and constellations and other astronomical bodies."

He's had a pretty level tone the whole time but here it gets a little snooty.

"There's still a lot of choice within that." Lily argues. "It was a fair question."

Regulus considers this.

"We don't use Name Augurs." He answers. "They're considered tacky among people of higher stations."

Lily fails to choke back a snort of laughter.

Regulus doesn't seem to notice.

"Sometimes I wonder though, if parents can end up picking names that fate already set out, without even asking a Seer - I mean, with Sirius-"

He stops, falls quiet again.

Lily thinks about that. Sirius, named after the Dog Star, the brightest star in the sky. Does that really count as a prediction?

She knows that Regulus thinks Sirius is a very impressive wizard, outshining everyone else. But from the outside, not having been compared to him for her entire life, she isn't sure she agrees.

I don't think he's better than me, just flashier.

Maybe that's the prediction.

"Narcissa isn't a star, or a constellation." She says instead. A late defence of her not picking up on the family naming pattern.

"Or a planet, or a galaxy, or a moon, a comet, or an asteroid." Regulus agrees. "I think Aunt Druella got to name her. Her third daughter, with two already named under their father's tradition, that time she got to have an input. And I think the naming of daughters doesn't need to be so strict because they don't stay in the household forever. They'll have a different surname eventually. It's boys that have to embody the house for their whole life."

Lily searches for a topic to pivot to.

"My grandmother was called Melania." Regulus says distantly, before she can come up with anything. "She was a Macmillan. Her parents went to a Name Augur, even though it wasn't very classy - they were Hufflepuffs." Ah, of course, Hufflepuffs - no decorum. "Melania means black. That was the most important part of her life as it was predestined, that she was going to marry my grandfather and bear my father and my aunt. She died before I can remember, and I couldn't tell you anything else about her other than that." He sounds a little sad. "And without her, I wouldn't be here, able to spend my life fulfilling my own duty to my family and my blood, and to magic. For us, the universe has that path of duty set out from the very start of our lives, to the very end."

I feel like you're so close to understanding that's a bad thing.

Lily decides not to push that today.

Regulus starts tapping his fingers against the bench.

"My sister and I are both named after flowers." She says eventually. "I liked it at first because I always loved the outdoors and I thought a plant name made me part of that. And then I realised girls get named after flowers because flowers are pretty and delicate and I stopped liking it so much."

"I don't think your name should be looked at as a prediction." Regulus offers.

Because my parents are cut off from the magic of the universe?

"Lilies represent purity." She says.

"I know." The response comes a little too fast.

"But they're actually kinda poisonous. And have you ever seen water lily roots? They look monstrous."

Regulus looks away. She isn't sure if she's baiting him to say something about her blood, or her background, or if it's her who's thinking about it.

Petunia stands in front of her in her mind's eye. If muggles are dangerous because they so easily hate us, could I be bringing something bad into this world without meaning to?

I'm magic. Surely it's me that needs rescuing from the muggle world, not the magical world from me.

Regulus is staring off out from the balcony when he speaks.

"People pick flower names because they're pretty. I don't think you can make too much of them when it comes to fate."

She gets the rather uncomfortable sense that he's trying to be diplomatic.

"My cousin, Narcissa, as you mentioned, she's named for a flower. Narcissus. She isn't self-absorbed, like the flower represents. And I can't think she's going to lose her life to obsessive pride."

Ah, Lily thinks. Unfortunately, I don't agree at all.

She turns to stare off the balcony too.

Maybe I will bring destruction then.

She doesn't want to. She wants to believe that everything can be good and that there can be a world where violence isn't necessary. Where her friends are wrong that Sev is dangerous, and his friends are wrong that she is. And where one day Regulus could admit that she's his friend and not some deadly secret.

She sighs.

At least my entire life isn't marriage and children. It would be awful to only be remembered like that.

[carolinahope]

To be honest I was very underwhelmed by this episode. It might have been the overabundance of stills that gave away a lot of the emotional beats. But they just didn't land as they were supposed to. The episode felt choppy. Just like this whole season. They just tried to cram too much into too little time.

Don't get me wrong. There were some scenes and story lines that I adored. But overall, I was not a fan.

Athena going rogue is still my least favourite Athena. Angela acted her ass of and I'm actually really glad it was not Amir who set the Grant-Nash house on fire. That was a good choice. I liked his talk with Bobby at the end. Malcolm was just glorious. A joy to watch. And I loved, loved loved, the scene with Harry and May in the hospital. That was very sweet.

I liked that Maddie and Chim took Mara in until the situation is resolved. This is a good set up for next season. It gives happy present with potential for future drama. And I'm guessing there is going to be a lot. But I liked how both Hen and Maddie clocked Athena acting weird. I really enjoyed the friendships on this show. They are getting better with each episode. I hope we will get to see more of the Wilsons and the Buckley-Hans. But I need for them to include the Buckley-Diazes next season as well.

I skipped the bummy scene because who cares. I just want that man gone.

On the other hand the Buckley-Diaz mess was so wonderfully painful and earnest (even though they still insist on the Buckleys not really being shitty parents. I will never buy what you are selling).

Ryan and Oliver really acted their hearts out. I wish the scenes had a little more room to breath and we got a hug after Chris left but overall it was not the worst set up.

The Diaz parents had some good points though that doesn't make Chris asking to go to Texas any less heartbreaking. Buck's subtle headshake after his talk with Chris about broke me. Eddie really has a lot of healing to do. And I hope he gets the chance to and I know Buck will be there for him every step of the way. I mean, they could have hardly intertwine them any more if they tried.

I hate that people were right about Gerard coming back as the 118 captain. Nothing good can come from it. But I guess we will need to wait till autumn to find out how much the shit will hit the fan.

Overall, the season was not a total loss but it definitely suffered from too many plot lines and too little time.

[valley-of-headcanons]

Could you write some headcanons for Sebastian comforting his spouse who has anxiety and depression stemming from a less-than-stellar upbringing? I tend to need assurance people aren't mad at me and I avoid conflict cuz it tends to make me cry. Got to wondering how he'd handle all that lol.

rest your head, love || sebastian x farmer oneshot

after getting into an argument with haley, anxiety courses through your veins. but, sebastian is always here to help you through it <3

warnings: reader fights with haley (sorry haley lovers 🙏), hints towards abusive parenting but nothing outright described. nothing too dark, simply a comfort fic :)

requested by: anon! hi, i'm so sorry this took so long to come out! another one requested before my unannounced hiatus 💀 anyway! i love this request, this is probably one of my favorite things to write about, i love comfort fics 🙏 thank you so so so much for the request! also changing this into a fic because i believe the format would be easier :)

Stepping through the doors of your home, the expression on your face showed that you're absolutely defeated. Your demeanor was clouded by anxiety, and Sebastian could tell. As he rose from his computer and walked closer to you, he wore a worried expression. “Love, are you doing okay ...?”

You softly shook your head, sitting down on the bed and staring off into space. “I-I ... I got into an argument- ... with Haley. And ... I just feel like I ca- can't really breathe, y'know ...?” you stuttered out, putting your shaking palms against your face.

Sebastian sat down beside you and rested a hand on your back, rubbing circles with his thumb. “You can't take anything Haley says seriously, she's just insecure. She's just a bitch,” he mumbled to you, although it didn't seem to help. He knew that this was deeper than Haley, it was something much deeper.

Kissing your temple, Sebastian softly took your hands in his. “Hey, I want you to listen to my voice. Exit your mind, it's too dark of a place to be in right now. Would you like to sit in my lap?” he asked in the softest voice he could, offering his comfort.

As you crawled into his lap and wrapped your legs around his waist, you felt his arms caress your back. Tears started flowing from your eyes and you buried yourself in the crook of his neck. “I-I just hate arguing, and she said- she said so many things that I-I've heard too many times before and- I thought that I got away from it all! I'm just so- ... I'm upset and I can't help it ...”

Sebastian removed his hands from your back and cupped your face, wiping the gentle tears from your cheeks. “It's okay. You are away from it, I promise. Nothing's gonna hurt you here, not even Haley. You're none of the things Haley said, not a single one of them, do you hear me?”

You gave a silent nod, leaning into his hand. “... not even when she said I was annoying? Or boring? Or- ... anything?” you said, attempting to take deep breaths between your shuddered exhales.

“Yes, dear. You're none of those things. You're not annoying, why else would I even be here? You're not boring, you actually interest me more than any of the people in the town. You actually have a personality, you don't seem as 2D as everyone else ... you're everything to me, so please don't think stupid things like that. The people who say stupid things like that just don't get it. Now relax, let me take your mind off of it for a little while,” Sebastian said in a stern yet comforting tone. He held you tight to his chest, rubbing your back while he rocked softly.

He knew all about your past. He knew the horrendous things that you've witnessed, you've heard, you've felt. He was hellbent on mending that part of you, even if it meant a small bit at a time. He'd stay up all night with you if you needed, but you had fallen asleep in his lap soon after you felt safe enough to. He laid back on the bed, pulling you close and wrapping the cover around you both. He could finish his work tomorrow, nothing could beat these soft moments with you.

Pressing another soft kiss to your temple, he whispered to you. “Goodnight love, rest your pretty head,” he muttered, before closing his own eyes. He slept soundly next to you, holding you close the entire night. Nothing could beat this.

[thewitchescreatures]

The Vagabond Pt. Three

Ayo! I got it done~ I have once again way overestimated how long a story was going to take me. I travel for work and thought that with all the city hopping I would be doing this trip I would not have time to actually sit down and work on the Vagabond thoroughly. But here we are! Wanna read the other parts? Check out my Masterlist here

Tag list: @kyoko-neko @strawberrypoundtown

....................................................................................

Werewolf!Oscar "Oz" Vi x Fem!Werebunny!Reader

Warnings: NSFW, cunnilingus, steamy shower time, lil hair, tail, and ear pulling, unprotected sex

You let out an awkward sigh as you locked your fingers together and rested your hands over your sternum. “So…” You began.

Oscar groaned as he supported himself on his elbows above you. It had been twenty minutes since the two of you wrapped up your hook up session. But much to Oscar’s mortification the swelling of his knot had not yet gone down and therefore he was still stuck inside you.

“This has seriously never happened before?” You ask. Skepticism is still dripping in your tone.

“(Name), for the hundredth time, no. My knot has never done this with anyone before.” Oscar grunted.

You laugh softly. “I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It's just… it's hard to believe you've never had this happen before in your… how old are you again?” You ask.

“Twenty six.” Oscar sighed heavily.

“Dude, how have you lived twenty six years and not had your knot swell up?” You question. “Like you've never even had this happen during a rut?”

Oscar groaned in frustration. “Can we stop talking about my knot, please??” He wheezed. His face felt hot with embarrassment.

“Okay, geez.” You giggle. “What's your family like?” You ask.

Oscar let out a dejected sigh and shot you an unamused glance.

“Oh what? Don’t give me that look. We are stuck like this, the least you can do is talk to me instead of pouting and whining about being stuck.” You grunt back at him.

“I don’t really do the whole… Talking thing, sweetheart.” Oscar sighed.

You suck your teeth slowly and loudly. “What’s your family like?” You ask again.

Oscar groaned loudly. “My mother is all I got.” He said. “My mother is the alpha female of our small pack, but she’s really the only blood family I got.” He said.

You frown. “Oh, Oz.” You whisper. Guilt washing over you. You mentally scold yourself for being pushy.

“Don’t feel bad. My parents were dumb college students when I came about.” Oscar said quietly. “But you know, I turned out okay without the old man around.” He added.

“You call this okay?” You ask and raise your eyebrow.

“What are you, a fuckin therapist?” Oscar snorted.

“No… But I could be. I’m a great listener.” You shoot him a playful smile.

Oscar bites his lip, trying to avoid smiling at your retort. “I'm good, sweetheart. Like I said, I don't really do the talkin thing.” He sighed again. 

“Maybe you could change that? Talking helps you know, Oz.” You smile warmly at him.

Oscar chuckled softly as he gazed down at you. “And what makes you think I am gonna change that for lil ol’ you?” He asked and cocked his head to the side.

“Well, your knot did swell for me.” You smirk.

Oscar’s smile drops. “That don’t mean shit.” He snorted.

“Suuuure.” You laugh.

“It don’t.” Oscar grunted.

“Uh huh.” You say in an amused manner. “I won’t push you into talking more, but you feel so inclined to share more… I will listen.” You said quietly.

Oscar exhales heavily through this nose as he runs his tongue over his canines. “You really want to listen to me talk about my life?” He asked.

You shrug. “If you feel so inclined to share.”

Oscar rolled his orange eyes. He looks off towards the wall for a moment. “My mom was nineteen when she had me.” He said. “She’s a good woman, a real “stay wild, moon child” type a’ woman.” He said. “She did her best to maintain our small pack and raise me.” He said.

“You said your mom is your only blood family, I thought werewolf packs were always related to each other in some way shape or form?” You ask curiously.

Oscar chuckled. “Usually, yes.” He said softly. “But the Vi pack is a little different. Aside from my mom and I, everyone else are wolves who lost their old packs in one way or another. My mom’s real big on that “found family” shit.” He said.

Your eyes sparkled with curiosity and awe. “I think your mom is a really strong and wonderful woman for doing that. Especially as a single mom.” You spoke softly, matching Oscar’s quiet tone.

Oscar laughed. “Yeah she’s a tough nut, emphasis on the nut.” He rolled his orange eyes.

You laugh. “She can’t be that bad.” You say and smile.

Oscar pursed his lips. “She’s got her quirks.” He spoke with a soft smile on his face.

You shift a little beneath Oscar. “Hey- I think you can-”

Oscar groaned and was already pulling out of you. “Oh thank fuck.” He mumbled as he sat up and stretched his arms.

You prop yourself up on your elbows. “Dramatic much?” You tease.

“Listen, as great as your pussy is…” Oscar paused.

You gasp playfully and place your hand over your heart. “Oscar Vi, are you implying that you do not like me?” You ask in mock hurt.

Oscar laughed. “Your pussy is great sweetheart, but not so great that I wanna be stuck inside you for the rest of my days.” He smirked.

You pout and whisper. “Rude.”

Oscar leaned forward and captured your lips in a chaste kiss before getting up from the bed and walking towards the bathroom. He nods towards the door. “Care to join me?” He asked.

“What? Don’t wanna talk about your life anymore?” You playfully chastise him.

Oscar groaned and leaned against the doorframe. “Are you going to take a shower with me or not, sweetheart?” He asked.

You giggle as you get up from the bed. You grab your phone from the desk to check the time. “Hmmm… I suppose I have time.” You say with a cheeky smile.

“Then what are you waiting for?” Oscar asks with another cocky smirk as he enters the bathroom to turn the shower on.

You quickly follow Oscar into the bathroom, your feet padding softly against the tile floor as the steam floods the bathroom.

“Listen.” Oscar began as he pulled the hair tie out of his dark brown locks, letting his hair fall to his shoulders. He then stepped into the shower wetting his face and hair under the hot water. “I don’t usually let girls stick around after sex, so don’t go getting any ideas.” He chuckled. “I’m just being courteous.”

You roll your eyes. “Don’t worry, Oz. I’m not gonna go and get attached to you just cause you invited me into the shower after hooking up.” You laugh as you climb in behind him.

Oscar shifts to the side of the cramped motel shower allowing you to pass him and step under the water to wash the sweat and cum away from your body.

Oscar stands behind you, which prompts you to turn and face him. Oscar brings the bar of soap and washcloth to your breasts. As he gently washes your chest he leans down to start kissing your neck.

You let out a soft groan, tilting your head to the side. Oscar’s teeth gently nip at your soft flesh. He drops the washcloth and soap to start fondling your soapy breasts.

“Oz.” You giggled breathily as his thumbs gently flicked your nipples.

Oscar sinks his teeth into the side of your neck, adding another hickey. You squeal in response, prompting Oscar to lick and kiss the bruise.

“Oz.” You groan again.

Oscar pulls back from your neck, admiring the bruise before slowly dropping to his knees. He places his large, strong hands on your squishy thighs and leans forward, running his tongue through your folds.

“F-fuck.” You moan out as you brace your back against the wall of the shower. Your hands tangle themselves in Oscar’s wet hair.

Oscar groaned as the hot water now washed down his body. He didn’t really care about being drenched by the hot water though, your taste was too good. He nipped and suckled on your clit like it was the best piece of candy he’d ever eaten. Savoring the taste of your sensitive bundle of nerves.

Soft moans continued to escape you as you gripped his hair. You then gasp loudly as Oscar reached behind you and grabbed your fluffy cottontail, tugging on it. You can feel him smirk against you as he continues to eat your pussy and tug.

Your legs tremble. “O-Oz.” You whine, pulling his hair a bit.

Oscar grunts as he runs his tongue through your folds. Eager to taste as much as he can. He then lifts your right leg and puts it over his shoulder for easier access to you.

You let out a soft squeak. “O-Oz, I’m gonna fall.” You whimper.

Oscar pulls back just enough to talk. “No you’re not. I won’t let you slip.” He chuckles before diving back into your pussy, lapping up your juices that mix with the shower water. One hand still pulling at your tail, the other thumbing your clit in small circles all while his tongue prods at your entrance.

Your legs continue to shake. Soft groans escape your throat, and your hands are now thoroughly tangled in his thick brown hair.

Oscar growls against you as he starts to lick faster. “Come on baby.” He groans against your aching pussy. “You know you wanna come again.” He chuckles as he presses his thumb against your clit.

You whine loudly and pull his hair, prompting another growl from Oscar. He brings his mouth up a bit and moves his thumb to nip at your clit.

You cry out in pleasure, yanking his hair some more as you come undone from his mouth.

Oscar laughs softly as he pulls away from your pussy.

Oscar stands up and turns you around. You brace yourself on your hands against the shower wall. “Oz!” You whine.

Oscar groans as he prods at your pussy with his throbbing cock. “One more time, one for the road.” He groaned as he leaned over and bit your shoulder before pushing himself inside you for the second time that night.

You moan loudly. “Condom?” You manage to groan out.

“Don’t worry baby.” Oscar groans against your shoulder as he begins to thrust. He stands behind you, one hand gripping your hip and the other gripping your long floppy ears. He yanks on your ears a bit and smirks as you whine and moan loudly. “I won’t… Push my knot in.” He moaned as he continued to thrust while gripping your body tightly.

You moan in rhythm with his thrusts, feeling too good to even argue with Oscar. You really can’t get over how good he is. How he manages to make simple actions feel incredible.

The way he pulls on your long floppy ears with each thrust, the way he squeezes your hips, the way his god damn cockhead smashes against your cervix. It all drives you insane, it makes your mind feel hazy and loud moans spill from your mouth.

“Oh- fuck- Oz. You. Feel. So. Fucking. Good.” You moan in a raspy wheeze. Your eyes roll back in your head slightly.

Oscar smirks through his own moans as he continues to pound into you against the wall of the shower. His hips meeting your ass with vigorous thrusts. He wants so badly to shove his knot inside you again. To feel your tight pussy squeeze his knot with all you’ve got. His instincts are screaming at him to knot you. To say “the hell with the pull out method, spill your seed damn it and breed her.”

These tempting thoughts are interrupted when you cry out loudly and your knees buckle slightly. Oscar was so lost in his own thoughts that he didn’t realize his knot was pushing against you. He gulps and grunts as he just barely manages to resist the urge to shove it into your needy cunt.

You wheeze. “O-Oz.”

Oscar lets go of your hip and supports you by your belly with his hand. His other hand is still pulling at your ears as he continues to thrust into you. “D-don’t worry, sweetheart.” He moans in your ear as his thrusts grow sloppy. “I’ll- Fuck.” He hissed as he quickly pulled his cock out of your pussy and spilled his cum all over your ass.

You whimper and shiver at the hot sensation. You pant and wheeze heavily as Oscar supports your body with his strong arms.

Oscar groaned as he buried his face into your shoulder.

“I take it…” You pause to catch your breath. “You don’t use the pull out method often?” Oscar panted softly and chuckled against your shoulder. “I do not.” He admitted as he reached around you to shut the shower water off.

[anaalnathrakhs]

btw my mom said it. she said it to me looking me in the eyes. i told her about how difficult it was for me to get through those family reunions, and she admitted it was very important to her, important enough that she was just going to do it anyway.

[scarletcomet]

there's really no help for feeling suicidal when you're not in immediate danger

[robinsnest2111]

just saw a recipe video for a cake that looks just like a cake my late grandma used to make and now I got tears streaming down my face oops

[eggsnatcheskneecaps]

.

[todayisafridaynight]

Right??? Thanks so much! I actually first fell in love with Jo's character when RGGJo's voice lines came out haha, so it's super fun to be able to share them.

But I can think of a couple of reasons for the wild personality gap, and for me it starts at their respective roles. Obviously main antagonist and major supporting character are going to draw different levels of attention to themselves, but I think it's chiefly that RGGJo is not just Jo, but he's both Jo and Masato as one character.

RGGJo is much, much closer in age to Ichi, and though they're not "twins" like Ichi and Masato are (RGGJo is a little more than 2 years older), it's thematically there I think. The whole "twin dragonfish," dark and light, two sides of the same coin kind of thing.

And just as Ichi was initially conceptualized as a sort of "greatest hits compilation" of the previous protagonists' most compelling traits, I think there's a strong case for RGGJo being the same for the previous antagonists--specifically Nishiki, Ryuji, and Mine, who are pretty clearly Yokoyama's favorites anyway lol.

I have a feeling casting has something to do with it as well. RGGJo's actor, Hiroki Takahashi, is actually the exact same age as he is, and he's voiced his fair share of fun, flamboyant villains. If I wanted to speculate, he's also voiced his fair share of BL, so that may be why RGGJo's voice lines have a Certain Slant to them; directing his delivery to capitalize on his established appeal (although he has quite a range) makes sense.

Tsutsumi is also only a few years off from Y7Jo, and he was cast for having the dignity and screen presence to "make every word feel like it might have a deeper meaning." Yokoyama (and Takeuchi) wrote the games, he and Nagoshi handled the casting, and Yokoyama generally handles the voice direction for the main story, so a lot of it's specific to his vision.

Within that context I think it's relevant that he wrote Y7Jo while picturing Tsutsumi specifically. RGGJo was more malleable and less "consequential" in terms of the franchise, so, y'know, why not have a little fun with it? I think that's reflected in their designs as well. RGGJo's is larger-than-life while Y7Jo's is relatively subdued.

Overall, I get the sense RGGJo's role is more akin to "son" and "brother," (aniki, if you will), like Masato, whereas Y7Jo's role is more akin to "co-parent" and "father" and I guess "Evil Stepdad" in a Cinderella kind of way. It's not exact across the board, it's not literal across the board, but it's the archetype, right? And I think that does, exactly like you said, have far-reaching consequences for their backgrounds and who they've become as a result.

BTW, you actually are up to speed on Ichi's story, because uh… that's where it stops lol. It was discontinued at roughly the equivalent of the start of Chapter 12 in 7; the rest of the story was written, but not published. It Kills Me.

But I think, despite any concrete backstory, the implication for RGGJo is that (if I assume he joined earlier than Ichi, which would make sense given he's captain), he was at most 18 or 19 when he joined, and he's exactly the same kind of Arakawa fanboy Ichi is. The 15th anniversary book goes on to say he "was purely in love with [Arakawa]'s greatness" and so cannot tolerate the idea of allowing him to live and die in obscurity at the bottom rungs, of Arakawa being in a position not equivalent to his "greatness" in his eyes.

But Ichi thinks that's regardless of what Arakawa himself may want, since RGGJo is apparently not going to stop until he makes him chairman, which the Arakawa Ichi knows wouldn't really care about. I think there's an interesting mix of selflessness and selfishness in his desires that reminds me of Mine.

And that's explicitly as opposed to Y7Jo, whose loyalty remains the same, but whose feelings and motivations are complicated by the existence of Masato; the usage of "purely" before is notable here, as another suitable translation would be "uncomplicatedly," which to me would suggest that degree of admiration is a component of his loyalty in 7 as well.

So I think you're absolutely right the circumstances with Masato are a major aspect of what's going on with Y7Jo. It's inextricable because he's got this immense gratitude towards Arakawa for raising his son and also a need, a primary driving force, to be a part of his son's life at (almost) all costs. The natural result of that is going to be reluctance to do anything that tips the balance.

I think that's one of the things that make him so compelling, he's forced to make a lot of tough, meaningful decisions and there's often (but not always) no right answer. And that's really clear to see with Aoki, as you say.

(Kind of a side note, but somewhat contrary to the above, Masato may actually have existed in RGGO's timeline. There was a comment from Yokoyama or Takeuchi suggesting he's not in RGGO not because he simply "doesn't exist, but specifically because Arakawa may not have opened the right locker or may not have made it to the lockers in time. I guess the other implication would be that Masato would've been Arakawa's biological son in RGGO instead, since RGGJo would've been too young and there was no need for a switcheroo? It was just an off-hand comment, but it's interesting to think about.)

Also, loved your tags haha. It's SO funny you start off like you're going to say something crazy and then it turns out to actually be something I wanted to write about in the previous ask, but that I cut out because I couldn't make it flow. I guess it might just be the case that I'm crazy on the same wavelength?

But yes! I think a lot of the time, impressions of that aspect Jo's backstory sort of begin and end at Evil Stepdad Perpetuates Cycle Of Abuse, perhaps understandably, but there's genuinely so much that's established in both his and Arakawa's backstories that have clearly stayed with them that I'm positive your take on it is at the very least least true to the character, whether or not it's intentional.

Because like, Arakawa and Jo both came from abusive households. And they're both affected by Aoki's "parental abuse" (although Aoki doesn't know it himself, I guess he doesn't need to). But the way Arakawa has always dealt with abuse is defiance; I think the implication of one of the first scenes is that that's how he got his scar. Jo, on the other hand, has always dealt with abuse with avoidance. Running away. Brushing it under the rug, like he says he and Ikumi had done all their lives; I think that statement's fairly clearly linked to abuse and neglect.

And I think that shows both in Arakawa and Jo's respective responses to traditional authority figures and in how they choose to handle things with Aoki. Arakawa defies Aoki's plans in his own way at every turn, and he ends up getting killed for it. Jo, on the other hand, ignores it until there's nothing left to do but sever himself completely, in the same way there was nothing left to do back then but run. IT'S SO. Ugh.

Each Jo's respective role in the overall plot of their stories definitely plays a part in why they turn out different from each other the way they do; it's interesting to see how RGG decided to handle Jo's character to sort of 'adjust him' to fit better as more of a background figure than The Big Bad, and to especially see how his relationships end up is spectacular. Choosing to divide that devotion between his son and his boss in Y7 is something I'm just positively obsessed with: it's clear he joined the yakuza predominantly for Masato's sake, but the concept of Jo gradually coming to genuinely respect Arakawa as an individual opposed to someone that he just happens to have to follow after because his son's involved heightens him as a character for me (I might have to write a side piece on the psyche of Jo- there's just a bunch of aspects to him that I want to explore better and really intrigue me, but I refuse to try and squeeze any of that into this long-as-is answer lmao).

I definitely recognize Ryuji and Mine the easiest in RGGJo (Mine's influence still persists a bit in Y7 to me, if not solely for his devotion and his own version of The Knife Scene existing as The Eye Scene; though Jo's anger wasn't purely due to Arakawa's death in that scene like Mine's was due to Daigo's 'death', it was clear Arakawa's passing was a sore subject). Jo's dedication to Arakawa in RGGO really is totally reminiscent of Mine's devotion to Daigo: both willing to take drastic measures to secure the ones they idolize the spot they feel they deserve and to exterminate any opposition to that dream (if I'm remembering Mine's RGGO story right wherein he partakes in the Okinawa deal as a HUGE ploy just to secure Daigo remains chairman should he wake up, but I don't have to clarify how that didn't go as planned).

As for Nishiki, it's clear Jo borrows his 'position' in the story, just as Ichi obviously takes Kiryu's. To yoink a phrasing from another ask I got, they're 'dark parallels': though they both clearly want the best for Arakawa, they're going about it in different ways (in that sense, Y7Arakawa's line about him seeing the Arakawa Family as his 'sons' makes this situation a little funny: just two kids fighting each other for what's best for their dad lmao). It's a shame the story didn't go on any more after the Millenium fight, but I'm a little happy knowing in that I'm not missing anything (what I will scratch my head over is what RGGOMasato would've been like. I guess it's not exactly certain whether or not he survived The Locker Incident or he was just so considerably normal he wasn't worth bringing up, but regardless I'll have a ponder about it..). It'd be rad if RGG ever decided to release at least the drafts of the rest of the story one day, but I won't hold my breath.

I've peaked over at Takahashi's past roles (I didn't realize he's voiced so many characters I know omg), and I think that's a fair conclusion to come to: he repertoire combines characters with sort of 'harsh' tones to their voices/dialogue, but as you said he does benefit from having voiced some 'lighter' characters! As for Tsutsumi, I think I've made it a little clear on my blog that I've taken time to look at his past projects, and though I haven't seen all of his roles, Jo's an interesting inclusion to his list (but by no means an inappropriate fit. If I were to compare him to one of Tsutsumi's past roles, Nobunaga Oda from Honnouji Hotel is similar in being an intimidating man with a violent reputation but still having a 'soft'/deeper side). It gets more fun when I think of it: Tsutsumi, from what I can gather, is a tad renowned for playing loving fathers (whether they're perfect fathers depends on the character, but they all absolutely adore their kid/family- this might be the only time I've seen him play a father and he isn't doting on his kid, lmao). Yokoyama and Nagoshi are definitely masters at deciding who should play who and how to utilize their talents efficiently, and having prior knowledge to Tsutsumi's roles, I feel as though audience members would have been able to get a hint at Jo's whole character early on (just as RGG had capitalized on Takahashi's reputation) which I personally find to be a fun tidbit, if not just grateful that they chose such an excellent actor to play such an intricate character. Ergo, his ability to give 'deep' performances and have that sort of presence and give his character that type of atmosphere definitely helps enhance the human aspect of Jo's character.

It's a great blend into Jo's otherwise cold demeanor, and going off the idea that RGGJo was a combination of Masato and Jo, the decision to have Jo be a committed father to Masato (as much as he's allowed to be, anyhow) while Masato became the power-hungry villain (even if RGGJo's motivations were ironically centered around Arakawa succeeding moreover himself), it's somewhat of a roundabout way to have them still be connected: though they're not the same character anymore, there's that bond that keeps them stitched together that I find neat.

AND THANK YOU ABOUT MY TAGS I can't sugarcoat it, I'm not a very confident person, so I'm glad you've gleamed there's some validity to what I'm saying. And I'm glad you've expanded on not just Jo, but Arakawa's upbringing as well: though they both come from abusive homes, they do handle it differently, and I feel so blind for not even having wholly noticed it in how they react to Aoki- it's so brilliant I almost want to scream. It's a tragic irony that despite Jo resolving to not 'half-ass' things anymore and to face things head-on, to 'take responsibility', he incidentally falls back into trying to avoid the problem for as long as he can. It's poetic really, and I'm positively going to go insane over the fact.